"Love of Learning" is not Enough - and Spice's Goals

The pictures on this post are from when my brother,

Cesar, and his family were here in July.

I've been reading a book called Teach the Children by Neil J. Flinders.  It was recommended in the Celestial Education DVD.  It is very interesting.  So far I am learning about the different philosophies that have influenced, and are influencing education.  Almost all of the names are familiar to me like Skinner, Piaget, Aristotle, Plato, Rousseau, Maslow, Rogers, Nietzche, Augustine, etc.  I had to memorize several of their development tables and theories when I was in college.  I can attest to the fact that these people's ideas are what are taught and applied in our modern education.  While there is sparks of truth and insight in what all of them had to say - we have taken many of their ideas and made them educational doctrine for our children.

Unfortunately, much of what we've adopted doesn't necessarily go hand-in-hand with the educational plan that Heavenly Father put in place for his children that we can learn about in the scriptures.  In fact, much of it is even in opposition to it.  For example, did you know that B.F. Skinner (we studied him a lot at school, I guess you could call him the father of behavioral psychology) said that it is naive to believe in the free will of man.  That "Freedom and dignity...are the possessions of the autonomous man of traditional theory, and they are essential to practices in which a person is held responsible for his conduct and given credit for his achievements.  A scientific analysis shifts both the responsibility and the achievement to the environment" (quoted in Teach the Children pg. 103)

 Rolling down a hill

Of course, most people don't buy into that mindset completely, but we do to some extent as is evident by how much money and resources goes to manipulating the environment (not to say that environment isn't important - it is - very - just that we can take it too far).  You will find many philosophies like this when you look at where resources are allocated, where time is spent and what subjects we choose to teach.  Our whole educational system is based on the Greek philosophy that knowledge is the highest attainment of mankind.  Our grading system and exams all are products of this mentality.  Flinders mentions the song I am a Child of God.  When it was first written it said:

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.  Teach me all that I must know to live with Him someday

When it was taken to the leaders of the church for approval, Spencer W. Kimball, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, asked that the word know be replaced with do.  He said that to know is not enough and that it makes a difference which priority we teach our children.

In our day of Google and iphones, children have access to almost anything that they want to know.  Many people are walking around with the attitude that they know it all, because they know how to find the answer to anything.  No wonder many children feel like school is a waste of time.  Why memorize and work so hard to learn things that you can have access to with the push of a button?  As false as this mentality is, you have to admit that it has some merit.  Knowing stuff should not be the aim of education.  Building character is what true education is about.

I loved this:

"Based on its Greek origins, the naturalist position frequently fosters the idea that the highest goal in education is to instill in learners a love of learning.  Cultivating this attribute is often proposed as the pinnacle of educational achievement.  Influenced by the Hebrew heritage, agency educators disagree.  It is not the love of learning, but the love of learning the truth and complying with the truth and serving others that marks the truly educated.  More directly, it is the love of God and complying with his will that distinguishes the truly educated.  The search itself is not sufficient; neither is the finding.  Only when man seeks truth, finds the truth, and obtains the light to act correctly on that truth by using it in the service of God and man is he acquiring proper education.  Searching for truth without seeking the divine light to illuminate that truth is a vain expedition.  Learning is a human constant; we are always learning.  'Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' disorients the ship of human history (2 Timothy 3:7).  Truth is plentiful, even among those who do not search for it.  Like rain it falls upon the righteous and the unrighteous.  Light, however, is promised only to those who seek it, sacrifice for it, and acknowledge God's hand in giving it (2 Nephi 32:3-6).  Agency education requires more than the love of learning." (Teach the Children pg 83)

I took Spice on a "mentor date" on Monday.  It's just a little outing in which we talk about how she's feeling, if she's happy with her relationships, what she's learning, what her goals, aspirations and interests are.  I took some paper to write anything down that she wanted me to remind her of.  We went to TGI Friday's and shared some ice-cream.  She is so fun to talk to and I am often amazed at her insights.

We first did a word search on her placemat and some tic-tac-toe.  Then I asked her if she was happy with how things were going.  She mentioned that she has a hard time being nice to her sister sometimes and that she wants to work on that.  I wrote it down and told her that it was such a worthy goal that maybe it should be her one goal so that she could focus on it.  She said she also wanted to study more.  I asked her what she wanted to study.  "I think I should study more math," she said.

"Why do you want to study math?" I asked

She responded, "Because God created the world using math and I want to be able to understand His creations!"

I thought that was a pretty good answer.  So I told her that maybe her one goal could be to be kind to her sister, but that she could have a list of things that she wants to work on during her free time and that I would write them down so that when free time came around I could remind her to look at her list and she could remember the things that she wanted to work on.  She thought that was a great idea.  In the end, this was the list she came up with:

Goal:
Be nice to Little Miss

Free Time:
Math - every other day
Practice Piano
Draw
A Language Lesson
Start a Book of Centuries
Read

I don't know if she'll stick to all her goals, if she's like her mother she'll do about half of them :-)  I'm just glad she's working on her talents and her goals for the right reason.  She is already doing those things that matter most - working, reading her scriptures (she just finished the Book of Mormon and has started the New Testament), saying her prayers, writing in her journal and working on her relationships.  If she can learn to communicate with God about what to learn and do - I have no doubt that she will reach her potential in this life and find joy therein.

I am so thankful for the wonderful insights I am receiving as I try to teach my children the way Heavenly Father would like them to be taught.  I am aware that I have much to learn, but I know that since I'm really trying, Heavenly Father will work with what he's got and will make up for what I lack if they choose to let Him.