The school year is underway, and most likely you are starting to struggle with focusing on learning well. I’m not talking about memorizing facts or producing papers, but actually pursuing knowledge and wisdom. Pursuing knowledge of the holy is a worthy goal, which takes time, effort, and perseverance. How do we develop students who are up to the task?
First, focus on educating yourself.
One of the best parenting stories that I ever read was about a father whose son called him to ask for a hammer. The father refused and was mad when his wife delivered the hammer to their son. What should the father have done? He should have served his son the same way that he wanted his son to serve others. He should have encouraged his son in working hard by bringing him a hammer and being a fellow workman.
We aren’t raising kids, we are raising adults: Humans to serve God and others. Likewise, you aren’t educating a 9th grader, you are mentoring a person who happens to be doing 9th grade work. The grades don’t matter, the person does. We need to do for ourselves what we want our children to do for themselves.
Our children’s education is built from a solid foundation that we establish. If our education foundation is institutional education from 20+ years ago, then it will struggle in a home atmosphere. We need to be creating and strengthening our foundation so that our children can do the same to theirs. Don’t let your foundation crumble under the guise of homeschooling your children.
Second, learn alongside your children as a fellow student.
I love that our math masters membership at Scio Academy is a family membership. I love that parents message me about their experience studying in our Algebra review course and how they are learning logic with their student. Few things communicate to our children the importance of education like us working alongside our students.
Helping our children with education has the beautiful side effect of growing us as learners as well. We always learn more when we are being held accountable and challenged by our children. I learned more in latin the year that my oldest and I worked together than I have in the years since. So join your student in watching the recording from this week’s class, challenge yourself to do this week’s problem, and compare notes and solutions as you learn together.
Third, surrender the outcome.
As much as we might try to convince ourselves otherwise, we are not God. We can buy the best curriculum, follow the best educators, read the classics, pray for our kids, and study together, but we don’t get to pick the ending. We cannot force our child to make the best decisions, and we can’t force him to go to a certain college. That may seem depressing, but it is truth. It’s also a fact that although we aren’t in control, God is. God knows our hearts and our desires for our children. He knows our children better than we do. He loves them better too.
Don’t give up on doing what you think is best for your children’s education, definitely don’t give up praying, but remember, you aren’t God. Surrender the outcome of your effort to the only one who can make it a true success!
You may be wondering what this has to do with retaking your brain. I’ll tell you, if you focus on gaining wisdom and surrendering your life to God, then you will experience a renewing of the mind. For it is by God’s grace that any of us can even begin to retake our brain.