The line between good and evil…
Hello Home Schoolers!
The above subject line is a partial quote by Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylonian Bee. Read the full quote at the bottom of this post.
Most home schoolers consider the teaching of morality, of character formation, to be a big deal. Academics, while important, comes in second. Unfortunately, the polarized political atmosphere we live in today has clouded many ethical issues. Our ethical vision has become compromised. Our children are falling into this trap as well.
An item in a math book required a story problem involving subtraction be written. I was helping a student complete this assignment earlier this week. Using a few emotionally charged words turned the task into a teachable moment that went beyond translating a number sentence into a story problem.
As we discussed the item, here’s what we came up with:
At a nationwide event this weekend, a student attended with $30.00 in his back pocket. When the event was over, he found he only had $5.00 left. How much money disappeared?
Polarizing social media posts are training impressionable young minds, often based on political affiliation, that this incident is indicative of the “the company you keep” saying.
Our conversation quickly drifted from finding the amount of the missing subtrahend in the math problem to a reaction and judgement about the politics and morality of the event.
View 1: This was a theft and should come as no surprise as the crowd was largely made up of malcontents.
Or
View 2: This was no theft. The money simply fell out of the student’s pocket since the crowd was largely a group of virtuous, upstanding citizens raising their voices together to call attention to an injustice.
We want to teach our children to think, not simply emotionally react. To teach our children to think requires a strategy. That’s why we created the e-book product, How to Ask Questions that Matter. Our goal should not be to simply get our children to parrot back spoon-fed answers. Our goal should be to teach our children to analyze and truly evaluate the content they are consuming.
The quote in its entirety:
The line between good & evil does not go between Left & Right.
Thanks for reading!
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
We have an e-book, How to Ask Questions That Matter, which explains how to teach your child to think critically when it comes to taking an achievement test. We think you’ll find it helpful!
*****************************
Need some help and direction with a student who is struggling academically?
The HELP organization is here to come alongside you and provide you with options.
Contact them at 503-635-3389 | www.helpadd.org.
