the education of children

Often looked down upon as a waste of a broad-minded and capable woman’s time, teaching her children is one of the most blessed careers a mother could fulfill. Imparting a lasting education does not begin on the first day of kindergarden or grade school. It begins in infancy. Whether or not parents realize it, when a babe is still unable to string words together or even use a sippy cup, his education has begun--for better or worse. Children are a big responsibility and one that needs to be taken seriously. The great philosopher Plato said: “No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nurture and education.” Being intentional about bringing children up in the admonition of the Lord requires a great deal of dedication and consistency, but the results are worth every minute of weariness--not to mention it is a command to all Believers. It is the little things in life that culminate over time and are the backbone to character. Thus intentional choices and training on the part of the parents are integral to the child.

Parents should construct a vision and know what end result they want to obtain in the big picture. This will help in the planning stage where the curriculums or methods of book education are chosen. Starting with hopes for the finale and slowly, methodically working backwards to construct a broad and flexible, organized schedule with which to follow as the years go by will lend a cadence and reason to scholastic decisions later on. Establishing a scope and sequence from the start will give the educator some structure as to where to direct the studies and when certain tasks should be accomplished to be able to achieve the fixed goals. Relying on these boundary points during the ensuing stages, the deviations, all too common in the normal homeschool regimen, will be severely diminished and the focus will stay more on track and in line with the chief end. Plato espouses many great ideas as education and the work it requires, on behalf of the teacher as well as the student, “nothing great is easy.”

As soon as the parents have a grasp on how to put their vision into practice, they can begin feeding it to their children in bit-sized pieces. The early years should be spent nurturing each precious God-given blessing with little emphasis on academic studies. Days fly by full of seeing the world through enthusiastic, untainted eyes and teaching children what it means to learn and discover, believe and trust, love and hate--tying heartstrings between mother and children. When relationships have been well established during the young years, the rest of life together in the home will be pleasant and enjoyable to all members of the family.

Pupils can absorb almost anything; they are a clean slate on which to work and engrave, leaving an indelible impression on the soul. One of the most important elements of an early childhood education is an exposure to literature that will instill foundational truths from the start.

“For a young person cannot judge what is allegorical and what is literal; anything that he receives into his mind at that age is likely to become indelible and unalterable; and therefore it is most important that the tales which the young first hear should be models of virtuous thoughts.”

Entering the age of adolescence, students launch into their education and gain a personal interest in knowledge for the sake of understanding. Biblically-minded mentors are essential in this stage. They guide, challenge, and instruct--ultimately imparting their worldview, standards, values, and ethics in the child. Having once started using great books as teachers, it is hard to stop, especially as the material just gets better and better, inspiring further research and deeper conversations. Continually discussing literary and academic material, the scholarly young adults will advance their education, establishing rhetorical habits.

As the children grow and mature, the foundation laid down in the beginning will be tested. If it is weak or crumbling anything added to it will topple into a miserable heap of rebellion. However, if the mother truly has the heart of her child in her hands and the cornerstones of faith and love remain steadfastly in place, everything built on top will last a life time and will be a living testimony of God’s grace in the lives of all involved. Reaching adulthood though a path of intentionality is a process that over time results in a percipient and copious man, ready to face all challenges. Plato suggests the “end” has been reached when:

“[a student] knows when he should speak and when he should abstain from speaking, and when he should make use of pithy sayings, pathetic appeals, aggravated effects, and all the other figures of speech;--when I say, he knows the times and seasons of all these things, then and not till then he is perfect and consummate master of his art.”

Throughout their children’s education, parents are involved in cultivating character qualities, explaining ideas, sharing wisdom, imparting truths, befriending, and guiding in edification.