Lighting fires in hearts and minds

Education is TOO important

Before we go any further, we probably should define our terms:
according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary

education

1. a : the action or process of educating or of being educated; also : a stage of such a process
b : the knowledge and development resulting from an educational process
2 : the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools

educate

a : to provide schooling for
b : to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession
2
a : to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction
b : to provide with information : inform
3
: to persuade or condition to feel, believe, or act in a desired way

teach

a : to cause to know something
b : to cause to know how
c : to accustom to some action or attitude
d : to cause to know the disagreeable consequences of some action
2
: to guide the studies of
3
: to impart the knowledge of
4
a : to instruct by precept, example, or experience
b : to make known and accepted
5
: to conduct instruction regularly in

teachable

a : capable of being taught
b : apt and willing to learn
2
: favorable to teaching
(originally started in August 2011 when we could see the finish line of educating our children at home which "formerly" concluded in December 2011)

Now I am racking my brain to remember what I wanted to say, since "Education is TOO important" is not a complete thought. I don't know what I was thinking at the time but there is a lesson that I have continued to learn since the age of 19, that lesson is that I need to remain teachable.  I have been listening to Andrew Kern of CiRCE Institute who says, "When you say, 'I don't know' then you become teachable." Frankly, I believe that all human beings need to be humble and be willing to learn, change their minds, look at things from a different perspective. We will never know all that there is to know.  

It would not be outside of my character to have thought, "Education is TOO important to just be left to the 'professionals.'" 
Let's think about that.

Education is too important to just be left to the professionals. 

(I thought that a calming photography might slow us down to contemplate that one thought. )

I am not a professional educator. However, along with my husband we have taught our own children who have gone on to college and have done quite well in those settings. (It is with sober judgement that I am able to declare this.) And I know that there are parents out there who have no business educating their own children and equally, and unfortunately, there are teachers out there who have no business being in the classroom.  
Teachers go through all that schooling are issued a certification in order to teach but there is something lacking that can not be learned in a book. Knowledge does not equal wisdom. Knowledge does not equal inspiration. Knowledge does not equal creative engagement with your students. To merely be a dispenser of knowledge limits both the student and the educator and a lot of times that is what education looks like. 

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." This quote is attributed to Plutarch and is my philosophy of education in a nutshell. After equipping students with the tools of learning, isn't education an opportunity to help students to think and reason for themselves? Don't we want them to learn and discover on their own as well as learn from others? Once I light a fire in the heart, mind and soul of a student, I want to see it ROAR! 

For me to say, "Education is TOO important to just be left to the professionals," is quite an assertion on my part. And I would say that it comes down to what is your definition of education. At the beginning of the post, I gave a number of definitions from Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Now I would like to turn to Noah Webster's 1828 definition which I think offers a broader scope. 

education EDUCA'TION, n. [L. educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

When it comes to children this is a great definition. I have written and said before that I do not consider myself a teacher but I am an educator.  It has been a great experience. I haven't quite put it to bed yet. And at the end of the post from June 24 there I have indicated some of my concerns. 

Firstly, all children are naturally curious. They are curious about the world around them and other people and their own little selves. This curiosity should be guided never squashed. 

Secondly, education is not just about acquiring knowledge. Of course knowledge has its place in the spectrum of education but it is not the whole. Knowledge is only useful if you have the wisdom to be able to apply it. 

Thirdly, teaching is an art form. It requires you to be able to inspire those you teach. In order to inspire someone you need to get to know your students and what drives them. When you discover that you can apply the right spark to ignite the fire in each of them. 

Lastly and certainly the most important, remember that your students are people first. Those you teach are equal in value to you because each and every person is an imagine bearer. The first word about us as people is "God created man in his own image." Our students need to know that we care about them as people that matter. 

You are in mine and I am in yours

This morning I have been reading some blogs: I started here with Pen of a Wayfarer, then to my Brother in Christ who happens to be a pastor in Florida over here and lastly to a friend of a life giving friend on this page, which basically urged me to stop reading and get writing. I did finish reading this last post and then made my way to my computer. I found myself re-reading my last couple of posts and thought, "Wow is time marching on" which is true. I want to remember and I don't want to just let things pass by when people are impacting my life in a profound way and doing my best to humbly think that my presence in their lives is having a similar effect.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, therefore our Heavenly Father puts us in one another's lives to bless us. As I read in Jean's blog this morning:

"God wrote your story before you were conceived. Even before He spoke the universe into existence. Every “page” of your life — my life, any life — is part of His great unfolding plan. In our families, neighborhoods, communities, in all our coming and going, our life intersects thousands of other lives. Every time you or I interact with any soul — in the grocery store line, at the toll booth, in the doctor’s office, online — we become part of their story, and they become part of ours."

I thought, "Catherine, you need to acknowledge how the LORD is blessing you in the midst of the tremendous changes happening in your life." Life is constantly changing and I am indeed grateful that I have an Anchor for my soul, the Creator of the Universe, The Alpha and the Omega, the Author of my story who never changes.

It has been my privilege to have raised with Dan our three children, who are all adults, each attending college at the moment. Each one, loved, cared about and cherished. The effort, the struggle, and stick-to-itiveness of intentional parenting is still bearing fruit in my life.

Anitra is a young wife and mother of two small children who sought me out for encouragement in her parenting. Being with her and one of her little ones, I was reminded of how big mommy and daddy are in the life of small children. We are the most influential people in their lives. But children do not stay children for very long and it is only right that as they grow that not unlike John the Baptist we must decrease and the LORD Jesus must increase in their lives. This happens through EVERY stage of a child's development. It is good to be able to give Anitra the Big picture view of parenting, indeed we want to work our way out of a job by producing adults. That is not to say we cease being the mum and dad of Grace, Katie and Michael. We will always gratefully be so. Parents of young children train, teach, guide, direct, and discipline them because of the love that they have for their dear little loves. While we put in the effort to do these things, we then get to delight in them and enjoy their sweet company. Every time we meet together, I seem to be the one who is encouraged.

Jordan is a younger brother in Christ who asked me to tutor him and I am pretty sure that both of us are the students. It is not unlike when I was educating my own children at home, I learned so much during their growing up years. If you have been reading my blog for some time, you know that my philosophy of education can be pretty much summarized by the following quote from Plutarch:

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

The flicker of the spark was there when Jordan came to me but he has just needed some help with the kindling, where to find it and how to stack it to get the fire going. Right now, he is pursuing his education vigorously. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of and again, it a totally different way from being with Anitra, I am encouraged.  

This post is just a way of acknowledging that the LORD is still writing my story and that these are two of the dear ones that have become a part of mine and I have become a part of theirs. And I know that there are people reading this post who are in my story and please know that I thank the LORD that you are.

The One Constant

(not quite the conclusion of crossing the finish line)

Change ..... it is the one constant in our lives. Right now we are preparing for the wedding of our first born, Grace Joan to Austin Humbles. We are thrilled for her. And grateful for our future son-in-love. The majority of what I have posted about the end of this chapter in our lives, I wrote right around the time of their engagement. And I am so forward thinking at the point that it is hard to reflect back.
Today I delighted in being a distant witness to Michael picking out his class for the fall (he will attend Wheaton College in IL) and Katie helping him process through it and the two of them enjoying each other.  
We did something that I never thought I would get to do with my kids again and that was visit the library in our new town (minus Grace :(. The reason I got to go with them is due to the fact that Dan just got a new car and it is a stick. Michael does not drive a stick. Katie is just getting her feet wet behind the wheel, so the three of us were off to the library together. It did feel a bit nostalgic.

Unless I really find myself reflecting, the conclusion will not come until some time in September.  

Happy 4th of July to everyone. Remember Freedom is not free. Thousands have paid with their very lives for your freedom. Thank a Vet this week.

AA (Agape Academy) crossing the finish line (continued)

It has been a great adventure and not just because we were pilgrims in the physical sense but more so that we are pilgrims on our way to the Celestial City and we bid our children to come with us, leading them in the paths of righteousness, knowing full well that it is the Father who leads us and them for that matter. The journey has had its highs and lows. It is hard to believe that life is racing on and I want to be able to savor the moments and really take things in....leave my phone behind or off even for just a few hours at a time and just be present wherever I go especially when I am with my kids.


I have not been very good about blogging about the girls being launched, not the way I would have hoped to have written. The notes are more like doggie ears within the blog instead of actual posts. However, the girls have been coming and going for some time now, both are college students and for the most part Michael has been "home alone and in the world" with his parents for the better part of 2 years.

We have a plaque that was Dan’s mum’s it reads:

“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children –

one is roots, the other wings.”

Children are meant to grow up and become adults. Do you want them to soar? Then don’t clip their wings when they start showing signs of maturity. I recall saying the first time I put Grace on a plane, “most people put their kid on a big yellow bus at age 5 and here I am putting my almost 15 year old on a plane.” Do you want them to be wise? Teach them to fear God and not men. One of the greatest truths that I have learned from the experience of educating my own children is this: No matter where your children are educated (home, public or private), there will be educational gaps. Do you want them to succeed in life? Then don’t let academics become an idol.  Who among us has not made a bad decision or two or three? Let your kids make bad decisions here and there, while they are still with you, that way you have the opportunity to walk through the process of learning from it with them. 

Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and growing in wisdom and knowledge have been our first priority, whole heartedly believing if we kept God as our first priority, academic excellence would be added because for sure many people, not just the pagans run after these things. Of course, we are to do everything with excellence but not so much so that it becomes the driving force in our lives, leaving our hearts in the dust. 

More still to come.....

Agape Academy crossing the finish line (an overdue update)

When our kids were young and we had grown from "educating our children at home is a year at a time" to it becoming our lifestyle we decide to give the educational branch of our family life a name, "Jesus Agape Academy." Many years later when it was time to submit a transcript for Grace's high school years we decided to shorten it to Agape Academy. Transcripts, the documentation of that branch of our life is what the schools of Higher Education care about and we did not want those institutions to be distracted by our "school" name. We are not ashamed of the gospel.  The Academy in the formal sense has been on sabbatical for nearly 6 months but all of us continue to learn and our last student will transition from home to college toward the end of the summer.   

This past December Michael finished his studies at home. If you have followed my blog over the years you may recall me writing about raising/educating children at home and comparing it to the Boston Marathon and the teen years being like Heartbreak hill which is about 19 miles into the Marathon and can make or break a runner.  We crossed the finish line without much fanfare. It wasn’t how I pictured it. There were hard and trying times, along with sweet and treasured ones. More importantly, we stayed in the race and we were victorious by God's grace and a bit of human tenacity. 

It is with quiet satisfaction to have completed this season of parenting, not so much that I had accomplished a daring feat (though some may think so) but that my children have turned out to be lifelong learners. They are teachable, creative, daring and finding their way along the Pilgrim Highway. Our parenting and educating of our children were interwoven. (I am aware of the fact that not all homeschooling families subscribe to the same philosophy of education.) We discipled our children in the LORD, did our best to consider the whole child, not just their heads, but their hearts. It was our goal to educate the whole child: body, mind and soul. When our children were young, I became a student of each one and each one has a different learning style. This required customizing the method as well as the curriculum.

My educational philosophy in a nutshell is that we as parent educators are to equip our children with the tools of learning and then provide them with the resources in order to be able to learn many things on their own. This means that they learn from other people directly and from books and from life and circumstances. It does not mean that they are force fed knowledge.


to be continued......   

No longer children

A continuation from a July Post (click post)

This past Friday my son Michael turned 18 years old. Some say, now he is an adult but my husband has been readying me for this day for the past 2 years. After he turned 16, Dan started saying, "stop treating him like a boy, he is becoming a man." Michael can probably attest to the fact that it has been a struggle at times for me. Some readers may wave it off and say boys don't become men until way into their 20s these days. I say if you treat your daughters and sons like children into their 20s you will reap what you sow.

Signs of Manhood

The fall before Michael turned 16 Dan broke his foot and was unable to do any nursing for almost 3 months. After his surgery and once he was feeling better, Michael and Dan worked several nights a week at Dan's brother Billy's store. Dan trained Michael mostly from a chair since he could have no weigh baring for 6 weeks on his foot. Consequently, Michael learned quickly and was able to do the work.

Shortly after Michael's 16th birthday, Dan and I ran Billy's store from mid May through mid July. (Billy had his hip replaced) We both know that we could not have done it without Michael's help. He got up four or five mornings a week before 4 AM. We would work until we were done. On occasion we would get out of work by 10 AM, most days by 12noon and other days not til 2 or 3 PM, Fridays were busy and rarely got out before 1PM. Since we were running the business, if something came up we of course stayed or came back to the store to take care of whatever needed taking care of. Michael did a great job and continues to do a great job (he and I work at the store one day a week). The customers and other employees have grown to love him and he does whatever needs to be done with excellence, whether that is waiting on customers, making coffee, putting together the Sunday Paper or putting up the grocery load (I could add a lot more to that list). Many have commented to me that they thought he was older than he is.

Those are school hours! [say those who like to find at least one thing wrong with those of us who do not have their kids in school] Yes, I was picking up from that post in July. Our family subscribes to Mark Twain's philosophy, "we never let school get in the way of education." If you have read any amount of my post that refer to education or you know me personally, you know that I am not a fan of the term "homeschooling" and prefer to say "educated at home." As I was saying at the end of that July post we also have had the benefit of walking through this life and in this world along side of our children. The three of us working at the store together was doing just that. It was a real challenge for us and it is now a treasured memory of watching my son growing into manhood and having to be his boss in the work place helped me tremendously in learning to treat him like a man. Perhaps I was actually succeeding in doing so and that is what some of those witnessing customers saw as well.

The fine citizens of Dedham once in a while would ask Michael about school but for the most part that was it. The way in which Michael conducted himself, worked hard and served well earned him their respect and there was no cause for concern about the way in which he was being educated.

There hasn't been a lot of time to reflect lately which can be a good and a bad thing. I need to take time to reflect and write about the closing of this season and look ahead to what is to come sooner rather than later. It has been a wonderful adventure thus far and I imagine it will continue to do so.

"I fall, I fail and I cry out for mercy"

A week ago today we attended church with dear friends of our in central MA. There were two families who dedicated children to the Lord. One man who dedicated his second child to the Lord used the following scripture as a prayer request to the seated congregation. From Deuteronomy 6 verses 4 through 9.

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

"You shall love the LORD your God with

all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.

"You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up.

"You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

I couldn't help but think to myself, is he listening to the words he is saying? does he mean it? Is he willing to do what it takes to "teach" his children "diligently"? If I hadn't been so tired, I would have like to have gone right up to him and his wife after the service and ask him if he meant it. So many things get in the way of us accomplishing this goal.

As I have referred to in previous posts, we are in the home stretch, the heart break hill of parenting. We know that our time with our children now 15,16 & 18 is quickly nearing the finish line. Not that we will no longer be their parents but our role as their parents is changing drastically at this time. Every day I am more convinced that the shortest season of life is childhood. Some say that educating children at home is a calling and this passage above may indicate that it is a little more like a command. If you give away the most precious hours of the day to another whether they be private or public educators, I have a hard time seeing how you can execute Deuteronomy 6. Perhaps the messages of the modern day American church coupled with the messages of the culture seem to be right since that is what most Americans Christians are doing. The Lord however has given us minds, to think, to reason and to question the church and the culture. To see if what these two influences have to say match up with what the Lord has to say. It is difficult to stop and to seek the LORD, search the Word and have HIM search our hearts.

As a Christian, the first authority in my life is Jesus Christ and His Word and believe me I fall, I fail and I cry out for mercy because I can't live up to HIS standards, but GOD is bigger than my faltering ways and HIS GRACE is sufficient to meet all our needs. I have seen the LORD work in my children and I know that it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with God's purpose. The reason we continue to educate our children at home is primarily out of obedience to God and I can say without regret that this small act of obedience has produce the greatest joy in parenting. This time with our children has allowed us to cultivate relationships with our children that we could have never imagined. Hopefully, we have helped prepared them for life to be affective agents for God's Kingdom.

So my prayer for this couple who are longtime married and very new parents to two little ones is that they would take this scripture to heart, that they would be a living sacrifice in their parenting, indeed that they would walk and talk and impart the ways of the Lord to their children. I sit here convicted by my own words. With the little time left, I pray that my husband and I would take the time to give of ourselves to our children while they still live with us.

PAX VOBISCUM,

CM