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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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ABC's of Handling Money God's Way
for Kindergarten-6th grade
$4.80 (1 in stock)
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)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bankruptcy Of Our Nation
by Jerry Robinson
from New Leaf Press
for 10th-Adult
in Economics Resources (Location: ECON-REF)
$15.99 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Better Homes and Gardens: Annuals Perennials and Bulbs
from Meredith Corporation
for Adult
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Child Star
by Lydia Weaver
from Viking Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
City Gardener's Handbook
from Random House
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (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 Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Contained Garden
from Viking Press
for 10th-Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Country Flower Drying
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
David Hicks Garden Design
by David Hicks
from Routledge & Kegan Paul
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.40 (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)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
DK Ready Set Grow!
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Earning Excitement
Money Marvels for Kids
by Paul Nourigat, illustrated by Natalie Nourigat
from FarBeyond Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Full Set (old)
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$24.65 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Lab Manual with Recipes (old)
from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$7.23 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Quiz/Test Key (old)
from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$1.70 (3 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Student Book (old)
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$12.75 (1 in stock)
Family/Consumer Sciences - Student Set (old)
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 11th-12th grade
in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)
$16.15 (4 in stock)
Financial Literacy Lessons & Activities Grade 2
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 2nd grade
$9.80 (1 in stock)
Fruits & Berries of the Pacific Northwest
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Gardener
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Gardening With Children
from Brooklyn Botanic Garden
for 3rd-8th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Gardening with Emma: Grow and Have Fun
by Emma Biggs, with help from her dad, Steven Biggs
from Storey Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Green Thumbs
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Greenhouse Gardener's Manual
by Roger Marshall
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Roses in the Pacific Northwest
by Nita-Jo Rountree
from Sasquatch Books
for Adult
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades
by Steve Solomon
6th edition from Sasquatch Books
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades
$3.20 (2 in stock)
Homeschool Psych
by Dr. Timothy S. Rice
2nd edition from Rocking R Ventures, Inc.
for 9th-12th grade
in Psychology (Location: XWV-PSY)
$16.00 (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)
Junior's Adventures - 6-CD Audio Set
by Dave Ramsey
from The Lampo Group
for 2nd-5th grade
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Accounting - Book 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 11th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$11.50 $5.00 (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 (4 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: 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: Foundations for Living - Book 10
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 9th-12th grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 2
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 3
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 4
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Book 5
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$11.50 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lifepac: Health Quest - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in AOP Lifepacs: Health (Location: CLE-LIFEPAC)
$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 (1 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)
Lola Plants a Garden
by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Mathematics of Budgeting
by Kay Johnson
2nd edition from Meridian Book
for 9th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer & Cinerama Present How the West Was Won
from Random House
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Miracle of the Bells
by Russell Janney
from Prentice Hall
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.80 (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
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Money Matters for Teens
by Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
$11.04 $2.40 (16 in stock)
Money Matters for Teens - Workbook (Ages 11-14)
by Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
for 5th-8th grade
$12.74 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Money Matters for Teens - Workbook (Ages 15-18)
by Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
$15.29 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Movies As Literature
by Kathryn Stout, Richard Stout
from Design-A-Study
for 9th-12th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$12.80 (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 (1 in stock)
Naming of Flowers
by Anne Halpin, illustrated by Rob Proctor
from Harper & Row
for 6th-Adult
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$4.00 (1 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)
$19.20 (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)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Personal Finance Packet
by Curt & Jenny Bumcrot
from Basic Skills
for 9th-Adult
$20.40 $10.40 (1 in stock)
Quarter-Acre Farm
by Spring Warren, illustrated by "Nemo"
from Seal Press
for Adult
in Self-Sufficiency (Location: SS-Self)
$5.60 (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)
Rock Gardens
Master Gardener
by John Kelly
from Ward Lock
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots
by Sharon Lovejoy
from Workman Publishing
for Adult
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Secret of Handling Money God's Way
by Beverly Dayton, Howard Dayton
from Moody Press
for 9th-12th grade
$6.80 (1 in stock)
Spending Success
Money Marvels for Kids
by Paul Nourigat, illustrated by Natalie Nourigat
from FarBeyond Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sunflower Houses
from Workman Publishing
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Sunset Western Garden Book
8th edition from Oxmoor House
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Sunset Western Garden Book
from Sunset Publishing Corp.
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sunset Western Garden Book
by The Editorial Staff of Lane Publishing Co.
Stated First Edition from Lane Publishing Co.
for Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Sustainable Vegetable Garden
by John Jeavons and Carol Cox
from Ten Speed Press
for Adult
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Those Little Rascals
by Rebecca Gulick
from Crescent Books
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Three Cups
by Mark St Germain
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 1st-6th grade
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors
by Maureen Taylor
from Houghton Mifflin
for 6th-Adult
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Treasury of Gilbert & Sullivan
by William Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan
from Simon and Schuster
for 8th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Starting Gardening
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Cheryl Evans, Sue Johnson
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Warner Bros. Presents My Fair Lady
from Warner Brothers
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Wonderful Windowboxes
by Derek Nimmo
from Ward Lock
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Write Your Roots - Student Workbook
by Carole Thaxton
from KONOS
for 6th-10th grade
in Konos Writing (Location: WRI-SING)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Write! Shoot! Edit!
by Deborah S. Patz
from Michael Wiese Productions
for 9th-12th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Writer's Garden
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
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