What is Education?

Michele Quigley asks this question over at The Family-Centered Life.

Somewhere on a piece of notebook paper from our pre-computer days, I have a one page essay on my philosophy of education. Would that I could lay my fingers on it now! But I do remember some of it, a piece of it, and that piece hasn't changed over the years. However, I'll talk about that in a bit.

My Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus gives "enlighten" as one of several synonyms for the word, "educate," and I like that. For to me, education is about more than teaching or instruction. For what is my aim in home education? That my children know, love, and serve God in this life and are forever happy with Him in the next. The Oxford also says that the prefix "en" means to "'bring into the condition of'". So at the heart of it for our family, education is bringing my children into the Light of Christ.

Probably few reading this would disagree with that. But what does that goal mean, practically-speaking? It is the guiding force in all decisions. It means that I believe that character is more important than academic achievement. As I've said for years, especially to newbies, St. Peter won't be checking for degrees at those pearly gates! What will matter, is what kind of people my children become; whether they have accepted God's love and learned to love God and others. I believe that in my heart of hearts, and it has freed me from so much worry over academics!

Now, I've had someone quip back to me that maybe my kids aren't so academically inclined, but that her kids were college-bound. Freedom from anxiety about academics doesn't infer indifference to it. With my goal to know, love, and serve God, it is imperative that my children receive solid instruction. God made this world and the people in it, and when we study it, its history, its scientific principles,when we study those whom God made in His Image and Likeness, we are getting to know a bit (and sometimes a great deal!) about our wondrous Creator. So we've never been lightweights on academics. A very wise priest on retreat once said "caught, not taught" in reference to kids' education. My 31 years of mothering has shown the veracity of his view. "Caught, not taught" means that my deepest convictions communicate with the greatest power. So I think it matters tremendously that I "know that I know " that what is most important is allowing God to love us and to love Him in return.

Of course, I'm still on the journey myself, and so I've been evolving in how I live this philosophy. Only a week ago I went on a mothers' retreat and I took away from that blessed time the realization that I need to show Christ to my children through my words and actions. Oh, I've known for years that I ought to see Christ in my children, and that was mentioned as well on the retreat. But I had an "Aha!" moment of seeing that another guiding principle in this homeschool adventure was to be Christ to my children. Or, to put it in the vernacular, WWJD? (And here's where I insert the disclaimer that I'm a sinner and I fall short all too often of doing what I imagine Our Savior would do!)

However, I see that in picking out programs, or books, or methodologies that make ideas and concepts more accessible to an individual child, I am reaching out to him or her, appreciating those qualities that make that child unique. Which brings me to what I recall from that education essay of long ago: I wrote that the best teacher meets a student where he's at, in order to lead him to where he needs to be. My model at the time (as now) was Jesus, Who, I noted, didn't tell people, "Come see Me when you're perfect" but rather, met people where they were at, dined with the sinners, and invited them into relationship. So, too, I recognized the power of relationship in reaching students. Picking the best means to help a child learn, tailoring the curriculum to him, is a means of saying, "I'm here with you, just where you are, and together we'll travel." Contrast that with exasperation that a child isn't able to solve problems or master concepts according the scope and sequence for his grade level or age!

My view of what education is, then, is to enlighten, to show God's Truth and Love. And I think this involves seeing the truth of where my kids are at, of reaching out to them at that place they each happen to be, in order to assist them in their journey. A third component of education in our home is developing a love of learning. There are things that my kids must learn in order that they be able to function in life. These might need to be mastered with a spirit of obedience. But another goal of working with my children as individuals is maintaining their natural love of learning, and again, "caught, not taught" plays a huge role. My husband and I both love learning and treasure books, and our home reflects that, with overflowing bookcases in nearly every room. We've been blessed to find many at bargain prices, but we've also sacrificed in order to make purchases. We love being outdoors and contemplating nature. We've never been particularly concerned with the mess that ensues when nature is brought indoors. And because creativity doesn't always flourish "on a schedule" I've made a point to have art supplies easily available to the kids to use whenever. For example, our construction paper is separated by color into paper trays that sit out in the open with scissors and glue and other paraphernalia in nearby drawers. Giving the kids time is essential. Time to think, to observe, to create. All these things make for a learning-friendly environment, which, in turn, nourish a love of learning.

I embarked on this adventure 15 years ago with the encouragement of friends who championed homeschooling as the best means to raise their children in the Faith and to give them a quality education. I had two children in public school at the time, so I knew some of the short-comings of the system. Having been educated as a nurse with my B.S.N., I had already had a paradigm shift in deciding to home birth after my first two were born at hospitals. My research into home birthing was a prelude to my study of home education. It prepared me to take responsibility for my children, as opposed to deferring to the "experts." I've never looked back, as this is definitely how my husband and I feel called to raise our family. What I've learned a long the way is how very much I enjoy being with my children! I marvel at what they think of and delight in their observations. We are eclectic homeschoolers, with not a little spirit of unschooling. It works for us.