PrincipledMom™

Of course local self-government begins--where else--with the individual. Then it moves to the family, the church, the city, the state and the the nation. As the seed is planted in the individual, all other spheres will reap the rewards of it.

As I stated in the last principle, America is the only country in the world with the balance of powers between state and federal governments. Local self-government is unique in its form here in America, creating unique communities all over the country, with their own laws and economic environments. This is individuality in another sense--each community as an individual is distinct from all other communities. And we have the freedom to change our communities or to move to a more desirable area.

What exactly is the "seed" then? It is the principle of self-government, planted in individuals by educating them (internally), and then externally expressed by demonstrating the principles.

What makes self-government "local?" A defined geographic area who govern and finance themselves exclusive of any other area. They choose their own leaders and govern their own affairs, having little dependence on taxes and people from other areas.

Applied educationally, this principle is planted in the students in the way we minister to our children as we educate them, elevating their Christian scholarship and the idea of free individuals. As I inspire my children and cultivate the Biblical intelligence that delights to answer to God and the Holy Spirit, I will begin to see that fruit evident in their lives. I make them accountable for their time, talents and property; help them to take dominion over their environment and become "Lord's Freeman" and "Christ's Servant." (p. 68)

 There is much more he covered about church government and its role in shaping the country, but I could post all day about it, so I am cutting it short.

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We started back to school today. We go year-round and will finish up next July. My Princess S was terribly excited about the whole thing. Today we covered Bible, literature, math and English. We discussed scriptures and reasoned why we should study these subjects. Then we created cover pages for each subject. After a while of this Princess S (who is 5.5) was bored and wanted to do math. It reminded me of K with Princess G and she was bored too so I didn't get upset because I now understand that learning is not always about being entertained.

In math today we were discussing that mathematics is God's language. While we have been discussing that for a while now, I saw it in a new way. When we read Job 26:7 it clicked for me. Math is the language of God because everything is held together by math, and God spoke all things into being, so math is His language. WOW! He holds the Earth in space by math (His Word). That is amazing. Princess G thought it was "cool." This is going to be a great year!

Oh, and I have to say that I'm already glad I decided to challenge Princess S because she is such a fast learner and catches onto things so quickly. We both would have been frustrated without more structure and substance to her lessons. 

Princess G (8) and Princess S (5)

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Okay, I know I said in the lesson plan post that we were just coasting in K this year. Well, Princess S is not a "coaster." She's more a force of nature. The more I pondered it the more I came to the conclusion that she would not be happy to just putter around. She needs structure and she needs to be challenged--and she lets me know that quite often.

So the Holy Spirit reminded me today that in Mr. Rose's book there is a section just for K (starting on p. 165). This section is complete with principles, overviews and lesson ideas. They even included a resource list for each subject. (Math is even planned daily, in chart form, for the first 9 weeks!) And there are gentle reminders about pacing and scheduling the K day (p. 192). I know much of that is for schools, but there is much to be said for scheduling the home school day as well.

I am VERY excited about this because it is exactly what she needs (even though my lazy self wants to take it easy!). And it's all laid out for me, so I just need to break it down into weeks and with a little preparation I'm ready to go!

The kindergarten curriculum is important because once the child enters the first grade there will not be the same opportunity to lay the foundations in such a full, unhurried and enjoyable way. (p. 167)

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This 5th principle may seem tricky at first. You may wonder how on Earth that applies to your personally. Let's discuss that very thing.

The Principle of Representation

Ex. 18:25-26, Deut. 1:13 (Moses is the first example of this principle).

The Children of Israel chose their own representatives. Rev. Thomas Hooker used this principle in a 1638 sermon that inspired the first constitution in America--the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

Christian form of our government

As we have discussed at length in past posts, everything works from internal to external, including the Christian form of our government.

The internal relates to the spirit of the Law. It includes internal government, private property and voluntary union--all of the things we must do of our volition.

The external is the letter of the law, with its rules and structure, including representation, separation of powers and our dual form of government.

Separation of powers

The first full expression was also in the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, conscience is:

Internal or self-knowledge, or judgment of right and wrong; or the faculty, power or principle within us, which decides on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our own actions and affections, and instantly approves or condemns them.

Ms. Slater correlates this definition to the separation of powers individually. We 1) ascertain the duty (legislate), 2) act on it (executive) and 3) judge our actions (judicial). You can imagine what could happen if these powers were unbalanced:

1) seeing what needs to be done and not acting
2) not being diligent or overstepping our bounds
3) being overly critical of ourselves or not holding ourselves accountable

Dual form of government

America is the only nation in the world to have a balance of state and federal powers.

The law and the Gospel are the basis for our form of government.

The end of law is...to preserve and enlarge freedom -- John Locke

The law is an instrument of grace, revealing our sin and affording a Saviour.  In the Gospel, God's love and the Holy Spirit are both indwelling and outworking. Ms. Slater also says that the Gospel is both evangelical and political(p. 56). To read more about that you'll have to get the book. (You mean you haven't gotten it already!?) Maybe I'll post about this later.

This principle applied educationally is as follows:

• dual form of government: dual levels of responsibility and authority (children over one another, parents over children, God over parents, etc.) There are "two sovereign spheres within one sovereign body of law."

• law and the Gospel: class constitution, rules, order, law and love.

• separation of powers: executing lessons (especially math)--identilfy, perform, check. Dive duties to them to perform, allowing them to be in charge, and then allow them to follow the same checks and balances.

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That's a mouthfull! And it's also rich in meaning.

Property-the exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing of a thing; ownership.

Conscience- the principle within us, which decides on the lawfullness or unlawfullness of our own actions and affections, and instantly approves or condems them.

Property is a privilege and responsibility (must have Christian character). It is an issue of stewardship.

Earlier generations felt conscience was a "distinct possession" (James Madison).

...In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights...Conscience is the most sacred of all property.

Conscience is both internal and external--thought and action. We can see the evidence of conscience in the behavior of those around us. You can see how the principle of individuality is demonstrated here. We have an individual conscience that speaks to us individually and we are individually responsible for it. We can only teach our children the difference between right and wrong, according to the standards in God's Word. They are responsible to carry that out. This also implies consent. Conscience, as with all principles, is internal to external. You cannot force conscience. God works it from the inside out.

We had an interesting discussion on the heart and conscience and how they are related. Here's a clip from that, with my response:

Q. As we teach these principles and try to plant seeds in their hearts, is this interrelated to conscience? Both(heart and conscience) are internal and both govern our actions and conduct, but is one causative to the other or vice versa? I appreciate your insights

A. I believe the "heart" is the soul-- mind, will and emotions. The conscience and heart work together. They are a sort of circuit, each affecting (and maybe infecting) the other, negatively or positively. When your heart is wicked you will have no conscience, and no conscience will allow you to do all sorts of wicked things. Conversely, a sharp conscience will prick the heart at the slightest infraction and the heart will not desire to do wicked, which keeps the conscience sharpened.

That is why all of these principles must work together to see the full effect in the individual. The conscience is only one part of the equation. The other six principles deal with the heart.

Mr. Rose talks a lot about how the principle applies to external economic property, but you'll have to get the book for that!

Applied educationally, conscience is developed through stewardship of property, submission to authority, time management and diligence. You can discuss choices and actions, as in the way you choose to live/educate (assignments, supplies, time mgmt. etc.) and the consequences (and rewards) that come with certain choices of conscience.

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