“How good and how pleasant life can be, when the brethren dwell in unity.”
Thanks to many years of reciting Christ Centered Curriculum alphabet/vowel flash cards with our children, this Psalm 133 scripture rhyme is still stuck in my head after 29 years!
Matthew joined Mark Stephen and me at the table as we started our phonics and math curriculum. Mark Stephen was a little older than 4 years old when we started a home education program and Matthew was nearing 2 years old. In this photo, it appears Mark Stephen was 5. Matthew was nearing 3.
While I drilled Mark Stephen on his flashcards, Matthew listened and learned them also, oft reciting them with his brother. Little did we realize they would grow up learning how to harmonize in many ways. This was a wonderful added benefit to home education. Not only did our children enjoy being educated together, they became strength and encouragement for one another even though they were different ages and learned at different paces.
Through our home education program, we were encouraged to use “The Bus Stop” learning approach which included each child at different ages as we sat down together in the family room to read God’s word and sing a hymn for the month. We read five psalms beginning with the day of the month (example: Today is the 15th, so we read Psalm 15, then counted ahead 30 chapters, and read chapters 45, 75, 105, and 135). We also read the proverb for the day (example: March 15th, Proverbs 15). The goal was to read through all the psalms and proverbs in a month. We would finally read Matthew 5, 6, or 7 which was the scriptural focus of our home education curriculum, and from which all of our academic unit studies were drawn. Every month we progressed by learning one or more verses. Our morning devotions consisted of this discipline every weekday. If the children desired, we’d read a book together. On Saturdays, we only read the psalms and the proverbs.
Following our devotion time together, we moved to the kitchen, because simply moving from one room to another, helped our children stretch and refocus to the next part of their lesson. This became our daily rhythm and discipline and it worked well for us. Daily learning occurred in different areas of the home, and we called those areas “learning stations”, which included daily living skills (aka- chores). Chores were assigned to each child until they became proficient at their skill (example: Mark Stephen learned to sweep the stairs and Matthew began learning chores by helping me empty the small trashcans scattered throughout the house. Eventually, he took over that chore). As a mom of now grown and married adults, I marvel at what God has accomplished in their lives by making them gifted and responsible workers.
As we sat down at the kitchen table, a dry erase board hung on the wall for writing, instructing, and phonics art exercises. Matthew sat in his highchair at one end of the table, Mark Stephen sat at the opposite end from him, and I sat in the middle. I was able to move freely between them to help them with their activities and/or lessons.
Until Matthew (and the younger ones as they came along) turned 3, he was usually given a quiet table activity (some examples were: books to "read", crayons and a coloring book, felt art, stickers and paper, aqua doodle, scissors and a magazine to cut out pictures of objects that began with whatever letter we were learning, painting, puzzles, play-do, etc…) while I helped Mark Stephen with his lessons. Matthew’s curriculum began when he turned 3, at which time he began with confident enthusiasm drilling flashcard exercises. On the back of the alphabetical and numeral flashcards was a scripture reference and a short Bible lesson. What an encouragement it was to saturate our minds with Scripture at the beginning of our lessons. Matthew listened and sometimes participated at reciting the verse and rhymes.
I oft wonder if we had not home educated our children, what would they have learned?? Who would have loved them as much and taught them daily from the Scriptures how to love and reverence the LORD? Would our children be close friends? There are other questions… but foremost, could we have maintained spiritual instruction and counsel in their lives with the four very different children God gave us? Who would their closest friends and influencers have been? We were unified as a family daily in what mattered most as we read God’s word together. I am soo very thankful!
My parents did the best they could to train up their children with the valuable resource they had, The Holy Bible, devotional books, and the support our church God gave us. My dad oft stated as we were raising our children, “We didn’t have conferences, home schooling, support groups, and the internet to help us raise you monkeys (his pet name for us), but we had the Bible.” They raised us in the fear and admonition of the LORD, but there were seasons with challenges! By the mercy of God, I’m thankful the LORD captured my heart at a young age and gave me grace through faith to overcome the daily counsel of ungodly friends and influences. I’m thankful my parents taught me to fear the Lord! They instructed me daily, biblically, and faithfully surrounded me with godly influence as they were able before they sent us off to school.
Home education was not common when I was a young girl. I attended the government schools nearby where children were age segregated. My big brother was five years older, and my little brother was 1 1/2 yrs younger, and 2 grades behind me. I never saw my big brother in a school setting, because of the age difference between us, but also, sadly, I do not recall seeing my younger brother at school, even though we attended the same school at various times. We attended elementary and high school together, so we either walked or rode to school together. Once we arrived, he went his way, and I went my way. He had a path, and I had mine.
Though our children were educated in different grades, we greatly benefitted as a family to participate in a home education program and home school support group at church that spiritually encouraged families.
We chose a home education program that was the most practical encouragement we had as parents to raise and instruct our children. It was far from being the perfect program. In fact soo many families joined it and wrongly made it a pseudo church for them, causing them to think having strict, parental and manipulative control over their children was godly training. It was easy to think we were not as “holy” because we did not cover or dress as modestly, play instruments or recite Scripture as beautifully. Some families had such a mindset to think removing their children from the government school would isolate and protect their children from sin and the ungodly culture they were fearful their children would be captured by.
We were also tempted at times to think the best way to protect our children was to separate them from the world, from those whose lack of faith in the knowledge of God and the Gospel were as we thought their worst influence.
The greatest sin is unbelief, which we are still guilty of practicing when we daily think we need something more than we need Jesus! We realized, we were our children’s worst influence if we pursued other means and platforms for their satisfaction and success. We started begging the LORD to protect our children from pride and human weakness that would blind them from realizing their need for Him!
So, yes, we realized there were varied degrees of ungodly influence, both in and outside of the home, in reputable home education programs, and even in the church!
We had to choose our focus!! Would we avoid worldly people and influences or would we seek the LORD? By faith we trusted the LORD would help us to point our children to Him, and trust He would change their hearts and focus to believe He was their greatest aim and treasure!
I am thankful the LORD captured their hearts with Himself! We believed the best of academic curriculums could not give our children Jesus, nor save them from their sin, but the LORD could, so we chose to use a curriculum that would help us point our hearts and theirs to Him!! The program was organized as non-denominational, and it was scripturally aligned with the tenets of our faith! Scripture was integrated into our daily lives, and was the closest to anything we’d ever imagined would help us teach our children how to better view education while learning to fear the LORD. That was of utmost importance, 24/7, and practical to us!!
Deuteronomy 6-
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
We believed we had to come to the place of valuing God’s Word more than we valued our children gaining “the best” education! What is “the best” without the LORD’s blessing?
Mark 8-
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
This curriculum helped our children learn academic subjects by way of a unit study approach. We began their lessons together because as they were written, the basis of those lessons was a large portion of scripture called, “The Sermon on the Mount” from Matthew 5, 6, and 7. For every academic subject, there were object lessons that could be drawn from and studied by a span of all ages. Those lessons, activities, and projects varied for the child’s learning abilities. As the younger children were less able to participate in the more advanced projects, they were at some point let off the learning bus, so to speak, and allowed to move to another room or activity. As they grew, they would be given more challenging lessons.
Sitting at the table to learn together taught Matthew (and the younger children) a lot about being unified with our family, and the daily disciplines of our school days. More times than not, the older and younger students alike enjoyed being involved together. When Matthew (and eventually the younger children) got off the bus, he left the table and moved to the playroom (the dining room). The playroom was next to the kitchen, where I could easily keep my eyes on him and listen to his play. The pocket door was secured to prevent him from wandering about, and the door to the kitchen had a gate which kept him safely contained in the room with his toys.
Because Mark Stephen and Matthew were close in age and shared a bedroom, they played very well together. When they had spats, they were usually very short lived. It was necessary work to be consistent to encourage them to work out and harmonize their differences. As they grew older the influences of others tested their loyalty, sometimes caused their hearts to drift from one another, and sadly, us. That caused us to fear and fret we were losing them. We’ve come to realize children migrate to those who approve and are like them, so we had to remind them they were created in the image of God, not the image of their peers. Yet, how oft do we still see even our own parental peers not being confident in who God created and gifted them to be? It's not uncommon to see adults seeking to dress, behave, talk, and parent as if they need approval from the world!!
As our children grew older, we were able to cater their curriculum to their learning styles, as well as to their strengths and weaknesses.
As they grew older, we supplemented the Scriptural unit study with various academic subjects, knowing they needed that training as well.
Our children were varied in their learning styles, and we learned to be vigilant to help them learn one year at a time. It was overwhelming at times, and I was prone to fatigue for assuming such a responsibility, but Mark was very supportive and helped our children gain the balance of his strengths in the math and sciences. They gained from his casual and fun learning style which included field trips and activities.
I think back on our home education years with much gratitude that the LORD granted us such a gift!! I am thankful my husband had the conviction and vision. He was sure we could not endanger our children academically, any worse than sending them out into the world before they were spiritually discipled and regenerated. We did our best to equip them spiritually by providing a learning environment that would help them gain more by hearing God’s Word read to them daily. They gained a Biblical worldview and love for learning that would unify and strengthen their bonds with the family God gave them, the best friends they’ll ever have in life, their siblings, and yes, I pray, their parents! Instead of us dealing with peer dependence and self-centered personalities, we were blessed with children who were happily bound in loving harmony and unity with one another and made many fun memories right here in our home!! Thank you LORD for this privilege!!
We would do it again!! We pray through whatever means the LORD calls us to learn, He would help us to set our hearts on Him, our greatest gain, and on the eternal things above, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” matters of life. We ask that He will equip us with grace to gain confidence in Him for shaping our lives for His purpose!
We gained soo much during those short and fleeting days we shared with our children. I am soo very thankful the LORD helped us capture those days to the best of our abilities. He helped our children learn foremost how to love Him and others.
I continue to pray the LORD will use what He wills to strengthen our children as they are now at a crossroads to begin considering how they will educate their children.
I am sure home educating our children was BEST for us! Naturally, I want it to be best for our grandchildren, but I cannot know the mind and purposes of God for them! If the LORD leads them by faith to educate their children at home, we will rejoice!! We will thankfully pray and participate, if they desire, or we will stand back and watch what the LORD accomplishes, by His hand. We are learning we cannot serve them any better way.
If they believe the LORD is calling them to place their children in a Christian or secular school environment, again, we will pray and participate, if they desire, or we will watch what the LORD accomplishes, by His hand. Come what may!
We pray for and seek His blessing!!
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls in the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.
Psalm 133
