Patterns for Life audio!
Prefaces and Introduction
We are now in the process of recording Patterns for Life in audio format. If it’s easier to listen to your books than to read them, we’ve got you covered! Paid subscribers will have access to the audio files and we’ll include notes and discussion questions to help you think through it all as you read.
This installment is open to all subscribers, but to hear the rest you’ll need to upgrade to paid!
Prefaces
Introduction
Welcome to the discussion!
The content below was originally paywalled.
We’re all pretty well aware that there is something lacking in modern education – both within the public school system and also with our Sunday School efforts. We value our faith and yet the statistics tell us that more and more young people end up leaving the church, and we’re left scratching our heads and wondering why.
We realize as parents that raising and educating our children is a huge undertaking. We have to ask questions about what education is and who it’s for; we have to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing.
Many of us are products of the public school system, but even those of us who aren’t are likely only one generation removed from that system. That model is often the only thing we know how to implement and even when we’re aware of its flaws and failures, we find that its effects run deeper than we ever thought possible.
It’s a big deal when we come to the realization that education has to be about more than passing tests and making the grade – it has eternal ramifications and we are obliged to carefully consider what that means. So we find ourselves looking for a way to do better by our children.
What Patterns for Life proposes is that Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy, coupled with the Orthodox Christian phronema can help us to understand better just how to go about providing an alternative to the kind of education we know we don’t want — because it’s not enough to just run away from the bad stuff — we have to know what we are running towards in order to get there.
Some questions to think about and discuss:
Why are you interested in Orthodox education? How about homeschooling in particular?
What is your own educational experience? Did you attend public schools? Private? Were you homeschooled?
Were you satisfied with your own education? Why or why not?
What are you looking to give to your children in their education? How does that differ from what you received?
What other thoughts occurred to you as you read the preface and introduction?
Take some time to reflect on these questions and write down your answer and/or share your answers in the comments!