There has been much talk on the Well Trained Mind Boards over this recent piece of writing from a mother who is classically educating her children.  I would like to write down my thoughts on the article.

1.  Wadrobe--she has a point.  Getting dressed everyday is very important.  I have read that laying around in your PJs all day is a sign of depression.  It is important to get dressed even if it isn't in school uniforms.

2.  I believe that having school daily at a regular time is important.  We have school Mon through Thurs. and start at 9:30 sharp each day. 

3.  A yearly lesson plan, goals or even an IEP for your children is very important.  If you map out what you expect to do over the year it is so nice to look at the plan at the end of the year and see how far you have come.

4.  Sticking to your schedule 95% of the time.  Yes, I lay out yearly, monthly and weekly plans.  I have goals for the year which I adjust on a monthly basis as we move either more quickly or slowly thorugh the curriculum.  And every week I take time to write out what we will do each day for the next week and I put all of our worksheet in a folder in the order that we will use them for the week.  It works out so well & I know where everything is.

5.  Only doing school during school.  I have a hard one with this but I also have noticed that when I concentrate on my children and their schoolwork and don't do other projects while they are working that they are more attentive to their work.  I am the teacher they need my guidance and attention. 

6.  Accountability--Having written goals for the year and the week help so much in making sure that work gets done. 

7.  Memory Period--She suggests 25 to 30 minutes a day on memory work but since my children are younger and I have fewer (she has four).  We spend 10 min a day working on basic information, grammar terms, bible verse in greek, and phonograms.  I can see spending closer to 25 min as my children grow and we add in more latin and greek memory work.

8.  Making Time Count--"It's not how long you school each day, it's what you do with the time you have."  She said it best and I have to agreee.  Quality is better than quantity when it comes to schoolwork or anything else in life. 

9.  Fun--This is something I am starting to add into our school days.  I have been looking at history pockets, treasure chests and the heart and hands kits.  Right now we have been doing some drawings from the Draw Write Now books that goes along with our studies of Pocahontas, Jamestown and the Pilgrims.  My oldest also loves doing science projects.

10.  One on one time/toutoring--I could never imagine handing work to my children and leaving the room.  I am nearby even for independant work so that if there are questions I can quickly answer them or help with a problem. 

11.  Do-Over/Mastery--This is something that we are already doing and that I believe in.  I tell my daughter that it is ok to make mistakes and that we need to do it over and find the correct answer so that we can learn.

12.  Planning--This is the backbone of the school.  If you have not planned your lessons and have the materials ready then you will be scrambling and the children will lose interest.  I know this first hand.  When I plan my lesson and have all the work laid out for them before they come to school it all goes so much smoother.

13.  Tough Stuff First--Yes,  get the hard stuff out of the way and finish off with the subjects that the children love and enjoy.  We start our day with a little lead in of a history or science read aloud then dive into copywork or SWR once I have their attention.  We also do memorywork at this time and then move on to my dd's favorite of math.  Ending the time with fun stuff like greek, experiments, art projects and finally piano practice.

14.  I have to agree with the results of a well-planned school that you do have a little bit longer days and you don't feel the guilt when you take a day off because you know that the day has been scheduled and that during the school days you cover everything fully as needed.

15.  We are so looking forward to Latin studies as well as Greek. 

Classical education is supposed to teach self-discipline, good study habits and give the child the ability to think for themselves.  You can not give a child a good classical education on history or literature studies alone.  They need the memory work, grammar, classical languages and even instrument study to build up good habits.

I am taking the challenge that has been laid out in this epistula and am actively working toward teaching my children these skills as well as tightening my own belt.  And I have already seen some of the rewards as my children less frequently try to whine their way out of school or school work but do the work assigned so that it gets done.

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