In my previous post, Orthodox Homeschooling, Part I, I made the statement that I believe there is no such thing as an Orthodox homeschool curriculum, nor will there ever be. I would like to expound on that a little, and share my experience. I apologize for the length of this post. I hope you make it through.
It is obvious that there is not an Orthodox packaged curriculum available to purchase. You know, the kind of curriculum that includes everything; all the subjects, all the books, all the worksheets, and even a wonderful timeline and schedule. Some packaged curricula even come with extras like music, art, handicrafts, logic, philosophy, the list could go on and on. However, my personal favorite is the new trend that is showing up on the homeschool educational scene; the worldview courses. (Oh what I would give for an Orthodox worldview resource for my children.) Alongside the packaged curriculum there are the thousands of subject or skill based individual resources. If you have ever been to a homeschool book fair, you know the amount of products available for Protestant and Catholic homeschoolers is almost limitless.
Every year, I swear I will not go back to the annual book fair in my area. However, as I strolled the aisles this year, aisles packed full of eager and motivated homeschool educators, I began to feel a peace in that crowded room that I had not felt in the years since I converted to Orthodoxy. Before, I would look at all those products and wish with all my heart that I could stroll up to counters and purchase the materials I needed to create a wonderful Orthodox homeschool experience for my children. I fantasized about what an Orthodox history program would look like, how wonderful to see pages full of the lives and histories of the saints, an intensive study of the Old Testament that revealed the true presence of the Trinity from the beginning. Just think about an Orthodox art curriculum that taught the theology of the icon, or a science program that fully captured the essence of Genesis in the way that we Orthodox understand. I cannot even put into words my grandiose ideas and longings. I could see it in my head, all laid out, all planned out, it was all there in my head. However, it was not in my hands. Those materials simply do not exist for Orthodox homeschooling parents.
This year, I was okay with that. I had peace. This year, I had come to terms with a few things inside myself. More on that later.
Then the phase of creating an Orthodox curriculum myself started. I have to admit, that this was an undertaking that I, as a new convert, should have NEVER presumed to think I was in anyway capable of accomplishing. I hope this does not offend anyone who is attempting this project. This is just my experience. After trying and failing in this project, I did at least learn a few things. These few things have remained the backbone of our homeschool life:
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Almsgiving
My heart, as much as it could be, is Orthodox, but my mind was and still is in the process of being renewed. Orthodoxy is not like any other religious pursuit. It’s not trading one systematic belief system for another. My spiritual father calls this trading one superstition for another. It is the Gospel, it is the Revelation, it is becoming by grace what Christ is by nature. This requires a complete overhaul of my mind. Some that are further down the road than I, make the distinction between Western and Eastern approaches. These two different and distinct approaches come into conflict very strongly when it comes to the nature of knowledge. Orthodoxy stands as a beacon for knowing God in a real sense, not knowing about God. However, it does not put knowledge of the world at odds with the gospel. There is a place for science, mathematics, music, literature, art, and even philosophy. But, the nature in which children are brought up to think (Orthodox phronema) is very different than their heterodox peers. This process is long. It transverses a lifetime. And…no curriculum can teach it.
The Protestant and Catholic homeschool curriculum writers, publishers, and venders make promises that ensure parents of a Christian foundation, a Christian worldview, and Christian virtues. I would venture to say that no Orthodox “curriculum” can make such a claim. There is no course of study, or acquisition of knowledge that can bring about those kinds of results in the Orthodox world. Christianity is not learned. Just because I know a lot about Orthodoxy does not make me a better Orthodox Christian.
