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Current Family Readings
“For the Perfecting of the Saints”:
A Look at Church Curriculum,
by Elder Carlos E. Asay. “Who serves the meal
which has been placed upon the ‘curriculum table’? ”
This sacred responsibility is shared by parents,
leaders, and teachers—those who have been called to
“feed the flock.” (See Ezek. 34:1–19.) If those who
serve do so in a caring manner, those served will likely
eat with pleasure; moreover, they will likely be
inclined to return for more. If, however, the meal is
served in an impersonal, haphazard way, appetite is
spoiled and the joy of eating is lost. It is, therefore,
urgent that all who teach the gospel give their finest
effort.
Understanding the Importance of Scripture Study, by Elder David A.
Bednar. "Today I hope to accomplish two objectives as I visit with you:
(1) provide a doctrinal foundation for understanding the importance of studying
the scriptures and (2) emphasize basic principles that can help each of us
become more effective in our personal study of the scriptures."
Church Curriculum: Helping Us Learn and Live the
Gospel. Learning
the
gospel of Jesus Christ is much, much more than a weekly
classroom activity. It is a lifelong search to know
the
Lord and to transform our lives in his image. How, then, can we make
the
gospel an integral part of our lives? We must pray and
serve. We must study
the
scriptures,
which reveal
the
Lord’s nature and record his
teachings.
Faithful members of
the
Church are promised that they may learn
the
gospel of Jesus Christ “line upon line, precept upon
precept.”
Scriptures and Sunday
Classes: A Conversation about Church Curriculum.
Anyone who has had spiritual experiences will remember how special it is to read
a stirring passage of scripture or to hear an inspired speaker—to read or hear
words that penetrate your soul, that cause your heart to thrill at the burnings
of the Spirit. We don’t have those kinds of experiences often enough, because we
fail to read the scriptures or do the kinds of things that put us in tune with
the Spirit.
The American Biblical
Tradition: The King James Version used to be our
common text,
by Mark A. Noll. Today the legacy of the KJV
remains fixed in the common speech, even if awareness of
the language's debt to this translation is fading.
Whether any modern translation of the Scriptures, or any
other moral guide, can anchor the culture as the KJV
once did, is a question worth serious consideration.
Archived Readings
"World peace, though a lofty goal,
is but an outgrowth of the personal peace each
individual seeks to attain. I speak not of the
peace promoted by man, but peace as promised of God.
I speak of peace in our homes, peace in our hearts,
even peace in our lives. Peace after the way of
man is perishable. Peace after the manner of God will
prevail." ~~Thomas S. Monson~~
(See complete text here)
“Even when the armaments of war ring out in deathly serenade…there stands
immovable, reassuring, comforting, and with great outreaching love the quiet
figure of the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.” (Gordon B.
Hinckley, Ensign, May 2003).
The Play and the Plan
There are three parts to the plan. You are in the second or the
middle part, the one in which you will be tested by temptation, by trials,
perhaps by tragedy.
Remember this! The line, “And they all lived happily ever after” is never
written into the second act of a play. That line belongs in the third act, when
the mysteries are solved and everything is put right.
Until you have a broad perspective of the eternal nature of the plan, you won’t
make much sense out of the inequities in life. Some are born with so little and
others with so much. Some are born into poverty, with handicaps, and pain, with
suffering. Some experience premature death, even innocent children. There are
the brutal, unforgiving forces of nature and the brutality of man to man. We
have seen a lot of that lately.
Do not suppose that God willfully causes that which, for his own purposes, he
permits. When you know the plan and the purpose of it all, even these things
will manifest a loving Father in Heaven.
(President Boyd K. Packer, Satellite Broadcast, May 7, 1995). |
We are dedicated to the
greatest and most eternal pursuit of all: raising our children, a
covenant generation, to develop their minds and talents in righteousness
and faith.
About
School of Abraham
Letter
to Parents
Foundation Documents
Early Dreams of
Consilium
Project: "A Bit of Zion Online"
Homeschool
Support
LDS
Homeschool Conferences
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"Learning that includes
familiarization with facts must not occur in isolation from
concern over our fellowman. It must occur in the
context of a commitment to serve them and to reach out to
them." Spencer W. Kimball
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“What is the ultimate goal
toward which every part of schooling, or education, is
directed? It is wisdom. But how long does it take to become
wise? The answer is: a lifetime. Hence if wisdom is the
ultimate goal of the whole process of learning, then the
process must go on for a lifetime.” Dr. Mortimer J. Adler
School of
Abraham is a non-profit educational corporation.
We
appreciate your support.
Click here to
read our guest book.
"In my view, everything we have
done or will do in this
project is with the
goal of blessing the lives of our fellow sojourners
on the earth.
And isn't that really the purpose of life?"
Marji
Meyer
Founder,
School of Abraham
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Recognitions
We are impressed
by President Gordon B. Hinckley's personal philosophy,
which we all would do well to adopt:
"I believe in myself. I do
not mean
to say this with egotism. But I believe in my capacity and in your
capacity to do good, to make some contribution to the society of
which
we are a part, [and] to grow and develop. . I believe in the
principle
that I can make a difference in this world, be it ever so small."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "I Believe," New Era, Sept. 1996, 4)
Credits
 School
of Abraham would like to express appreciation to the Intercollegiate
Studies Institute for their sponsorship of our booth
at the Washington Homeschool Convention.
ISI
Books: Perennial Ideas Shaping Our Age
Intercollegiate Studies
Institute (ISI)
Guides to
the Major Disciplines:
-
A Student's Guide to
Classics, by Bruce Thornton
-
A
Student's Guide to
Philosophy,
by Ralph M. McInerny
-
A
Student's Guide to
Literature,
by R.V. Young
-
A
Student's Guide to
Liberal
Learning, by James V. Schall, S.J.
-
A
Student's Guide to the Study of
History,
by John Lukacs
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A
Student's Guide to the
Core
Curriculum, by Mark C. Henrie
-
A
Student's Guide to
U.S.
History, by Wilfred M. McClay
-
A
Student's Guide to
Economics,
by Paul Heyne
A
Student's Guide to
Political
Philosophy, by Harvey C. Mansfield -
A Student's Guide to
Psychology, by Daniel Robinson
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) is your one-stop resource for graduate fellowships, liberal arts study guides, scholarly journals, materials on Western Civilization and free markets,
and conservative speakers.
What is intimacy, and why is it
important in the parent-child
relationship?
Zan Tyler:
"Intimacy is very simple. It means
togetherness,
fellowship, and communion, as well as the ability to enjoy a
shared
set of values and goals. It also means that we have to be
willing to
make ourselves known to others, and they reveal themselves
to us. I
think it's important because intimacy is obviously what God
is after
in relationships. If we look to Scripture, we realize that
even Jesus'
name "Emmanuel" means "God with us." God is not interested
in the same
things we're interested in in life, in our frenetic culture.
It's not
about success, and it's not about outward gain, but it is
about being
able to develop a child's life and develop within him a real
sense of
belonging.
"There are four tools that we can
use --time,
personal presence, conversation, and physical affection--to
develop
this intimacy with our children. And I think we can
conversely look at
kids today, how alienated and depressed they are, to know
that we've
failed miserably as a society in cultivating this intimacy.
As
Christian parents, if we want to be ahead of the game, we
need to
teach our children that we love them and they're extremely
essential
in the world."
(From Home School Heartbeat, Sept 27,
2005, a production of the Home School Legal Defense
Association. All rights reserved). |
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School of Abraham focuses on academic excellence and gospel
scholarship, using a unique approach that
sets us apart from other homeschool programs. School of Abraham
exists to encourage individual scholarship through an innovative study
program which fosters spiritual and moral development in an environment
of academic rigor, and helps parents more effectively teach their
children the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The School of Abraham supports the family by providing unique educational resources for
religious education, centered upon the School of Abraham Educational
Model, including our Guided Reading Program for LDS Great Books
and other world classics, recommended resources for
history, biography and
other
curricula, studies of the teachings of the prophets, in-depth
study of the scriptures and commentaries,
gospel art and
music resources, and programs which help
strengthen family life and provide character
education.
We recognize progression by age, rather than by grade, based on
spiritual and moral
development. The School of Abraham is designed to be flexible, in order to meet the
varied needs of the homeschooling family. Each family chooses their
preferred curriculum resources and methods of academic homeschooling.
Your children can move ahead quickly or spend extra
time, as desired. Individual goal setting is emphasized and
recognized.
Enjoy exploring the
School of Abraham website:
"By the end of the millennium, for those who will
occupy the celestial kingdom, the home will be the only media of
teaching children. Teaching will be through the family."
(Alvin R. Dyer, read more here)
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Character
is the aim of true education; and science,
history and literature are but means used to accomplish
this desired end. Character is not the result of
chance, but of continuous right thinking and right
acting. True education seeks to make men and women
not only good mathematicians, proficient linguists,
profound scientists, or brilliant literary lights, but
also, honest men, with virtue, temperance, and brotherly
love. It seeks to make men and women who prize truth,
justice, wisdom, benevolence, and self-control as the
choicest acquisitions of a successful life. It is
regrettable that modern education so little emphasizes
these fundamental elements of true character.
(David O. McKay, Gospel
Ideals, pp. 440-441) |
“It is within our power to guide our youth in
their reading and to cultivate in their hearts a
desire for good books. It is most
unfortunate where a person is not possessed with the
desire for good reading. The reading habit, like
charity, should begin at home. It is the duty of
every parent to provide in his home a library of
suitable books to be at the service of the family.
The library need not be large, nor the books of the
most expensive binding, but there should be a well
chosen variety of the most select that can be
obtained.”
“Children should be encouraged in the home to
read and be instructed in the value of good books
and how to discriminate between the good and the bad
in literature.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, Vol. 3, pp. 203-4).
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The School of Abraham has been founded that our children may be
instructed more perfectly in all things that pertain unto the Kingdom of
God. We teach theory, principle, doctrine, and the law of the
gospel, that our children may be prepared in all things when the Lord
shall send them again to magnify the calling whereunto he has called
them, and the mission with which he has commissioned them.
(adapted
from D&C 88:78, 80)
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Behold your little ones. Pray with
them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into
which they are moving is a complex and difficult
world. They will run into heavy seas of
adversity. They will need all the strength
and all the faith you can give them while they are
yet near you. And they also will need a
greater strength which comes of a higher
power. They must do more than go along with
what they find. They must lift the world, and
the only levers they will have are the example of
their own lives and the powers of persuasion that
will come of their testimonies and their knowledge
of the things of God. They will need the help
of the Lord. While they are young, pray with
them that they may come to know that source of
strength which shall then always be available in
every hour of need.
(Gordon B. Hinckley)
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"The proper education of the young does not consist in
stuffing their heads with a mass of words, sentences, and
ideas dragged together out of various authors, but in
opening up their understanding to the outer world, so that
living stream may flow from their own minds, just as
leaves, flowers, and fruit spring from the bud on a tree."
(John Amos Comenius)
"Make your home a “real” learning center. A
learning center is more than a collection of books and pencils and
desks. It is a place where truth is cherished, honest inquiry
encouraged, and uplifting dialogue exchanged in a congenial
atmosphere. Some consider the teaching in the home complete if
family home evening is held routinely. Actually, family home evening
is only a part of the teaching that needs to take place if learning
is to become centered in the home. Some very important teaching
occurs when family members discuss a Sunday School lesson around the
dinner table, when parents assist a child in preparing a talk or
fulfilling an assignment, when someone seizes an opportunity to
teach a spontaneous, practical lesson, and when all within the
household take delight in reading a good book in some quiet corner."
(Carlos E. Asay)
“Let us join in the fervent
declaration of Joshua: ‘Choose you this day whom ye will
serve;…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’
Let our hearts be pure. Let our lives be clean. Let our voices
be heard. Let our actions be felt.” (Thomas S.
Monson)
"I dropped the idea that I was an expert,
whose job it was to fill the little heads with my
expertise, and began to explore how I could
remove those obstacles that prevented the
inherent genius of children from gathering
itself." (John Taylor Gatto)
"The greatest man is
he who chooses the right with invincible
resolution; who resists the sorest temptations from
within and without;
who bears the heaviest burdens cheerfully; who is
calmest in storms, and
the most fearless under menace and frowns; and whose
reliance on truth,
on virtue, and on God, is most unfaltering." (William
Ellery Chaning)
"Parents, work
at the matter of creating an exciting atmosphere in your homes.
Let your children be exposed to great minds, great ideas,
everlasting truth, and those things which will build and
motivate for good." (Gordon B. Hinckley)
"The affection and
thoughtfulness required in the home are no abstract
exercises in love, no mere rhetoric concerning some distant
human cause. Family life is an encounter with raw
selfishness, with the need for civility, of taking turns,
of being hurt, and yet forgiving, and of being at the mercy
of others' moods."
(Neal A. Maxwell)
"A millennial society will emerge in our future; we can either
resist or contribute to its development. The basic stewardships
that will push this movement into the future reside in each
family. Our society will change as our education changes. In the
educational contexts of the twenty-first century, individuals
from many families must do the creative work. They will need to
organize existing resources into the forms, processes, and
endeavors that will be move society into a millennial posture. A
generation will be prepared capable of preparing their children
to hear and accept Christ at his coming. As this education is
firmly established, temporal excellence in learning will blossom
and Zion will increase in beauty and in holiness; her boarders
will be enlarged, her stakes strengthened, and she will put on
her beautiful garments (D&C 82:14). And the children will
be taught through an agency approach to education."
(from Teach The Children by Neil J. Flinders)
We often refer to scriptures such as “The glory of God is
intelligence” (D&C 93:36), “It is impossible for man to be saved
in ignorance” (D&C 131:6), and “Search these commandments, for
they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises
which are in them shall all be fulfilled.” (D&C 1:37). Do we
really believe these statements? If we do, we will not be casual
in our quest for truth, nor will we be less than active,
enthusiastic participants in the Church’s instructional program.
All who are invested in this inspired curriculum effort echo the
divine invitation, “Come and … be partakers of the fruit of the
tree of life.” (Alma 5:62.) (Carlos E. Asay)
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Speaking to mothers in the Church,
President Ezra Taft Benson counseled:
"Mothers in Zion, your God-given roles are so
vital to your own exaltation and to the
salvation and exaltation of your family. A child
needs a mother more than all the things money
can buy. Spending time with your children is the
greatest gift of all. With love in my heart for
the mothers in Zion, I would now like to suggest
ten specific ways our mothers may spend
effective time with their children.
"Be at the crossroads. Take time to always be at
the crossroads when your children are either
coming or going.
Be a real friend. Read to your children. Pray
with your children. Have weekly home evenings.
Be together at mealtimes as often as possible.
Read scriptures daily. Do things as a family.
Teach your children. Truly love your children."
From an address given by
President Ezra Taft Benson at a fireside for
parents, Feb. 22, 1987, and reprinted in a
Church pamphlet titled "To the Mothers in Zion".
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The Development of a
Home School
by Reed Benson (dissertation)
President Ezra Taft
Benson's son Reed Benson has long been a homeschool
advocate and has spoken at many homeschool
conventions (including the first
Saints and Scholars
conference in WA state). You may have purchased
his dissertation on homeschooling if you have
attended any of these past conferences. Brother
Benson's health is now frail and he hasn't done
conferences for some years. However, his
dissertation is online at
this
link so you can still read it and share in the
tradition.
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"Don't stress out too much over homeschooling.
Remember the family whose mother wanted to homeschool
the children, but the husband didn't want her doing it.
She asked him to pray about it and the answer he got
surprised him. His answer was that even if she never
taught them a thing, they were better off being with
their mother. That's the bottom line. And
obviously we teach them something!" That
is why we persist!
"Our reasons for home educating our children have
changed. Even if given the most perfect public school
there is, I'm extremely doubtful that we would enroll
our children back into that system. Just by the very
fact of removing ourselves from that system, our
horizons have broadened. We are much different people
than we were three years ago. We have learned to
question more and accept “expert opinion” less. We have
learned that our own “instinct” is quite often the best
answer we can find. We have learned to seek our own
knowledge and to view things very differently from
mainstream society. Not only are we adults learning to
“think outside the box”, but our children are learning
that there is no box.
"I think that many of the "newbies" in home education
will experience the same growth. They will seek out the
"school-type" opportunities for their children less and
less and listen to their inner voices more and more.
They will develop their own philosophy about education.
Their reasons for home educating won't be just safety
issues anymore. Who knows? Perhaps they will be the ones
grousing in ten years about the influx of all those new
homeschoolers leaving the public school systems out of
fear!" (Karen M. Gibson, June 1999,
Valid Reasons for Home Schooling)
"Take upon you my whole armor that ye may be able to
stand..."
"It is my prayer that we can protect our virtue with
truth, gird our loins with truth, change our heart
through doctrine, keep our feet on the straight and
narrow path, and have with us the sword of spirit and
the shield of faith that is fashioned in the home."
(Todd B.
Parker, Associate Professor of ancient scripture at
Brigham Young University) |
Trust the Lord and yourself - share your testimony and
convictions openly. When you teach with the power of the Spirit,
the spirit will carry the word to their hearts and you will have
the secret of great teaching. Be humble but confident.
Enjoy your calling - it is a precious gift. Partner with the
Lord in it.
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