As everyone makes posts about first days of school and includes lots of shared lesson plans, fun outings, great crafts and science projects, and I notice a special amount of encouragement flowing between homeschool moms toward one another spurring one another on toward love and good works in this area with our kids… I too am indulging in the season. I have loved browsing Veritas Press and drooling over books I’d love to prioritize in our budget. I am having fun sorting through the pile of Usborne books I’ve picked up at Goodwill over the summer. I’ve had to purge my anxieties more than a few times as I pursue further lessons with Gabriel in math, reading, art ~ wondering if I’m “doing enough.”
And then this morning, I asked myself the question, WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE??
I turned to Micah 6:8 for the answer:
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
That, my friends is the curriculum I need to focus on with my children.
This is my prayer: that in whatever we do, our homeschooling would emphasize justice, mercy, and walking with God.
Because everything else is just sparkly icing sugar.
How fun that you posted this – I was just referred to the same verse yesterday concerning a completely different matter. Such a blessing to have the Word to apply in each and every situation we encounter. 🙂
Amen to Micah 6:8! I think a lot of parents get overwhelmed with whether “it’s enough” or not. I’m thankful that my parents homeschooled me/us but it certainly wasn’t the most important thing in our lives growing up. They did (and still do!) strive to live justly and walk with God and emulate to us what is truly important in life. 🙂 Not tons of education, worldly profit, material things, fun, recognition etc… because that truly isn’t what matters in the long run.
Yes, yes, yes! I know quite a few teachers who dream up schemes of exactly how education ought to work… but in the end, it’s not so much HOW it’s taught as WHAT is taught: the basic skeleton, muscles, and veins of wisdom that are the core of the body of knowledge, and the skin of love that holds it all in where it should be.
So, so true, Melissa! And very timely. I am planning a blog post with what we are doing this next year, but it all pales in comparison to training their hearts. Blessings as you begin your school year!
Yes! Amen. These are some reason WHY our family chose to home school. So along with the every day learning, that we want to give them these valuable *life* lessons.
I didn’t realize he was in Kindergarten already.
My son will be homeschooled for a few months when we move. What are you doing for math? We chose the Sonlight program.
I was told by a “worker” that what your kids needs to know is how to love God and obey him, respect others, handle money, to love to learn and I can’t think of the other one right now.