To Study is To Worship

Why do you teach? What do you teach? Are you Greek or Hebrew in your approach?

• The Greek approach is the buffet approach to education; pick and choose that which suits YOU. Very individualistic, very self-focused.
• The Hebraic approach to education is to marinate the student. Soak them in an understanding of who they are in grand story of God.

 "In short, in secular Greek literature the didaskalos (teacher) aimed mainly at developing the talents and potentialities of his pupil. Unlike the Jewish idea of teaching, Greek teaching did not usually concern itself with the development of the students whole personality and his education in the deepest sense...

The aim of the Jewish teacher was not so much to develop certain intellectual or practical faculties in his disciple but rather to summon his learner to submit to the authority of the divine message of the Scripture upon which he was commenting. here the Jew's whole personality is involved; to be taught called for radical obedience to that higher divine reality outside oneself...the Greeks learned in order to comprehend. The Hebrews learned in order to revere."

"Genuine reverence for the sanctity of study is bound to invoke in the pupils the awareness that study is not an ordeal but an act of edification ; that the school is a sanctuary, not a factory, that study is a form of worship.

(Our Father Abraham, "A Life of Learning."

Thoughts?

 

U R What U Eat, & Read

I have an emergent reader on my hands. She'd much rather count and figure sums. It's not that she can't read, it's just that she is like a couple of her siblings. Quite bright in some areas, to the point of really not having to work at all for comprehension. Which is great. These types of students are a blast to teach. Except when you hit areas that they have to work in. My kids at least, the ones who "get" certain areas, have a sense of entitlement regarding all of learning. It's nauseatingly easy here, so why work there? Anyone else know what I mean?!

In response to said emergent reader I have succumbed to allowing her to read Strawberry Shortcake, and Dr. Seuss. Seuss I don't mind so much as the cadence and rhythm of the words are redemptive, even though the content may lack. Strawberry Shortcake is pure fluff, though to an 8 yo girly girl, the excessive use of pink in the pictures and the super duper sweet characters is what it's all about. I also, PaxRoMommma that I am, require her to read the first page of whatever book we're reading out loud together, demanding that she read every.single.word. (no glossing over articles, short changing endings, mumbling difficult words), even though it's about 3-4 grades "ahead" of where she's at. I demand that she sound  out words, practice syllabication, read the whole darn thing, even, and perhaps especially, when the word might be something difficult, like necessary or piecemeal, or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I am constantly putting increasingly difficult reading in front of my kids and requiring that they, drum roll please, read it. I want them to own the mechanics of reading and I want them to own the wisdom that they can reap from challenging words, written by the wisdom of the ages. Am I a mean Momma? Yeah, and? Am I an effective one? 5 for 5.

I don't believe that giving a kid something to read, anything to read, "as long as they are reading," is a healthy philosophy. Brain candy is good on occasion (Startgate Atlantis, anyone?) but will erode the strength of a person if taken as a regular habit. That's why Strawberry Shortcake is a one time run in our home and why Goosebumps will never see the light of day here. I don't serve up Twinkies 3 meals a day and say, "at least they're eating" anymore than I serve up bland and life sucking books and call it reading or, even worse, education.

"Listen, listen to me and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." (Isaiah 55:2) 

"For we let our young men and women go out unarmed in a day when armor was never so necessary. By teaching them to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and the radio, we have made certain that no aversion to reading shall secure them from the incessant battery of words, words, words. They do not know what the words mean; they do not know how to ward them off or blunt their edge orgling them back; they are a prey to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intellects.We have lost the tools of learning, and in their absence can only make a botched and piecemeal job of it."  ~Dorothy Sayers 

Just as it's important to get a firm grasp of the mechanics of reading, it's important to use the tool of reading well. Filling our kids heads with useless or gruesome information is a waste of their brain space and an abuse of their youth and emotion.

What's on your summer reading list? What's on theirs?

Find more articles of interest at Graceful and The Legacy of Home:

A Day Late-Blogger's Bad

*1*

Barn Dwellers. 2 sets of Coons and kits. We are surrounded by the wild and wooly.

*2*

Good reads. Cub has discovered the King Raven series. Delicious words by a story teller who dishes it up hot. As a result Flower has wanted to read the younger versions of Robin Hood. Happy to oblige. I read Zebra and Other Stories by Potok. Disturbing scenes from troubled youth. Not sure why I would hand this to a young adult.  Potok does much better with the tragic aftermath of WWII.

*3*

Summer school is in session: typing, cursive, grammar, math facts, Teaching Company Shakespeare, Chem and Super Star Student, bike riding, daily walks, gardening. Well, we would garden if spring would actually stay. It was cold and wet today with snow forecasted for tonight. Blech!

*4*

Feeche is now the proud holder of a restricted driver's permit. Being a passenger while my kids learn to drive is not one of my favorite things. My mantra will be, "Be still and know that I am God." My strategy will be to pawn this off on my husband.

*5*

Farmer's market this morning (Saturday). Temps in the 40's -obscene! The flowers and bread were gorgeous. Next week I'll be taking my camera along.

*6*

Check out How to Plan Your Homeschool Year at HSV.

*7*

It's UP! Sporting breakfast and dinner menus for the week, most of which is made and in the freezer. Bon Appetite!

Homeschooling Success 4 U!

There's lots of talk and questions every spring from those considering homeschooling. It's always a bit frightening to take the road less traveled. If you are sitting on the fence, take heart. Here are some pragmatic steps you can take to ensure

HOMESCHOOLING  SUCCESS!

1. Define your nightmare. If you did, or do, homeschool, what would be the worst case scenario/ outcome for you?
My worse case nightmare would be illiterate kids that lived with me till the day.I.die. I like my kids. Really. I just don't like cooking 3 meals a day, cleaning up after everybody, managing rides and schedules and laundry. The people rock. The work load, not so much. The 2nd nightmare is that I go a bit nuts. Actually, the 2nd nightmare is more my husband and kids nightmare. It does occur on occasion. Fortunately the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the nightmare (right, honey?!)

2.What steps could you take to repair the damage? You know, if the worst case scenario panned out. A solid phonics program. Locks on the door. Move with no forwarding address. Prepare the children well. Engage, or marry, a good therapist (wait, I did that (love you, Honey!)

3. What are the outcomes/benefits, both temporary & permanent of more probable scenarios? You know, if you were more successful than the worst case scenario.
My kids would be literate (and literary). They would move out, have successful, amazing lives of their own, including traveling the world, making friends, influencing people, earning degrees and money, having joyful marriages and healthy, delightful kids, laughing out loud and loving the Master of the Universe.

4.If you were forced to home school today, what would you do to get things under control? You know, if you HAD to home school.
Develop my pedagogy and plan the year, creating a seasonal and daily schedule. Order excellent curriculum, based on my pedagogy. Enroll in quality enrichment programs. Develop a life style of learning. De-clutter my house. Streamline my life. Strategize in order to get it all done
.
5. What are you putting off out of fear? Are you delaying making the decision because you think you'll fail? (see step #1), or because you think you'll go nuts? (see step #2)

6. What is it costing you? Your kids safety? Your kids learning environment?  What is the motivation to even consider homeschooling? What do you hope will be different if you begin homeschooling? Write the vision and make it plain.

7. What are you waiting for? Will the cost diminish if you wait or procrastinate or will the cost increase? If the cost will increase, perhaps it's time to take a leap of faith and jump on in. C'mon! The water's just fine!!

(A head nod to Tim Ferris for the inspiration for this piece)

Check out The Carnvial of Homeschooling for more inspiration!

Day of Remembrance

The Rock

Mired in sinking sand

Guilt,shame, loneliness,

Burdens.

Quick sand consuming my self,

Head above water, barely breathing,

The rest of me drowned

In mire.

And then, a rock.

I am lifted up

Despite the sins that threaten me

The accusations

I don't even know if they are true

But I hear them.

Ringing in my ears.

Deeds done. Left undone. Half done. Poorly done. Over done.

Disappointing those I've tried so desperately to please.

My feet on a rock.

 In desperation I cried out and it appeared.

Salvation.

Saved by grace

and that not of myself

And now, so many years later,

I feel the drowning again.

Accusations again

Disappointment again

Words that are difficult to distinguish as truth.

Noise. In my head

Cacophony.

My head hurts. My feet stuck. My ears ring.

Through the noise I try to hear the rock.

That holds my feet.

That won't separate itself from me

No matter how deep the mire pulls me down.

The rock that says

Hold fast.

And the noises rush at me

Accusations flood around,

The bog that grabs hold and demands justification

For what I am

What I'm not.

And the rock says,

I am firm

I am steady

I will not fail you

But the promises seem faint and distant.
I am tired of the bog and the mire.

That has settled itself,

The sticky stench that pulls and drags and threatens me

That brings confusion instead of clarity.

Senselessness

instead of sense.

The rock is firm

But my knees buckle, literally, and I can not stand.

My weakness

Frailty

Cut off at the knees

Hoping against hope

For different outcomes

Resolutions

Kindness instead of selfishness.

Recognition instead of rejection.

Love instead of narcissism that doesn't see,

Doesn't respond, doesn't hear, doesn't care.

My own and others

I am crying, crying, crying for one to hear who won't

And the rock says

I hear.

And I want the rock's voice to cut through the gauze

That surrounds my heart and the hurt

And make all things new

Make me new

All things new

Revelation 21

Rocking Mommas

Queen Victoria

 Longest reigning British monarch and the longest reigning female in history, beloved wife of Albert and mother of 9. She is called "The Grandmother of Europe." The Young Victoria and Victoria & Albert are both delightful flicks about an intriguing monarch.

Lillian Gilbreth

The original Cheaper by the Dozen Mom. Along with her husband Frank,  she co-founded the Cognitive Psych program at Purdue University, author, efficiency expert and mother of 12, all of whom went to Ivy Leagues. She combined engineering, psychology and motherhood and was the first American engineer to synthesize scientific management and psychology. You'll laugh out loud reading Cheaper by the Dozen and Bells on Their Toes.
 

Ruth Bell Graham

Missionary, author, wife, a vital component of Billy Graham;s evangelistic ministry, mother of 5. Her head stone reads, in Chinese (her parents were missionaries with the China Inland Mission) "Righteous." On my list: Ruth, A Potrait.

Barbara Bush

Wife of a president, mother of a president, wife of a Governor, mother of 2 U.S. Governors, literacy advocate, mom of 6.  George W was asked once what arguments with his mother were like. He replied, "You don't argue with Barbara." Love that.

Kathleen

A friend of a friend whose son was killed almost 3 years ago. On the anniversary of her son's death (May 14) she asks for prayers for the three whose thoughtless actions ended her child's life: Roberto (serving time in prison), Albert (serving time in prison) and Cindy.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Rocking Mommas!!

Whose on your list?

Find more inspiration at Legacy of Home

"To the Most Wonderful Mother..."

Walking, Words & Reading

A Few of My Favorite Things

Gardening. Put seeds in the dirt. Turn on the garden hose. Good, clean, fun.
Walking. The bad news is my son and husband can jog 3 miles in the time it takes me to walk 1. I have never walked so slowly in my life. The good news is that I can walk. Booyah, baby! Deliberately and sore at the end but my knee is working. Praise God. Mobility is highly underrated.
Walking while the notsolittles ride, ride, ride. Johnny Whiplash and Moped Jane are back in town!

Words, Words, Words.

Flower has discovered the joy of musicals so I have Eliza Doolittle or Maria singing in my head coming and going. Speaking of words, check out, "How to Create a Literature Rich Environment" at HSV this Saturday.

Addressing the same theme Susan Wise Bauer wrote a fascinating article on Disapearing Words.

And I'd love your feedback on my latest HOTM article What do You Have in Your Hand.

Books

Between the husband and myself:
The 5 People You Meet In Heaven  - interesting perspective. The last 2 "people"" were very poignantly written. Not at all how I view heaven. Did not change my view. Darn good writing.
Old Men at Midnight; another brilliant novel by master story teller Potok. My review here.
Wanderings - dh has been sequestering himself in secluded places every chance he gets to read.
The NotsoLittles:
Queen Victoria Princess Diaries ;I'm not a huge fan of this series, seems like a lot of fluff to get to anything historical but it was suggested reading for SOTW IV. Flower loves it, so we carry on.
Children of Hurin- Feeche is reading outloud to Cub. Cub loves every minute of story time with Bro.
The Littles; the never ending series. Flower loves.the.Littles.
ManChild:
 MacBethHe's sharing the part of MacBeth in the play. He gets to off someone and die. He is quite pleased with this.
The Old Man and the Sea; last classic of the year complete.

In the Courts of the Crimson Kings & The Sky People; his choice, fun stuff.

Planning

Summer school. Cruel and unusual punishment or Mom's Sanity Saving Solution? Viking Man said this week that we had Cub and Flower so that we could experience bickering children. Oy vey. These 2 bicker like an old married couple.

Not only do I have a plan, I have created a check-off sheet for each kid, which. I am going to laminate. Completed list per day = a calendar check off. Those displaying diligence and excellence throughout the summer get treated to something wonderful (You should probably know that when we say, "Something wonderful," we try our utmost to say it like Tim Allen in "For Richer or Poorer," during the engagement scene in the barn. It's taken on a life of its own in our family.

Lots of practical skills this summer like typing, driver's ed, grammar, etc. along with gardening, regular chores and work on the re-build. They don't call me PaxRoMomma for nothing!

I've had 3 people tell me how organized I am in the past week. This makes me happy and my husband laugh.(He was an officer in the Air Force, what can I say?!)

Blogging

If you want to check out some great homeschool blogs you'll find a slew of them here: Circle of Moms.

Found a couple fun blogs last week:  Choose to Thrive. I love her "about me." And she has some darn cute projects. And Jen at Finding Heaven combines writing with speaking and artwork. My kinda life!

My irl friend, Lydia, whom I've known since she was 15 and who is now an artist, wife and mother, has a lovely blog, LydiaLark.

School 2011-2012

I over plan for school the spring before (normally I do. The past year and a half have been anything but normal) and then flow as I go. I think Feeche is going to embark on a 2 year 20th century by the decade history course. One of the gals on TWTM boards cooked something up and a bunch of the rest of us added to it. I am fascinated. What books and movies do you recommend to get a rock out understanding of the last 110 years?

Ordered R & S grammar. I wish I'd done it years ago.

 Summer Reading and Watching
Compiling a list forme and the kids. What's the top 5 books/movies you've read/watched lately?

 

Linking up all over the place Conversion Dairies; The Homeschool Chick; Mama

Law & Grace

2 years ago I fell in love with Chaim Potok and read, read, read. Last week I was thinking about him again and ordered a couple of his books through the library. Read Old Men at Midnight yesterday and I'm still in love. He is an artist, a master story teller, a compelling historian.

Old Men is a trilogy of stories with a peripheral character that floats in and around the others. The first is about the sole survivor of a village devastated by WWII. It is titled "The Ark Builder." It is bittersweet with themes of purpose, loss and calling.
The second, The War Doctor, is set in Russia in WWII. Creepy. A dark look at the sociopathy of Stalin's Russia.
The third, the most confusing, The Trope Teacher. Themes of loss and meaning. One wonders if the main character is psychotic because of the trauma and loss, or because of the pain meds that manage the trauma and loss. There is trope upon trope embedded in this story. Not in the way that Voskamp's writing (1000 Gifts) is trope laden, to the point of confusion,  but saturated with meaning and history and metaphor.

The World Wars, clearly, and making sense of them, are Potok's life work. His burning question, how to make sense of the diabolical and senseless. This book is about being people of the Torah and how even when one follows the rules with devotion and fervor, the unthinkable can and does happen. It's about the limits of law; how law does not prevent tragedy and evil.

"He (the Trope Teacher) taught me the music of the book written by the creator God...I felt certain that I was learning the music chanted by God Himself whenever He opened the pages of the sacred narrative. and the angels, too, used that melody each time they told that story to one another. So Mr. Apiski informed me one evening. Sweetly the celestial choir sang the sacred trope, and the music ascended through all the heavens and reached to the seventh heaven wherein was the Throne of Glory on which sat the Creator god, and the Creator god would hear the chanting and be transported with joy, and the joy would overflow and drift downward from the Divine Presence, down like an invisible benevolent rain through all the lower heavens and the fiery starts to our troubled Earth, and brush humankind with tits radiance, and for a time there would be peace in the world and an abundance of happiness."

Beautiful words, but they also highlight the shortfall of "getting it right," Which is, you can't.

Bonhoeffer and Ten Boom. Wiesel and Potok. Faith that sustains. Law that falls short. Compare & Contrast.

Creatively Fit Program Give Away & Author Interview!

It's time for the final installment of my interview with artist, author and creativity coach, Whitney Ferrere. When you are done reading, sign up to win  

one FREE Meet the Artist Within Program

http://www.creativelyfit.com/

(this is a $75 value that includes a copy of her book, The Artist Within)

but everyone who signs up will automatically receive a free ebook. How cool is that?

Whitney, do you have any parting thoughts/ideas on creativity and home education in particular?

I know how easy it is to get caught up in the tangible aspects of homeschooling. We have certain standards and “bullet points” we have to master with our kids. Creativity Education is more subtle and easier to overlook. But if you realize that if your kids can stay Creatively Fit (they are born SO creative) that they will be happy, empowered, productive adults that will lead our world as “Change Agents” and problem solvers. We desperately need this now. Life used to be much more linear—our parents’ lives reflected this. School, marriage, career, retirement….
Now, all the rules have been broken and CHANGE is accelerating at exponential speeds. Look at the growth in technology just from when we were kids and then in just the last five years! No one anywhere can say, “We’ll just do it the way we did it last year”. It is ALL ABOUT being able to THINK on our feet and ROLL WITH the change, stay ahead of the change, etc. We need kids who can THINK and CREATE, not follow instructions—you know what I mean.
It would be great for the homeschool community to cheer each other on and support creativity. Creatively Fit may be developing more support materials, but, honestly, between my two books and my online programs I have everything here for you if you want to learn more. I can help you to get Creatively Fit and then you will know how to coach your kids.
We live in exciting times. We are on the brink…the brink of what will be up to us and our kids to CREATE! Sending so many inspired wishes your way! Remember INSPIRE= “spirit within”. It is what we share with the divine. Amen!
Whitney

Go to http://www.creativelyfit.com/ now to receive your FREE eBook from me that you can use at home right away. I look forward to staying connected with you all!

In order to qualify for the give away follow this blog and leave a comment, and join the Creatively Fit newsletter at http://www.creativelyfit.com/ (where you will all receive a FREE eBook about how to get into right brain thinking).

I'll be announcing the winner wtihin the week, so stay tuned!

Scenes of Spring

First Fire of the Season

High School rendition of the Cathedral

Puppy Love

Oral Interp final: Arsenic & Old Lace.

Warm enough to Swing

Field Romping

Morning Goodness

2nd & 3rd grade Art Class

Linked at Faith, Hope & a Whole lotta Love

Of Great Value

The Necklace is compelling. I'm still thinking, talking, writing about it.
A group of women collectively share something of great value. They selflessly spread the value among others. They grow and develop and become more than they were by the sharing  and wearing and the community that evolves.
I heart that.

My husband and I have been talking about The Necklace in conjunction with a lot of other things- groups we've started, fellowships we're starting, community and the early church and homeschooling.
I don't know about you, but I'm hungry for real community. I long for it. 
And I know what it is, cause I've had the privilege of participating in real community.
The first church I claim as my own.
A group of friends from college.
A group of women friends from church during our lean graduate years in California.
My family.

You'd think there'd be more. O.k., I think there'd be more. But real community is few and far between, crowded out by programs, and making/raising money and busyness, and honestly, apathy. Why participate in a group that is challenging and requires something of myself, when there is so much to show up to that just requires me to look good and display my status?

Homeshcooling,too, acts as a catalyst and because of that a divider. People have strong feelings about it one way or another and are generally not shy in expressing whether they think it's a good idea or a heretical one, tied up with reactionary, head in the sand citizenship. That, or they feel guilty for not homeschooling themselves. Or they think you are a lunatic for homeschooling and giving up a perfectly normal life and a 2nd income. All of that to say, homeschooling can be very isolating. And, oddly enough, there is often dissension among the ranks of homeschoolers- the very group of like-minded others a homeschooler would think they might find community with! Au contrair. Do you dress modestly? Do you dress modestly enough? What do you believe about the age of the earth? Do you believe in higher ed for your daughters? Surely you don't use that curriculum?  Do you go to the right church? Do you believe the correct doctrine? Division upon division.

Someone commented yesterday, in response to the post on Extraordinary Living; HOW? How does one live an extraordinary life when one is full of with mundane, everyday grunt work?

My response is 2-fold. Not that I know everything and answering the "How" is something that I really struggle with some days.
1. Develop a clear vision. What are you doing and why? Write the vision and make it plain.
2. Participate in community. True blue fellowship with others, coming together to do something that none of you can do apart from the others. It energizes, restores, builds up, challenges and breathes life into the ordinary.

The early church did what the women of Jewlia did. They had in common something of great value. They were transformed by the owning of it, wearing and sharing of it. They gave it freely to others when the time was right. They expanded their vision of what it could do for themselves, each other and their community. They are actually doing what the church is supposed to do!

Agree? Disagree? What are your thoughts?

Extraordinary Living

I've been mulling over last week's books: The Necklace and Grooming the Next Generation for Success and the thing I loved about both of them was that they talked about possibilities.
What happens when a person puts forth a vision and invites others to join in? In my experience, and from what I read, even bigger things than what one would have expected.
The laws of synergy kick in and

 1 + 1 no longer = 2

 it creates more.

Talents utilized = reward

I love the scene in the new Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Lucy and Edmund are first on board Caspian's ship. Edmund had, just shortly before, been bemoaning how common he is in the "real world," how he had once been a king in Narnia. And now he is back in Narnia, a land of enchantment, a land of extraordinary possibilities. As he steps foot on boat, Caspian introduces him as "King Edmund." The look on Edmund's face is perfect; joy. He has been recognized for who he is meant to be.

Most of us these days are just commoners. Royalty is rare, which might explain why we are mesmerized with it. But I think that most of us know, on a visceral level, that we have blue blood coursing through our veins. Like Edmund, we know we are created for more than the life of commonality, even when no one else recognizes it. 

These books talk about taking something common; like parenting, like jewelry, and creating something extraordinary from it. Children who are raised, not merely for adulthood, but for eternity. As I parent, I know that if I can keep my eyes focused on the goal, instead of the immediate frustration or irritation or job undone, or my own attitude, I can set a vision for my kids that is expansive. A vision that is both deep and wide. A vision that ignites their hopes, sparks their enthusiasm, brings them joy, causes them to go beyond the mere requirements in front of them and reach for something unbelievable. I can be the parent that keeps their feet bound to earth. Or, I can be the parent, like Caspian, that announces to them and others that they are destined for something beyond the common, every day grind of barely getting by. They are destined for a life of extraordinary possibilities.

 Jewelry that is purchased, not just to be worn, but to create community and friendships. I've been involved in communities before. With people who shared a common vision, if only friendship, and it energizes, informs, gives and demands. It challenges me to be a better person, a person less focused on my self.

As a parent, as a friend, if I want to reach for something more, like these authors are proposing, I have to give up. I have to give up my own earth bound immaturity. I have to give up wanting everything pleasant and  nice. I have to give up time, energy, comfort, ease. I have to put my hand to wheel and do the hard work of extraordinary living. I have to sacrifice the mundane, every day ease and comfort of just enough.

I'm jazzed by these books and what they propose. They are speaking my language. Both Johnson and the women of Jewlia are crafting something extraordinary from the ordinary. My kinda people.

What are your thoughts?