God’s Perfect Plan
An Ambrose Parent Education article by Carl Warmouth, Dean of the Grammar School
Dear Parents,
I hope that this series of Ambrose 101 articles has been helpful to you. This week we will continue to look at the grade level themes by exploring the First Grade Theme of God’s Perfect Plan.
Why God’s Perfect Plan?
The theme of God’s Perfect Plan connects to the previous year’s theme of Obedience in the sense that when we obey our parents we are beneficiaries of the plan they have for the family, when we obey our teacher we are beneficiaries of the plan she has for the class, and when we obey God we are beneficiaries of his perfect plan. Ultimately we use this theme to point our first graders to the Gospel: that God had a perfect plan for saving his people from sin, sending his only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.
How it works.
There are countless opportunities throughout the day for the teacher to point out examples of God’s Perfect Plan and how it plays out in Bible, Science, Phonics, Math, and other subjects. They have literature and Bible stories specifically chosen to illustrate those examples. They point out that letter sounds and clusters obey phonics rules. In math, 2+2 always equals 4. If it says it equals 5, it is not true. Our teachers then connect those ideas to the daily life of their students with a goal of cultivating heart obedience.
Partnering with Parents
We love to share these ideas with you so that we can be lock-step together. You can reinforce what we are doing at school, and we can reinforce what you are doing at home.
Some ways we can do that together is for you to ask your student about what they are learning about God’s Perfect Plan. You will probably get better responses than if you asked, “How was your day” or “What did you learn today?” As your children become accustomed to thinking about God’s perfect plan, we can use this idea to help them navigate through not only the wonder and amazement of his created world but also through the trials and difficulties. We know from Romans 8:28 that all things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
If you want to incorporate the First Grade catechisms, here they are:
Q1: How did God show His sovereignty at creation? God showed His sovereignty by creating everything perfectly by His word.
Q2: How did Adam and Eve interfere in God’s plan? Adam and Eve interfered in God’s plan by disobeying God.
Q3: How did God show His goodness to the world after sin entered the world? God showed His goodness to the world by promising to send a Savior.
Q4: Who are two people from the Bible who demonstrate that God has a perfect plan? Joseph and Moses demonstrate that God has a perfect plan.
Q5: What is one example in nature that shows God’s perfect plan? Ants show God’s perfect plan because they do not need a captain to get their work done.
Q6: How should we respond to God’s perfect plan? We should respond to God’s perfect plan by being thankful and obeying Him.
Q7: What does God want us to do when we are fearful? When we are fearful, God wants us to ask for His help and trust in His perfect plan.
Q8: What is God’s perfect plan for us? God’s perfect plan for us is to love Him and know Jesus as our Savior.
Carl Warmouth, Grammar School Dean
Carl is the Grammar School Dean for our 5-day program. He was the headmaster at Trinity Christian School in Opelika, Alabama before coming to The Ambrose School in 2014.
“I first became convicted of the value of classical Christian education in 1999 after my wife began teaching at a classical Christian school and we enrolled our oldest child there. After reading Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Excused Absence, and The Paideia of God by Doug Wilson, I sensed God calling me to be involved in a greater way. After considerable time spent seeking God, I made a career change and was hired as the upper school principal at Trinity Christian School. The following year I was asked to serve as headmaster. My two children both received a K-12 classical Christian education. My son graduated from Ambrose in 2017 and my daughter continued her classical Christian education at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. My wife has been a grammar school teacher now for more than 18 years. I believe deeply in the vision and mission of The Ambrose School, and am honored to be a part of it.
My previous experience includes nine years in the resort industry and 10 years in child and family counseling as the Therapeutic Program Director at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children. I love the people and culture of the Treasure Valley and the opportunities for outdoor adventure.”
