When God “took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15), did God establish an ideal for human activity? Was it His command to all generations? Did He design it as a law of life? During the co-op’s urban homesteading day, we visited one of […]
A friend of mine from the co-op decided to enroll her kids in Classical Conversations. She brings her kids to Adventure Days on Wednesdays when she can, and on Thursdays she takes her kids to Classical Conversations. Bonnie is doing her utmost to raise her family in God’s ways. She is a valued friend whose […]
While parents learn new Love and Logic parenting skills, their children spend time playing with educational wooden toys. Wooden blocks often have a lot more to offer children than many of the latest trendy educational toys. We bring these blocks out when taking care of children during a Love and Logic seminar. Why? Because of […]
If you are conscientious human being, you will want the best for yourself and for your children. Wouldn’t anything short of this goal seem as a betrayal to your family’s best interest? While we may have our family’s best interest in mind, as circumstances would have it, our lives are many times far from ideal, and our children many times […]
Ketchup on My Ketchup: Are We Obsessed with Traditional Education, Keeping Us Away From More Biblically-Centered Approaches to Education? By William Hurtado Ketchup and salsa—favorite American condiments—are so important to the American diet that it’s hard to believe their base ingredient was once considered toxic. For about 200 years through the end of the 19th century, most […]
Like a State Superintendent of Public Instruction said, “There are many pathways for students to obtain their high school diploma.” How true this is! Especially after the emergence of “cloud computing” over 10 years ago. Now, instead of having to wait in long lines or go to a building to take a class, for example, all one has to […]
Do you want to know about the philosophy behind Highest Education? It is called Transformative Learning. Transformative Learning is a sophisticated way of saying much of what an inspired educational expert Ellen White said about true education. Prepare yourself for heavy scholastic language that explains how the Transformative Learning theory is a process of “perspective transformation” with […]
What is Highest Education? Highest Education is not higher education, because an academic degree is not the end-goal; it is highest education, because something much greater is the goal—eternity. If a diploma is an earthly treasure, then a Christlike character is a heavenly treasure. “A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this […]
7 Reason Why I Appreciate Our Brick-and Mortar Schools and Those Who Teach There We need our schools and teachers! Our society needs certain institutions to function. City halls, libraries, parks, stores, schools, and the list goes on. We need our brick-and-mortar schools to help families educate their children, plain and simple! A CHRISTIAN School! […]
You need some measure of each of these keys to be successful. Without vision, you or others will wonder why you are even trying to go the extra mile. Without consensus, others will eventually shut down your efforts. Without developing skills, you or others will be overcome by nervousness. Without incentives, people won’t have short […]
Richard Miller, president of Olin College, describes disruptive ideas about education and learning that universities should adopt to graduate more creative, entrepreneurial and impactful engineers. He explains how a focus on math and science alone won’t result in more innovation, and that higher education must instill traits like grit and independent thinking.
After working all summer to better connect my church to home-schooling families, I was told that supporting a home-school co-op would be a conflict-of-interest because my church was already a constituent of school system. On the surface, it appeared that there was a conflict of interest. But when I dug a little deeper, I realized that there […]
The only time I have been superman—and I have been superman—was for superhero day during Spirit Week at the boarding academy I worked at. That was the only time. Youth leaders (and teachers) often suffer from a superman complex, where they think they need to act like superheroes to be good youth leaders. A Superman Complex is […]
Families are God’s foundation for a healthy society–and our foundation for a healthy church community! Below is the nitty-gritty of why families are so important. At a Youth Specialties’ National Youth Workers Convention (NWYC) in 2010, I spent time with Wayne Rice, who co-founded Youth Specialties in 1968; he helped shape professional youth ministry as we […]
When I lived on Orcas Island, WA, I started a youth club called Next Level Pathfinders. For a field trip, I took them to Seattle’s IMAX to see a film on George Mallory and Mt Everest, then to REI to climb the third tallest indoor wall in the world. On that day we literally took […]
Are you preparing your child to live courageously? Charles A. Smith, in his book Raising Courageous Kids, said “We are not born heroes. The journey to find courage begins at birth. As the seed of courage begins to grow, young children discover their emerging power, influence, and capacity for love.” Like one makes it to […]