 Mar. 30, 2009 - What Education Is Not
I have been contemplating what education is. The first thoughts that came to me are to consider what education is not.
I have some fond memories of my public school education. There certainly were some bright spots along the way. I remember a few people that made great role models.
Most definitely though, my strongest feeling was how much I wanted to get through the day, week, year. There is a mistaken notion of one set of information that everyone needs to know before they graduate. The department of education brings this scope and sequence to us. It seems this is almost universally accepted. So a curriculum publisher makes sure the information is sifted, chewed and digested until it becomes a group of dull, lifeless, often unrelated facts. At this point, an educated professional must spoon-feed all of these facts into their students’ brains. Meanwhile, most of the students feel like I did…there must be something better than this.
This cycle plays out year after year. Each year starts out the same way. The first six weeks of the school year, (sometimes more) is dedicated to reviewing the previous years’ knowledge that either was lost during the summer or never really stuck in the first place. After this, it is time to delve into the required knowledge for this year’s grade level. Of utmost importance is being sure to get into each brain everything they will need to know for life.
I graduated in the top 10% of my high school class. When it was all said and done, I could read well, perform higher-level math and at least write clearly enough to make my point. I did not remember the vast amounts of facts that I supposedly need to be called educated. I could only vaguely recall some bits and pieces here and there. Probably if I could go back and analyze the information that did stick, it would have been due to some personal connection that I made to that particular information. I spent 13 years in the system to learn reading, math and some writing.
It seems like my time could have been better spent. Today in many areas our country scores far behind other industrialized nations, sometimes even in the ranks of the poorest countries. Close to 50% of our population is functionally illiterate. The public school system is failing miserably. I do not want to copy this system. My goal is to ensure that our children’s school years are better spent.
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Mar. 3, 2009 - One Little Boy
This is a poem that I have loved since we began homeschooling. Enjoy!
Once a little boy went to school.
He was quite a little boy.
And it was quite a big school.
But when the little boy
Found that he could go to his room
By walking right in from the door outside,
He was happy.
And the school did not seem quite so big
Anymore.
One morning
When the little boy had been in school awhile
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked to make pictures.
He could make all kinds:
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats-
And he took out his box of crayons
And began to draw.
But the teacher said:"Wait!
It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now," said the teacher,
"We are going to make flowers."
"Good!' thought the little boy.
He liked to make flowers.
And he began to make beautiful ones
With his pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said "Wait!
And I will show you how."
And it was red, with a green stem.
"There," said the teacher,
"Now you may begin."
The little boy looked at the teacher's flower.
Then he looked at his own flower.
He liked his flower better than the teacher's.
But he did not say this.
He just turned his paper over
And made a flower like the teacher's.
It was red, with a green stem.
On another day
when the little boy had opened
The door from the outside all by himself,
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make something with clay."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked clay.
He could make all kind of things with clay:
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks-
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay.
But the teacher said: "Wait!It is not time to begin!"
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
"Now," said the teacher.
"We are going to make a dish."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some
That were all shapes and sizes.
But the teacher said,"Wait!
And I will show you how."
And she showed everyone how to make
One deep dish.
"There," said the teacher."
"Now you may begin."
The little boy looked at the teacher's dish.
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his dishes better than the teacher's.
But he did not say this.
He just rolled his clay into a big ball again.
And made a dish like the teacher's.
It was a deep dish.
And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait,
And to watch,
And to make things just like the teacher.
And pretty soon he didn't make things
Of his own anymore.
Then it happened
That the little boy and his family
Moved to another house
In another city,
And the little boy
Had to go to another school. This school was even bigger
Than the other one,
And there was no door from the outside
Into his room.
He had to go up some big steps
And walk down a long hall
To get to his room.
And the very first day
He was there,
The teacher said:
"Today we are going to make a picture."
"Good!" thought the little boy.
"What are we going to make?"
"I don't know until you make it," the teacher said.
"How shall I make it?" asked the little boy.
"Why, any way you like, " said the teacher.
"And any color?" asked the little boy.
"Any color," said the teacher.
"If everyone made the same picture,
And used the same colors,
How would I know who made what,
And which was which?"
"I don't know," said the little boy.
And he began to make a red flower,
With a green stem.
-Helen E. Buckley |
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Feb. 4, 2009 - Patience
Boy does that patience issue come up often. People often comment, "I could never homeschool my children. I don't have the patience. You must be such a patient person." That is exactly why our homeschool is so successful.......I am an extremely patient, saintly person. I tend to every duty with love and wisdom. Ok, so anyone that knows me is busy picking themselves up off the floor right now due to an extreme fit of laughter. But seriously, it is as if somehow that gets people off the hook. "See, I could never do it because I am not patient so I don't have to worry about trying!"
No, I am not a naturally patient person...quite the opposite. Here is the beauty of the whole picture. Homeschooling develops patience in all of us (along with a host of other character traits!) The truth is that as believers it is supposed to be about sanctification. One of our main purposes in life is to become more like Messiah. That is certainly something that we do not obtain in this life, but it is our goal. If our lives are trouble free, we don't grow. It is through the trials and tough moments that we are stretched and brought further along in our walk.
As I work to teach my children obedience, faith, kindness, thinking of others first and many other virtues, I see my own failings and weaknesses. If through clenched teeth I explain about kindness and speaking with love, my actions aren't backing up my words. It is very humbling to be dealing with a child, wondering where in the world this attitude came from, only to realize....IT'S FROM ME!
No, it isn't easy but we were never promised that it would be. Yes, we must teach our children in all of these things but ultimately our behavior is what speaks the loudest.
I can't decide who learns more...... |
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Jan. 29, 2009 - Our Schoolroom
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This is our computer station.
Look at those Ikea shelf units!!!!!
Lots of windows to keep it bright.
We have two of these peanut shaped tables. Drew and Katy work at one. The other is for Nick and Lisa.
