Letters from Home

I’m a philosophical person. I like grappling with ideas, challenging preconceptions and discovering truth by looking hard at things. Even in high school I picked a fight (with a written essay) challenging my AP English teacher over his (poor moral) choice of literature to study. In Junior High, I stood up for the less privileged west side of Provo in a scathing essay (which my teacher asked me to read aloud), telling the kids from the wealthier east side that they should have been more friendly to me when I ventured over to sit at their cool table. But that’s a little off topic now, isn’t it? I’m still rebellious against the norm, willing to be a little different because of what I believe.

In my senior year at BYU, just before student teaching, I took Religion 491 for education majors. This was the most misunderstood, frustrating course for most people. This book, now one of my favorites, was the textbook. It was a chore to read because most of us came into the class expecting a free ride. Hey, we were seniors; it was a religion class…how hard could it be?  Neil J. Flinders (the author) was the teacher.  This book must have been for him the culmination of a lifelong study of education, religion, history, psychology and management.

This book outlines the decline of moral and religious teaching over time; discusses age appropriate teaching methods; gives concrete examples from the Bible and Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants showing how teaching ought to be accomplished; it identifies 4 different approaches to education (Individual, Societal, Theological, and Agency); it challenges a lot of what I learned in my teaching methods classes because so much educational theory is based on a godless worldview. There is so much in this book that it’s hard to describe it in a neat and tidy synopsis.

How have I applied what I learned in this book?

• Well, for one thing, the book reminds us that parents need to step up and teach their children. No, this is not a homeschool book! Remember, it was written as a textbook for people going out to teach in public schools. This means that we can all be Agency educators, no matter what school our children attend.
• Next, when I decided I wanted to homeschool, I looked around for curriculum. Using this book as a guide, I researched many methods. I realized that this author was right. All curriculum choices fall into one of 4 categories (ok, sometimes it’s a mixture). Many homeschoolers choose Theological method. They believe school, taught from a religious worldview is the tops. That’s good… to an extent, but if such curriculum ignores the needs of an individual and an individual’s right to choose, it’s still not ideal. Classical education is a Societal method. Its goal is to prepare students for the marketplace; to defend their positions through logic and rhetoric learned through drill and intensive study. This is good, in its own way, but it lacks something when the individual’s agency, talents and character education are ignored. The Unschooling movement follows the Individualist model, where the focus is on the individual’s needs above the interests of the group. To me, unschooling stems from an unhealthy worship of the child above God. The individualist model places the ideas and whims of the child above what is moral; what is true; and what God expects parents to teach. The Individualist movement is an extension of the hippie culture into the mainstream. There is an element of truth in the Individualist model, because a good education should be individualized, but not at the expense of truth or some kind of order. We’ve seen the devastating effects of ignoring individuals in schools today. I haven’t met a parent yet who has good things to say about TAKS testing or AIMS testing. Practices that ensure group success so often fail individuals (think of the No Child Left Behind Act).
• I try to use the Agency model of education. I have expectations; I have lists for my kids; I use Theological textbooks, Societal textbooks, and even some days look a lot like Unschooling around here. However, in agency education, all of the subjects we study are not ends unto themselves. They are the means by which we teach our children to develop different capacities. Math teaches logical and deductive reasoning; Arts develop the aesthetic sense and appreciation for God’s creations; History teaches us how to analyze and find patterns… AGENCY implies CHOICE, so truth is taught, but then the individual chooses to act. Most curricula have a goal to see that we learn the subject matter. There are learning and behavioral objectives. Character and capacity objectives are overlooked as educators look to raise test scores and have a measurable outcome. My ultimate goal doesn’t revolve around a GPA. The goal of Agency education is to see that the individual has guided, structured courses aimed to help the individual fulfill the mission God has for him. You can’t measure Agency education by comparing students. The true measure of agency education is the quality of individual it produces.

Be warned that this book is not as organized as I would have it. Like I said before, it is so full that it’s hard to nail everything down. Also, don’t expect this book to tell you everything you need to know to achieve Agency Education. It reminds us of principles and it shares examples of Agency educators and parents to inspire us, but it would go against its own thesis to give an outline of everything an agency educator does.  To me, an Agency educator is above all things led by the Spirit. So if anything, agency education centers on character. All subjects, activities, methods, etc. are just appendages to character education.

I could go on about this for a long time. But let me leave you with a summary of what the author thinks an Agency Educator’s home looks like and feels like:

• family learns together
• family prays together
• scripture study is important
• there is a schedule in the home for bedtime, chores, etc.
• the home is orderly
• the family gathers for dinner and good conversation around the table
• family members avoid contention
• the family is happy
• children are taught to take responsibility for themselves
• there is a feeling of safety in the home
• books are read more than television & computer games are used
• there is a feeling of cooperation and understanding
• talents are nurtured and encouraged through family activities, individual practice times, etc.
• character is taught through work, study, service, prayer, and outside activities

So, this book is out of print, but we live in the day of e-bay and amazon.com, so if you really are interested, you’ll be able to find it. I’ve recommended this book for years. Not everyone agrees with me that the book is great. Nor does everyone have the time to read it. That’s why I spent some time writing this post. And now you know just how long-winded I can be. To tell you the truth, I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface and given you a teaser. Most of you are probably asleep or have moved on to facebook or youtube by now. If so, this book is probably not for your personality anyway. It’s philosophy. It’s challenging. It’s what I love to read.