Caring About the World and Not Just Knowing About It

The question is not–how much does the youth know?–when he has finished his education–but how much does he care.

— Charlotte Mason

“Mom, you gotta see this,” shouted my son. “It’s the coolest beetle ever.”

“I even think it’s a rare form. If it’s a species that’s never been discovered before can I name it?” he asked. One of them ran inside to get a food container from the kitchen to keep their new find safe while they watched him. Meanwhile, the other one kept a close eye on it. I rolled my eyes. There’s goes another food container; the third one this week.

I laughed and went to see it. Sure enough, right there in our backyard, was a beetle, unlike anything that I’d ever seen before. I knew that if we researched it, we’d find the name but just this one time, I didn’t burst their bubble.

“So what are you going to call it?” I asked when they returned

They both gasped and rushed off to begin brainstorming the best name for their newfound discovery.

They loved finding insects and wildlife in our backyard. They would always come and get me whenever they found anything so that I could take a picture. They would observe it for a while and then set it free again. Later, we would take our picture and research online to find out all about whatever wonder they had found. They enjoyed learning about the things that they saw in their own world.

Educating Them to Care

As a homeschool parent, I am always on the lookout for learning opportunities; moments where knowledge can enter into their minds almost effortlessly. A lot of our learning happens this way and it makes my job pretty easy most days; well, the knowledge learning part anyway. Educating my kids in the knowledge of the world is only part of their education, the smaller part actually. The harder part is educating them to care.

As I watched them with their “new insect species” I realized how much knowledge on the subject they actually had. At 3 and 6, they were able to recognize an insect when they saw one. They knew it was a beetle, or at least the six-year-old did. They noticed that it was one that they hadn’t seen before by observing the marks on its back and the shape of its body.

We do nature studies on a weekly basis. We had also just finished a study on insects a few months before and they had gained a lot of the knowledge that they had from it. Yes, they had the knowledge, but did they really care? That is the important question to me.

Caring Comes from a Connection

As I watched them with their insect, I realized that they do care. Along with knowledge of any subject, I try very hard to teach a love for it. Not just a love for the subject, but a reason for it and a love for everything about life that we learn about.

They boys love nature. They are excited to find things in nature all of the time. Why? The answer is not because of the knowledge that they have of nature, but the love of it that they have obtained. They see the wonder of it all and they see the reason for it all.

As we learn about any subject, I try to bring it to life for them. This allows them to connect with it on a personal level. It has meaning to them when it is relevant to them.

When they see an insect, they don’t just think about what they know about it, but about its life. They know that life is precious and to be treasured-- every life. They see the insect as something special and unique that was created and should be appreciated. It is there for them to enjoy and that makes it relevant to them. That is the connection that is made.

Making a Connection

This connection is what makes them care. This connection is what makes the difference in obtaining knowledge about a subject and caring about it. This connection can be made in all of the subjects that they do. Whether it is science, math, or even spelling, it is possible for the child to see a purpose for the subject and a reason that it is being taught. This will then lead to a love for it. Kids will naturally love some subjects more than others but it is also possible for them to not hate anything they are learning about.

It is very difficult as a homeschool teacher when your child hates a subject. Let’s take math, for instance. Lots of kids hate math. This doesn’t have to be the case. If it is approached in a way that helps the child understand why they are learning it and in a way that makes sense to them, they will have an appreciation for it. Too many times, the curriculum is dry and boring and irrelevant to the child’s life. It doesn’t get to their heart.

Let’s say the child loves cars. They eat, sleep and breathe cars. This same child is struggling with math and currently hates it. Now, if you give this child a math problem about their favorite subject, you will see them come to life. They are no longer doing math. They are talking about something that they love.

I understand that this is difficult when you have many children and lots of subjects to teach but if you teach a child to appreciate a subject, then they will continue on their own, regardless of the curriculum in front of them. I am definitely an advocate of curriculum that brings the subject to life.

Do You Care?

It is not always the fault of curriculum, though. If the teacher is not enthused about the subject, then the child will not be either. Look at why you are teaching a subject and then approach it with that in mind.

Even if you don’t realize it, you are teaching what you love. You are teaching what you care about. These are the things that will come to life for your children and they will care about them, too. Think about how you approach education.

Knowledge and Caring Go Hand-in-Hand

I also don’t believe that children can care about something that they know nothing about. It is only as we learn about a subject that we can start to appreciate it. Until we begin to understand something we cannot care about it. That is why we cannot teach our children to care until we give them knowledge.

You can’t just go about trying to make them care and you cannot just go about trying to give them knowledge. The two go hand-in-hand. That is what homeschool is to me: educating them about life and how to care about it. That is true education.