Redeeming The Time

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7



Sometimes, when I look ahead through the pages of my children's growing-up years, I feel such an urgency to teach them NOW. I feel desperate to instill some things in them, and when I look at all there is to know and become, 12 years seems like a very short time.



I believe that children can and will teach themselves given time, but how much time do we have? There is so much knowledge that great men and women of the past gave us, but it is slipping away before our eyes in politically correct textbooks and watered down social studies lessons.



I want to study the lives and teachings of each of our countries Presidents.... in depth. At a week each, that study alone will take over one whole school year, and how can you study the life of George Washington in-depth in a week? They could easily be complete unit studies, including science, literature, history and geography... a month each would not be too much. But that is not all...



It is also important to learn about the history of America's wars- each one has so much to teach us, about the character of man, the nature of politics and the resiliancy of humanity. We have to study the history of govenment, and how the different kinds of governments develop and function.



I would like to study each state, its government, founders, agriculture, and history. That, again will take over a year at one state a week.



I want to study ancient history, especially the societies that influenced our western culture most, the Greeks and Romans. I would love to incorporate study of other countries and cultures, and their history. We can only learn how blessed we are by seeing how other people live everyday.



I want my children to know all of the local flora and fauna, how to identify them, and what is edible. I Want them to know how to start a fire without matches and how to tell direction without a compass. I want them to know nature, animals and plants, and what they say to us. This will be a lifelong study, as you can never stop learning about God's world.



I want to study great art, particularly classical literature- which takes a lot of time. I want them to have at least a working knowledge of music, art and poetry. I think every child should learn how to play at least one instrument, music theory used to be part of every child's education. And then there is language- Greek and Latin should be taught, at least rudimently. So much of our own language comes from theirs.



And these are just the things that require specific studying- many things go without saying. logic, reasoning, the ability to tell the Truth from a lie. Character, courage, the willingness to be different and strong. The desire to think outside of the box and figure things out, and the knowledge of their own gifts, interests and abilities. Science- knowledge of how the earth works, laws of nature, how to experiment and learn from the world around us.



And then there is math- I think physics, calculus and statistics are important thinking skills to develop, and also important to developing character. :) You need a high quality math education to get along in this world.



And, of course, most important of all, learning about our Christian faith and heritage. Developing and nurturing young hearts into a relationship with their Creator. I want them to memorize many passages of Scripture, and to KNOW it in their hearts, what it says and means. I want them to be able to us the Bible apologetically, and find the TRUTH it contains.



I get to the end of this list, and there are many other things I would like to teach but do not find vitally important. This list contains only those things I see as most important, the things that, if left out, would cause me to feel like I failed them. And I realize it is extremely important to let them chase their own interests and dreams, and learn about the things they are delighted in.



See why I said 12 years is short? Redeem the time, for the days are evil.