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Any good parent is interested and committed to seeing that their children receive the  very best education possible.   I know that Paula and I are very serious about having that happen for our kids.
Here is a a caution as we seek to educate our children.  It is a mistake to educate the mind apart from a moral context of character.   In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is a bogus education.   ACT and SAT scores do not tell the entire story, only a part of it.
I think Bob Jones Sr. put it best, “The purpose of education is not only to teach one how to make a living, but how to live”.    A wicked person without a moral compass that is very learned will not use his education for good, but for his own selfish means and even to incredible destruction.
It is my personal conviction that the Bible is the most important and practical book ever written.  It speaks to the issue of the training not only of the mind, but of the heart.   When these two are tethered together it yields a powerful result of blessing and impacting many people through one’s life.

We find this emphasis on education and training in the book of II Timothy.   Paul was writing instructions to a young pastor (Timothy) about how to be effective as a leader in ministry.   In fact, it was the last letter Paul wrote before his death.
Part of the letter included personal remarks concerning Timothy’s background and what had influenced him to be a great man.   It is a very interesting and helpful book, especially for spiritual leaders.
One of the themes of II Timothy is how to effectively educate and train our children, using Timothy’s life as an example.   There are four components of a balanced, quality education that especially focus on helping our children learn how to live.   These will be the pillars around which my posts will be written.
Having children that are well-behaved, disciplined, and contributing to society is not an accident.   It can be done and must be done if we have a chance to influence our culture for good.    I believe in academic disciplines and helping our children to excel in those areas, but this is only part of the equation.
In fact, without the foundation of character in one’s life it is folly to try to instruct a student.    I would go so far as to say it is a complete waste of time.    Apart from discipline there is no attentiveness in the classroom, assignments are ignored, and behavior problems are inevitable.   If the teacher doesn’t have control of the classroom, there is no learning environment.   It’s a zoo.    Teachers didn’t sign up to work in a zoo nor did sincere parents send their children to school to waste their time.
Let me give a personal example.   I coached baseball for over twenty years and was very intentional in my goals for the team.    My practices were planned carefully, even to the minute and we focused on basic skills to help each person contribute to the team’s success.
The first time we got together as a team I taught them two things that on the surface had nothing to do with baseball, but everything to do with their ability to succeed as a person.     Great teams are made up of individuals that subjugate their personal feelings and goals for the good of the whole.
The very first practice I taught them a definition and even had it written on a card I gave to them.    We would rehearse that definition often throughout the season so they could remember it’s importance.
What was the word I had them to memorize and learn?   It was an operational definition of obedience.    I knew that if they didn’t listen they wouldn’t learn and if they didn’t apply what they did hear me say that we were all wasting our time.   I was a volunteer and wanted a return on my investment in their lives.    And the return I wanted was more character-based than winning.    In the long run, those with character will outperform those with talent because of the consistency of their effort and application of their knowledge of the smallest details of the game.   (The same is true of any enterprise for that matter).