(PREVIOUS: Raising Scholars ** The Impetus)
All in…
Once we decided to educate our children, I was all in. This was my new life, and I was going to make sure my children had the best education possible.
By the time they left home to embark on their independent lives, I wanted higher education (i.e., college) to be easy. I wanted them to hunger for knowledge. I wanted them to think deeply and critically about information they encountered and about current issues of the day. I wanted them to have a well-rounded education and be self-directed.
Our vision for academics…
In pursuit of resources we would use, my plan was to research the best programs available and use only them.
I wanted my sons to have a firm grounding in history, to crave books and great literature, to read and analyze original sources, and to write so much that it was second nature. Math I wanted to be challenging with a heavy focus on logic and applicability; science needed to be fun with a variety of hands-on activities, sparking a real interest in understanding the world around us.
Understanding Latin and word roots was also important to me since these roots are the foundation for so much of the English language, and Latin forms the basis for several other languages. I had learned two Romance languages and one Germanic language, so I knew how important Latin and language/cultural immersion were to really learning a language. Of all three languages I had studied, only the one I learned through immersion stayed with me for 20+ years, even with minimal use.
And the arts…
Lastly, I wanted my children to appreciate the arts. I had some skills with the piano, so that became our focus. Though I always wanted art (drawing/painting) to be a part of our education, it took a back seat to music. Several years in community theater exposed them to theatrical arts and helped them gain confidence in public performance.
However, the most important part of the education is …
Academics weren’t the only, or even the most important, aim of our home and education. After all, at the end of the day, even the smartest, most well-educated person is incomplete without morals and strength of character.
I wanted to raise men of integrity, trustworthiness, and honor with a deep love for God and who treated everyone around them with kindness and respect. This was repeated daily in one way or another, and I tried to be an example of what I was professing.
Refining our vision
So what type of self-education (AKA “homeschooling”) did we do? Though I dislike labels, “classically-inspired” best fits my vision and goals, and best describes what we actually did.
** Challenging ** Enriching ** Inspiring **
That became my vision for my dear children and has been written on our whiteboard for many years. All our academic pursuits had to meet these criteria:
-
- The work needed to be challenging. Time is short and should be used wisely for worthwhile pursuits. No work should be “busywork,” and everything should stretch the scholars to a higher level. If any work I give my burgeoning scholars is not furthering their education in meaningful ways, they can tell me and I will make a change.
-
- The work needed to be enriching – enriching their education and enriching their lives. Their work should be interesting, engaging, and exciting, and add to their lives in meaningful ways. This is the main inspiration behind the travels we have done, to enrich their “book” knowledge with actually seeing and experiencing the historical places, landmarks, cultures, and scientific marvels they had studied.
-
- The work needed to be inspiring. It should peak their interests and move them to want to learn more and do more to improve our world. It should also inspire them to strive for a higher ideal.
I wanted to raise scholars – active participants in seeking and absorbing knowledge,
and I wanted their education to be an experience – ongoing learning not limited by the clock.
RAISING SCHOLARS
in a
CHALLENGING, ENRICHING, and INSPIRING environment.
That was my goal, that was my vision, that was my mantra.