Reader Question: Does Teaching A Child According to His Learning Style Prepare Him for the Real World?

It seems that last week's guest post about homeschooling stirred up a bit of controversy. A reader had some comments about it that I decided to pass on to you in my own paraphrase. Feel free to comment whether you homeschool or not. I'd love to hear all of your opinions.

Donna spoke about discovering your child's learning style and teaching them accordingly. A reader thought that would not prepare them for the real world because a boss will assign work to one as it needs done not according to one's learning style. The comment was made that if he (yes, I have a few male readers--bless your hearts--I'll try to be easy on you!) were to tell his boss that he worked best by listening to music that his boss was likely to tell him to find another job. He was also concerned that this would teach children that they are the ultimate deciding factor of what they learn rather than the authority figure. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? And why or why not? (Oops....that may be phrased for those whose learning style is the essay question...are there really any people that learn that way? Never mind....)

Reader Question: Why the title?

In my mailbox, I received this question from one of my feminist friends after she read my blog introduction:

Of all the housewives articles I've read, housewives I've emailed and know, they all 'appear' to be proud to be housewives, why, oh, why do they give themselves titles like a research associate in the field of child development and human relations and queens of castles and other random things. If they wanted to be a research associate, why didn't they study and become one? Most housewives don't live in castle, because very few people these days can afford to have a castle, why call yourselves something which you are not? Isn't that lying, considering most housewives claim to be Christian? If housewives are housewives, why do they have to have a glammed up title, why can't they just accept who they are? Why do they feel the need to compete against working women with a title, which they are not (most times, nowhere near it, academically). It is a unfulfilled dream? Are they unhappy and are trying to make their title make them look something big? Us working women have a title because we worked to having that title. Housewives are called so because they choose to work towards that. My job is a servicedesk analyst, it's what my contract says. I don't call myself anything else. Computer technician, which I am anyway, I build and maintain computers outside of work, so it's who I am. If I ever became a housewife, the chances of this are as slim as the moon or sun colliding with the earth, I wouldn't call myself anything but a housewife. Even if I married I rich man and lived in a REAL castle and had maids/servants, I wouldn't call myself a Queen of the castle, first lady of anything, I would still refer to myself as a housewife. Why the title thing?

My answer:
Although I don't get combative about it or anything, I dislike the term housewife. It suggests that I am married to my house or at the very least that all I am is a caretaker of a home that happens to be married. Your questions are fair questions but they presuppose the following things:

• Who I am is what I do
• Who I am is directly related to the amount of money I can earn

The titles mentioned on this blog are not ones I made up for myself. They are Biblical titles that I and other women following God's plan have been given by God.

God calls me a daughter of the King. That is who I am. I don't need a husband, children or a home or any professional occupation or education to define me. My King is all I need, and in Him I rest content and satisfied in my identity.

That being said, God has blessed me with a husband, and He calls me to be a crown to my husband. He's also given me children and desires that I be a "joyful mother" to them. He has given me the title of keeper of my home. It is difficult to put all of that into one two-word title!

I understand that my reference to my home as a castle could sound idealistic. I find the terms "home"and "castle" to be equally as inviting and important. The home is God's first created organization. When I refer to a castle, it is in the figurative sense. I assumed my readers would know that I don't live in a literal castle since most, if not all, of these are uninhabited now. My intention was not to be untruthful, and I trust it won't disappoint anyone to find out that my header photo is not a picture of my actual home.

One more thing to note is a castle is not the same as a palace. This distinctive difference will be explained more fully in Friday's home post.

Above all, my goal for this blog is to encourage those that wear these God-given titles I've mentioned. The ultimate goal is not to have perfect homes here on earth, but to impact eternity so that we may experience "Joy Ever After" in our Heavenly home. That is no fairy tale!


Readers, do you have any additional things to add to my answer to this reader or any follow-up questions of your own?