Of course, our books are here.

We returned to Texas after our three week trip exhausted and road weary from trying to accomplish a bit too much.

The first day back from camp, my husband drove the kids to Shoshone Falls. Bug took photo after photo. He even made videos of the water tumbling over the rocks. His exclamations barely heard over the roar.

My brother lives in the valley below Mt. Borah, the tallest peak in Idaho. I enjoyed the drive so much I didn’t take a single photo until we were coming back down the pass.

While visiting a farm, we picked a few cherries and ate every one.

Dylan learned about a full-time job “just down the road,” so he drove through the twisted canyon to meet a man who might have work for him.

I plopped down on a floral sofa and discussed possibilities with my best friend’s mom. When a van drove up, I realized it was more friends. I was delighted they happened by while we were there. Words spilled out as we tried to catch up. It didn’t take long for more questions to begin. They are moving out of their house.

Driving from Southern Idaho to the Washington peninsula gave Dylan and I plenty of time to speculate about our future. Would he get the job? Is it time to move back? We gnashed and prayed and hoped.

Visiting family made us pine even more to be near them. Introducing the girls to mountains, canyons, and ocean made us crave more memorable moments. We want to take them to the places we traveled, the places we enjoyed as children.

Yes, we did come back, and I immediately started culling the bookshelves in anticipation of the call that came on Friday. Dylan got the job! We are moving back to Southern Idaho! It is happening so fast, but in some ways it is years in the making.

We are going home with a purpose and a vision and a copy of Heroes of the Alamo and Goliad.

Shelves and tables entice me to browse. I hunt for the RightStart Mathematics booth. The speaker’s enthusiasm and knowledge remind me why I chose the program. She recommends Geometry and then Algebra after Level E. Really? I’ll be teaching Algebra in another year?! Somehow I don’t panic at the thought.

At Miller Pads and Paper I linger. Here I gather the only items I purchase at the Home School Book Fair: two sketchbooks, an eraser, and calligraphy practice paper.

I hunt for books on my wish list and flip through others with interesting titles. I pause. What about our shelves at home? So many books we haven’t roamed through yet. More than enough to last us for this year and next and possibly a few after that.

The plans I have are numerous. Every year until graduation is not figured out by any means, yet driving home I realize I feel…settled. Settled with the curriculum I’ve purchased. Settled with the ebb and flow of lesson plans. Settled with homeschooling.

It’s only taken six years.

We often start our search for education looking for curriculum. What will we teach? What do our children need to know? The mounds of resources quickly become overwhelming. That is why I started this series discussing philosophy. Examining the reason I homeschool gives me a filter to sift the piles of books.

This universe is an amazing place. There is no way we can teach our children everything they need to know or even want to know. So how do we decide what is most important?

I invite you to visit The Curriculum Choice to read my answer...

When we finally got to Southern Idaho, we hugged our family and traveled up to the South Hills to help the students of Aletheia Christian College (formally Albion Christian College) with a children’s camp. I helped Sunshine and Sweet Pea out of the van while Dylan and Bug ran into the lodge. Whoops and hollers echoed into the parking lot. A reunion of friends.

Tucked away for four days from stores, cell phone service, and electricity. Lights powered by a generator. Hiking down the hill to the bathroom. And hiking up mountains to find hidden snow banks among the pine trees. Glorious views and lovely people.

I haven’t had the role of camp counselor in over a decade, yet it was easy for me to love these beautiful girls. I played with them, washed dishes with them, talked with them, and prayed with them. What a blessing!

I can’t share all that happened, because it is not my story to tell, but God is working in the lives of these precious children. I am honored to have a small part in that work. One girl told me I had to be her counselor next year or she wasn’t coming. (No pressure on me or anything.)

We weren’t exactly sure what our role at the camp would be. We questioned our hasty decision to go. Now we know the seemingly endless hours on the road were worth every bump.

As I mentioned in the previous article, Principle Approach is a Philosophy, my purpose for education is to give my children life and hope. I want their character to be formed, so they are prepared to achieve all God has for them. I want them to love learning and worship the Creator as a result. I want them to live with an ever increasing liberty that spreads to their neighbors.

Leontine and Coco

How can these goals be achieved? There is no guarantee for my desired outcome, but there are methods that can help “produce a reflective character, one able to listen to the ’still small voice’ of conscience which enables us to act appropriately in any circumstance.” (A Guide to American Christian Education, pg. xxi) 

Conscience is an internal thing. It cannot be purchased or sprinkled over lessons. It is an issue unseen, unmeasureable. How can you educate the heart?

In Isaiah 1:18 the Lord pleads with his people,

‘Come now, and let us reason together…Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.’

By reasoning from biblical principles, lies are exposed and truth exalted. The stains of ignorance and selfishness are washed with reality and love, foundations for life.

The 4 R method elucidates this reasoning process:

1. Research God’s Word.
2. Reason from the truths identified.
3. Relate the principles to every day life.
4. Record the ideas for remembrance.

This method is not new. It is the historic method of self-education that brought an increase of liberty to America. Liberty we can reclaim for future generations by teaching our children to teach themselves.

If you would like to know more about this method, I invite you to join us at the new Biblical Principle Approach group at Our Lifestyle of Learning.