I’m not sure whether to write “Let the Good Times Roll” or “Let the Schooling Commence!”  Perhaps I could combine it into “Let the Good Schooling Times Commence to Roll!”  Well…maybe not.

Either way, today I had a ball pulling out all the materials I’ve accumulated over the summer in preparation for my daughter’s first year of junior high. Challenge A with Classical Conversations is the road we are on with some history-based literature thrown in for vocabulary building and more imaginative exploration of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Tomorrow we will break out the planner and prepare for “our” first week of seventh grade — which will mainly consist of finishing up loose ends from last year’s studies about Texas history and watching the movie, The Alamo.  Hopefully this fall we will make it down to San Antonio so we can see some of the historical sites we’ve been learning about.

That one sentence…yes, the one you just read…is an indication of just how far I have come down the classical education road.  The school teacher in me had to have everything match up.  Field trips and activities were related to the current unit of study, period. To expect children to simultaneously learn about Texas History on a field trip while studying ancient Egypt?  Balderdash!  That sort of free-flowing activity (i.e., visit to the Alamo without currently studying it) would have made the old me break out in hives!  However, the classical educator sees connections everywhere!  What similarities and differences are there between the Israelites’ plight in Egypt and the Texians’ plight in what was then Mexico?  Voila!  Instant discussion topic!

As we seek out what God would have us learn this school year, it’s important that we remember that He is the Source.  He is the Fountain of wisdom, the Giver of life, the Author and Creator.  Without Him there would be no earth about which to study geography, no written words to read, no order in mathematics, and no creation to research and study.

To acquire wisdom is to love oneself;
people who cherish understanding will prosper
Provers 19:8

My words are plain to anyone with understanding,
clear to those with knowledge.
¹⁰ Choose my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.
¹¹ For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
Nothing you desire can compare with it.
Proverbs 8:9-11

Do we value education — getting wisdom and understanding — more than silver and pure gold?  As we stand on the eve-eve of the day we let the “good learning times commence to roll,” I pray the Lord will work through me and use His words, my example, and my enthusiasm to help my daughter continue to discover for herself the supernatural value of wisdom.