Between the excitement of “Back to School” and the pressure of No Child Left Behind, the topic of standards seems to be a popular one at the moment. Standards are important. Without them, we really do not know what we are trying to do or why. But in this era of standardization, I think standards are beginning to get a bad reputation.
What is a standard? The word most likely comes from an Old Frankish word *standhard, which means essentially what it seems to say: “to stand fast or firm.” Its first recorded usage was in 1138, in reference to a flag. According to Webster’s 1828, a standard is:
An ensign of war; a staff with a flag or colors. The troops repair to their standard. the royal standard of Great Britain is a flag, in which the imperial ensigns of England, Scotland and Ireland are quartered with the armorial bearings of Hanover.His armies, in the following day, on those fair plains their standards proud display. Fairfax
The image I have is the standard-bearer holding his colors high so that all on the battlefield can see it, despite the smoke, dust and general confusion of war. It comforts the troops, lets them know the battle is not lost and tells them which way to go. The standard-bearer has a most important task, for if his standard falls, the troops will disperse. He also has a most dangerous task, for he has marked himself and made himself a visible and desirable target for the enemy.
Standards for our children should serve the same purpose: provide comfort and direction.
When we desire to raise the standards for our children, we must first be sure of what that standard is, or it will not be clear through the confusion. For us, that standard is Christ, but we must be sure we are communicating that effectively and that we, too, are remaining focused. It is easy to
inadvertently change standards in the middle of the battle, focusing on the minutia rather than the end goal. This can become frustrating for both the parent and the child, since the direction and goal has changed without clear direction.
Once our standard is clear, we can look at some of the specific challenges. A child who is interested and engaged in learning typically puts forth his best work without prompting. They see the work as interesting, relevant and applicable to life. This motivation may come extrinsically through rewards, punishments or the infectious enthusiasm of a good teacher. Be careful with this, however. Too much extrinsic motivation has been shown to actually have a detrimental effect on long term goals. Motivation is greatest when it is intrinsic and the child connects privately with the information. From an old post:
This reminds me of the verse, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and he will not depart from it.” Each child is created with unique talents and abilities. We as parents have the difficult task of “learning to know” our children, discovering their God-given talents and interests and guiding them to see God’s plan for their lives. But if we are truly seeking the path that he should go and not the path that we would have him go, I think we might find that the issue of motivation becomes secondary.
Instead, we must take on the much greater challenge of “standing fast” and maintaining the standard.
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
Interesting take on the idea on standards in the public arena!
I am very tempted to print some of your posts and leave them for some of teachers whom I know on a more personal level at our local schools …letting them know they can always chnge the focus from God to something more nuetral if it makes them more comfortable within the public sector…the overall idea and concepts are so concise and feel that is something that many teachers need in this every changing and confusing world of “education.”
Why bother if my youngest son is being homeschooled? Because I still value the istitution and idea of public education; I still feel that HSing isn’t and won’t be for everyone; I still think that some good can come from “education” if it could be simplified and government were removed. Call me an idealist, hopeful or silly…but I think public education will be around for awhile longer I would rather see it turn better than worse for all the children that are still a part of it.
Looks like we’ll be at Pike’s Peak about the same time. I’m e-mailing you our info in case we cross paths.
BTW, here are printable coupons for free donuts at Pike’s Peak summit house:
http://www.visitpikespeak.com/freedonut.htm)and
and free kids CO stickerooks:
(http://www.pikes-peak.com/Page/46.aspx)
Great post, Dana…of course, all your posts are great. But this one especially rang true to me when thinking of my own upbringing and the confusion that resulted from being in a Christ-centered school but not seeing enough Christ-centered living at home, or really in the community as a whole. It’s no wonder I’m so convicted to ensure my kids have as much consistency as possible and want to keep them home with me: their home-life and school-life will share the same standards.
Shawna, I will never give up on the idea of public education, either. I think it needs a lot of changes, some simple, some major. It never will be able to do what too many expect it to do (replace parents), but it certainly can do a better job than it is doing! And what a complement!
Thanks, headmistress. I actually wrote something similar to it a long time ago, but I began thinking about it again last week when I mentioned something about standards in one of the Back to Homeschool Week entries!
Great post about standards. It’s a great reminder for everyone that defining our standards plays a big role in our lives.
Thank you for clarifying this for me. I know that children need to be held to a standard morally but hadn’t actually applied the word to education. I know that each subject is important and that each child will not master every thing but each child can embrace a foundation of truth.
You are right when you say we must first know what the standard is before we can raise it. We need to know the why before we do the what.
Couldn’t have said it better. What good is it to gain the world of knowledge yet lose our soul?
Nice post. Our standards separate us from other people, especially when it comes to education. Most of the time, development is insufficient because we forgot to set new standards for for certain situations.
Good post. Timely too, I have been thinking about this as I try to plan for our upcoming school year.