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There is no TJEd blog carnival this month, but I've run across some great entries: Michele shares an overview of "A Thomas Jefferson Education." Wonder Woman summarizes how the TJEd approach has changed their homeschool. The Dumb Ox Acadamy describes her TJEd plans for the winter term. Adventures in Mundane Land quotes inspiring words from a TJEd book. Enjoy!
Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, education, mentors, classics, DeMille, homeschool, |
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Welcome to the 6th Edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Blog Carnival. I hope you're encouraged by the contributions of others pursuing a leadership education. Based on principles set forth in these books:
Mentors Mixed Nutts inspires us with a Vision Statement. It's hard to be a mentor if you don't know where you're going! Daniel exhorts us to teach Problem Solving - A Lesson in Intiative. Off the Bookshelf looks forward to mentoring her kids at Educating Through the Phases of Learning.
You Not Them The Internet Dark Ages asks What Were You Born To Do? Are you doing it? Rachel shares the beauty of exploring poetry in Blue domes, green grass, men on horseback and an eagle. When's the last time YOU'VE studied poetry?
Classics Kerry Beck blogs about Boys Who Read Pride and Prejudice. Read a classic with Trinity Prep School to learn about A Life Without Literature. Thoughts on Reading may inspire you to try a few new classics. Shiloah Baker writes about starting a Family Library.
Rational Jenn presents a typical day with her Core Phase child in Kindergarten In My House. Sounds like a lovely day! Frankpeach writes Let's Get Physical, encouraging the wonderment of the world with children....and don't tell them; they're learning physics!
Inspire Don't Require Sea Star Academy shares her experience with Inspire Don't Require. And if you're discouraged by self-doubt, Daniel writes There Are Things Worth Fighting For! Thanks for visiting this month's carnival.
Go to A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival: 5th Edition Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, education, mentors, classics, DeMille, homeschool, Your future blog articles for the next edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival are due by the 20th of each month. If you have read this book, please share your entries using our carnival submission form. |
Core Phase 
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Coming tomorrow: "A Thomas Jefferson Education" Carnival
Previous editions include: A Thomas Jefferson Education: 5th Edition A Thomas Jefferson Education: 4th Edition A Thomas Jefferson Education: 3rd Edition A Thomas Jefferson Education: 2nd Edition A Thomas Jefferson Education: Inaugural Edition
Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, education, mentors, classics, DeMille, homeschool, |
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Have you ever considered life without books? Books are unique sources of knowledge, information, and perspective, written by individual authors. Active reading requires an individual response and interaction with the author and the book content. We often find agreement or disagreement with the author's message, but because we've interacted with the author, we have grown or changed in our individual perspective. In the dystopian book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, life without books clearly demonstrates the dangers of literary decline. In this book, literature as a source of individual ideas and personal life philosophies is squelched by the government, so as to allow the government to define a communal thought process. Our whole family read this book individually, then I posed the following questions to them (junior high and high school age): What effects do cell phones, IPODS, Blackberries, big screen TVs with 100 channels, and video games have on our nation's literacy? Should we believe everything we hear on TV? Who controls what is televised? To what degree should government control the ideas presented in books and TV? What are the advantages and disadvantages of government censorship? Should parents "control" the amount of technology used for entertainment in their homes? What price would you be willing to pay for the individual freedoms we currently enjoy? What are the sources of our individualism? What "inputs" effect your opinions? How has Bradbury, who wrote this book in the 1950's, accurately predicted the future in regards to technology? Since reading A Thomas Jefferson Education, classic literature has taken a much higher priority in our homeschool journey. By 7th and 8th grade, I have found the kids very able and willing to read and discuss some of the classics. I've attempted to select classic literature which will appeal to their interests and teach virtues and life lessons. I've also experimented with the concept of a "Family Classics" night. In addition to Fahrenheit 451, we previously enjoyed discussing Little Britches. What efforts have you found successful to encourage good literature in your home?
Related Tags: classic literature, book clubs, reading lists, A Thomas Jefferson Education, family reading
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Submissions for the 6th Edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival are due by October 20th. The September issue was not published due to the low submission rate of quality articles. I received multiple spam articles from a company selling drugs! Please consider submitting a post this week if you are reading and reflecting about a TJEd, experimenting with various tenets, or implementing a TJEd in your own family's educational journey. The next edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival will be hosted HERE the week of October 21st. Check back to read more about how others are implementing the principles of a TJEd in their homes. You are also invited to submit blog entries pertaining to any aspect of A Thomas Jefferson Education in your home. Suggested topics include: Core Learning Phase, Love of Learning Phase, Scholar Phase, Depth Phase. Also accepting entries about the specific principles of a TJEd: classics, mentors, "inspire not require", "structure not content", "quality not conformity", book discussions, "you not them". Share a peek into your typical TJEd day or examples of educating oneself. Read a classic lately? Share your perspective on a book's message or recommend a classic you've read recently. Here's an example of a book review.
If you have read A Thomas Jefferson Education, please share your experiences on your blog and send in carnival submissions today! Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, leadership education, classics, mentoring, education, blog carnival, homeschool, home education |
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Welcome to the 5th Edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Blog Carnival. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions to this month's carnival. I hope you enjoy a peak into others' learning experiences as they relate to leadership education: A Thomas Jefferson Education.
A Peak Into A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Musings of a Prairie Girl shares her thoughts at It's That Time Again. A Woman With a Pen asks What Do You Call Not Back to School? Trinity Prep School reports about Learning As We Go. Corrie eloquently writes about Why We Choose To Learn Everywhere. Labellavita is working on Combining TJEd and CM.
Classics Not Textbooks FrankPeach.com gives us insight into The Chosen. Becoming Heaven on Earth meditates on Reading Difficult Books.
TJEd: Basic Training Ginnie summarizes some basic precepts at Look And Look Again. Andrea shares her experience in Gaining My Own Education. Redhead reflects on a TJEd vs. Public Education and the Debate is On. How To Be a Better Parent/Mentor is good advice from Daniel.
Your future blog articles for the next edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival are due by the 20th of each month. If you have read this book, please share your entries using our carnival submission form. Thanks for visiting.
Go to A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival: 4th Edition Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, education, mentors, classics, DeMille, homeschool, |
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I have "practice scholars"....kids, ages 11- 14yo, just beginning to take responsibility for their own education. We are still exploring various aspects of a Thomas Jefferson Education. We have no typical day, except that we do have a core routine of breakfast and chores completed by 8am. Then I try to meet with the kids to find out what plans they have for their studies that day. They each have some general and specific goals. Today, I met with the 14 yo to hear her plan for the week. This week she's finishing Fahrenheit 451 for our upcoming Family Book Talk and starting Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather tomorrow.
She's beginning a journalism class for a homeschooling co-op and feels compelled to continue her studies in grammar and vocabulary. To this end, she is working through Vocabu-Lit and Warriner's Third Grammar and Composition books. In reading her core canon and related books, she is writing a reflection titled, "Life's Purpose and How to Attain It."
My daughter has a goal to audition for the local youth symphony orchestra, so she has been diligently working on all her scales and preparing audition pieces. Along with her brothers, we are learning Spanish using a self-guided computer curriculum from Rosetta Stone. They have had fun whipping through the first few lessons. We have been meeting with a few friends for a Spanish co-op class. Apparently they have learned a lot more than they realized! Both the boys have recently finished the last Harry Potter book in preparation for next week's library book discussion group. They also both read The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare this week. I'm using the book discussion questions in the back of A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion for some practice on their literary analysis skills.
We met this morning after they read several selections from their core canon and other related books to discuss the analogy of the Church as a great orchestra.
It was awesome to see the realization in their eyes as they came to understand that their small acts of ministry, sharing their time and talents, are all part of the community faith experience of the bigger Church. Their small instrumental part in the orchestra is necessary to produce beautiful and meaningful music. It lead to some very insightful discussions. Often I am learning right along with my children. **(a peak into our learning space)** ***My Seven Habits of A Highly Effective School Year*** Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, education, family |
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Welcome to the 4th Edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Blog Carnival. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions to this month's carnival. I hope you enjoy a peak into others' learning experiences as they relate to A Thomas Jefferson Education.
Core Phase Daniel Felsted encourages us with The Power of Training, Influence and Education is Awesome! posted at The Internet Dark Ages. Start with a Vision Statement as a road map to A Thomas Jefferson Education.
Love of Learning Phase Don't forget Learning Is Fun! posted at The Internet Dark Ages. Arlene writes Passion equals Mission posted at ARtDeMe.
Inspire Not Require Barbie presents Looking Up posted at Mixed Nutts. Maureen experiments with Inspiration and Perspiration at Trinity Prep School.
Mentors Arlene presents Catch Up posted at ARtDeMe. Sharing the precepts of TJED is another form of mentoring. See “What Is A Cottage Meeting?”
Classics Not Textbooks John Wesley details 10 Ways to Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics posted at Pick the Brain: An Analytical Approach to Self Improvement. What is the Value of a Fairy Tale? Other Thoughts on A Thomas Jefferson Education Your future blog articles for the next edition of A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival are due by the 20th of each month. If you have read this book, please share your entries using our carnival submission form. Thanks for visiting.
Go to A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival: 3rd Edition Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, education, mentors, classics, DeMille, homeschool, |
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When we embark on a long journey, we usually consult a map and make a plan before leaving. Otherwise we end up following dead end roads, meandering in the general direction or worse, wandering aimlessly and finding ourselves lost altogether.
When we first embarked on this homeschooling odyssey, I bought lots of maps and consulted with fellow travellers. I soon realized my family's journey was unique, and I did not necessarily want to jump on the wagon trail. The corporate world realizes the value of vision statements. I worked in an organization which created a corporate vision statement. It gave all the employees a common understanding of organizational goals and defined the overall purpose of their individual contribution. Developing a family vision statement .... or in my case, a paragraph, requires one to reflect on core family values. What is your vision for your family? Think long term .... what legacy do you want your children to pass onto THEIR children? Choosing action verbs in stating core values, creates an overall implementation plan. I cannot claim any expertise in this area, but putting a pen to paper is a starting point. Here are the notes we jotted down 10 years ago ...... they have served us well in guiding our path on this journey:
We created our vision statement long before hearing about A Thomas Jefferson Education . Whatever your educational philosophy, a vision statement is so helpful .... it is a customized map for the journey. Do you have a family vision statement? I challenge you to work on one over the next few days. Once you've formulated your statement post your Vision Statement on your blog, add your link here. Taking this initiative will be helpful on your own family's journey and for those who need to find their own compass.
Grab this button for your blog entry! Add your entry's url address to Mr. Linkey below so you can share your Vision Statement with others. Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, vision statement, mission, family, education |
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In regard to A Thomas Jefferson Education, many homeschoolers say these principles often reflect what they are already doing .... and in many areas, I agree! The author of A Thomas Jefferson Education writes about "Simplicity vs. Complexity" as a key principle. This is one of the beauties of A Thomas Jefferson Education: naming things simplifies things. To understand some of the basics of a TJEd, the principles are summarized in a few simple categories: 1. Vision: our stated vision reflects our relationship with God, self, and others, (family, community and country). More on VISION later. 2. 3. Abilities: areas for potential learning; latent possibilities 4. Skills: In our attempts to educate our children, sometimes we become unbalanced and focus solely on skills. A Thomas Jefferson Education highlights a leadership education; a more expansive definition of education. A Thomas Jefferson Education offers a balanced framework or reference point as we guide our children through a broad liberal arts education. A Thomas Jefferson Education takes the complexities of multiple aspects of education and names them in simple terms. Below are some of the areas discussed in the book, A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille. How this "looks" in any given family will be dictated primarily by their family vision and mission. Mentors, Not Professors Structure Time, Not Content Quality, Not Conformity Simplicity, Not Complexity Secure, Not Stressed Simple, right? Whether you agree with TJEd principles entirely or not, much wisdom prevails. After reading the book, keep those pearls of wisdom which speak to your heart. I will continue to collect blog entries about TJEd and post them in A Thomas Jefferson Education Carnival. Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, homeschooling, education, vision, mission, skills |
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I'm on my way out of town to attend A Thomas Jefferson Education seminar called "Navigating Education: The Compass in the Wilderness." The speaker is Aneladee Milne, who is the creator of the Practice Scholar Projects, used to transition youth into the scholar phase. I'll be reporting back next week. Related Tags: A Thomas Jefferson Education, scholar phase, leadership education, homeschooling |
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