About

The Sherman Family

I assume that most folks reading this know us.  After all, who else will follow this blog besides a few family and friends?  But, in case, you have stumbled upon our site and want to know a little bit about the author of this blog and our family about whom it primarily focuses, then this page is for you.  Anytime you read something, it is wise to consider the source.  That is often hard to do among the anonymity of the internet.  So, in full disclosure, here is more than you probably want to know about me.

My name is Michael Sherman. I am an evangelical Christian.  In my view, that means primarily that I believe in God the Father, the deity of Christ, and redemption through Him by faith alone, in the transformational work of the Holy Spirit and in the inspiration, inerrancy and authority of the Holy Bible.

I am happily married to an incredible woman and we have 4 children, Anna Katherine (10), Grace (8), Alexander (3) and Caroline (1).  I am a lawyer by trade, but am taking a sabbatical from the practice of law during which time I plan on continuing to pursue a Master’s Degree in Theology from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and to homeschool our children.

We live in Mobile, Alabama, and are members at Springhill Baptist Church where Kathy and I teach Sunday School to a wonderful group of young married couples.

Why am I maintaining this site?

In part, I want to document what is going on with our effort at homeschooling.  I want to document our progress and to make it available to members of our family as well as for others who may benefit from our mistakes and our occasional successes.  I will likely also use it to share information about my personal readings and study.

Why Scholars and Saints?

It may sound a bit pretentious.  But, I thought it captured the educational goal that I have for our kids, namely to raise Scholars and Saints (i.e. people that love God and want to live a life set apart for Him, and who love learning and are trained to think clearly and communicate effectively - all to His greater glory).

What are the distinctives of the homeschool education that you are providing your kids?

I will add much more about this on the blog over time, including some of the specific curriculum choices that we make.  For now, here are some of the distinctives that I have in mind as I am planning their curriculum:

• coram Deo - This is a phrase that literally means “before the face of God.”  The education I hope to give my children is one that is entirely in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and to the glory of God.  Like the ancient Greeks, I believe that the ultimate purpose of education is one that is moral, not merely utilitarian.  Thus, we start with the source of all morality.  Practically speaking, this means our school day will include Bible study, Scripture memorization, and daily prayer and worship.
• Christian worldview - As they read widely from the classics (see below), I will attempt to frame discussions about their readings and the issues raised there into the context of creation, fall and redemption.  I hope to train them to be able to think about, interact with, critique and engage the culture through a thoroughly grounded Christian worldview.
• Classical education - The roots of classical education come down to us from the Greeks.  As noted above, the goal of Greek education was to develop the student into an capable and virtuous citizen.  It was not merely to impart a body of knowledge or a certain set of utilitarian skills.  Classical education as I seek to employ it with my children is one that seeks to develop accurate habits of thinking, eloquence in expression, and development of character through the study of the Western Canon and figures of historical significance, both world leaders and “ordinary saints.”
• Latin centered - There are lots of reasons to teach children Latin.  Just a few of the primary, practical benefits are as follows: the study of Latin develops an English vocabulary better than any other foreign language, the study of Latin prepares students for the study of modern languages, the study of Latin improves the students understanding of English grammar, and the study of Latin trains students in important and valuable habits of the mind, especially order, memory and attention to detail.  (For more see, Andrew Campbell’s wonderful work, The Latin Centered Curriculum, on which I rely heavily).

I recently read a great book called Rethinking Worldview, by J. Mark Bertrand.  I later found an interview of the author at Discerning Reader.  Mark was asked how he would develop the ideal Worldview course.  His answer was that it already existed in the form of the classical liberal arts education (such as I hope to utilize with my children).  He concluded by saying, “the goal would be to create students who can think in worldview terms, but in an expansive rather than reductive way—a tribe of artist-theologians with a knack for living in the real world.”  That is goal I have as well.  Mark went on to say, “if such a school existed, I wouldn’t be qualified to teach there. If anything, I’d want to enroll.”  Qualified or not, that is the school I propose to provide for my children.  And, I aim to be enrolled with them.