Life & 31 Days

Just about the time you start to think too hard... life happens. We had a bout with pneumonia around here, and well the 31 days just didn't materialize. But we did alot of reading, thinking, listening, and I'd say we just practiced what we preached.
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We also painted the shed! The before and afters are superb. (Thankyou Eric!) The colors are Hardware(siding), Thunder Grey(trim), and Peppery(doors), all from Sherwin Williams.  I have been dying to try Peppery on something. We're debating the Hardware/Thunder Grey for the house. There is alot of siding for our house, so we need to choose wisely.

 

You get the idea. Obviously different seasons, but Eric has done an amazing job clearing out around it to make way for usable yard/garden/play space.

 

Kitchen designs are still priority, as we will get started as soon as the new year rolls around. Bye-bye kitchen in the foyer syndrome. Our kitchen is the drop spot for everything on one tiny stretch of counter. We're taking over the previously known as dining room/school room.

Here's the original 'before' with the wallpaper.  

Here's my after wallpaper removal.

And here's where a new kitchen will go.

 

The wall on the left where the kids table is (and my current range is on the other side of the wall) should turn into a peninsula, sink infront of raised windows, and range with a window to the right will go on the right wall.

Fridge will slide down from it's current spot.

I'm. so. excited.

 

 

Meanwhile, we sort through AR Reading list, work on Handwriting Without Tears, practice math facts and enjoy fall days. School is going well. Learning and living are happening. Live out the Grammar of our Lives.  

 

 

 

 

 

Day #4 Channeling the Classical Passion Before & After School - Is it all too much?

Our family, back when things were really simple.

 

Day #4
 Is it All Too Much?

You are in a courtroom, falsely accused of a crime. There are circumstances that bring possibility of guilt into the minds of the jury, and you wonder how will your innocence be proven?
You look to your attorney and wonder.
In law, and the study thereof, one must recall numerous, even countless cases & circumstances, dates & detail that will  or could have most significant implications on the lives of many. Not only the individual, but their family, community, and future generations who must live with the presidence set in the record of descisions.
The only way to train a student to learn is to exercise their memory.
Once the mind has been stretched, it can go backwards, but a normal, average mind of intelligence can stretch to great size.
Creating the habit to do this is fundamental for a future of potential. Learning how to do a particular  task may be all fine and good through a tuteledge arrangement or a mentoring effort. But what if there is no cook or vetrinarian or bookeeper or banker to train. Or more to the points of life and death, figuratively & literally speaking, how will one learn to argue a case or identify an illness if they are never shown a method , if there is noone to teach it?
____ I often wish for days of ease--didn't I just arrive at this happy place after I sent them away to school?  But I'm not at ease. When I hear of the difficulty with which students must repeat even fundamental classes upon entry to post highschool education, I am saddened. So should I sit around an wait, or step up and take responsibility for the children I love, educate and rear?
I remember the first time I became aware of Dr. Carson, a leading surgeon (I believe now a neuro surgeon) at Johns Hopkins Medical. I learned like many of his unusual upbringing. He beat 'the odds'. His mother couldn't read and cleaned houses. Could. Not. Read.
As he tells it, she came home, turned off the t.v. and said 'we're going to be reading.' or some words to that effect. She had noticed that the homes she cleaned were lined with books. So she took the boys to the library and told them they would write book reports about what the read. And the did.
One might say, but they were in a low-income school, with little opportunity.etc... I would say, no matter. To me the key was she expected more. Average wasn't good enough. Today Dr. Carson has had an amazing impact on humanity for good. He praises his Creator not by 'preaching' but through action only precipitated by long years of practice and learning.
I am sure that a few times, Mrs. Carson's boys complained. How often do I concede to the complaining. or feel sorry for them....
Creating a desire and an expectation for love of learning by the rewards the learning produces are essential. Being able to truly complete an objective, and be recognized for achievement of that goal are essential. But if there are no 'real' goals, how can this be achieved?
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When/Scheduling

When time is available. What am I spending my time doing? What do the children see when I have free time? How will the conversation of facebook help my kids when they could be practicing a fact or sharing a real face-time moment with me? My availability is important as well as the ritual like lessons. Many times the ritual becomes the focus in education, and the heart of the mother is just drained. That's all I felt my kids seeing me. That's not why we stopped homeschooling, but I did often feel that. The joy(note I did not say happiness) of parenting was often gone. And it can be gone easily if I am not believing in my purpose to raise/educate and teach children to be better citizens for this world and for God. If I am consumed with 'getting through the day', and never finding joy in a moment, neither will they. And producing kids in this day and age, with a 'getting by' attitude is a frightful proposition.
For now, we seem to all be 'present' before school. I review a few facts not necessarily related to their present school work, but are timeless facts. We review them briefly, but with a reasonable amount of intensity, with consistent methods. I've confined the material to CC 1(Ancient history and Life Science) memory work and OSH(Bible) memory work.  For now this is all we can manage effectively. But after football ends, we will begin in earnest Latin and English grammar.
For us before school works, because they are quiet, and because simply Daddy is a part of things. It is important to us that the entire family be present. It is important for us to work as a unit, not one parent over another. But even when it is on my own, or Daddy on his own, we know that the other is supportive of the extra mile, or the low-impact deep learning that might go on in a less entertaining evening of a Bible reading. or the 100th time of an educational CD.

Is this kind of approach to education natural?
My son asked me one time why I liked English shows. I told him they often talk about noble things, they are pleasant. Less assaultive. Ironic, as there are many movies that would not fall in that category that I have enjoyed. But I have realized sometime ago to be exactly who I am.
Have you ever seen the foster parent advertisement, where they suggest you don't have to be a 'super parent' just a parent. Who does all the dorky things that bio-parents do. That's my philosophy. My kids still hug me, and kiss me in public. They still are at the age where they don't question my judgement as they will in later years. But for now, I'm fine with who I am. I am not terribly exciting, I have a very no-show sense of humor; I can't tell a joke.
But I show up to the party. I figure the Lord arranged our parent-child relationship, it's my job to accept the challenge.
But the blogperfection/pinterest tagging lifestyles that we are supposed to have are not realistic. It occurred to me that my parents didn't have the options of cell-phones & cable t.v. that drives in so readily the unrealistic expectations, and the expense-direct & indirect these bring. There is no way anyone will actually ever do a tenth of the projects they pin on pinterest. Or view in a month on blogs. The supplemental books from Susan Wise Bauer, exceptional as they are, were to me ... a waste. We never got to those. We talked (and still do) about the people. We checked out a supplemental book, perhaps made a history page and moved on. No one will ever be able to do it all.
So 'scheduling' really isn't relevant. My BFF reminded me today of my first post in this series, where I mentioned, 'the grammar of our lives.' - first things first.
Next post-- Our family Book. Look out. My brain is unwinding and in no particular order.
31 Days at The Nester is the place to hangout on the web. Just remember what the 31 days is for.  It's a stopping point for me to put a rest to the heavy duty thinking and eat some candy corn with my kids.

Classical Education Before and After School - #3 Content and Scheduling What/When - Day #3

Jack on a drink break during a 1.5 hour practice which starts at 6:00 pm.

 

 

I illuded to the planning for the days ahead. When football wouldn't be such a deciding factor in our lives. I am an 'old-school' mom who has had to do some adjusting to the idea that our lives revolve around our childrens activities. Sometimes our beliefs & hopes just don't coincide with real life. I have adapted. Half full.

But yet, I still believe in the method of Classical Education. So if you just joined me, I'm Channeling the Classical Passion Before and After School for 31 days with The Nester's Link-up.

 

Day# 3 -- Content & Scheduling - What/When

 

Content/What

 

Do you remember 'Baby Boom' with Diane Keaton? I was always grateful when she finally got to Vermont and decided on a simpler life, but before that she had to figure out 'what' she wanted her child to know. Do you remember the flashcards in 'The Center' -- JFK & Whoopi Goldberg?

Finding the right content to memorize is important. If I left it up to the outside world there would be a regular memorization of pop-lyrics & the sing-song non-sense from other kids. Sometimes harmless, sometimes not. For now, we're in elementary public school, in a conservative community, and the grammar they are asked to memorize coincides with what I would see important. Mathmatical operations, properties of identity & commutative are all consistent. He is currently being required to memorize these facts. Timed tested at least everyother day. Skip-counting has helped and we started this with CC (Classical Conversations). I have mentioned CC quite often, and Heidi at Mt. Hope does an amazing job incorporating CC into her already rigorous life of learning. Visit her to better understand what its all about.

Academically the content & subject matter of history & science are exactly what I would have planned myself. (Greece & Georgia Geography) but to compliment I have sharpened the focus with intensity & frequency. I continue to review specific facts he has learned but realize the history sentences & the science facts  are more systematic (frequency & intensity of focus.) The repetition factor is up to me. But I have no disagreements to date except that Greece was presented as a democracy, not a republic. A detail oftend argued about the United States. Again. very little have I noted that was worth 'arguing' about. He was able to research and present a living report on a Greek god, and he chose Poseidon. The class had a day of presentations and a party celebrating with Greek Food. Intensity. He won't forget it.

Why did I choose for us to read at home the Odyssey? One might say that's a little over the top... don't you think? Can't he just read 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid?'  Content. I expressed my dismay over that book when it came home with him, and over time, whether he continues to bring home a book like this or not, or have access to them at school, or not, he will know what my desires are. And he LOVES hearing this particular collection of stories from antiquity. Really. And whether he does or not, I'm the adult. The parent. Who guides the content. Who makes the choices about what we hold dear in our family. I choose time tested books that have held up under the scrutiny & enjoyment of millions through history. There will be alot of dribble (twaddle) for my kids to shuffle through in life. But if I don't set the sights high, ever, when will they ever see it?
Being brave to challenge the status quo of what's acceptable to kids, inexperienced untrained, underexposed to quality kids, is real parenting, and real teaching. and I plan to go there with content.
Will I still follow the grade-level readout for Jack, provided by his school?  Yes, as a benchmark of skill level. Will it determine what selections I make throughout in all areas of my influence? Certainly not.
Classical Before & After School. It's where I am. Right now.
Visit others focused in on a variety of topics for 31 days at The Nester. I'll be here, folding laundry, clipping coupons, and reading about John Adams.  As well as Edie's choice at Life in Grace.

 





What's different about classical? Day#2

31 Days of Channeling the Passion of Classical Education Before and After School

Memorization.
Exercising the brain. That's what it's all about around here. While we eat our cereal we listen to Cycle 1 Classical Conversations CD, memory work. There are 24 weeks for the cycle, but we just listen straight through. We then practice our selected* choices, singing the 10 Commandments using the memory song from the CD. During Bible study we have been in the book of Judges, and last week we studied Samson. We noted that the 10 commandments indicated marriage was sacred and important to remain faithful to one's spouse ('do not commit adultery'). Samson seemed to struggle with this. Alot. But helping them 'hammer the peg'  in one more time, reminding them of the 10 Commandments and it's significance to God's people is the plan. Exercising the connections, hammering the peg.
Pegs. There's alot of talk about 'pegs' and hammering them in one more time is common in Classical Education.  It is the concept of creating pegs in one's mind to organize the thoughts one brings into the mind. For instance, another time we mentioned the 10 Commandments was when we read a Psalm (46) that mentioned Jacob ('the God of Jacob'). We referred to our memory song of 'Jacob's 12 son's' and our 'Our Spiritual Heritage' memory work that show's Jacob's 12 son's as the family of promise who received the 10 Commandments. We can put about 4 thoughts on that same peg, if we mention that Abraham was promised 2 babies: Jacob & Christ who would bless all men.
Repetition. Intensity. Frequency. We have been using all of this material for, well since they were born. The repetition of a fact will ensure it is never forgotten. But the frequency will ensure the availability of it's use in the mind. The intensity is another factor in the retention of the detail/fact. Singing is one of the most valuable methods of remembering anything. Think - commercial jingle. Catchy tune, brief fact. It's there for life. Can you sing the McDonald's big mac song? What nursery rhyme can you remember? Nursery rhymes are a beautiful way to introduce children to the beauty of rhyme, song, and memory. Children love to memorize & sing the jingle or say the rhyme. What would you rather them immortalize in their minds? A useful noble fact, say, a history sentence about our first president, or a random comic character.... say Sponge Bob Square Pants? Harmless maybe, useful for later. Not really. Noble? There's nothing noble to me about Sponge Bob. But that's for another day, what's worth memorizing.... Content.
Back to intensity. Do you remember the nursery rhyme, 'ride a little pony, go to town, ride a little pony, don't fall down!' and perhaps pretending to 'fall off' the horse? There is that intense moment that is coming in the rhyme that the child anticipates. Perhaps you remember 'ring around the rosie' for the same reason. Everyone's going to crash at the end to the ground. Well the same idea can be applied to saying a memory fact about anything. One of my favorite memories is of Henry in the bathtub watching race-cars go down the slope of the tub while reciting 'some parts of the skeleton'. Over and over he said the rhyme completely unaware of the lack of connection between the cars and the content of the memory work. But the activity we'd chosen to do the skeleton, repeated frequently with an intense activity involved in the effort to memorize it.  The intensity can be just a movement pointing to the skeletal part.  Just like one can 'say' the lyrics to a song, he can say the memory work now with out the hand motions.  Now. If I never bring that memory work back up again, he may remember it in a highschool anatomy class, but if I bring it back to the surface in a methodical way, with a normal routine of memory work, he'll have a leg up with grammar that has already made him confident in the area of Biology & Anatomy. But most of all it has given him the experience of how to learn. His brain at this age is geared to --Memorize. -- Memorize. Memorize.
*I realized something. Fearless Inventory remember? I am not currently working on all of the memory work I might have when we homeschooled. I am limited to a very busy start of the year schedule. Jack plays football 3 nights a week. 1.5 hours a night. Again, a compromise in our family. But one I work with. November will come, seasons change. But being aware and having reasonable expectations is my plan.
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Content and Is it important to do memory work connected to their school work? I think I'll talk about these tomorrow. 31 Days with the Nester is freeing. Knowing I only have 31 Days makes it doable. Visit other Nesters at this link to see what other folks are concentrating on for 31 days of October.  
Come back and visit me tomorrow for-
31 Days of Channeling the Passion of Classical Education Before and After School

31 Days #1 Channeling the Classical Passion Before and After School

This post was the 1st  written in conjunction with The Nester's 31 days Link.
Classical education has become trendy. There. I said it. Everytime you turn around, someone is talking about Latin, putting their kids in CC groups, memory work, grammar. But as it is so well described in Douglas Wilson's book, wearing a uniform & having the right texts on your desk do not a classical education make.
I am a huge proponent of classical education. CC groups, Latin, memory work & even uniforms (they're just .. cute.) But I'm a bit hamstrung right now. We, that is, my husband and I have found ourselves needing the kind of structure that we can't provide solely at home. Likewise, we cannot afford the kind of school that might provide that. And furthermore, we're really not entirely sure that the kind of school (a private classical christian school) might be the best thing for one or both of our children.
But to get straight to the point, I am needing to channel my classical beliefs into the time I have with my kids, outside of the hours they participate in government schools. You may be thinking, if she has all the time to write a blog about it, why aren't the kids at home? Suffice it to say, my husband and I are not in mutual agreement that this is the best for our family. When the home's sanity is in jeopardy, one chooses the entire family's best interest and one's spouse's desire. So off they go.   
But to the point of my 31 days. How does one continue and provide classical content when children are away 8 hours of the day, with homework that may or maynot compliment my desires. 
 Start with the end in mind. Look at the end-game.
Today, my son asked ' will I go to the same school next year?' Like I told him when he was at home, one day, one year at a time. We will assess this, but starting with the end in mind, one must have a plan. Our mutual objectives can be met, if our compromises are not to alienate the other's desires for our children. If we are all honest, we know there are things we disagree on about our children. Some matter, some don't.
I had to decide, does/did it matter to me, whether they were exactly in programs associated with homeschool or classical groups, or if they were just classically educated?
It has been said by many great thinkers, something like ' I never let school get in the way of my education.' I have always felt this way.
What I grew up with was a Dad who conditioned me to know that for every 1 hour in the classroom, there were 3 to be dealt with outside the classroom. Perhaps not in 3rd grade. But the idea was that a lecture does not an education make. What goes on after class is equally as important as what goes on during.
Am I making my kids do 2 sets of curriculum, well, yes & no.
I'll deal with the 'no' first.
I dug deep into the curriculum, and still do everytime the subject/topic/literature selection/math skill/ changes.
Everything is on line. Everything. The curriculum is all there. Georgia is a state notorious for 'low national standards', testing against one'self to keep the bar low.' The good news is GA has adopted Common Core which is nation wide.  (If you are a sold-out home educator this is no consolation, just a fact to be argued, read on if you want, stop reading and find another 31 dayer whose husband is in full agreement with home-education. In all kindness, this 31 day is not meant to be argumentative or undermining. Just one woman's path. documented for 31 days.)
I grab the subjects right there, as the teacher has sent home the assignments(via e-mail) & weekly schedule and I'm armed with what I need to structure home study. He has homework anyway, so I structure it meeting the required work with a sharpened aim.
I break it down into grammar, and work with it. I add what I think needs adding, and go from there. It has been blessing (to me personally) that our curriculum worked well with what I'd planned to cover this year.. the ancient period. They covered a unit in Greece and discussed the influences on our American Government.
While he continued to bring home random library books, (not always my preferred choices) I read 'The Odyssey' with him at night. We continue to compliment the subjects at school with our Classical Conversations CD's for Cycle 1. Our Bible study has been covering the Judges, and likewise the 10 Commandments are a part of our memory work. A song about the Judges has likewise made it into our routine, and we (as a family)have daily read from the same 3 Psalms as well as listened to the entire CC CD daily.
So I threw in some of the 'yes' (2 curriculums) as I went. But you get the idea. Kids are going to be learning something while they are not reviewing their times tables. I need to know, no matter where they are, with whom how long, what is the grammar of my home. What will they find most important, the important grammar.
Fearless Inventory
I have found  it has been easier for me to 'light the fire' as opposed to 'filling the cup', with our current situation. Opposition in our home wasn't over the issue of home/away. It was more about actually getting it done. Peace was not a part of our home. My partner in this effort is now my husband. He's the one reading slowly and methodically with a patience that they will remember on a weekday morning, while I pack lunches, & bookbags. Because they are seeing his participation.
And our mutual agreement. Our united front. The kids know, this is what we'll be doing every weekday morning. If it's not CC, it's a classical music CD. But it's not just the quality of the grammar, or the repetition of the grammar-- it's the environment/ambience of the moment. The spirit in which it's delivered.  
The morning is packed with the 'grammar' of our lives, for some classical music may not be in your grammar. It's in mine. and that's something else I'm at peace with. It may seem 'the thing to do' trendy even, -- to make one's kids listen to classical music so they'll be classically educated. (the use of classical is coincidental) But that really is a part of our world. Allowing them to see that it wasn't just because it was 'required' by CC, and that we really enjoy it, and that the CD's we play were Daddy's before we married, when he didn't even own a TV..... ( I could do with a lesson in Essentials grammar. lol...)  The grammar of our lives and the musical knowledge of our home can be just as easily heard in the cajun, country, or jazz dare I say, even rock in our home? The sacred hymns are integral. Nightly sung.  On the doorposts.
Perhaps what I'll discover in the this 31 days, are the habits we actually do keep (Oh, Charlotte..) Perhaps I'll find out what really happens when this particular change comes about in a family. What we're really made of.

As October rolls around, for 31 days, I hope not only to bring out the fall garland, but maximize on the beauty of Channeling the Classical  Passion Before and After School.  To not just 'fill the cup' but genuinely 'light the fire,' in my heart and my family's with whatever resources are at my disposal.