Biblical Home Education

What use to Christians is homeschooling if they don't use it to instill a biblical worldview in their children? Not much, says Dr. Ruth Beechick, and proceeds to outline a method of Bible/curriculum integration that will give kids the academic knowledge they need in the context of the Christian faith. This is pure Beechick—while there is obviously some philosophy of education involved, she steers clear of theory in favor of practical approaches that parents can understand and apply, and children will learn from and respond to positively.

Chapter one covers the obvious importance of direct Bible teaching in the homeschool, discussing the need for kids to become familiar with doctrine as well as stories, suggesting parents stay away from biblical chronology until kids are older, etc. The next two chapters take on the integration of Bible learning with world history and science study. Beechick operates with the understanding that true understanding of the past and the natural world are dependent on true understanding of the God who created them.

Then there's worldview, but Beechick spends less time here than readers might expect. For her, worldview permeates everything we do and affects the way we study, so a curriculum built on a Scriptural foundation already mirrors a correct worldview. The next sections may be less obviously tied to "Bible learning" as such, but they cover critical thinking, reading, writing, study skills and curriculum (she's not a fan of textbooks), demonstrating how all these things relate to our faith and how they ought to reflect our understanding of the world.

A Biblical Home Education might not be flashy—but it's wise. Beechick has been a champion of the homeschool movement as long as it has existed in America, and her Christian perspective and years of experience as an educator are clearly present here. What's more, rather than hoisting an enormous load onto the shoulders of already exhausted parents, she shows how the methods she explores are easy to factor into each day's schedule, and how important it is that even the most harried parents find time to do so. Engaging and forthright, this is another in a long line of successes from Ruth Beechick.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.