Pride and Humility

Education can bring pride.

I realized this today while I was sweeping my kitchen. I can do some deep thinking during mindless tasks. I mean, who really wants to contemplate what they are sweeping up and how it got there?

I firmly believe that homeschooling affords the opportunity to be better educated than many children are. Notice I did not say "homeschoolers ARE better educated than public school children." I did not say that. It just gives more opportunity for better education. We don't all make it there. When you follow a child's abilities and interests AND are able to make your own educational plan and goals....that's a good thing. NOT being locked into the state curriculum and the teacher's goals for the class in general is freeing. Therefore, homeschooling allows you to do more.

I believe that in some ways my daughters are going to be more literate than their father and I. They are reading (and listening to) classic literature that I have never read--and I minored in English in college! They are involved in a book club with other homeschoolers. We read a lot of books--good books--and then sometimes watch the movie that goes along with them.

The kids are often a bit insulted at how the movie-makes got it wrong. One movie adaptation was so bad a 2nd grade boy in our group said, "I don't even think they READ the book! I think they just threw this movie together and happened to get some of it right!"

My daughter points out to me all the time things that are "wrong." She's usually right. She's learned about a thing and she notices error when she sees it. These kind of things can make homeschool kids seem arrogant. They are able to argue intelligently about certain topics, but it isn't respectful to argue all the time so they can end up looking snobbish....arrogant...prideful.

I also can feel prideful when I know something very well. I don't act on that pride, but I know it's there inside me sometimes. I find myself thinking, "HOW can they NOT know that?" forgetting, of course, that at one point in time I did not know it either.

Teaching our children a spirit of humility is so important. Not that they ARE better! I don't want to come across as saying, "Honey, other children are just not as smart as you so be patient with them." Ha! Not quite. It's remembering that other people are God's beloved children...His creation. It's knowing that I can do one thing quite well, and other people can do another thing much better than I. It's desiring to show God's love to others and wanting to make them feel loved MORE than you want to show off your skills.

Sometimes it's making hot dogs for your guests instead of a gourmet meal.

It can look like wearing jeans instead of a skirt.

It might mean talking less about what you know and listening more to what others think or feel.

In a Christian homeschool, teaching and modeling humility is very important. Proverbs 11:2 says:

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

And wise is better than educated any day!