“As Christian home educators this shouldn’t be hard for us. We have as our base faith, hope and love. There is so much there that I think I will begin with that tomorrow”

Continuing where I left off yesterday, I was pondering these things all night. One other recurring theme of the retreat was the fact that these things are achieved through a linguistic education. This has always been where I have connected with classical education and also why I am a bit more comfortable with the term Liberal Arts.

In our society at this time education has one function. The function of education is purely monetary. I have said on this blog that I think that we have done a better job of preparing our boys for marriage rather than to get jobs. All of those thoughts converge on the point that a linguistic education prepares them for LIFE. This doesn’texclude their ability to get a job. On the other hand a modern utilitarian education does not prepare one for life, marriage or even old age.

Recently I have been reading books that include chapters dealing with elderly people in nursing homes. It occurred to me that when my older boys were little I frequently said that we were memorizing things in case they were ever in prison and the rats were eating their toes. Now it has come to me with even more force that I am preparing my children not only for marriage and jobs and perhaps prison but I am also preparing them for their elderly years when much of the slough of their life will be gone. I believe much of what we have done in our Morning Times will remain.

I am giving them the poetic knowledge that will be with them until they face eternity. I am not the Holy Spirit. I must prepare my children for a life well-lived and trust God to prepare their hearts for eternity.

When I am setting my priorities this has to come into play. So that in our home we will be heavy on the linguistics subjects and weak in the sciences. I don’t believe this will hinder the children from learning the sciences in college and I don’t believe it will hinder them in selecting careers. While there is serious social pressure on our young people to quantify their existence, at the same time they are judged by their articulateness and broadness of thought.

If classical education uses memorization in the early years in a utilitarian fashion, I think it misses the boat. That is preparing the child for more education rather than gifting them with a lifelong love of poetic knowledge.

That is why I still continue to believe that homeschooling is the best option. Classical schools by the nature of the beast are forced into utilitarian modes. Homeschoolers have much more liberality to pursue the liberal arts.

But it isn’t easy for us either. We are all victims of our culture. We are always being pulled away from the true, the good and the beautiful towards the utilitarian. After all we all want our children to provide for their families. It takes courage to trust that the slow path through the dark woods leads to the fruitful plain, but not only to the fruitful plain but beyond, beyond Parnassus even, to the city of God.

  Leave a Comment »