Each week Alice and our three kids take part in a local home school cooperative. Alice teaches a couple of classes (British literature and sign language), while our children take four classes each. We find that this is an excellent supplement to the educating we do during the remainder of the week. Caroline, for example, is taking classes in chemistry, geography, drama, and Brit. lit.
Last evening we were treated to several different performances. Young children did something called praise dance (it was fun, but I'm not really sure what it was). French students showed what they had learned so far. Various choirs sang different songs. The best part (said the unbiased husband) was Alice's sign language class signing along to the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness.
In thinking back on the night, my favorite aspect was seeing so many kids being educated according to a Christian worldview. Every subject at the co-op is taught from the perspective that the God of the bible is our Creator and all of life should be lived in worshipful response to Him. The students see the broad picture of each subject as it relates to God's rule of the universe.
An additional nice aspect of co-op is that Christian families attend who are part of various Christian denominations. As far as I can tell, those differences do not cause any disunity in the co-op. The unifying factor is Jesus Christ.
I thank the Lord for leading us into homeschooling back in 2002.
2 comments:
Eric,
Unfortunately, I missed the open house due to a flat tire after work. I too enjoy the open house and agree that it's a wonderful environment for the kids. I was struck by your comment about the unity of the believers there since they attend so many different denominations, and church styles.
Prior to our involvement in homeschooling, our oldest attended a Christian school in Louisiana. It was a fantastic place with solid biblical teaching, a great staff, respectful kids, etc. I kept wondering what it was about the place that was so different from other Christian schools--many that I have been exposed to didn't seem so great.
I learned that the school, was not run by one church, as is so often the case, but rather was the co-operative effort of two churches. Not only that, but the two churches were about as different as they could be, and still fall under the umbrella of orthodoxy. One was a very conservative, very old fashioned hymn singing church, while the other was overtly charismatic and contemporary. Once I realized this, I started paying a little more specific attention to the things they taught; to the things they mentioned at functions; to the things they stressed while chatting with, and encouraging the kids.
They taught the Bible, not pet doctrines. They taught the love of Jesus, not "name it and claim it". They taught salvation available to all, by God's sovereign will, not Calvinism, or Arminianism. So many of those "red flag moments"--where the official dogma of a given church, especially when related to debatable issues, is espoused as indisputable fact, were pleasantly absent.
In the co-op where our kids both attend, as in that Christian school I described, as hopefully, one day in the church, one distinguishing characteristic is near the top of the corporate culture: loving, equal, respectful treatment of fellow believers with slightly different understanding on some peripheral issues of the faith. It sounds so much like common sense that it amazes me how absent it is in much of the church. Satan is so effective at defeating us, all he needs to do is inject a little pride and he renders us nearly impotent. His game plan needent change much from that which he used in the garden. What a waste.
Peace,
Jeff
Jeff,
We could all use a greater does of humility and a greater desire for unity.
Thanks for your insight!
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