Last week I posted about lifelong learning & laying the foundation in your homeschool so your kids become educated.
I want to go a step further and talk for a minute about Christian education. I think all those things that Mortimer Adler talked about are true. But what is Christian education?
According to Andrew Kern of Circe Institute, Christian education cultivates wisdom and virtue through nurturing the soul in truth, goodness and beauty. I really love the way he describes Christian education. We want to cultivate wisdom and virtue in our children. Those should be lifelong goals.
Every year we want to cultivate more wisdom and more virtue in our kids. How do we do it?
By nurturing our kids’ soul in truth, goodness and beauty. We are a society of productivity, so much so that we don’t even think about truth, goodness & beauty.
When’s the last time you thought about truth, goodness & beauty as you wrote lesson plans or chose next year’s curriculum? We are usually centered on checklists and finishing the curriculum, rather than nurturing our children’s souls.
What have you done recently to touch your kid’s soul, to nurture their soul in what is true according to God, what is good according to the Bible and finally, what is beautiful?
Why not try some of these ideas . . .
- Talk about God’s creation in nature walks
- Read verses about God’s creation
- Walk through an art museum, looking for beautiful paintings
- Discuss historical leaders and if they live truthfully
- Find ways to be kind to your neighbor
- Look at God’s order in mathematical solutions
What an excellent long-term goal for your Christian homeschool. The result is your children will know, glorify and enjoy God forever. To me, that is what we wanted for our own kids. We wanted our children to know God. We wanted them to glorify God and to enjoy Him.
What is Education to You?
Now is the time for you to personally decide what is education. As you determine how to define an educated person, you’ll be led to what type of education you will provide for your kids, or what approach you should choose in your homeschool.
It may take time. It may even take years. My definition evolved over many years. By the end of homeschooling, I figured out my goals for my kids – to think critically & Biblically in any and all situations.
Whatever you decide about education, an educated person, or Christian education, be sure to write it down. You can start a homeschool journal to help you stay organized. Once you write it down, you’ll have it in writing and can refer back to it, as needed. You’ll use these definitions as you determine your goals & choose the best approach to your Christian homeschool.
Question: How can you nurture you child’s soul in truth, goodness & beauty? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
