An excerpt from the book, Nature's Case for God, by theologian and philosopher, John Frame, reminded me how important a proper view of God's world is to the task of education. Schools primarily study various aspects of God's world so if we have a distorted picture of the purpose of created, physical reality, we will also have a distorted picture of the purpose of education. Frame asks, "Does natural theology violate sola Scriptura?" His answer resonates with me.
…the principle does not forbid us to seek knowledge of God from creation. Rather, Scripture itself tells us that God is revealed everywhere and that human beings are therefore under obligation, not only to hear God’s word in Scripture, but to obey his revelation in all creation."
Studying God's world cannot be separated from God's word, but neither can God's word be separated from God's world.