From Division to Unity

A family divided, can become a family united!  

A story from Julianne Kimber:

"One of the warning signals that our family was not united glared bright and clear when we took them on vacation one summer. All the children were excited to go, and each begged to invite one of their friends to come along so they could have “fun”. We began to wonder why they needed outsiders to provide the fun they were looking for. Because we wanted this to be a family outing, we told them, “This time, no friends.” During our so-called vacation there was much sulking, arguing and contention among the children. We realized something had to change in our family relationships.

Not long after this experience we began home tutoring. At first, we were surprised by their behavior towards each other even in the home. It was anything but positive. It was during learning time that we discovered that they didn’t really know each other! They had always been separated in different grades or schools, and had various social activities that rarely allowed them to associate together. As a family unit, we had a lot of growing times while they learned how to get along 24 hours a day!

After a few weeks, we started noticing gradual changes in relationships. The children slowly but surely began to develop a certain loyalty to one another. Because we were spending so much time together, there were more opportunities to “bond” at home.

After several months, we also noticed that teaching became much easier, and learning became a lot more fun because there was a general spirit of cooperation and unity in the home that we had not experienced before. Of course there were days when relationships and learning times would back-slide, but we noticed that it was much easier to solve those problems when we were together on a continuing basis. We decided that serving each other was one of the main keys to this harmony.

As the spirit of service grew, the children really began to enjoy being home together in a learning atmosphere. Our children started to become friends. They were learning to help each other and were more interested in doing things together. Outside influences didn’t have as much of an impact on their relationships. Today those growing years bring happy memories to us as parents, and – hopefully – to our children as well".

• As families become more unified in their learning together, contention will leave the home.
• As families who are used to other public or private school schedules become involved with Kimber Academy, they may experience this same process that Julianne's Family went through. It may take time, but they will notice that their children will begin to have more in common as they are placed in the same class and/or learning the same curriculum. Just the fact that the children are all learning with the same scriptural-based guidebooks with provide them with a unifying source.
• Outside of the 12 hours spent at Kimber Academy, many families enjoy learning at the kitchen table where they can hear the stories of history altogether, and enjoy read-aloud time with Mom. Here the children have opportunities to teach each other while they do their individual work.

The scriptures contain many words of wisdom to help parents know how to teach their children at home. There are several scriptures that would make excellent posters to remind us of the Lord’s counsel regarding families and education.  For example, Paul wrote:“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ....” (Ephesians 6: 1-4)
Solomon wrote:“Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
“For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
“For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
“Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
“Forsake her [ie, wisdom] not, and she shall preserve thee: love her; and she shall keep thee.
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:1-7)

Faith and Moral Values

At Kimber, we believe that Faith and Moral Values come First, not last.  Benjamin Franklin said, "Learning to serve God, family and community should be the aim and end of all true learning." Serving God and learning to keep His commandments should be foremost in a student’s learning as he or she goes through life.We took a different approach to all the academics and made them God-centered and service-oriented. Briefly, here is how we have attempted to accomplish this:

History. History is simply a record of God’s dealings with mankind, and man’s dealings with each other. Instead of teaching godless theories of how mankind evolved, the Kimber History is taken directly from the viewpoint of the scriptures. Each student--no matter what denomination he or she belongs to--can refer to their preferred set of scriptures—the Bible (any version), the Book of Mormon, the Torah, the Koran, or the writings of Confucius. All these are considered to be sacred writings. When young people see how God works with mankind, and how mankind works with one another on the earth, they begin to know their own worth and thus develop a personal relationship with their Creator. This grows into a desire to serve Him and keep His laws and commandments.

Math. Instead of repetitiously manipulating numbers on pages and pages of pre-written math problems, the Kimber Math program presents the fundamentals of how God used mathematics to pattern of the entire universe. Students are taught that He is the Great Mathematician who organized everything, for he said: “ ... all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.” (Moses 1:35) Also, the Savior told his Apostles, “The very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). As students begin to see the magic of what they too can do with numbers and correlate the concepts of how God organized everything in existence with numbers and formulas, His majesty becomes more clear. It is hoped that students may begin to ask questions such as, “How can I use mathematic knowledge to help my fellow man, and to help build God’s kingdom?” The Kimber math texts are designed to help them answer this question.

Language Arts.  Language arts is the “art of communication.” When students learn proper grammar, spelling, and language skills, they are better prepared to communicate. The plan of this curriculum is to teach the student the beauty of communicating their thoughts and words, so they can help others gain an appreciation for the Creator. Using their Language arts skills, the Kimber Language arts program teaches students to share the beauty of language with all kinds of service projects. Students begin to use self-expression on a higher plane because they use the “art of language” from the scriptures and the classics. They show how they feel about life and God through stories, poetry and thought

Science.Science is perhaps the greatest testator of the existence of God. In the Kimber six science guidebooks, students are given major vocabulary words to research, analyze, memorize, and illustrate. As they write their own textbooks on the subjects of physiology, zoology, botany, chemistry, geology, and astronomy, their knowledge and testimony of God’s existence builds and strengthens. Their finished books are an impressive portfolio for any college or job.