Homeschool Journey: Educating our Hearts

I mentioned in my last post that during the year of waiting, the Lord tutored, instructed, and prepared me (and that process has continued).  I was led to resources, principles, and tools that gave me a vision for what should be our overarching focus and goal.

 

The main resource that I was led to was the Well-Educated Heart.  When I started learning from Marlene, (the founder/finder) I knew that this was a teaching and learning method that spoke to me and it felt so right to me.  I went through the Introductory Course so I could catch the vision and I felt the spirit speak and testify of so many truths to me.  I have also loved learning through the Mother’s University.  

After implementing the tools and resources for nearly a year now, I have experienced the fruits for myself and I know that they are good.  Using these resources has fostered so many beautiful and joyful experiences.

What exactly is the Well-Educated Heart?  Marlene explains it better than I can…

 

“The Well-Educated Heart is not a curriculum. The Well-Educated Heart is not notebooking; it’s not following a 12 month rotation schedule; it’s not reading logs or reading old books or poetry tea times or sketching from nature. Those are all simply tools I have suggested as possible ways of implementation or resources I have provided.

The 12 month rotation is a way of bringing an order and organization to a vast amount of materials. You are welcome to use them anyway you want.

Well-Educated Heart is a pattern of learning: HEART, MIND, SPIRIT. It’s warming the heart with stories, poetry, music and images before attempting to teach the rules and facts of academics.

And all that learning is simply preparatory work for the most important part of the pattern: inspiration. “True education is between a child’s soul and God” as is written in Charlotte Mason’s writings.

The Spirit’s role is to ‘giveth understanding’ of what is being learned and to organize that learning into something useful. It’s the creative part. It’s the ‘bearing fruit’ part. Remember–only the fruit contains the seeds where the learning is multiplied and perpetuated.

Our job is to give the Spirit something to work with–the Heart and Mind part. And then give the Spirit room to do its part, which usually means getting out of the way. Simple, right? In a way. But it’s a pattern that’s loaded with so much depth that I’m still unfolding layer after layer after layer of meaning and application.”

-Marlene Peterson

 

“True education is between a child’s soul and God.”  I love that.  I love that the resources that Marlene provides (all for free, I might add) help me to warm my own heart and my children’s hearts.  Warm and soft hearts provide a place for the Lord to speak to us and to dwell within us.  

Good and Beautiful stories, poetry, music, artwork, and nature prepare our hearts so that God can teach us.    

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