The philosophy of education that Patmos & I adhere to is as follows: Educators must help a child reach their full potential academically, emotionally & physically.  Secondly, education is to help a student discover their vocation and at the same time to develop those skills that will be helpful to accomplish the tasks involved in their individual call.  This call of course does not simply mean a career choice & functions but it involves becoming a member of family and community.  Vocation is ultimately where we are placed to serve God and His people.  This could be driving a truck or probing inside the human body as a medical doctor.  Vocations involve the development of skills to be parents, spouses & citizens as well as jobs & careers.  Education is practical, moral & spiritual.  It is wisdom and the love of learning.

     Education is the primary task of family and community that seeks to teach our children well.  We will not have to answer to God for our mistakes, but will certainly have to reconcile those things we know needed to be done and lacked the courage to try to accomplish.  The question then is - how do we accomplish the education of a student?  There are six main areas that are included in my tutoring.

      1.  Patmos Tutoring is built on the premise that real learning can only take place between two people if there is relationship building.  Those who have had the most influence on us for better or for worse are those who have a relationship with us.  I attempt to actively engage my students in order to understand their world & how it works.  It must be clear that Patmos Ministries is in it for the "long haul" because relationship building takes time.

     2.  Balance - In education one constantly sees the need for a student to have structure, continuity and direction with that of spontaneity and the freedom to explore.

    3.  Patience - I have dealt with my own adademic demons, and I am extremely patient with students & parents in order to facilitate learning.  I am committed to the premise that a non-anxious presence is important for learning to take place.

    4. The Fun Factor - There are two schools of thought that have dominated education at different times.  The first is learning is not and should not be fun.  The second, which I believe is just as harmful, is that the fun factor needs to use someone else's ideas, games, etc.  Patmos is totally committed to teaching a child to make a task fun for themselves.  This is, to a large extent, the greatest aspect of Patmos.  For example, a child can learn the mulitplication tables by rote memory (not fun) or they can learn by playing a "canned" game (fun).  However, the student never is able to create his own games in order to learn.  Patmos Ministries encourages and attempts to help children make learning fun in their own way.

     5.  Realistic - In assessing individual students and setting goals, there needs to be an honet & realistic view of abilities.  For example, Pastor DeRosa was never meant to be a PhD in New Testament Greek.

    6,  "To God be the glory" - it speaks for itself.

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