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SUMMER 2016
HOMESCHOOL IOWA 9
a
A friend of mine once told me that if she
was going to homeschool, she wanted to give
her children things that they could not get
anywhere else. I liked that, so I began to think
about what that would be for my family. I de-
cided it would be an education that incorpo-
rates scripture and character into all aspects of
the curricula.
We believed that if we could teach our chil-
dren to work with numbers, to read, and to
write, and train them in character, they could
educate themselves. How? They would have
the tools and the desire, as well as the character
needed to persevere. That does not mean we
did not pursue academics; rather, we empha-
sized tools and character training as the most
important part of schooling.
Character is moral or ethical quality. Ac-
cording to Character First, “Good character is
the inward values that determine outward ac-
tions.” In practical terms, character is knowing
what is expected and understanding why it is
valuable to the extent that you are willing to do
the right thing, even when no one is watching.
Why is character training important? Hon-
estly, it makes everyone’s life easier. Think
about it. If a person knows how to exhibit,
for example, self-control, honor, contentment,
and truthfulness, he will get along better with peers, he will be a better employee, and
his parents will have more joy in raising him.
Also, our hearts’ desire was that all of our children would come to know Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior at an early age and learn to walk with Him. We all
come to Jesus with “grave clothes,” so to speak—habits and qualities that need to
be “taken off” in the new life. We regarded character training as a way to help our
children develop qualities and habits that would ease the transition from unsaved to
serving the Savior.
S o wh a t a r e t h e f o u r t o o l s ?
THE B I B L E
We believe that the Bible is the inerrant, inspired word of God—the final authority
for all truth and practice. In other words, it is God’s handbook for life. 2 Timothy
3:16–17 (NKJV) tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profit-
able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
One day while meditating on this passage, I noticed a progression. The Bible
teaches us God’s way. Doctrine tells us what that way is, reproof tells us how we have
gotten off the right path, correction leads us back to the path, and instruction in
righteousness teaches us how to stay on the path.
Psalm 119:11 says that hiding scripture in his heart helps a young man to not sin
against God. Have your children memorize scripture. I made it a school requirement
and put their weekly memory verse on their assignment sheet. (Hey, it’s your school;
you can require whatever you deem necessary!)
Also, using scripture helps your children understand that they are accountable to
God, not just to you. You are not always going to be with them when they come to
important crossroads in their lives—when character makes a difference—but God
will be.
Some of our most used verses were Ephesians 4:32 (Be kind to one another …);
Philippians 2:3–4 (Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in
lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself …); I Samuel 15:23
(For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft …); as well as many verses from Proverbs. It’s
probably apparent why these verses were some of our most frequently used!
CURR I CUL A
I found it helpful and less time-consuming to start with a curriculum. Some curri-
cula focus on individual qualities, starting with a definition then providing examples
FOUR
IMPORTANT
TOOL S
- for -
CHARAC T ER
TRA I N I NG
BY LYNDSAY LAMBERT