Monday, January 19, 2009

Mission, Part 4 - Worthwhile Learning






What kind of wisdom do we want our familys to have?

Proverbs verse about wisdom: "...whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster" - 1:33

I have a 9 year old Darling Daughter. I would do well to defend against about the scum who want my daughter's heart, soul, mind, and strength. There are enemies on the prowl who want to steal her innocence and give her a world view that I don't want her to have. It's not just me being paranoid, either. Consider this cut and paste from http://www.purefreedom.org/ :

Thursday, January 13, 2009“Is There An Alternative To Bratz Dolls?”


Her dreamy eyes and pouty lips are complemented by her fish-net stockings and belly-baring shirt. Psychologists say that even girls who play with more innocent looking, but excessively “beautified” princess dolls tend to initiate a play world that includes seduction to get the prince. Imagine the life-skills this teaches a girl! Is it just play? The experts don’t think so. “It puts girls on a conveyer belt to sexual activity,” says Diane Levine, PhD of Wheelock College in Boston and author of “So Sexy So Soon.”

The point is that there are those that really do want to impart a wisdom to us, not just our daughters, that is not right and good. Watch the commercials during a football game. Watch the commercials during prime time TV. Browse the video game section at Wal Mart. Is that true wisdom?

http://www.dictionary.com/ defines wisdom this way:
1. the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
2. scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of the schools.
3. wise sayings or teachings; precepts.
4. a wise act or saying.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. Cite This Source

As a homeschooling family, of course we believe that what we have to offer our family is better than what the world has to offer. Choosing to impart (dare I say impose?) our values to our children, plus superior academic qualities, plus real life socialization opportunities, equals an opportunity for our children second to none.

That's why, when our family chose to put our Mission into writing, the reason we are a family, We listed one of our four core values this way: "Loving Wisdom by Worthwhile Learning."

Where does wisdom come from? Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Public schools are not allowed to have the fear of the Lord.
If public schools don't have the fear of the Lord, they don't have wisdom.
If they don't have wisdom, then they can't fully impart knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action.

Enough logic for one post. Here's the point - we choose to pursue God and His ways, and apply them so that we make right decisions. We don't do them all the time, there aren't enough blogs in the world to list all the stupid I've done. But we are striving toward the goal.

Worthwhile learning empowers us to do the work that God has created us to do (Ephesians 2:10.) It might mean being a Mommy or a Daddy. It might mean any one of a zillion career choices. Whatever it means, no job can't be done without the right tools. We strive to provide access to the right tools.

One essential tool is good judgment in filtering our culture to our family. Another tool is choosing good academics. All families are blessed with an abundance of teaching materials in the marketplace. We do it through Sonlight Curriculum, Math U See, Handwriting Without Tears, some A Beka books to fill in some gaps, and a healty dose of museums (Children's Museum, Zoo, Living History Museum to name a few), church activities (Sunday School, Gospel Martial Arts Union, Awana), play dates, friends, and lots of family time. But more on family time later this week in my final Family Mission Statement post, "Loving Creation through Excellent Life Experiences"

Mission:
Together, we discover, nurture, and fulfill God's will and plan for us.

Core Values and Strategy:
Loving God by Authentic Worship
Loving others by Intentional Relationships
Loving wisdom by Worthwhile Learning
Loving creation by Excellent Life Experiences

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