Educational Goals for Our Family

Our Educational Goals

2012

Why do we homeschool? The short answer is, simply: because we believe God has called us, personally, to do so at this time.

Goals, in random order…followed by questions to help me evaluate my success, in italics:

1)      To correct our kids through a gospel perspective. To deal not only with their outward actions (behavior), but with the motivations of their heart that provoked their actions, identifying the sin, and addressing our need for the Savior. To not approach disciplinary issues moralistically, teaching a false gospel & works-based perspective leading to idolatry (e.g. approval, false identity, etc.).  Evaluate:

1.      Am I taking the time to really address their heart when correcting and disciplining them? Am I helping them to identify & understand the sin behind their actions (the idols they are serving) & pointing them to God for help?

2)      We recognize the biblical responsibility we have to raise our kids in a Deut 6 fashion, and we feel led to do this throughout the day/night and not just before/after school, since children are away at public/private school all day & then have homework in the evening.  Evaluate:

1.      Am I talking to the kids about God throughout the day (Dt.6), enabling them to meditate on & renew their minds on God’s law/gospel day & night, by constant use (Pr.1; Rom12;Eph4:23; Heb5:14) & acknowledging Him in our circumstances (making use of teachable moments)?

2.      Am I spending quality time with them?

3)      We don’t trust our kids to be able to discern the things they hear & learn, things that are and are not contrary to the Bible/Gospel, NOR do we trust them (or their ability) to share with us every significant thing they hear & learn so that we can help them evaluate it according to the Truth.  Evaluate:

1.      Am I correcting what I can after being around others during playgroups, church, time with cousins/neighbors, after going to the movies with grandparents, after watching things on TV, after being with babysitters…?

4)      I feel biblically compelled to teach them the basics of the faith as a foundation before adding everything else to their knowledge.  Proverbs 1:7 and many of the Psalms say the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge (& wisdom).  I figure it’s the best place to begin their education, as well as the best foundation to build their education upon.  Ecclesiastes 12:13 says fearing God and keeping his commands are the whole duty of man. 

1.      Evaluate: Am I teaching a gospel-response motivation for life (for why we do what we do,  for what we ought to value, for how we prioritize our time…)?

5)      We want to heed biblical wisdom that is found in verses like *Lk 6:40; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Pr 13:20; Php 4:8; Pr 14:7; Pr 20:19; 2 Timothy 2:22; and Gal 6:1, by providing for our kids an environment where they will be encouraged toward Christ, godly/biblical wisdom, and finding their identity/purpose in Him, instead of an environment where they will be enticed away from Him toward worldly/empty values, worldly philosophies, and worldly wisdom that lead away from Christ. We also want to model for our kids the proactive choosing of a God-centered daily environment and engaging the lost without surrounding ourselves with a daily environment of temptation (e.g. our husbands intentionally choose to not work for Playboy or Victoria's Secret)  Evaluate:

1.      Am I  providing a foundation of godly values or worldly values/philosophies – teaching what God values & how it contrasts with what the world values? Am I letting TV raise them & shape their philosophies and worldview?

2.      Am I establishing a foundation of knowledge of Who God is and of scripture and in this way fostering a proper fear of God? Am I exposing them to God and His Word?

3.      Am I bringing them along with me as I reach out and minister to others, involving them in service-oriented and relationship-oriented ministry?

6)      I do not see it as wise to throw them into ministry situations in our absence when they may or may not be believers yet. And I do not want to use them, at their expense (#s 2,3,4), in order to provide me with ministry opportunities.  We want to some day send our kids out to be a light in the darkness, but until they are saved, we will let them join us as we let God’s light shine through us (see #6). We want our kids to 1^st be saved, and then to be rooted & established, so that when they go out, they are not tossed to & fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph 3:14-19; 4:11-16).  Evaluate:

1.      Am I setting an example by modeling a lifestyle of ministry in response to the gospel by serving & praying for others? Am I including them in it, enabling them to take part in it & teaching them to likewise respond to the gospel via ministry & serving - serving each other (i.e. chores, sharing, etc.) & others? 

7)      We do not value cramming a ton of academic knowledge into them for the sake of achieving an end-goal of excelling intellectually. One of my goals for my boys is to raise godly men who will grow up to be independent from us *but dependent on God, who will be capable of working to provide an income that will sufficiently provide for themselves and their own families, and enable them to be generous and able to share. I want to provide them enough academic training/knowledge to be able to reason so they can converse effectively in order to build relationships through which they may share the gospel and so they can function in society and in the workforce by finding and keeping a job. Evaluate:

1.      Am I teaching them to respond to the gospel via learning, to thank God by obeying him & using the gifts they’ve been given? Am I helping them to be good stewards of the minds God has given them by challenging their minds & stretching their imaginations & creativity & understanding?

2.      Am I teaching them logic (via Math & Science, Budgeting their money, etc.), teaching them about God (via the Bible & History & Science & Geography), and teaching everything through a biblical worldview (eternal perspective)?

8)      One of our goals is to impress upon our children the importance of living in biblical community (the way the early church did in Acts).  There are so many verses about being part of the body (frequently and intimately) and about using our gifts in the body: to glorify God, for the edification of other believers, and as a means of sharing the love of God with unbelievers.  We believe God designed us to be in relationships and desires us to be an integral part of the body of Christ.  I believe we should model this and provide this for them from an early age & on.  Evaluate:

1.      Am I setting an example of sharing life with others, living in biblical community, and pursuing biblical community for myself and for them? Am I initiating opportunities for them to spend time with other godly families, consistently, to foster biblical community for them?