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Although we believe all truths are interrelated, we see the necessity of some form of organization so that goals can be sent and records can be kept. We have decided on the following method of categorization.
 

Our approach to education will be three-tiered. The foundation will be CHARACTER/SPIRITUAL:
         " It is pleasing to notice the increased feeling of anxiety on the part of the Saints to have their children educated in schools where the doctrines of the Gospel and the precious records which God has given us can be taught and read. Our children should be indoctrinated in the principles of the Gospel from their earliest childhood. They should be made familiar with the contents of the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. These should be their chief text books, and everything should be done to establish and promote in their hearts genuine faith in God, in His Gospel and its ordinances, and in His works…. In no direction can we invest the means God has given us to better advantage than in the training of our children in the principles of righteousness and in laying the foundation in their hearts of that pure faith which is restored to the earth." [Messages of the First Presidency, Vol. 3, pp. 86 - 87]
 

The second tier of education is LIFE SKILLS.
         "Every child in our community should be educated, not in books alone, but to sustain himself, or herself, so that in case he or she be left alone, or otherwise, they will be able, from the elements around them, inasmuch as they possess the use of their limbs and faculties, to earn a living and thereby aid somebody else to live. And it seems to me, that if parents were worth millions, they should never be content to let their children, boys and girls, grow up to manhood or to womanhood without teaching them to earn their own living at some trade or some manual or skilled labor. [Journal of Discourses, Vol.22, p.276, George Q. Cannon, April 5, 1881]
 

The third level is ACADEMICS.
         "It is the duty of the Latter-day Saints, according to the revelations, to give their children the best education that can be procured, both from the books of the world and the revelations of the Lord." [Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17, p. 45, Brigham Young, April 18, 1874]
 

We try to adhere to the counsel of George Q. Cannon:
         "It is of the utmost importance to us and to our children and to the work of God which is entrusted to us, that we should give our children every advantage of education, including the training of them in the principles of the Gospel; for it is of the first importance that all should have laid the foundation in their hearts of faith in God and confidence in the Holy Priesthood, and in the ordinances of the house of God. This is of the first importance, more important than anything else; more important even than teaching them to read and write. Train them in the faith of God and in the knowledge of God, so far as it can be imparted to them, until they can find out God for themselves, seeking him in earnestness in their closets and private places." [Journal of Discourses, Vol. 22, p. 287, George Q. Cannon, June 27, 1881]
 

For each education tier we have established an objective and a means through which we hope to meet that objective.
 

Personal and Family Preparedness
 

The atonement, on which we all rely, was prepared from before the foundation of the world (Mosiah 4:6). Abraham teaches us that during the creation of the world the Lord said, "Let us prepare the earth to bring forth grass". Later Jesus promises his disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you." And Nephi testified, that "The Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he hath commanded them. Our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ are both very prepared individuals.
 

Being prepared is a godly way of being so it is not surprising to learn that our place in the celestial kingdom is dependent on preparation. The Lord says, "For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you." D&C 78:7
 

Fortunately we have been given some time to learn about preparation. As the prophet Alma taught, "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God...." (Alma 34:32) And so that we can have a complete vision of what being prepared might be, the church has prepared standards for Personal and Family Preparedness.
 

Many times when we speak of preparedness in the church, the words "food storage" and "home production" come to mind. We have images of shelves lined with home canned goods, bolts of materials and patterns stored, well-tended garden patches and ample emergency savings. But this preparation for emergencies is only a tip of what the Lord means by being prepared.
 

As Bishop H. Burke Peterson explained, "When we speak of [personal and] family preparedness, we should speak of foreseen, anticipated, almost expected needs which can be met through wise preparation."
 

This is surely the kind of preparation the Lord speaks of too. Remember how he prepared for the atonement before the foundation of the earth was laid. Why? Because he foresaw, anticipated, expected that we would need a Savior. He also prepared the seeds in the earth so that they would reproduce after their own kind. He foresaw our need for food and certainly anticipated the chaos that would result if an orange seed were planted and broccoli grew.
 

When we are prepared for the foreseen, anticipated and expected needs, then, as Elder Peterson teaches, "Even true emergencies can be modified by good planning."
 

Our vision of personal and family preparedness will be complete if we prayerfully consider how to apply in our families all six standards revealed by the Lord:
 

         "For many years the brethren from this pulpit have stressed and will continue to stress the need for personal and family preparedness. Personal responsibility is basic to the Lord's plan. From some of the reports we receive, altogether too many members feel that home storage is the total program.
         "May I remind you of the six elements of personal and family preparedness, all of which should be taught.
         "They are, first, literacy and education: second, career development; third, financial and resource management: fourth, home production and storage: fifth, physical health, and sixth, social-emotional strength.
         "Some people have reacted to the theme of preparedness as if it were a doomsday matter. In reality, six elements of personal and family preparedness are to be emphasized so that the Latter-day Saints may be better prepared to meet the ordinary, day-to-day requirements of successful living.
         "Our emphasis on this subject is not grounds for crisis thinking or panic. Quite the contrary, personal and family preparedness should be a way of provident living, an orderly approach to using the resources, gifts, and talents the Lord shares with us. So the first step is to teach our people to be self-reliant and independent through proper preparation for daily life."" said Bishop Brown. [The Church News, Conference Issues 1970-1987, p.18]
 

Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-80 reads:
 

        "And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.
        "Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand."
 

         "That you may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you."

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George Wythe College: The college offers a distance learning program that is compatible with LDS values. Their stated mission is to help students [Become] men and women of virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage, who inspire greatness in others...and move the cause of liberty.
Check out their website at http://www.123inter.net/gwc/gwclinks.html
 

AltaVista Translation with Systran: This web site lets you translate your private documents into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian or German in seconds.
http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/translate

NoteWorthy ArtWare: Here's a site where you can download a shareware music composion and notation processor for windows and a freeware NWC and MIDI File Player for Windows.
http://www.ntworthy.com/

Cynthia Good's College and Career Planning Page: Numerous links to sites about career planning, getting into college, even study habits.
http://www.fallriver.mec.edu/goodhomepg.html

Screen-it: Has entertainment reviews for parents of movies, music, and videos.
http://www.screenit.com/

Blue Web'n: a searchable library of Blue Ribbon sites categorized by grade level, content area, and type brought to you by the Pacific Bell Education First Fellows at San Diego State University's Department of Educational Technology.
Visit them regularly at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn

Learning Strategies Database: This site contains learning strategies data compiled by personnel at Muskingum College (Ohio) over a ten-year period. Students can use the database to determine their own learning style.
http://www.muskingum.edu/~cal/database/database.html
 

Puzzlemaker: is a web site that allows users to generate puzzles online to print out for offline use. It works by using two computers. The first computer houses the set-up forms that create the puzzles. A second computer handles the input data which allows puzzles to be created fairly quickly. Viewers will find computer-generated mazes, word searches, hidden message word searches, criss-cross puzzles, number blocks, math squares, double puzzles, cryptograms, letter tiles and fallen phrases. A new addition to the site, posted every Sunday, is Tesseract's Mazes, which are hand-drawn mazes.
http://www.puzzlemaker.com/
 

Homeschooling Kids With Disabilities Website delivers what it promises. This site will direct you to links on assessment, newsletters and online lists, homeschool organizations to aid students with special educational needs, homeschool programs offering individualized instructional programs, special education laws, shareware and much more. The author also has links to sites offering support and inspiration for those moments that you are overwhelmed.
http://www.tripod.com/~Maaja/

Funbrain.com is a free, non-commercial teaching resource. Parents can create online quizzes for their children. In addition to their"Quiz Lab" children can enjoy thier education games which are designed for learners of all ages in Language Arts, Social Studies, Music, Math, Science and Logic.
http://www.funbrain.com

 

Table of Contents

This is hardly an exhaustive listing of all the quotes pertaining to education. Our version of Infobases' LDS Collectors Library '98 has thousands of listings. The purpose is to give you a general idea of the attitudes and thoughts of the General Authorities on this important subject.

True Education

Parental Responsibility

Curriculum

Socialization

Public Education

God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time. . . .We are to use the Book of Mormon as the basis for our teaching.

Knowledge is not merely the equations of algebra, the theorems of geometry, or the miracles of space. . .knowledge is that power which raises one into new and higher worlds and elevates him into new spiritual realms. . .Desirable as is secular knowledge, one is not truly educated unless he has the spiritual with the secular. The secular knowledge is desirable; the spiritual knowledge is an absolute necessity. We shall need all the accumulated secular knowledge in order to create worlds and to furnish them, but only through the mysteries of God and these hidden treasures of knowledge may we arrive at the place and condition where we may use that knowledge in creation and exaltation.

The Church stands for education. The very purpose of its organization is to promulgate truth among men. Members of the church are admonished to acquire learning by study , and also by faith and prayer, and to seek after everything that is virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy. In this seeking after truth they are not confined to narrow limits of dogma or creed, but are free to launch into the realm of the infinite, for they know that "truth is truth where 'ere is found, whether on Christian or on heathen ground."

We need manual training schools instead of so much book learning and the stuffing of fairy tales and fables which are contained in many of our schoolbooks of today. If we would devote more money and time, more energy and attention to teaching our children manual labor in our schools than we do, it would be a better thing for the rising generation.

With regard to our educational pursuits, let us do all we can in that direction. Some people talk about the means it takes; why money is not to be compared with intelligence. I wish we had our own textbooks, published by ourselves and read by our children. I think such things are indicated in the Doctrine and Covenants.

To you of the administration and faculty [of BYU], I repeat the counsel given to Karl G. Maeser by President Brigham Young when he sent him here to start this school: "You ought not to teach even the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God. That is all. God bless you." To you students, I quote a revelation to you from the Lord: "As all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." (D&C 88:118)

The prophets, particularly of the Book of Mormon, saw our day. You will learn more (about our current problems) from studying and reading the Book of Mormon than you will by reading the daily paper or the slick magazines.

We must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers. Have we read the Federalist papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it?

Let us be sure our educational system turns out young men and women of character, who know the basic facts of economics, free enterprise, history, finance, and government and who have a respect for law and an appreciation of the spiritual--otherwise that educational system will truly have been a failure.

To know and appreciate the wonders of the heavens cannot but increase our appreciation of God and his great wisdom and power. Parents my wish to learn about these wonders and teach their children by putting into their hands materials suited to their age and development . . . To understand the soil and the seasons is a fascinating study for all families as well as for scientists. A garden for every home, even if it is only a window box, can furnish beginning knowledge for all ages. Subduing the earth also involves the engineering sciences as well as biology, geology, and other sciences that study the earth's land, air and water.

Learning that includes familiarization with facts must not occur in isolation from concern over our fellowman. It must occur in the context of a commitment to serve them and to reach out to them.

Children should learn how to share, to help do the housework and the yard work, to plant gardens, to plant trees, to pick fruit, and to do everything that needs to be done, because that makes strong characters out of them and builds their faith and character. We want you parents to create work for your children.

You know that your children will read. They will read books and they will read magazines and newspapers. Cultivate within them a taste for the best. While they are young, read to them the great stories which have become immortal because of the virtues they teach. Expose them to good books. Let there be a corner somewhere in your house, be it ever so small, where they will see at least a few books of the kind upon which great minds have been nourished.

Teach your daughters to prepare for life's greatest career--that of homemaker, wife, and mother. Teach them to love home because you love home. Teach them the importance of being a full-time mother in the home . . . You teach by example your attitude toward homemaking.

Teach your sons and daughters modesty, and teach them to respect manhood and womanhood . . . Teach them the importance of the right kind of entertainment, including appropriate movies and videos and music and magazines. Discuss the evils of pornography and drugs, and teach them the value of living the clean life.

Let there be music in the home. If you have teenagers who have their own recordings, you will be prone to describe the sound as something other than music. Let them hear something better occasionally. Expose them to it. It will speak for itself. More of appreciation will come than you think. It may not be spoken, but it will be felt, and its influence will become increasingly manifest as the years pass.

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Northern California LDS Education Forum
"This is a series of firesides designed to assist parents with chlidren of all ages, even those who only have grown children and grandchildren, in teaching gospel principles in the home. It is targeted at teaching a Christ centered education, wiht an emphasis on LDS standards, beliefs, an ddoctrines, boht current and those stated and outlined by the Brethren. To help educate parents in becoming politically aware of the educaiton arena and new laws to help protect their children. (This series is a continuation of the LDS Education Forum held in Provo, UT.)"
Forum speakers will present the third Saturday of each month in El Cerrito Speakers include Jack Monnett, Dr. Oliver DeMille, Dr. a. LeGrande Richards and many more. You can visit the website for registration information and pricing. http://www.NCLDSEF.com or email Yvonne Bent at ybent@jps.net

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Being In And Not Of The World
by Joyce Kinmont
July/Aug/Sept 1990 Newsletter of The National Association of Mormon Home Educators
Synopsis: Examines the real meaning behind this phrase.
 

A Scriptural History of Education
by Karen Rafferty
Cumorah Homeschool Association Newsletter
Synopsis: A brief overview of education from Adam's day to the present.

Homeschooling, Rx For Problems?
by Joyce Kinmont
January 1994 Newsletter of The Latter-day Saint Home Educators Association
Synopsis: Suggests that by bringing our children home to a loving environment we can help them overcome behavior problems.

The Baby Is the Lesson
by Diane Hopkins
Available in the booklet Homeschool Helps
Synopsis: Explains that our most important task is to teach our children by precept and example how to be Chrislike. Lots of encouragement for those experiencing burnout by explaining how homeschooling can free us so that we can fulfill our most important duties.

The Good People of Lib
by Joyce Kinmont
April 1996 Newsletter of Latter-day Saint Home Educators Association
Synopsis: Compares the good people of Lib to Enoch's Zion society and suggests that the sacrifices of homeschooling might bring great blessings to future generations.

Come, Come Ye Saints, No toil nor labor fear….
by Joyce Kinmont
October-December 1991 Newsletter of the Latter-day Saint Home Educators Association
Synopsis: Counsel on how, through meekness, to overcome criticism about homeschooling.

What Have We Done to the Children
by Joyce Kinmont
April 1994 Newsletter of the Latter-day Saint Home Educators Association
Synopsis: Addresses the criticism that homeschoolers protect their children from the "real world."

The Lord's Plan for Parenting
January 1994 Newsletter of the Latter-day Saint Home Educators Association
Synopis: This poster of D&C 121-34-46 is a great reminder of the value of tender parenting. Print one for your refrigerator.

The Ulimate Parenting Manual
by Karen Rafferty
Synopsis: What the author has learned from the Scriptures about parenting.

Musings
by Karen Rafferty
Original version published in The Independent Family, November, 1993
Synopsis: Considers the benefit of child or interest-led education in helping a child identify his life mission.

Musings--Moral Development
by Karen Rafferty
Original version published in The Independent Family
Synopsis: Identifies the two predominate models of education and suggests an alternative.

Trust
by Karen Rafferty
First published in the "California Homeschool News"
Synopsis: Delves into the place and meaning of trust in the parent-child, homeschool relationship.

Lessons Learned about Motherhood Through Homeschooling
by Debra Coe
Synopsis: Homeschooling has helped Debra look at being a mother differently. In this article she shares some of what she has gained from the experience.
 

Exceedingly Fine
by Dorothy Jenson
Synopsis: Is homeschooling right for my family? How will my children turn out? These questions concern every homeschooling parent. In this article Dorothy shares her prayerful search and her comforting answer.

Community Service through Homeschooling
by Karen Rafferty
Synopsis: The First Presidency's call for church members to become involved in political, governmental and community affairs has already been answered by homeschoolers. This article explains how.

NEW! Satisfactory or Superior -- That is the Question: Which Educational Option Will you Select to Train Your Children?
by Carl and Susan Stephenson
Synopsis: The Stephensons have homeschooled their three sons from kindergarten into college. The oldest will return from the Missouri, Independence Mission in April of 2000. Prior to serving a mission, he successfully completed his BS degree in Chemical Engineering. In this article, the Stephensons share their reasons for homeschooling in hopes that they will be of help to someone thinking about choosing the homeschooling option.

LDS Online Resources
 

Latter-day Saints' Resources on the Internet: This unofficial site delivers what it promises -- tons of link to sites of interest to Latter-day Saints.
http://home.erols.com/jdstone/

LDSWorld: Infobases offers gospel study opportunities, news & events, a marketplace and other areas of interest to Latter-day Saints.
http://www.ldsworld.com

The WWW L.D.S. Visitor's Center: Categories to investigate include Online LDS Institute of Religion, The Family Forum, Online LDS Family History Center, News/People and Cultures of the LDS Religion, LDS Educational Institutions and Organizations and the Online LDS Mall.
http://www.mich.com/~romulans/lds.html

LDS Curriculum Resources
 

There are many search engines and sites devoted to educational links on specific subjects. I am not trying to duplicate their efforts. The links listed here bring a uniquely LDS perspective to curriculum. I would encourage you to start with "Education for Eternity" for an overview of an LDS perspective of academics.
 

GENERAL
 

Education for Eternity: "A collection of resources addressing the relationship between academic education and the Gospel of Jesus Christ"
http://www.byu.edu/tmcbucs/fc/ee/ee.htm
 

At Home Mothers: Supportive articles and information guides for stay-at-home moms are available at this site. Many resources are free; there is also a membership option.
http://www.AtHomeMothers.com

Love@Home:"A fun 'E-Zine' for large families (any family with more than 2.2 children). Find articles and colulmns on managing a large family, emergency preparedness, family finance, life on the far, plus reviews, recipes and fun."
http://www.loveathome.com

Ladybug Links: Education, music, genealogy, fun and games and a bookstore with an LDS flavor
http://www.olypen.com/wng/
 

World Book Educator's Guide: For those looking for general information on what the schools are teaching when, this is a great site. The introduction to the site states: "As a source of information as well as a guide to planning, World Book offers the results of ongoing research into curriculum requirements and standards. The learning levels investigated include preschool through grade 12. Naturally, there exist regional and local variations that cannot be accounted-for in every detail. What is featured here represents "typical courses of study," reflecting general curriculum requirements as they appear across North America. The information is categorized by grade level, and within each category is presented by general skill type or discipline -- whichever is appropriate."
http://www.worldbook.com/ptrc/html/fp_crs.htm

ENGLISH
 

Deseret Alphabet: Learn the Deseret alphabet, a phonetic alphabet promoted by Brigham Young and others in the early days of the church. You can download the deseret alphabet font and they also sell a workbook.
http://www.wp.com/BrionZion/homealph.htm

Course Offering: Shakespeare at Home!
About the course: "The class will be in keeping with my favorite homeschool methodology: follow at your own pace, and pursue your own intersets. That said, every student will learn to write. We will study one place each semester, alternating between the histories, comedies and tragedies. All writing instruction will take place via e-mail. Directed discussion of the play will take place for an hour each week via IRC (internet relay chat). Class time is scheduled for Tuesday at 11:00 (CST). Tuition is $30/per month.
 

About the teacher: Dianna Mikulecky earned her degree in English and minor in Dance/Drama at the University of Texas. She has a law degree from BYU, where she found "numerous excuses to turn in papers on Shakespeare." She is the mother of two little boys (and a To Be Annouced on the way), "too young for homeschool, but not too young to keep me busy." She is the wife of a second year med student. How to apply: Contact Dianna at: medsmsm@ttuhsc.edu; phone her at 806-788-1608; or write her at 5926 10th Drive, Lubbock, TX 79416.

THE GOSPEL
 

The Bonneville International LDS Radio Network: The schedule for 24-hour-a-day LDS programming is available at this site. This is a great resource for gospel study in your homeschool.
http://www.ldsradio.com/

BYU Devotional Speeches:Selected speeches are available for study.
http://advance.byu.edu/devo.html

Primary Matters: Find and share ideas for the Primary Organization
http://members.aol.com/chriska1/primary.htm

Primary Page: An international resource for Primary leaders
http://www.primarypage.com/

Seminary: At this site you can subscribe to a mailing list for those involved in teaching youth. It is especially targeted to Church Education System personnel, but the ideas, thoughts, stories and experiences can help refine your efforts to teach the gospel to our youth.
http://www.listservice.net/seminary

HISTORY

Heritage Gateway: Journal entries from the 1997 wagon trail reenactment, as well as, from the original wagon trail in 1847. Site contains other information and classroom activities as well.
http://heritage.uen.org/cgi-bin/websql/index.hts

History Through Geneology

Official Church Site for Family History
www.familysearch.org

Course Offering: Teaching History Through Genealogy
Free online class!
How to apply: Contact Gabriele Burgess at: BeallComp@aol.com

Genealogy: Part of the History/Social Studies Web Site for K-12 teachers. They state, "Doing genealogical research is always a high interest activity for students of all ages. In addition to the rewards of a personal nature, research creates a host of opportunties to practice and integrate social studies skills learned or that need to be learned....Collecting data, obtaining and evaluating documents and sources, conducting and recording eyewitness accounts of historical events in family life provide opportunities to practice the historians craft."
http://www.execpc.com/~dboals/geneo.html

USGenWeb Project: This is an ongoing, ever-expanding, volunteer effort to provide geneological resources and contacts throughout the United States.
http://www.usgenweb.net
 

SCOUTING
 

LDS Scouting Resources Page: Still under construction this page will contain Scouting resources that are specific to troops sponsored by local units of the LDS church.
http://www2.dtc.net/~mpearce/scouts/scouts.htm#spirit

Scout School: Using Scout badge requirements for supplementing homeschool curriculum
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/7038/ScoutSchool.html
 

WRITING

Hatrack River - The Official Web Site of Orson Scott Card: Learn more about the author and his works. If you are a budding author you can also join a writing group.
http://www.hatrack.com/

Across the Curriculum