Albert Einstein famously stated that “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.“
Homeschoolers often use that quote to knock the traditional school system, but let’s stop and ponder for a moment what Einstein meant. Most of us are products of the school system and we generally consider ourselves “educated” even though we recognise the many shortcomings of the school system.
Unfortunately, most of the time, we think of education very narrowly, only in terms of academics, but that is only part of the whole pie we need to offer our children to help them develop to their full potential. Here’s a summary of five types of learning to give children a holistic education:
1. Academic Facts
True education is not just the memorisation of facts and information that we studied to pass school exams. It may include that, afterall, you probably still know many of the capital cities and countries of the world or dates of World War 2 because you learned them by rote, but academic facts and so-called general knowledge is only a part of the pie that makes up an effective education.
2. Academic Skills
Another major part of education is SKILLS. While exploring many subjects and academic topics, we develop useful skills that stay with us for life. Skills like reading comprehension, written communication and arithmetic are skills we all need everyday. Research skills and the ability to evaluate and think critically about the results we find are vital in this era. Practical skills like the ability to change a car tyre or swap a light-bulb are necessary too. Solving quadratic equations with parabolas – not so much!
It’s not what you know, but what you can DO with what you know!
Einstein’s statement suggests that education should equip individuals with the ability to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world situations and to continue learning and adapting throughout their lives. Nowadays, the latter is often referred to as a learning mindset.
Unfortunately, the delight of discovering new things is too often smothered by the regimentation of the typical school classroom. Much of what children are forced to learn in schools seems to them to be purely “useless and academic”. The lack of meaningful purpose in the work and homework they are required to do often leads to boredom, frustration and even rebellion!
As homeschoolers, we are not constrained by the straight-jacket of the national curriculum. We are free to tailor-make our children’s education. We are at liberty to develop their unique interests and talents. We can give them freedom, agency and real world opportunities to enjoy using their skills and help them to discover the purpose for what they are learning.
Author and business coach, Robert Kiyosaki says:
“All parents have met the genius in their child. Most parents know that a child’s true genius is found in their dreams. We see glimpses of it from an early age… the ideas and things that delight them, fascinate them, and challenge them.
Protecting and nurturing the genius in your child is a parent’s most important job.” (emphasis added)
3. Character Training and Grit
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” ~ Aristotle
Another essential chunk of the pie is character. In a corrupt world, integrity, reliability and a good worth ethic are must-have traits to develop in our children if we wish them to stand out from the crowd. Most of our moral values and character training is learned at home, from our parents. (School environments often breed the opposite of good character!) Other desirable qualities include values and belief systems but also character traits like honesty, perseverance, risk-taking, trying again in the face of failure, respect for others, self-confidence and much, much more. There is no text-book or curriculum that teaches this. Much of it is caught, more than taught. The Bible and the struggles we encounter in real-life tasks and in our relationships are probably our best teachers.
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Helen Keller
Children who develop resilience and determination are the ones who recognise a purpose in the work they do.They believe that their efforts can improve their futures and that of others.
4. Career Training
As our children mature into young adults, they usually require professional training to equip them to earn a living and start their career paths. When the preceding three pieces of the pie are in place, this piece is not too difficult to accomplish. We all know the conventional pathways for learning the skills of a trade or to achieve the academic qualifications and credentials for specific careers in other industries.
5. Financial Acumen
A final piece of the pie that is often overlooked, because it was neglected in our own upbringing is financial education and entrepreneurship. Financial education for kids is crucial for developing responsible money habits,. They need to understanding risk-taking, be alert to scams and prepared for future financial challenges. We need to empower them to make informed decisions about their financial investments, ultimately leading to greater financial success, stability and independence.
Many of our generation learned this in the school of life, and judging by global levels of indebtedness and bad credit ratings, many adults are still learning this in “the school of hard-knocks”! As your kids mature, you should share your life’s financial lessons and explain to them how you handle your budget and family finances. You shouldn’t burden them with financial stress, but you can teach them what you know, lessons you have learned and mistakes to avoid.
Care-filled Education
To give our children this nourishing, stimulating, rich and generous education, as Einstein said, we need to forget much of our schooling.
The word “education” stems from the Latin words “educare” meaning “to bring up” or “to nourish” and “educere” meaning “to lead out” or “to bring forth”, encompassing both nurturing and the drawing out of potential.
Unlike schooling, the purpose of learning is not merely to score well on a test. This nourishing educational ‘pie’ is much broader than the narrow focus of schooling, yet it’s also highly specialised for each unique child. It’s rooted in parental love, it is customised, purposeful, functional and ongoing. It’s both education for life and a lifestyle of lifelong learning.