Biblical Thoughts on Education: Educating the Whole Person
By Dr. Gary Moger, President of Faith Ministries
About 2,400 years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristitole said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Teddy Roosevelt put it this way: “To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” One of the things that makes Christian education so important is that the focus of the education is on the entire person: spirit, soul and body. Paul made this thought plain in 2 Thess. 5:23 when he prayed that the God of peace “sanctify these Christians wholly in the spirit, soul, and body.
At FCS, educating the mind with the best born-again teachers and excellent Christ-centered curriculum is a top priority. But equally important is the spiritual foundation upon which the training of the mind rests – Christ and His Word. Every hour of every day is also dedicated to an effort to make Jesus Christ real to the students through God’s Word. We have the responsibility and the ability to hold up the infallible moral standard of God’s Word and confidently say to the young people, “this is right” or “this is wrong” according to God’s Word. This is a great freedom that comes at a great cost to our parents and teachers (because we get no educational funding), but it is one of the greatest tools for educating moral young men and women who know and love Christ and who do all things for His glory (I Cor. 10:31). Remember, it is prayer that keeps the doors of Faith open. We covet your prayers.
A Word From Our Faculty...
I Love to Read!
By Sherri Hohneisen
When I was in the third grade, my mother made a pact with me: I could go to bed at 8:00, or IF I wanted to read a book, I could stay up until 8:30. My mother knew the art of the deal. An extra 30 minutes of awake time was certainly preferred over going to bed while the sun was still up! What I didn’t know then that I know now, my mother was gifting me with an enforced half hour each day to fall in love with words—ideas—adventures—and interesting people. I learned to solve mysteries and visit faraway places—all from the comfort of my bedroom. What my third grade mind did not grasp at that time was that as I read, I was learning to appreciate the power of the written word, to see with my own eyes how nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs joined together to express thoughts. I would never be bored—not with the world available at my fingertips. My vocabulary grew as my eyes landed on unfamiliar words that soon became my friends as I was introduced to them in context. No dictionary was even necessary. I grew to love the turn of a page so I could seek out new adventures on the next page.
Today, my heart sinks when I hear a student proclaim loudly and, I might add, with great frustration and a bit of pride, “I HATE to read!” You see, I know if the student expresses that kind of displeasure over a story in a literature book, he or she will probably never learn to love and appreciate the greatest Book that was ever written—the Holy Bible. In its paper- thin pages are the very thoughts of God as He recounts His dealings with man from the beginning of time. He shows His amazing grace as He lists hundreds of unpronounceable names, but tucked in those lists are names like Rahab, Boaz, David, Joseph, and I am given hope that I too can be used of God—in spite of my failures.
Families play an important role in their children’s reading success. When children see that their parents enjoy reading, they will be much more likely to read themselves. According to a study done by the National Education Association in 2009, educators discovered that when parents read to their children several times each week, the children scored 28 points ABOVE the national average compared to those children who were read to infrequently. The children who did not have this enforced reading scored a whopping 46 percent BELOW the national average--a gap of 74 points! I know from experience, the students who enjoy reading score better on the SATs and other standardized tests.
When a junior or senior asks me, "How can I raise my SAT scores?" I reply, "READ MORE!" Many of them walk away rather sadly because reading more isn't on their daily agenda. Experts advocate reading to your child every day. It is important to find a quiet, comfortable place for reading together--away from the distraction of TV. Encourage the child to ask questions about the characters and the pictures. Make sure they know the meanings of unfamiliar words. Help your child develop a love for reading. You'll never regret it!