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Electives

We're not exactly sure who determines what are electives and what are "core" subjects, or why. Okay, maybe math is more useful than tracing your family tree because you can't balance your checkbook using scions and second cousins. But what about your family history, and the history of, say, Guam or Haiti? Is there something inherently better about reading "the classics" than learning Mandarin Chinese? Why are physics part of the main coursework for high school students, while robotics is optional?

Unfortunately, we aren't qualified to answer those questions, but we can defend electives on another level. Electives are essentially those subjects best suited to a student's personal interests, talents and abilities. In that sense, they're almost more important than core subjects, though we aren't going to make an argument that you should learn French before mastering English grammar (as long as you live in an English-speaking area, that is). We are arguing for advances beyond the necessary "standards," however, and for a broad curriculum that is child-specific.

Some electives are more important than others. Learning to manage one's money, how to interpret the Bible, and (these days) how to operate and understand computers are all more important than taking an acting class (though the acting class will be very important for some on a different level altogether). Technically, none of these are required courses, though for Christians particularly the first two are essential for a proper education. There are plenty of similarly important topics as well, though each family will need to prioritize.

There seems to be a move toward less specialized education. As our society becomes increasingly homogeneous, we spend less time focusing and more time absorbing "the big picture." We ignore either one at our own risk. We must have a larger framework in which to fit the smaller pieces, but take away the framework and you're left with relativity and chaos; the smaller pieces, and you have only an impersonal and meaningless ideology. Electives are a way to assert the need for both, and to have fun doing it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.
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Art of Interpretation
by Nicholas R. Elledge
from Institute for Cultural Communicators
for 9th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater
by Elizabeth Swados
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 7th-Adult
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Best of Sewing Machine Fun for Kids
by Nancy Smith & Lynda Milligan
1st edition from Possibilities
for 4th-8th grade
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Better Homes and Gardens: Annuals Perennials and Bulbs
from Meredith Corporation
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Better Than a Lemonade Stand!
by Daryl Bernstein
from Aladdin Books
for 4th-8th grade
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Child Star
by Lydia Weaver
from Viking Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
City Gardener's Handbook
from Random House
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Coding for Beginners Using Scratch
First Edition from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Coding Games in Scratch 3.0
by Jon Woodcock
from Penguin Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Colour Schemes for the Flower Garden
by Gertrude Jekyll, introduced and revised by Graham Stuart Thomas
1983 revised edition from The Ayer Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Contained Garden
from Viking Press
for 10th-Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Country Flower Drying
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Cutting Garden
by Sarah Raven, foreword by Penelope Hobhouse
from Reader's Digest
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
David Hicks Garden Design
by David Hicks
from Routledge & Kegan Paul
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Film
DK Eyewitness Series
by Richard Platt
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Ready Set Grow!
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Do People Grow On Family Trees?
by Ira Wolfman
from Workman Publishing
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Failure to Connect
by Jane M. Healy
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for Adult
in Brain Development & Learning Styles (Location: HSR-BRAIN)
$17.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$20.00 (5 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Lab Manual with Recipes
from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$10.00 (4 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Quiz/Test Key
from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Quizzes/Tests
from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$4.50 (5 in stock)
Fruits & Berries of the Pacific Northwest
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Garden Almanac
by Penelope O'Sullivan
from Hearst Books
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Gardening With Children
from Brooklyn Botanic Garden
for 3rd-8th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Gardening Wizardry for Kids
by L. Patricia Kite
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Ancestor Hunt
by Lila Perl
from Clarion Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Green Thumbs
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Home Economics Family/Consumer Sciences - Teacher Edition
from A Beka Books
for Adult
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$21.00 (1 in stock)
Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Costume
by Doreen Yarwood
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$22.00 (1 in stock)
Jesus of Nazareth
by William Barclay
from Collins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Keeping Financial Records for Buisness - Textbook & Teacher's Edition
10th edition from Thompson Learning
for 9th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$65.00 (1 in stock)
Keyboarding & Document Processing - Teacher Guide/ Solution Key
2nd edition from A Beka Books
for 10th-12th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Keyboarding & Document Processing - Teacher Quiz/Test Key
2nd edition from A Beka Books
for 10th-12th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Keyboarding & Document Processing - Quiz & Test Book
2nd edition from A Beka Books
for 10th-12th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$5.50 (2 in stock)
Keyboarding & Document Processing - Quiz & Test Book
2nd edition from A Beka Books
for 10th-12th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$5.50 (2 in stock)
Keyboarding & Document Processing - Quiz/Test Key
2nd edition from A Beka Books
for 10th-12th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$8.50 (4 in stock)
Keyboarding & Document Processing - Solution Key
by A Beka
from A Beka Books
for 10th-12th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Learn to Cook & Sew with a Home Economics Course - Set
Sunrise Edition from Christian Light Education
for 6th-12th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$34.50 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Accounting - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 11th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$26.75 $12.00 (3 in stock)
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: American Literature - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in American Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-AM)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Art - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 7th-12th grade
in AOP Art & Drawing (Location: ELEDRA-AOP)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: British Literature - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: British Literature - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 10th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Civics - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Government & Civics Curriculum (Location: GOV-CUR)
$14.50 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Civics - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Government & Civics Curriculum (Location: GOV-CUR)
$26.75 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Consumer Math - Boxed Set
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$69.00 $49.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Consumer Math - Solutions Key (old)
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Drawing Basics with Thomas Kinkade - Boxed Set
by Thomas Kinkade
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in AOP Art & Drawing (Location: ELEDRA-AOP)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Essentials of Communication - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)
$26.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Family & Consumer Science Unit 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Family & Consumer Science Unit 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Family & Consumer Science Unit 6
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Foundations for Living - Book 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: HEAL-AOP)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: HEAL-AOP)
$11.50 $5.00 (3 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: HEAL-AOP)
$11.50 $5.00 (3 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: HEAL-AOP)
$11.50 $5.00 (3 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: HEAL-AOP)
$26.75 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: High School Health - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: HEAL-AOP)
$26.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 6
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 7
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 8
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Book 9
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Spanish II - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
in Spanish Curriculum (Location: FL-SPACU)
$26.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Me and My Family Tree
by Joan Sweeney, Illustrated by Annette Cable
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mind Over Media
Focus on the Family Life on the Edge
by Stan Campbell & Randy Southern
from Focus on the Family
for Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Money Matters Family Night Tool Chest
by Allen Burkett, Jim Weidmann, Kurt Bruner, Larry Burkett
1st edition from Chariot Victor Publishing
for Kindergarten-Adult
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Money Matters for Kids
by Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
for Adult
$10.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Money Matters for Teens
by Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
$12.99 $3.00 (26 in stock)
Money Matters for Teens - Workbook (Ages 15-18)
by Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
$14.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Mother's Little Helper Cookbook
by Mary Jane Boll
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Cooking for Kids (Location: COOK-KID)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Movies As Literature - Book and Student Workbook
by Kathryn Stout, Richard Stout
from Design-A-Study
for 9th-12th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise
by Shane Johnson
from Pocket Books
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
My Dinner with Andre
by Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory
from Grove Press, Inc.
for Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
My Family Tree Workbook
by Rosemary A. Chorzempa
from Dover Publications
for 4th grade-adult
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Nanook of the North
by Robert Flaherty, edited from the film by Robert Kraus
First Printing from Windmill Books
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Official Scratch Coding Cards (Scratch 3.0)
from No Starch Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$12.50 (1 in stock)
Open Door to Independence: Making Money from the Soil
by Thomas E. Hill
from Hill Standard Book Co.
for Adult
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$23.00 (1 in stock)
Orchard Mason Bee
by Brian L. Griffin, illustrated by Sharon Smith
1st edition from Knox Cellars Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pearables Home Economics for Home Schoolers Level 1
from Pearables
for 2nd-6th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Pearables Home Economics for Home Schoolers Level 2
from Pearables
for 2nd-6th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Pearables Home Economics for Home Schoolers Level 3
from Pearables
for 2nd-6th grade
in Home Economics Curriculum (Location: SS-HOMEC)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Personal Finance Packet
by Curt & Jenny Bumcrot
from Basic Skills
for 9th-Adult
$24.00 $13.00 (1 in stock)
Preparing Your Hope Chest
Hope Chest Series - Volume 2
from Pearables
for 5th-9th grade
in Pearables Character Curriculum (Location: BIB-CHPCC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Pure and Simple Computer Science Curriculum
by Phyllis Wheeler, Don Sleeth, Virginia Sparks, Laura Breidenbach
3rd edition from Motherboard Books
for 5th-12th grade
in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Reel Spirituality
by Robert K. Johnston
from Baker Academics
for Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Renting Your First Apartment
Consumer Books For Students
by Larry Burkett with Ed Strauss
for 7th-12th grade
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future
by Kathy Ceceri
from Nomad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Rock Gardens
Master Gardener
by John Kelly
from Ward Lock
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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