Learning

There are moments in homeschooling when I think, "Hmphhfff." But then there are the moments that I cherish. As my children grow and develop, I foresee these moments presenting more and more. It is an absolute joy to be intimately involved with their learning experiences. I love the discussions that happen around the table over books. The insight to their thinking, enriches my own, but mostly makes me just fall more and more in love with these children.

Noah is taking a rhetoric class where he is learning the theory of Evolution and then being asked to make a decision to reject or accept it giving arguments as to why he believes what he believes. Yesterday he asked me to sit down with him, as he had some questions he wanted to ask and he wanted to run some things by me. He layed out an argument for why he believed that certain tenents of the theory of Evolution when combined with his Faith based beliefs of God as Creator were not mutually exclusive. As I sat listening to him make his arguments, I realized we are fully in the dialectic/rhetoric levels of his learning. I was so impressed with his thinking, and while I did not agree with all of his arguments, I understood how he could reach the conclusions he made. Most impressive to me was when he was finished making his arguments, he said, "Mom, this is what I have been thinking about today. I want you to tell me what you think. I feel certain I have more to learn." Oh how I hope he keeps this humble yearning to learn. I want to be more like him in realizing my understandings are limited and to not be so set in thinking I know what I know that I am not, like him, willing to admit that there is more to learn and that my current understanding could be faulty by limited knowledge.

Secondly, he pulled out his Bible and said he had some questions about the creation account, specifically Genesis 1:24. He read to me how the land produced the animals and then shared his feelings of how God used the Earth in creation. He went on to make an argument as to why he can see why people in the past have mistakenly deified the Earth. My favorite thing he stated was, "I think that the ancient people who worshipped the Earth and the scientists today are not very far off the mark. The Earth is a source of creation, even for the animals, and there is no doubt that there has been evolution and adaption, but I think they are missing God in it all. It is like they are almost there and quit before they truly understand. If you see that God used the things they are talking about you get the whole story. And that is truth. I don't understand why they are willing to accept just a portion of the truth."

What a thrill to watch my children develop their own understanding of the world around them. What an amazing thing to see them tackle faith. I love this stage of their learning when everything is so black and white. I love the confidence on Noah's face when he states a belief (even if what I think he is saying is completely false), and I love that he asks questions, asks if we agree with him or not. I love that he is willing to recognize the limitations of his understanding. The mixture of this idealistic confidence and humility is so precious and endearing. Oh how I look forward to witnessing this boy becoming a man. I look forward to seeing just who he becomes. I anticipate it will be amazing!