Joseph Smith has been called “America’s greatest educator” and yet the Prophet’s principles for successful education have largely been forgotten!
Principles of a “Joseph Smith Education”
- Focus OUT Not IN – “Feed My Sheep”
- Mission Centered – “Here am I send me”
- Spirit Directed
- Father Presided and Family Centered
- Content is the message – “All things testify of Christ”
- Built on the Rock
- Agency Motivated
- Stewardship Based
- Exemplar Inspired
- Eliminate Waste, 100% Productive
Educating Zion: Joseph Smith’s Restored Principles (Free Webinar)
What is a good education?
What is good education and how is this education to be achieved? Is God’s influence important in educational philosophy, methodology, curriculum and programs? What do the scriptures, Joseph Smith and other prophets of God have to say regarding this vital area of our lives? The Joseph Smith Foundation is an educational resource for families and individuals dedicated to “scholarship founded on revelation”. President John Taylor, third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave this testimony to the imperative importance of the words of Joseph Smith on education:
Joseph Smith knew more in regard to true education that all the philosophers and scientists of the earth; and he knew it by the revelations of God. We want to get together to train our children up in the fear of God, to teach them the correct principles ourselves, and place them in possession of such things as will lead them in the paths of life. (Monnett, Jack. “John Taylor, Educator”. pg. 60, quote by John Taylor)
Those contributing to the Joseph Smith Foundation believe that the revelations of God contain the answers to the hotly debated educational issues of our time. This site contains resources for parents in the instruction of their families. We live in an age of information overload. The Internet is filled with information, some critical to understand, most non-essential and the balance very destructive. Of the critical information, that which is most often overlooked is the inspiring and sacred. President John Taylor added this to our quest for true education:
A great amount of [the world’s education] is of very little value, consisting more of words than ideas; and whilst men are verbose in their speaking or writing, you have to hunt for ideas or truth like hunting for a grain of wheat among chaff or rubbish. It is true that a great amount of it is really valuable, and it is for us to select the good from the bad. (Monnett, Jack. “John Taylor, Educator”. pg. 60, quote by John Taylor)
Every concerned parent feels an anxiety and responsibility for the proper education of their children. Joseph Smith Academy has a team of individuals dedicated to finding and organizing uplifting materials from across the world and then making these materials available to families in their own home using the latest Internet technologies.
