This post is for continued dialog. Read Part I and comments here.

So much good stuff, I decided that answering in a post made the most sense. That way it's easier to comment on my comments and makes my super long responses a little more accessible. ...at least, that's the hope. <smile>

First things first: Thanks for popping in here, everyone! I love reading your thoughts, ideas and insights.

For those requesting something other than Apologia, I've put in another word to Product Development that we need to be on the lookout for another science program. Thanks for the feedback!

Now I'm going to try to express myself better, Mrs. C. I knew I wasn't going to get away without miscommunicating something. Good thing it was with a good friend <smile>.

"So... people who believe the Bible is absolutely literally true and teach their children accordingly are out to INDOCTRINATE their children, not educate them?"

Not at all! Well... that's not what I was trying to say in this post. I'm sure there are some out there who do... just like some on the old earth or evolution side. My point is that Sonlight is dedicated to offering homeschool resources to help you tackle all subjects, including the sticky ones. Now, as I expressed in the post: I believe that a great way to not indoctrinate is to educate by going over both sides of an issue. Explain what you believe and why, and be willing to look at why others disagree with you. That's education. And that's great, no matter where you come down.

And, besides, Sonlight's materials still lean very heavily toward young earth. <smile>

As for the connection to the Pearls, Lynn pretty much nailed it. Sonlight does not carry any of the Pearl's materials--to my knowledge. But when the call came out, I felt I needed to respond. Obviously there was evil done, but how should an education company respond? By asking people to seek to learn and not just buy ideas hook, line and sinker. I know many people who have used their materials with, as far as I can tell, great success. That's because they take the good and reject the bad. And we should all do that with everything we encounter. But should Sonlight really take a stand on one side or another of this issue? I don't think so. Not because this isn't important. But rather that our role is to help you educate your kids, not dictate what or how you do that.

In an effort to educate as much as I could, I included many posts about the death of this little girl in my Other Posts of Note during that time. Since then, the topic has quieted down and I think very important things were discussed and expressed. So, I try to pass on material that educates. What you make of it, or do with it is up to you.

I'll also add: It goes without saying that you should not abuse children.

"If one doesn't present various viewpoints EQUALLY, one is indoctrinating? I don't buy that."

I don't buy that either. It has nothing to do with equality. Education is about learning, indoctrination is about enforcing/dismissing. As long as we maintain a humble attitude and seek to understand where others come from--and in so doing we can better express where we are coming from--we will be learning. It's a position, a style, an approach. This issue has very little to do with amount of time spent on one side or another. And, remember, I totally understand that we must all pick our battles. We simply don't have time to research and present all ideas equally well. Every time we teach something we take time from another opportunity. That's life. May we have the grace to walk in that and the wisdom to do so well.

And, Lynn, I love my job <smile>. I just wish I had more wisdom and grace in my writing.

TC, the Sonlight Forums have been... well.. fascinating and frustrating. We have spent a ton of time trying to make them helpful and inviting. Unfortunately, we get push-back from all sides. We strive to do the right thing, and we ask for grace when we have been unable to do that perfectly. I'm guessing you missed the most recent, er... event? We have started enforcing some policies and, far as I've heard, things are better there. <shrug> For what it's worth...

That is a good point, Diane. However, Sonlight is an education company, not a parenting company. And, as I noted above: Abuse of children is simply wrong. That is evident. What isn't so evident is where the Pearl's misguide people and why. Reading the dozens of posts around that time was fascinating and by no means conclusive. I've personally written about the things I find dangerous with some of the Pearl's teachings, but I doubt Sonlight will ever go there. Those issues are much more grounded in theology, philosophy and psychology and are best left to those who spent their efforts following those pursuits.

Hope Anne, I will gladly say it: Child abuse is wrong! Don't do it! Beating children to death--or nearly so--is wrong. Absolutely. If following the Pearl's teachings leads you to that, don't ever read any of their things again. It's not worth it.

Becky, you're right that many of these issues can become matters of salvation and undermine faith in Christ. There is much work still to be done by persons on all sides to determine how these data and interpretations influence what we believe and how we respond to it. Absolutely. But, just for fun, let's take the idea of death for a moment. I see at least two ways to think of death: 1. Physical demise, and 2. Damnation. I think the fact that things physically expired prior to the Fall is evident in Scripture: Genesis 2:16ff. Adam and Eve ate fruit. Fruit is part of a living organism. For the food to be nourishing to Adam and Eve, the living cells of the plant must have died and been broken down for their system to gain nutrients. In fact, it is entirely possible that had Adam and Eve stopped eating of the Tree of Life prior to the Fall they would have died then. So, in my mind, while it is clear that the Fall introduced spiritual death and separation from God, physical death--on at least a plant level--was already there. In other words: These are absolutely important issues with far-reaching ramifications. But the details are still fuzzy enough to warrant more education.

Which is incredibly fun! There's more to learn! There are more opportunities! We have not yet learned it all.

How cool is that? Pretty cool.

Thoughts?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

I believe I had a great education. I had an incredible foundation built upon Sonlight. I broadened my perspective in public high school. I absorbed the University world. I knew my stuff.

But a troubling thought kept nagging the back of my mind. I had completely failed to demonstrate my great education again and again. The most notable example was when we were playing a game of Password in high school. I was the one guessing the word and my friend, Joey, gave me the clue word mandible. The other team groaned. They tried to argue that that was cheating because you couldn't give the password in your clue. The moderator let it stand and Joey looked at me expectantly.

I was completely blank. "I have no idea," I said.

"WHAT!?!" Joey was incredulous. "This is so obvious," my team assured me.

But I had no idea what a mandible was. My great homeschool education had left out this crucial piece of information and now my team was going to lose a game of Password because of my ignorance. I don't get embarrassed easily, but I'm pretty sure I turned bright red. I was humiliated. I had failed.

Perhaps it's just me, but I want to defend the fact that my homeschool education was a great one. In so doing I will occasionally turn down an opportunity to learn something in order to save face. I'll let the unknown word roll by. I won't ask for clarification. I'll let the pride in my "great education" suppress the very thing that makes my Sonlight-based education so great: A natural, life-long love of learning.

My dad does not have this problem at all. He soaks in knowledge and always has questions. As a kid I found this embarrassing. "Come on, dad!" I'd want to say. "You're smarter than that!"

How wrong I was. My dad is as educated as he is because he freely admits where he is ignorant. By doing so he learns more than ever and becomes even more educated.

The heart of my response is too often pride. My dad's incredible humility has made him one of the most informed people I know. I'm slowly beginning to realize that a truly great education is one that leaves you open to learning more. My self-serving defense of my education is actually a disservice to me and my learning.

Sonlight gave me a great education because I love to learn. From this day forward I purpose to no longer let the defense of my great education get in the way of what made my education great.

Just like my dad.

Happy Father's Day!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

This post has been a long time in coming. And yet, I still don't feel qualified to write it. So I'm stating this up front: I don't feel wise enough to say this perfectly. I would love to hear your thoughts and continue the dialog.

The first time I felt prompted to write about this topic was after reading Karen Campbell's call to say, "This is wrong and it must stop." I immediately started writing a response, but after three days of not saying it correctly, I gave up.

Then, yesterday, I read a forum thread which asked Sonlight to stop riding the fence about young earth/old earth. Again, I started writing. But I ran out of time and brain power.

Today, I hope to finally post something on this topic.

Let us begin this discussion by reviewing a few of the Reasons NOT to Buy Sonlight:

• We believe you should introduce your children to the difficult subjects.
• We want to encourage students to think critically and to act with gracious humility toward those who hold differing views.
• Sonlight's broad vision, at points, may irritate you.

That's a very solid foundation for why Sonlight isn't likely to stamp our foot down on one side of a line or another. Not because we don't believe strongly about a great many things, but that we stick closely to our company mission and vision. Sonlight exists to serve you in your home education. We're not here to tell you what to think, believe or do.

Which leads to another phrase that we often use within the building:
We're here to educate, not indoctrinate.

Certain teachers seem bent on swaying us to their side, their method, their view. Some ideas seem to shield themselves off from criticism by repeating the mantra, "We're right, you're wrong." Both of these approaches, while certainly effective, feel very counter-educational to me. We're here to provide you with tools that will enable you to learn. How you use those tools is entirely up to you.

Beyond all this, I think there is enough ambiguity in this world that taking a stand on certain issues just doesn't feel right. I know it didn't for my dad. For many years Sonlight explicitly took a stand on the young earth side. Then, in 1999:

1999 Catalog Statement

That year, in our Instructor's Guides, my dad shared his journey and research. Sonlight's curriculum didn't really change, but our approach and stance took on a much more humble and open tone.

Why?

Because of the reasons stated above. We want to give you the best information we can find and leave it up to you. We want to present both sides because we believe that coming down on one side doesn't serve you the best. And because the research we conduct has proved to be less and less conclusive.

I don't want Sonlight to ever become a company that does what one of my Bible professors did to me: He gave me a C on a paper simply because I disagreed with him on one point. Even worse, rather than trying to educate me, he took the time to write five paragraphs berating me for the audacity I had to dare disagree.

Ridiculous.

I somehow still ended up with an A in the class. <smile> And Sonlight, way back in 1999, demonstrated one more aspect I love about this company: We listen to feedback and continue to try to learn more ourselves. Because, honestly, what good is an education company that doesn't continue to educate itself?

So, why doesn't Sonlight take a stand on certain issues? Because we're an education company dedicated to serving you with the best home education materials out there. We believe you should work through these sticky subjects with your students--when appropriate--so they can go out into the world and be winsome ambassadors for Christ. And if you don't like that, then perhaps, just perhaps, Sonlight's not for you.

... <deep breath> ...

Thoughts?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

1. Companies aren't people.
I really appreciate what Jill said: "I don't think a company can be Christian." Such a good point. Christianity is about following Christ, and businesses can't really do anything on their own. However, companies are run by people. And people can, in their businesses, set them up with the purpose of honoring Christ and expanding His Kingdom.

And I get the vibe that we love companies whose owners/operators seek to follow and honor Christ. <smile>

Unfortunately:
2. "Christian" can mean "back away quickly!"
Too often "Christian" organizations do not honor Christ. Here are three ways this commonly happens:

1. Be "nice" instead of wise
   I know people who have worked for Christian organizations which kept dealing with really terrible people because that's the "Christian thing to do." Personally, I'd rather take Jesus' words in Matthew 10:16 to heart.
2. Break rules "for Jesus"
   On the opposite side, too many Christians think they can get away with proverbial murder because they're Christian. Somehow "good causes" justify terrible actions. This is ridiculous.
3. Push a (not so) hidden agenda
   Preach the Gospel? Great! Seek to serve others around the globe? Fantastic. Love people? Absolutely. Conduct business with integrity and good stewardship? Love it. But, with annoying frequency, too many Christian organizations have a far less God-honoring focus. Much like the religious schisms of history, these groups reject large sections of the Body of Christ. This seems counter to what we should be doing. Granted, we need to watch our doctrine, but out of that comes much division. We're too often missing the love Christ talks about. Stick with your stated goals.

Still...

3. Christian businesses support good world-wide.
Several responses to yesterday's post mentioned the great things some Christian businesses have been involved with. These businesses take their hard-earned profits and give them away to causes and opportunities that bless people all over the world and change lives.

Awesome.

Sonlight is a Christian homeschool curriculum company. We strive to run our business in ways that glorify Christ, and so we label Sonlight a "Christian company." We do this through our Stewarship efforts which include things like giving to missions, pursuing ecologically-wise practices and taking great care of employees (read more).

We seek to promote truth as we provide you with remarkable, literature-rich, internationally-focused homeschool curriculum. The end result of which, we hope, will help you nurture enthusiastic, life-long learners who are motivated and equipped to follow Christ wherever He leads and in whatever He calls them to do.

Sound like something you're interested in? Check out Sonlight's Newcomer Packages.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

I never enjoyed taking standardized tests. Didn't like them while homeschooled. Didn't like them in high school. But I tended to like the results because, well... I did well. The numbers were mostly encouraging and a nice reminder that I was learning. Or, rather, that I was "successful" in whatever schools consider success.

Now that I'm here at Sonlight, I participate in another kind of test. Today the tests aren't about how well I spell "accouterments" or can compute 1,902 - 847... now I track how well my posts affect you. How many people clicked my links? Did anyone comment? Did anyone buy anything?

Not that I blog to make money. That'd be lame, and I think my posts would reflect that. On the other hand, if I couldn't come up with a single testable/trackable method of measuring my efforts, I doubt Sonlight would let me continue doing this for very long. I may trick them for a couple years, but eventually someone here would catch on that I'm having way too much fun <smile>.

Testing and tracking are not the end-all of what we do. We're not interested in merely having our children graduate with honors. We want more from our students. We want them to be great people who go out and do great things in this world.

But much like clicks and sales and comments connected with this blog, so grades and scores and percentiles can help give us an idea of how well we're doing. How effective has the time we've invested been? Do these numbers/stats/marks indicate something else we should emphasize for a bit?

All that to say: Testing and tracking should been seen as tools to help us spend our time more effectively.

Today, I'd like to highlight:

Core 3

Given that this post is all about tracking results, the question before you is this:

Will you click the link, or not? <smile>

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

[title link here]

I look down at the speedometer and smile. "In the future of Alas, Babylon, cars are so fast they have to stretch out the signs a quarter mile so people can read them."

My wife looks at me quizzically.

"There's this part where the character is really in a hurry and floors it. ...getting up to 75 miles per hour. I just matched that."

A standard sized--and easily legible--sign whips past her window. I can't see Brittany's reaction in the dark, but I hope she's amused.

"You just can't predict the future, can you."

It's 4:07 this morning. I'm taking Brittany and the girls to the airport. The time has come for the girls to go home. And now, after over six months of booster seats and bibs, after a goodbye party with the family last night, we're left with:

Empty Chairs and Empty Tables

People have asked me how I feel about it. I wish I could say, but I can't, for two reasons:

1. I don't know what I'm feeling, and I'm guessing it's going to take a long while to decompress and let my mind muddy through the murky waters.
2. I don't feel good about it at all. But not because of some, "Oh, I miss them so," kind of sentiment. Something much less happy. And that, my friends, is going to take a long time for me to formulate a response that isn't completely negative.

How terrible is that?

Let me tell you: It feels pretty terrible. Much like the part in the song above: "[We] sang about tomorrow / And tomorrow never came."

But tomorrow did come this morning. It's just a present we never expected when we looked to the future a couple years ago. "Don't ask me what [this] sacrifice was for. / Empty chairs and empty tables..."

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester