Kari emphasizes the importance of incorporating practical skills into education, gives examples of how to teach children the importance of work, and asks Beatrize Rivas to give additional demonstrations of practical work projects undertaken in the homeschool classroom.

2015 True Education Symposium

<p>Kari emphasizes the importance of incorporating practical skills into education, gives examples of how to teach children the importance of work, and asks Beatrize Rivas to give additional demonstrations of practical work projects undertaken in the homeschool classroom.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Pattern Education

Practical Considerations

Kari Montague

1. The Importance of Practical Skills in Education

The reason for the slips, let me explain here.

I have, yes, at the end of today's presentation, I'll just pull out a name here, and this is the Ultimate Home school planner.

It's a planning system designed by Deborah Bell and it's very nicely done.

It's where you can organize your daily plans for your home school and it's just a lot of little helps.

Again I want to start with another prayer.

Dear Father in heaven, We just ask for your blessing again we ask for your spirit.

These are important topics that we're discussing and I know that I cannot adequately express what you have given us so I'm just asking that you please do it and I thank you amen.

All right today we're going to talk about the curriculum what shall I teach And before we began the school in Benton, you know, I just wanted to know what is in the Bible, how did learning occur, and I knew things in Deuteronomy that the Lord told us as parents, you know, we are to train our children when they get up, when they sit down, when they walk with us by the way.

And then, I knew about the schools of the prophets, very practical, how they would build their own building because they needed to, and just cook their own food, actually.

And then of course, in the testimonies that were given there's a lot there too.

So I just wanted to say when we have the school, we want to teach what God says that we should teach and leave out those things that he doesn't say are important.

I'm going to start off with the objective of the curriculum or the purpose.

The purpose of why we're doing, what we're teaching, what we're teaching.

What is the purpose of it, the ultimate purpose behind what we are doing?

The ultimate purpose is to restore in man the image of his maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created to promote the development of the body the mind and the soul that was the divine purpose in his creation excuse me that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized.

That's found in education page 15 and 16.

This type of education it also prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.

If this education prepares a student for the joy of service in this world, what is the joy of service in this world?

Is it so that you can get your schooling and then go out in the workplace?

It's always yes, because say if you're a doctor or a teacher, there's a talent that God has given us, and that's the talent of influence.

But I think a lot of times in this world, we stop there with this life, with this life.

But there's a second piece, and for the higher joy of wider service in the world.

So if you think about it, if we as teachers or parents, what do we do when we're thinking about this?

It has to, and that has to be part of the education now character development that is it mean that as a teacher we could just just just wish it could happen it has to come from the Holy Spirit and there are things that we can do that we'll talk about later on that help promote or facilitate character development in the child.

These are the 3 fundamental principles on which everything is based.

And we had that overall objective that I told you about.

And these are, by the way, I believe, in the correct order of importance.

Character development, practical life skills, and academic skills.

And I'm gonna suggest to you that these 3 things are intertwined in everything we do.

And hopefully you'll see more of that as we go on.

If not, then just ask me at the end and we'll talk about it again.

So character development, practical life skills, academics.

Just think of them as a rope, those 3 strands all together, tied in.

Now I'm gonna give a quotation that supports what I just said.

The education and training of the youth is an important and solemn work.

The great object to be secured should be the proper development of character, that the individual may be fitted to rightly discharge the duties of the present life, and to enter at last upon the future immortal life.

There it is again, this life and the life to come.

Eternity will reveal the manner in which the work has been performed.

If ministers and teachers could have a full sense of their responsibility, we should see a different state of things in the world today.

But they are too narrow in their views and purposes.

They do not realize the importance of their work or its results.

Useful manual labor is a part of the gospel plan.

The great teacher, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, gave directions to Israel that every youth should be taught some line of useful employment.

Therefore, it was the custom of the Jews, the wealthy, as well as the poorer classes, to teach their sons and daughters some useful trade.

So that, should adverse circumstances arise, they would not be dependent upon others, but would be able to provide for their own necessities.

They might be instructed in literary lines, but they must also be trained to some craft.

This was deemed as an indispensable part of their education.

Counselors to parents, teachers, and students, page 307.

Again, another quote, just emphasizing the practical skills.

Now, now, as in the days of Israel, every youth should be instructed in the duties of practical life.

Each should acquire a knowledge of some branch of manual labor by which, if need be, he may obtain a livelihood.

This is essential, not only as a safeguard against the vicissitudes of life.

And that word vicissitudes, I'm stopping here, is not a common word that we use.

If there's anybody, if not, I'll say, I'll tell you.

It just means when hardships or trials come, you'll be prepared.

Okay, so practical training is essential not only as a safeguard against the vicissitudes of life, but from its bearing upon physical, mental, and moral development.

And then I've had this in bold, even if it were certain that 1 would never need to resort to manual labor for support, still he should be taught to work.

And I feel very, very strongly, I see this.

Our children, you know, as parents, you want to teach them responsibility.

So even though it may be easier for you to go do a job whether it's cleaning I mean it's much easier for you to do it yourself.

Please, I urge you to take the time and work with the student.

Because we have a lot of students, I was 1 of them growing up where I just had a regular education, just the books, the books.

And so when it came for me to be a wife and mother, I was deficient, I would say, of the practical things, the things that are most important.

Cooking, healthful cooking, just working, knowing how to work efficiently in the home.

Because we're told that some ladies in the home, when they have a job to do, there's comparison, 1 might take like 1 hour, and another lady, 2 hours to do the same job.

When we are told that we are to be masters of labor, not slaves of labor, we are to use our mind, thinking all the time, How can I do something more efficiently?

How could I do it even better and more thoroughly and a good job?

And this is using your mind with everyday things that you do.

And that's what we want to encourage in our children and our students.

So even if you knew that you would never have any hardships, learn to work, without physical exercise, No 1 can have a sound constitution and vigorous health.

And the discipline of well-regulated labor is no less essential to the securing of a strong, active mind and a noble character.

2. Following True Education: Success, Failure, and the God Who is Faithful

We are sustaining a terrible losses in every branch of the work through the neglect of home training.

It was this that impressed upon our minds the needs of schools where religious influence should predominate.

If anything can be done to counteract the great evil in the strength of Jesus, we will do it.

Here's a couple of more, I'll run through them quickly.

Christian Experience and teachings of Ellen G.

The Lord directed our minds to the importance of the educational work.

We saw the need of schools, that our children might receive instruction free from the errors of false philosophy, that their training might be in harmony with the principles of the Word of God.

Another quote, Child Guidance 307, wherever there are a few Sabbath keepers, the parents should ignite in providing a place for a day school where their children and youth can be instructed.

They should employ a Christian teacher who is as a consecrated missionary shall educate the children in such a way as to lead them to become missionaries.

Let teachers be employed who will give a thorough education in the common branches, the Bible, being made the foundation and the life of all study.

I want to share with you some of my personal convictions.

Again I believe the writings of Ellen White are inspired.

I have a background in education and because of that I was especially interested to see what she had written.

And in my heart, I don't know if I can express it adequately, there's a sense of urgency that I want to see these principles implemented and I want them to be the success that I know they can be.

Indeed we have precious light, precious light, Bible, all these books just the topic of education.

I began with the quote of Earl Sutherland, books that he's written.

I don't know, probably many of you are familiar, just let me ask, with the story of Earl Sutherland and Percy McGann, God's Beautiful Farm.

Okay, well this story, God's Beautiful Farm, tells the story of Earl, pardon me?

Earl Sutherland, or Edward Sutherland, excuse me.

He was an early Adventist educator, president of Battle Creek and of Walla Walla College, contemporary of Ellen White.

When he started first learning about these principles, he believed in them, So much so that he left his secure position, came down south, Tennessee, and began a school that implemented these principles.

Did you know that Eleanor Roosevelt knew about the school that Earl Sutherland implemented?

Persons from the government visit the school, this true education school.

Reader's Digest talking about the school.

Think I'm just going to veer just a little bit, but think about this.

Think about the health message that we were given.

Seventh-day Adventist research shows that Seventh-day Adventists live 7 years longer than the average population.

So we know this precious light that we're giving given to us as a church works.

Now the question that I ask, I ask myself, I ask you.

And Either we're going to do something with it or we're not.

So that's the sense of urgency in my convictions.

In 2007, An opportunity arose at my church for me to start a school.

It was a group of us, which ran for about 2 and a half years.

For just lack of time, I'm just going to tie these 2 together, which is something that convicted me even more.

When the school closed, there was a time period that I just gave up.

I went back to the public school, started working there.

And in the fall of 2012, a friend called me.

Now this girl, her name is Crystal, she knew about the school and visited it back when it was in operation.

She's now a teacher in 1 of our Seventh-day Adventist schools in Florida.

Well, back in 2012, she called me and she said, Carrie, when are you gonna reopen the Pattern of Life school?

I said, Crystal, I haven't thought about that.

And that ended up in exchange going back and forth.

And I told her, Crystal, back then, 2007, I had a brand new facility building.

I had land, 2 plots of land for gardening, 1 right by the school and another place.

I don't really have money to do this, but she kept urging me.

And then she finally said, we just went back and forth debating.

And so that week, I got on my knees and I seriously prayed.

I can't go into this, many things I could tell you.

But I didn't know how it was gonna work, but I got up from my knees and I just said, Lord, I believe you're telling me to do this, I will.

Another question that I had to wrestle with.

Is it legal to start a true education school in my state?

Well, I knew that it was because of what happened at the school in Benton in 2007.

We met with the superintendent of Southeast County, superintendent of school, Southeast County.

We told him what we were going to do, and I'll never forget what he said.

We were at the Lifestyle Center, where the school is located, and he said, I grew up, I'm 1 of 11 children, I grew up on a farm, I know what good experience this is for children.

And we did under what's called a category 4 school.

There's a non-public school approval process in the state of Tennessee, there are 7 categories.

And back in 2007, we were under category 5, which is church-related schools, and there's more to that, but I don't have time to go into that.

So I knew that yes you can that way but now again I tell you my situation is different now all I have is my house and so I was wondering can I have a school in my house?

And it didn't seem like that was possible.

Each state has different requirements for running a private school.

We looked into the state of Oregon, and incidentally their requirements are less strict than Tennessee.

And if I have information, I don't know where I put my...

Beatriz Caballero de Rivas

Robert Montague

3. In the Classroom: Dealing With Challenges that Arise in the Homeschool Classroom

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you very much for your word and for the many blessings that you have given us as a people.

I just want to pray, ask for your presence here this morning, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the presence of the Holy Angels, please fill this place, please work in our hearts, please speak to us Lord, in your name I pray and thank you.

This morning the presentation is eclectic in that we're going to talk about 2 basic, or 3 actually, basic areas.

My husband's going to have a short little talk on that and also how our characters, and then we've invited Beatrice and she's going to share some practical tips and things that we did in the school she did she has done in her home.

All right so probably for parents and teachers 1 of the most difficult things to address is the area of discipline.

And I had a teacher in college that said something that I never forgot.

She said, we tend to parent as we were parented.

And that is so true, at least in my case.

And that could be good and that could be bad but the good news is that if we give our hearts to Jesus He becomes our Heavenly Father and he shows us how to parent.

And I want to share with you this morning the beautiful counsels that we have, some of them, about parenting and dealing with our own children and our students.

And they're across the board, I would say.

Christian parents must be united in the government of the children.

I'm going to apply this to the home and to the school.

First of all, if the mother and father are not united in the disciplinary actions that are going to happen in the home, you're going to have problems.

In the school, as a teacher, before school even started, we as teachers had to provide a disciplinary plan to the principal, And you need to speak with the principal about this, and you should be united, because you're gonna need that backup plan.

I had a last year, a new teacher come to me and talk to me about this issue of discipline and I told her, I gave her the counsel, you talked, it was a smaller school, it's actually, it's William R.

Elementary School, she's gonna go teach there, I taught there myself and Anyway, I said talk to your principal about these things and make sure you're on the same page, because that'll save you a lot of trouble later on, believe me, it will.

They are easily pleased, and they are easily made unhappy.

That's found in 3 volume 3 of the testimonies page 532.

Incidentally I don't want to have you do a lot of copying.

I apologize, our printer is broken at home.

So I can get you all these quotes if you'd like.

I can work it out and just get your email address and then just email them to you.

Mild measures, soft answers, and pleasant words are much better fitted to reform and save than severity and harshness.

Let it never be forgotten that the teacher must be what he desires his pupils to become.

We've said that several times during the course of this symposium.

Children should be taught by precept and example.

To deal successfully with these different minds, the teacher needs to exercise great tact and delicacy in management, as well as firmness in government.

Linking love and Christ-like sympathy with discipline.

Love and kindness are worth nothing unless united with the discipline that God has said should be maintained.

Do not allow children to show disrespect.

I want you to be thinking about some of these things.

I'm just going, I'm reading them as bullet points.

Our time is limited because I want to share other people's perspectives so you just don't get 1 side.

We can talk about this later if you have questions.

Let it be a settled maxim that in all school discipline, faithfulness and love are to reign.

When a student is corrected in such a way that he is not made to feel that the teacher desires to humiliate him, love for the teacher springs up in his heart.

As far as possible, let each student be called upon to do something in which he or she excels.

This will encourage self-respect and a desire to be helpful.

Alright, I wanted to join you for 1 slide here.

And These are just some tips to keep in mind.

And the idea here, what I want to share with you is, how do we accomplish what we're trying to accomplish?

It means that there should be a point to what we're doing.

So when we're teaching, we should know what that point is.

So for instance, this symposium, my goal, our goal is for you to believe that God will lead you in reforming the Seventh-day Adventist Church and or working yourself to deliver the appropriate education.

It's because we want you to take the Lord's educational plan somewhere.

Well, for everything we do for the children, if you think about it, it seems like, well, we've got a lot of time with the children.

We've got, you know, we've got 6 hours every day, so we can kind of cover this and do some of that and so forth and it'll all get done.

Well yeah, that's kind of the traditional way but how much better if we if we thought this we only have 6 hours and we've got to we want this and this and this and this to happen.

Given that we want this and this and this and this to happen, we're going to teach exactly and precisely to those specific goal areas.

So in a pattern school, You don't, you know, your goal is much broader than a typical school.

In a typical school, you want to cover, you know, mixed fractions.

You want to cover the, you know, the matching of the East and West Railroad lines in 1869 and stuff.

So you got your little lesson plan, and as long as you cover all those things today, you did a good job.

But in pattern education, you say, yeah, of course we're gonna cover the appropriate things that we need to academically, but we're not limited by that at all.

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Series

Practical Considerations

1. The Importance of Practical Skills in Education

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Parts

1. The Importance of Practical Skills in Education

1h 14m

2. Following True Education: Success, Failure, and the God Who is Faithful

40m

3. In the Classroom: Dealing With Challenges that Arise in the Homeschool Classroom

55m

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