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Wisdom’s Call and Homeschooling

November 14, 2017 by Ben

wisdom's call and homeschooling on a hike
At a recent conference, someone posed an interesting question related to using wisdom in homeschooling. “Should I be focusing so much energy teaching my child algebra when I need to teach him to serve?” I think this question goes to the heart of Christian homeschooling.

My wife and I started homeschooling because we want to have God’s words in our hearts and “teach them diligently” to our children (Deuteronomy 6:5–6). But so much of homeschooling has to do with math, science, and other subjects. At times we do feel like we’re teaching our children about God through these subjects, like when we’re refuting evolution, but at other times training our children to be servants of the Lord doesn’t seem central.

Does Christian homeschooling allow for in-depth study of algebra?

Proverbs 8 is a critical chapter in constructing our Christian philosophy of education. In it, wisdom, personified as a woman, calls to young people and urges them to listen to her so she can equip them to make sound judgments. With our focus on developing children for adulthood, we should give careful attention to this chapter.

What is wisdom?

Before we can apply this chapter, we need a clear understanding of who this woman is who’s calling to our children. What is the wisdom of Proverbs 8?

First, God created this wisdom before He created the world: “When there were no depths, [wisdom] was brought forth” (8:24). God made this wisdom, so it is something distinct from His eternal attribute of wisdom. While it is distinct, God delighted in it and used it to frame the world and to establish order.

Second, this wisdom is available all across the world. It is by wisdom that “all the judges of the earth [rule]” (8:16). This means that rulers from Asia to the Americas had access to wisdom even before the special revelation of God was available to them. That’s why wisdom’s call is universal and goes out to all youth everywhere. They all have access to it.

God used wisdom to create the universe, and He integrated its principles into the created order. We can call this wisdom “creational norms,” the principles God embedded in the creational order. And if we learn them, we can use them to live well.

As Christian parents, we can use the principles of Proverbs 8 in a least three ways:

1. Study creation

Teaching our children principles of algebra and physics is not incompatible with teaching them  the “things of God.” As we study God’s good creation and apply it, we are learning from God’s general revelation.

We should not put algebra and serving God at odds with each other. They go hand in hand. For example, the good Samaritan had learned the best medical practices of his time. When he had the opportunity, he used that knowledge of creational norms to serve. If he hadn’t learned those principles, he would have been severely limited in how he could serve.

We should make learning creational norms in math, science, history, and language arts an important part of our homeschooling. Because creational norms are more valuable than “choice gold” (8:10).

2. Listen to authority

At their best, our children are “simple,” and at their worst they are “fools” (8:5). Wisdom’s words then are, “Hearken unto me” and “Hear instruction, and be wise” (8:32–33). If children are going to heed wisdom’s call, they must forsake their own way and listen to their authorities.

As parents, we can set the example of listening. We can listen to more experienced homeschool parents. We can learn about best practices for teaching children. Whenever we learn principles about how life works best in God’s world, we are learning creational norms. And we’re setting an example for our children.

3. Resist evil influence

There’s nothing “perverse” about God’s wisdom (8:8). In contrast, secular experts discovering and teaching creational norms often twist them to suit their own worldview. They teach evolution, for example, so they can pretend they’re free from God.

Wherever we gain wisdom from general revelation, we need Scripture to guide, correct, and straighten out what has been twisted by the wicked.

Heeding wisdom

At the end of Proverbs 8  we see wisdom standing at the city gates urging children and teens to listen to her. Her teaching through creation is more valuable than precious metals. “For whoso findeth [her] findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord” (8:35).

Fools try to live life as though creation doesn’t teach. Perhaps they’re spendthrifts, or maybe they don’t think they need to plow in the winter. Then they find trouble.

So, as we seek to diligently teach our children the ways of God, let’s not forget His teaching through His creation because those who find wisdom find life.

Filed Under: Shaping Worldview Tagged With: algebra, biblical worldview, Christian Homeschooling, Philosophy of Education, Proverbs, wisdom

Teaching Work Skills: Spreadsheet Activity

September 21, 2017 by Justin


Entering data into a spreadsheet is one of the more mundane aspects of my job, but it’s also a critical part of what I do. I’m able to take lots of data about our company and use math to figure out how we can better serve homeschool families. That’s the part that excites me.

Spreadsheets are used in just about all academic and business environments. Learning how to use them at home can give your student a big advantage in college and in the workforce.

Here’s a basic and enjoyable activity from our Algebra 2 textbook to get your child started with spreadsheets and show how math concepts relate to everyday work.  The user interface can vary depending on which spreadsheet software you’re using, but just about any should work for this activity. Here are some popular options:

• Google Sheets™ – You can use this web-based spreadsheet program for free, but you have to have a Google account. It can be used on just about any platform.

• Microsoft Excel – This is perhaps the most robust and widely used spreadsheet program. It’s paid software that you install on your Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android device.

• LibreOffice® Calc – As open-source software, this can be downloaded for free and installed on just about any desktop operating system. The interface is a bit dated compared to the other two options.

Activity: Daily High Temperature

A scientist can use a spreadsheet to track a city’s daily high temperature and to determine the weekly average temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Make a spreadsheet to record a particular location’s high temperatures daily for several weeks and construct a graph illustrating the data. Weather Underground has a great weather history tool that you can use for this.

After entering the numbers for the first two weeks in column A, highlight the cells that establish a pattern (cells A3 and A4). Then use the fill handle (the small square in the lower right-hand corner of the highlighted area) to expand the box down the column to row 6.

Now record the data for each day. Also enter the following formulas to calculate the average high temperature for the week in Fahrenheit and convert this average to degrees Celsius.

In column I row 3 (cell I3), enter =(B3+C3+D3+E3+F3+G3+H3)/7 to find the average.

In column J row 3 (cell J3), enter =5/9*(I3-32) to convert to Celsius.

Most spreadsheets include a function (for adding a series of numbers and finding their average) that can be used to simplify the first formula to something like this: =(AVERAGE(B3:H3))

These formulas can be copied into the cells for the remaining weeks by dragging the fill handle down. Notice how the cell references in the formulas are adjusted relative to each cell’s position in the spreadsheet when the formula is replicated in this manner. Most spreadsheets also allow you to quickly generate graphs from the numerical data.

Once the activity is completed, have your student think about how math was at work behind the scenes. Ask questions like these:

  • What does the data show?
  • What did the formulas help you accomplish?
  • Was using the spreadsheet easier than doing the work manually?
  • Can you think of any other industries or tasks where a spreadsheet could be useful?

The goal of this activity is not to produce a nice graph at the end, but to gain an understanding of exactly how a spreadsheet works and how it can organize data and solve real-world problems using math.

If your student enjoys this activity, consider using one of the similar activities in Algebra 2 to improve your student’s spreadsheet skills.

Microsoft, Encarta, MSN, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: algebra, excel, math, speadsheet, STEM

A Look Inside Algebra 2

January 5, 2017 by Justin

Algebra 2 Student Text

If you’re like me, you like to get a good look at a product before you buy it and certainly before you trust it to help educate your children. To make that easier for you, we recently filmed a video in which I review some of the features of the latest edition of our Algebra 2 Student Text.

Algebra 2 is new, and as someone who spends a lot of time working in math textbooks, I was really impressed with these materials. Even if you don’t have a high school math student, you should take five minutes to watch this video. It gives a good overview of how we structure our math program and how the BJU Press curriculum as a whole can help you build your student’s biblical worldview.

Check out the video below!

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: algebra, biblical worldview, homeschool, math

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