Godly advice

Homeschooling and teaching has been a subject that I’ve thought much about in the past month or so.  Should we homeschool or send our kids to public school?  While I do not subscribe to a hard-and-fast rule of: “The public school system is broken — homeschool or suffer the consequences”, we have found that we are going to homeschool our kids as we are able by God’s grace.  Now that we’ve made that decision — where do we start?  What books to read?  Where can I find good curriculum?  Which conferences should I attend?

I found today’s post by Tim Sweetman’s mother to be godly advice from a wise mother and teacher who has shown to be an example of Prov 22:6.  Here is her response to a question asked about homeschooling and teaching her children:

Mr. Schraer,
This is Tim’s mom. He appreciated your encouragement! He asked me to help respond to your questions.

I will tell you some of the things “we” have done, but the older our
children get, the more we are conscious that all of the work &
fruit are truly by God’s grace & power alone. Tim is 16 & the
oldest of 5 children. The others are getting ready to have birthdays
and will be 14-year-old boy, 12-year-old boy, 10-year-old girl, and a
6-year-old boy. We have found (and have observed from others) that
mature, responsible young adults are the result of work done when they
are toddlers, preschoolers, and “grade school” age.

Number one on our list has been to keep our children immersed in
God’s Word. Until recently, we have not spent time specifically
discussing “worldview.” We have focused on simply knowing &
understanding the truth! As opportunities arise, we talk about how the
truth of God’s Word applies to the situation…what God’s perspective is
based on Biblical revelation. It is our desire to set biblical
standards for our children, even if those standards seem unreasonable
or unreachable to the world. Apart from Christ, His grace, and the
power of the Holy Spirit, biblical standards are impossible. Knowing
this helps us to focus daily on our need for the Gospel.

We have studied the Bible at home, at church, and in additional
studies. We have used a wide variety of material to help us in family
devotions & Bible study for school. In all of our studies, we have
taken the opportunity to connect God’s Word to daily life. We are kind
to others, not just because it is a nice thing to do, but because each
person is made in the image of God. We treat them according to the
value God has placed on them. We pick up our toys & belongings in
our house out of respect for others, but also because we recognize that
everything we have has been given to us by God and He has given us
stewardship responsibility. We have memorized Scripture, prayed
together in a variety of ways, sung hymns and worship songs together,
acted stories out, etc.

A Bible study that has played a prominent role in our family is
Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). Our children began attending in 1st
grade. This study uses the Bible itself as the textbook, and the
children and adults are studying the same lessons. They have daily
questions to answer, and then a group discussion and lesson that helps
them with application. Along the way, they also learn how to do
homiletics. We attribute much of our children’s Bible knowledge and
ability to apply it to their BSF studies.

When our children are young we also focus quite a bit on studying
character qualities. We also read biographies of Christian heroes that
help us to see how God has worked in history and in various cultures.
In our schooling, we examine God’s perspective on every subject. When
our children are able to read by themselves, we begin helping them to
have their own personal quiet time.

As parents, for our little ones (other than them having their needs
met & feeling loved & secure which should be obvious)our goals
are to instill obedience, submission to boundaries, and self-control.
Those qualities pave the way for them to be willing to receive God’s
instruction through us and other teachers, and for them to have the
ability to stop & evaluate a decision before proceeding, hopefully
choosing the way of wisdom. As they continue to grow, we continue to
fill them with the knowledge of God and practical application of that
knowledge. We transition to asking them questions and helping them draw
conclusions rather than us always giving them the answers. I believe
this is one of the elements parents miss. At the wrong seasons of our
children’s lives, we fall into lecture mode instead of guiding them to
think through things for themselves. Maturity is built when they learn
to think biblically and take ownership of their beliefs.

We give our children chores, etc. to help them develop
responsibility. We tend to avoid the passing fads & obsessions of
the world. When our sons have turned 13, my husband asked men of the
church to write them letters giving them advice on becoming Godly men.
At that time we also have begun helping them to acquire a personal
library of resources that will be profitable throughout their lives.
We’ve given them books such as Bible study reference tools, books on
apologetics, books on theology, classic Christian works, etc. Around
this time is when Tim started making the jump into communicating the
truth of God’s Word and a biblical worldview. I think the world in
general expects the teen years to be years that are basically wasted,
survived, or spent on earthly pleasures. We do not buy into that
philosophy, because we do not see it as biblical.

We are fully aware of the potential pitfalls for young men, but these are some of the standards we hold:

1 Peter 5:5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who
are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”[a]

1 John 2:14 I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

Psalm 144:12 Then our sons in their youth
will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace.

Psalm 71:5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”-
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue
righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the
Lord out of a pure heart.
1
Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young,
but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in
faith and in purity.

Titus 2:6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your
teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that
cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed
because they have nothing bad to say about us.

I am sure this is more than you wanted or needed. Here are some
resources we have particularly liked. We don’t necessarily agree with
everything in each book, but they all have been helpful.

Blessings to you & your family,
Agent Tim’s Mom

She also provides an extensive book list to get you started.