Welcome back to our three-part series highlighting a progression of principles that will lead to the good result of a happy, well-rounded, engaged, trustworthy, and self-governing child. This long-awaited post is number 3 of 3! First, check out Part 1: Right Relationship. And then head over to Part 2: Right Example. Principle number 3 is… 3. Allow… Read More Principles Never Do: Part 3
Welcome back to our three-part series highlighting a progression of principles that will lead to the good result of a happy, well-rounded, engaged, trustworthy, and self-governing child. This post is number 2 of 3. First, check out Part 1: Right Relationship. Principle number two is… (drum roll please)… 2. Right Example. “A child’s heart finds something… Read More Principles Never Do: Part 2
We live in the information age, but sometimes it seems we are moving into the “too much information” age. It is so easy to get lost in the endless sea of tweets, posts, feeds, and chats– all competing to increase their likes, shares, and followings in the name of social influence. Some for better and… Read More Principles Never Do: Part 1
I see everything in pendulums. That might sound kind of weird. Let me explain. Right now, we are at the height of compulsory education. For the last 100 years, the government has been steadily encroaching upon family freedoms in regard to education. We now have a system which is so forceful and coercive that students,… Read More Pendulums and Homemade Bread
One of the principles of true education is PURPOSE. Or in other words, finding “the why” behind what we are learning. How many times in high school pre-calc did you ask your teacher, “Why do I have to know this?” Or maybe you loved math and instead you asked this same question about diagramming sentences… Read More Finding the Why
In my mind there are three types of education. Compulsory Education, Interest-Led Education, and Purpose-Driven Education. I know they all sound similar, but they are actually very different in both method and results, so hear me out, folks! Compulsory Education Compulsory Education is learning by force. It doesn’t matter if your children are in public school,… Read More Baby Steps to Purpose
When a baby is learning to walk, nobody gets mad at them when they fall down, right? Just the opposite, in fact. We all shout for joy and get our cameras out! After attempting his first step and falling, that child is swept up and hugged and kissed and applauded for his efforts. What is… Read More Developing a Growth Mindset
Our individual agency, or free choice, is a wonderful gift from God. However, because we are free to choose, we can make choices that will bring us joy, or we can choose things that will cause physical, emotional, and sprititual harm. Our job as parents is provide a safe environment for our children to practice… Read More The Headgates Principle
So about a year and a half ago I received a book in the mail. I did not order this book. No one that I knew had sent it to me or had even heard of it. I literally almost threw it in the garbage, but instead I put it on my bookshelf. Fast forward… Read More A New Approach to Discipline
The world is replete with educational systems, schooling options, and curricula that vary widely in philosophy and application. However, one idea that is shared by almost all educational approaches is that learning is seen as work. How did this happen? Has it always been this way? Actually, no. It hasn’t always been this way. In… Read More How Learning Became Work
