What does it mean?

What does it mean to be an educated person?
What does it mean to be a successful person?

These are two questions I asked when I spoke about Homeschooling a Child with Special Needs at the recent Ontario Homeschool Conference.

Over the years I have reflected on these and other questions in my home educating journey. When there are special needs in the mix we are forced to ask questions we may not bother to ask regarding our "typical" kids. 

I found that our society, culture and even homeschool circles, have given an answer that is quite defined. Here it is.
An educated person can:

• communicate verbally well
• communicate in writing well
• problem solve
• think critically
• talk to a wide variety of people about a wide variety of topics (i.e. well read)
• has gone to university

A successful person:

• has a great job that pays a good wage
• promotional possibilities
• financial independence
• owns their own house, cars, goes on vacations
• good marriage 
• has some kids

Well, if we have kids with major special needs, much of this will not occur. So, what do we do with that? Say our kids can't be educated and can't be successful?

No! Instead we need to look for God's perspective rather than man's perspective in answer  to what it means to be educated and what it means to be successful! We need to ask God how do I educate my child so one day You will look at them and say "Well done, My good and faithful servant!"

This then becomes our new goal for homeschooling.
And, it actually needs to become our goal for ALL of our kids; not just the ones with special needs!
We can get outside the box of what our culture has said about education and success and truly educate accoridng to who each of our kids are in God's Kingdom.

How freeing! What possibility!