Ben

Why Teach History From a Textbook, Even at Home?

October 22, 2015 by Ben

I love standing in the history section of the library and scanning the titles that line the shelves. Historical narratives tell true stories that are far more captivating than fictional stories. That’s why I head for that section of the library most often. Here are a few history narratives I’ve read recently.

City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas by Roger Crowley
The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan by Russell Shorto
Nixon and Mao: The Week That Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan

These and other well-written historical narratives grip my attention as well as providing analysis and insight on the past. As a history enthusiast, I’m tempted to share these books with my daughters as soon as they’re capable of reading at that level. The founding and development of Dutch Manhattan is fascinating, but most textbooks only give it one or two paragraphs!

Can’t children just skip the history textbooks and get straight to these gripping stories?

I don’t believe they should. History textbooks play a vital role in children learning about the past. There are two reasons I want my girls to learn about history through textbooks before they read books like the ones I listed above.

The first reason is related to helping children learn about history the best way—through organized units of information that are balanced and chronological. History textbook authors put information into digestible portions, making it easier for children to master. But the real key is balance when it comes to historical figures and events. That way, children begin to grasp the comparative significance, for example, of the Teapot Dome Scandal and the Great Depression. The textbook also provides clarity on sequence in a narrative form.

As you can see from the titles I’ve mentioned, if my daughters’ history education focused on my favorite historical narratives (or even their favorites) it could create problems in their understanding of the past. They might be confused about the order of certain events. Their knowledge of the past would skew towards my interests. Just as a building’s framework provides structural form and support to everything that comes next, a historical framework (provided by history textbooks) will provide form and support for my daughters’ understanding of the past.

The second reason I want to use history textbooks relates to the worldview I want to teach my children. History is not just an account of events, actors, and places. It is an interpretation of the historical data. And all historians have a perspective that shapes their interpretation of the past.

Take for example Nixon and Mao, a fascinating account of skirmishes on the Russia-China border, ping-pong diplomacy, and Kissinger’s trip to China—a trip so secret that even the State Department didn’t know about it. MacMillan’s book would interest anyone intrigued by the Cold War. But her book isn’t without worldview implications. She makes this point in The Uses and Abuses of History, another one of her books on writing history:

In a secular world, which is what most of us in Europe and North America live in, history takes on the role of showing us good and evil, virtues and vices. Religion no longer plays as important a part as it once did in setting moral standards and transmitting values.

In Margaret MacMillian’s assessment, religion no longer gives us our worldview—history does. I enjoy this author’s work, but I don’t want her works of history to shape my children’s worldview. Instead, my family uses a tool that provides an organized and biblical worldview of the past. That tool is a BJU Press Heritage Studies textbook written from a biblical worldview.

One day, I want my daughters to enjoy learning about Nixon’s Chinese diplomacy and other historical narratives. But before they learn about these places and events, I want them to have a framework for these events. And that framework needs to be constructed on the foundation of a biblical worldview. After that framework is in place, my daughters can learn about the past from varied historians and correctly evaluate the worldview of those historians.

God’s Providence, Columbus’s Mistake

October 8, 2015 by Ben

Perspective matters in all of education, but it’s particularly clear that perspective impacts teaching about the past. The scene of an accident illustrates on a miniature scale how perspective influences the retelling of an event. Where a witness was standing and what he was doing at the time of the accident will dramatically affect his view of the event. Most historians aren’t eyewitnesses of the events they record, but they do have perspectives that color their narratives.

Christopher Columbus provides an excellent example since historians have many different perspectives about this world figure. My friend Wes wrote a blog post that questioned the morality of Columbus’s actions. But I’d like to discuss two different perspectives taught about Columbus’s scientific knowledge.

Columbus—Heroic Individualist

One educational television show teaches children about Columbus by having an “interview” with him. The man playing the part of the explorer explains that most people in his day thought that the world was flat and that anyone who sailed far enough west would fall off the edge. Columbus, however, believed the world was round and therefore thought he could reach the East Indies by sailing west.

In this widely held perspective, Columbus is seen as a heroic individualist, bucking the religious, intellectual, and political establishments of his time by boldly charting a path based on scientific fact. Secularists like this story because it pits the rationality of science against irrational notions of religion. But those details aren’t accurate. This common perspective on Columbus is one that professional historians are trying to dissuade popular culture from believing.

Columbus—Mistaken Merchant

Actually, the scientific controversy in Columbus’s day wasn’t about the shape of the earth but its size. Most people during that time knew the earth was round but thought it was a little smaller than it really is. Since Columbus was convinced that the earth was much smaller than it is, he believed Asia could be reached faster by sailing west.

The religious/intellectual establishment actually had a more accurate estimate of Earth’s size than Columbus did, but nobody at that time knew there was a large landmass in between Europe and Asia.

I appreciate how BJU Press concludes this historical account in Heritage Studies 1 (page 121):

Columbus did not reach Asia by sailing west. Though Columbus did not know where he landed, God did. Columbus did not know he had found new lands to explore. God used the voyage to change the world.

In this telling, Columbus is a mistaken merchant, but God changes the course of human events in a striking way.

Perspective really matters. Some historians want to make people the heroes and ignore what God says and does. As a Christian father, I want my daughters to develop a biblical perspective on the past. This statement from the same textbook (page 123) sums up the perspective I want them to have this holiday.

Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October. It is a day to remember Christopher Columbus and the land he found. It is a day to remember what God did long ago.

Storytelling and Worldview

September 10, 2015 by Ben

At times the challenge of developing a biblical worldview in my three little girls, five and under, overwhelms me. How can I equip these young minds with something as complex as a worldview? The writings of Paul David Tripp encourage me. In particular, Paul’s simple explanations and illustrations demonstrate that I can develop my daughters’ worldview.

I love Paul’s story about his three-year-old son, who after falling down the stairs exclaimed, “Thank you!” When Paul asked his son who he was talking to, the boy responded, “The angels. And I know how they did it.”

“Who did what?”

“The angels! One stands on this side, and the other stands on that side. They both hold beach balls. When you start to fall, they put the beach ball out to keep you safe.”

Tripp observes that even three-year-olds interpret what’s happening. In this case, the conclusion was immature, and it confused Sunday school lessons with family vacations. But even very young children are capable of understanding stories, synthesizing them, and using them to explain daily occurrences.

Thankfully, our heavenly Father has given us His perspective in terms of a story. It’s a story that even toddlers and preschoolers can learn and use to interpret everyday life. It’s a true story with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s a story that dramatically affects the way we interpret the learning that makes up education. It’s the story of Creation, Fall, and Redemption.

Creation

The story begins with “God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). But when the story reaches Genesis 1:26–28, we learn that we’re special. God creates man and woman in His own image. God tells them to fill the world with little image-bearers and to take care of the world. Then He gives the first man a home (Eden), a wife (Eve), and a job (to name the animals and to work the garden).

Fall

Then Adam rebels and everything breaks. Death, sadness, and fighting come because of Adam’s wrong choice. His sin means that our hearts have been broken and our minds have been polluted. Adam and Eve make clothes out of fig leaves and then hide from God. Adam blames his wife for the sin, and Eve blames the serpent (Genesis 3:7–12).

Redemption

Next, we see that God immediately sets in motion His plan to redeem His fallen creation (Genesis 3:15). He promises that there will be conflict between the anointed one and the serpent. He promises that the anointed one will win and redeem God’s creation. This redemption plan is fulfilled in Christ’s death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection from the dead.

The story applied to . . . math?

I share this story, not because it’s new or insightful, but because it’s simple and familiar. This is a story I share with my girls during family devotions. It’s a story they hear in Sunday school, and it affects the way they interpret learning, even math!

Math is a powerful tool to help us take care of the world (Genesis 1:28)
Because of the fall, some people use math to deny God (Romans 1:21–23)
The people of God can live in light of redemption by using math to love their neighbors (Luke 10:27–28)

The Creation-Fall-Redemption story doesn’t make worldview shaping easy, but it does make it attainable for my precious little ones. Using this story to interpret learning is critical for providing my children a thoroughly Christian education.

3 Ways Dads Can Lead in Homeschooling

August 11, 2015 by Ben

“Mom’s the teacher, and I’m the principal; she teaches, and I foot the bills.” When I was growing up as a homeschool kid, I heard several homeschool dads humorously relate this sentiment. As dads, we know we’re supposed to take the leadership role in homeschooling, so we put on the mantle of a school administrator. Even though we’re not usually engaged in the day-to-day homeschooling of our children, we end up paying the bills for the cost of education and thus feel that we’ve checked off our responsibility.

God gives fathers the responsibility of bringing up children in the nurture of the Lord. When it comes to the stuff of education, we have a tremendous opportunity to lead and partner with our wives in the homeschooling of our children. Scripture gives us as dads three specific responsibilities related to our wives and children.

To love our wives by sacrificing for them (Ephesians 5:25)
To live with our wives in an understanding way by listening to them (1 Peter 3:7)
To take responsibility for our children’s development (Ephesians 6:4)

Here are three ways we can lead our families in homeschooling.

1. Setting the priorities

Homeschooling provides our families with unlimited opportunities, and we need priorities to determine which opportunities should be labeled “good,” “better,” or “best.” When my wife and I were first married, we enjoyed discussing all the activities we wanted our future children to be involved in such as art, sports, community outreach, music, speech, and debate.

Now that we have three children and our oldest will soon be the age when she can begin participating in some of these additional activities, we’ve realized that there’s only so much time during a week. So we’ve prioritized. When T-ball sign-up came along, we declined.

On the other hand, my wife and I believe that biblical-worldview-based curriculum materials are a non-negotiable. We’ve made that the most important point in evaluating educational options for our family. This is our family’s choice, and you may have different priorities. Here are some priorities to consider:

Biblical-worldview-based curriculum materials
Curriculum for main academic subjects
Bible courses
Music and arts
Volunteering
Sports

Know your priorities and let them guide your decision-making.

2. Finding the best approach

I remember walking around the vendor hall at homeschool conferences when I was a kid. Even then, families had a wide variety of curriculum choices. Today, husbands and wives can be overwhelmed by the multitude of choices available as various vendors tout the success of their products. Where to begin?

Begin with your family’s educational philosophy or approach. Over the past thirty years, homeschoolers have innovated or rediscovered a variety of educational approaches. There’s everything from unschooling to classical education. As families, we need to evaluate these approaches and choose the one that will be the foundation of our homeschooling. There are different ways a dad can be involved in setting a direction.

If your wife eagerly embraces homeschooling:

Support her by listening to her ideas
Ask questions so that you understand
Be able to explain your family’s approach so that you can own your children’s education
Prepare to fund materials that fit the approach

If your wife is overwhelmed by homeschooling:

Ask questions so that you understand her concerns
Research educational programs and share your findings
Listen to her responses
Choose your family’s approach together but remember who will be doing the day-to-day teaching

Don’t be passive. It’s your children’s future. Get involved and stay involved.

3. Stepping in when there are challenges

I remember the day I fought my mom all day over a math concept. I was getting every problem wrong, and I had the wrong attitude. When Dad got home, my exasperated mom asked for help. He got involved, and it made a huge difference—for everyone. As dads, we need to step in when things come up. Here are ways you can step in:

Know your own strengths and weaknesses as well as your wife’s
Maintain your children’s respect for their mother
Help teach or tutor a specific subject
Do a household job so that your wife can set up a hands-on activity
Encourage your wife to continue on with the educational program at the first signs of trouble but speak up when you know it’s not working
Take the kids for a day so that your wife can regroup

Homeschooling is a challenge. Be alert to ways you can sacrifice for your wife and help your children grow.

My Commitment to Biblical Worldview Education

June 16, 2015 by Ben

As a dad, I’ve appreciated Karin’s posts on family devotions. Family worship offers me the opportunity to disciple my children with intentionality. As I gather my three daughters daily to read God’s Word, I’m trying to obey the command in Deuteronomy 6:7 to “teach them diligently.” So it’s encouraging to hear about others practicing family worship and to learn that they’re experiencing (and overcoming) the same difficulties.

Of course, our obligation to diligently teach our families to love God isn’t fulfilled in a routine Bible time. We’re supposed to teach God’s Word when we’re sitting, when we’re walking, when we’re lying down, and when we’re waking up. It’s an all-day, every-day commitment.

For my girls, a large part of their daily life is education, so it’s important to me that their education is contributing to their discipleship. In fact, since education is worship, I want to give my daughters a biblical worldview education.

Education Is Worship

It’s easy to look at teaching kids how to subtract or read as “neutral.” After all, 2 + 2 = 4 whether you’re a Christian, a Buddhist, or an atheist. But education is far too foundational an undertaking to occur without a purpose. From age five to eighteen, my girls will spend over fourteen thousand hours learning math, science, history, and language arts. All of that effort has to be for a purpose, or it’s a waste of time. Even children know that education needs a purpose. While answering their twenty-three math problems, they will ask the critical question: “Why do I have to learn this?”

In his book The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School, Neil Postman observed that education is worship when he said, “For school to make sense, the young, their parents, and their teachers must have a god to serve, or even better, several gods.” He argues that American public schools are dedicated to serving, among others, the god of consumerism. Worshipers of consumerism learn so that they can get jobs and buy the best cars, houses, and vacations. If Postman, who was a secular humanist, sees the religious nature of education, we Christian dads need to think through the worship implications of the education choices we make for our children.

The Purpose of Education

After my wife and I got engaged, we would take long walks where we’d discuss how we planned to run our household. Since both of us received a biblical worldview education, we wanted this same education for our children. It was and still is important to us that we teach our children to glorify God and love their neighbor as themselves through math, science, history, and language arts. My daughters need to know that math isn’t the key to financial security and prosperity; it’s a tool God gives us to obey His commands. That context is crucial for using education to serve God instead of the god of consumerism. If I am going to obey Deuteronomy 6:7, I have to diligently teach my daughters that the purpose of their education is serving God.

Before I was born, my dad determined that his children would be homeschooled so that they could receive a biblical worldview education. I owe so much to my dad for that gift. Now as a dad, I want to teach my daughters that worshiping God isn’t limited to Sunday church services. We serve God through the right kind of education; therefore, my wife and I are committed to providing our daughters with a biblical worldview education.

Ben