Homeschooling for His Glory

On our last post in this series, it is now time to put things together. How can I talk about a relaxed classical homeschooling style? The way I see it, classical and relaxed can work quite well together. Classical homeschooling focusses on what needs to be achieved and sought for. It is about goals, that of teaching my kids truths, values, beauty, goodness. Relaxed homeschooling addresses the way or atmosphere in which education is pursued and done. As much as I hold to a classical philosophy of education, I do not think that it has to necessarily be done in a very rigid way. The way I make sure that my kids are classically homeschooled is in the kind of material or curriculum we use. I am very eclectic in our curriculum choices, but I usually tend to choose material that emphasizes the areas I mentioned on day 3 of this series. Materials that focus on: Language Arts skills Critical thinking and logic Good books of literature History and humanities Even as I make sur...

Now that we have explored Classical Education, it is time to turn to the notion of relaxed  homeschooling. What is relaxed homeschooling and what do I understand by it? Relaxed homescholing can be understood as a way of life and a mindset toward education which really is what homeschooling is all about. In practice a relaxed homeschooling focuses on an atmosphere of learning. Education and learning does not have to be fun but it does have to take place in the context of everyday living. That is one of the reason why we homeschool. The intention is not so much to do "school at home", as much as to "home educate". There is a difference. The difference lies in the structure and form of doing school. Relaxed homeschooling is not equivalent to unschooling. In relaxed homeschooling there is structure, goals and plans. The way this is followed through is where things get different and creative. In a relaxed setting, more than the goals, philosophy, methodolog...

" Christian education has become something of a lost science. Not only have Christians done very little to prepare their children to become godly intellects, but intellectual incompetence has been seen as the true helpmate of vital spirituality. A soft mind has been seen as a vital tool in the pursuit of a soft heart. In our day, mental rigor and a vigorous intellectual pursuit have became equated with doctrinal rigidity and cold spirituality . " (Fritz Hinrichs) This quote is reflective of the reason why we have opted for a classical education in our homeschool. We do not desire, nor aspire to raise kids who do not have a mental rigor and are intellectually incompetent. We have lost our way through the ages as to what we as christian should be doing. We have turned our christianity into a set of rules, into moralism, instead of the proclamation of the kingdom of God, and of a reigning king that rules and owns all things. " Until a hundred years ago, Christians...

So what is Classical Education? This question can be a challenge to answer. Classical education can be understood as a method, a school of thought or as a philosophy. Really it is all of the above.Classical education has a history, into which I will not enter in here, but at its essence classical education is a philosophy or a model of education as I mentioned in my post yesterday. Classical education gets its roots from a medieval model of education. It centers around a goal, and a pedagogy to accomplish and attain that goal. This goal can be defined in two ways: to teach children how to think and learn for themselves by giving them the tools of learning and foundations for interpretations. In this light Christian classical education wants to " produce students who have a solid intellectual understanding of the Truth, have passionate hearts to the Truth and have the ability to express this understanding and love to a needy world ." (Biola University Article)....

When it comes to homeschooling, the methods and philosophies abound. That is why each family has to know for itself what they are trying to accomplish and how they intend to accomplish it. From the start Classical education attracted me and caught my attention. In order to understand where I stand I will start with our family's definition and understanding of education and what we as parents are called to do, and that from a biblical point of view, since we are a Christian family. Education : A dictionary definition would be "the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction." We all recognize that life is a learning process from the time we are born to the time we die. One is never finished learning about himself and about the world around him. Our task as parents therefore revolves around equipping, guiding, and coaching our kids in that ever ending task of learning and growth as individuals. As believers our task is even deeper than that, given that w...