I just finished reviewing an excellent book on home education. I will discuss it more when it gets published. The author quoted this piece, which I had never read before. As far as I can tell, no one knows who originally crafted it, but I agree with it wholeheartedly!
1 Corinthians 13 for Homeschoolers
If I teach my children how to multiply, divide, and diagram a sentence, but fail to show them love, I have taught them nothing.
If I take them on numerous field trips, to swim practice, and flute lessons, and if I involve them in every church activity, but fail to give them love, I will profit nothing.
And if I scrub my house relentlessly, run countless errands, and serve three nutritious meals every day but fail to be an example of love, I have done nothing.
Love is patient with misspelled words and is kind to young interrupters. Love does not envy the high SAT scores of other homeschool families.
Love does not claim to have better teaching methods than anyone else, is not rude to the fourth telephone caller during a science lesson, does not seek perfectly behaved geniuses, does not turn into a drill sergeant, thinks no evil about friends’ educational choices.
Love bears all my children’s challenges, believes all my children are God’s precious gifts, hopes all my children establish permanent relationships with Christ, and endures all things…
Where there are college degrees, they will fail; where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we teach in part. But when the trials of life come to our children, the history, math, and science will be done away, and faith, hope, and love will remain.
But the greatest of these is love.
Amen.
That was beautiful. I’m going to print that and put it in a prominent place in our homeschool classroom. I need to be reminded of these principles regularly because it is so easy to slip back to the drill sergeant mode. I loved that metaphor. This was a wonderful juxtaposition of Paul’s love chapter! Thank you for sharing Dr. Wile.