Christmas Around the World

In December we celebrated Christmas around the world. The kids applied for passports, made suitcases and embarked on our Christmas World Tour. This year we visited several European countries and studied their various traditions. Our favorite trip was our visit to Germany. We spent the afternoon making traditional German Christmas cookies to hang on our tree. We had such a great time that we have already made plans to visit Sweden, Italy and Mexico next Christmas!

Our Week

Here's our week in a nutshell...

Book of Mormon - studied Helaman and the Stripling Warriors, worked on Primary Program

Math - John enjoyed identifying missing addends. Madi continued working on her double facts

Grammar - John worked with nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Madi continued her work with nouns.

Writing - narration, copy work and dictation.

Reading - John completed Winnie the Pooh and enjoyed designing a Heffalump trap. Madi is almost done with Afternoon on the Amazon.

Spelling - worked with new word lists

Copy work - copied the following into their commonplace books (Madi in printing, John in cursive)

Five fat turkeys are we

We spent all night in a tree
When the cook came around
We couldn't be found
And that's why we're here
You see!

Geography - chose Morocco for our next country study

Citizenship - continued Besty Ross

American History - studied Samuel de Champlain and James Cook, made pueblos in connection with Cortes

World History - studied ancient West Africa

Science - John completed two experiments dealing with chemical reactions. Madi completed her study of birds and began work on her penguin project.

Music - two hour class on the orchestra through musical history and Beethoven, began practicing songs for the Christmas piano recital in earnest

PE - started our football unit with a punt and pass relay in the backyard

This week we took things a little slow as we have all been attempting to recover from nasty colds. However one is never too sick to make caramel apples and spent a lot of time in the sunshine!

Classical Education

As we have gotten into the daily routine of homeschooling my views have begun to shift as far as what type of education is in the best interest of my children. I've been doing a great deal of studying and through the course of the last few months I have found myself regularly returning to The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. Her book outlines the nuts and bolts of a classical education. The more we become entrenched in homeschooling, the clearer it has become to Corey and me that the classical style is what will best serve our family. While we appreciate the Thomas Jefferson Education model (as previously outlined) and will continue to implement several components of that philosophy in our home we have found that we just couldn't embrace it fully. There were a few components to the Thomas Jefferson Educational model that just didn't sit well with what we felt was in the best interests of our children and our family as a whole. I am finding that homeschooling is a very fluid process of finding what works best for each child. As we have slowly begun implementing various elements of a classical education into our home I have been surprised at how well the children have responded. For our little family - it is a good fit.

What is a classical education? The following is from Susan Wise Bauer, the entirety of the article can be found at http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classical-education/

Classical education depends on a three-part process of training the mind. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts, systematically laying the foundations for advanced study. In the middle grades, students learn to think through arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves. This classical pattern is called the trivium.

The first years of schooling are called the “grammar stage” — not because you spend four years doing English, but because these are the years in which the building blocks for all other learning are laid, just as grammar is the foundation for language. In the elementary school years — what we commonly think of as grades one through four — the mind is ready to absorb information. Children at this age actually find memorization fun. So during this period, education involves not self-expression and self-discovery, but rather the learning of facts. Rules of phonics and spelling, rules of grammar, poems, the vocabulary of foreign languages, the stories of history and literature, descriptions of plants and animals and the human body, the facts of mathematics — the list goes on. This information makes up the “grammar,” or the basic building blocks, for the second stage of education.

By fifth grade, a child’s mind begins to think more analytically. Middle-school students are less interested in finding out facts than in asking “Why?” The second phase of the classical education, the “Logic Stage,” is a time when the child begins to pay attention to cause and effect, to the relationships between different fields of knowledge relate, to the way facts fit together into a logical framework.

A student is ready for the Logic Stage when the capacity for abstract thought begins to mature. During these years, the student begins algebra and the study of logic, and begins to apply logic to all academic subjects. The logic of writing, for example, includes paragraph construction and learning to support a thesis; the logic of reading involves the criticism and analysis of texts, not simple absorption of information; the logic of history demands that the student find out why the War of 1812 was fought, rather than simply reading its story; the logic of science requires that the child learn the scientific method.

The final phase of a classical education, the “Rhetoric Stage,” builds on the first two. At this point, the high school student learns to write and speak with force and originality. The student of rhetoric applies the rules of logic learned in middle school to the foundational information learned in the early grades and expresses his conclusions in clear, forceful, elegant language. Students also begin to specialize in whatever branch of knowledge attracts them; these are the years for art camps, college courses, foreign travel, apprenticeships, and other forms of specialized training.

A classical education is more than simply a pattern of learning, though. Classical education is language-focused; learning is accomplished through words, written and spoken, rather than through images (pictures, videos, and television).

Why is this important? Language-learning and image-learning require very different habits of thought. Language requires the mind to work harder; in reading, the brain is forced to translate a symbol (words on the page) into a concept. Images, such as those on videos and television, allow the mind to be passive. In front of a video screen, the brain can “sit back” and relax; faced with the written page, the mind is required to roll its sleeves up and get back to work.

A classical education, then, has two important aspects. It is language-focused. And it follows a specific three-part pattern: the mind must be first supplied with facts and images, then given the logical tools for organization of facts, and finally equipped to express conclusions.

But that isn’t all. To the classical mind, all knowledge is interrelated. Astronomy (for example) isn’t studied in isolation; it’s learned along with the history of scientific discovery, which leads into the church’s relationship to science and from there to the intricacies of medieval church history. The reading of the Odyssey leads the student into the consideration of Greek history, the nature of heroism, the development of the epic, and man’s understanding of the divine.

This is easier said than done. The world is full of knowledge, and finding the links between fields of study can be a mind-twisting task. A classical education meets this challenge by taking history as its organizing outline — beginning with the ancients and progressing forward to the moderns in history, science, literature, art and music.

We suggest that the twelve years of education consist of three repetitions of the same four-year pattern: Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and Modern Times. The child studies these four time periods at varying levels — simple for grades 1-4, more difficult in grades 5-8 (when the student begins to read original sources), and taking an even more complex approach in grades 9-12, when the student works through these time periods using original sources (from Homer to Hitler) and also has the opportunity to pursue a particular interest (music, dance, technology, medicine, biology, creative writing) in depth.

The other subject areas of the curriculum are linked to history studies. The student who is working on ancient history will read Greek and Roman mythology, the tales of the Iliad and Odyssey, early medieval writings, Chinese and Japanese fairy tales, and (for the older student) the classical texts of Plato, Herodutus, Virgil, Aristotle. She’ll read Beowulf, Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare the following year, when she’s studying medieval and early Renaissance history. When the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are studied, she starts with Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) and ends with Dickens; finally, she reads modern literature as she is studying modern history.

The sciences are studied in a four-year pattern that roughly corresponds to the periods of scientific discovery: biology, classification and the human body (subjects known to the ancients); earth science and basic astronomy (which flowered during the early Renaissance); chemistry (which came into its own during the early modern period); and then basic physics and computer science (very modern subjects).

This pattern lends coherence to the study of history, science, and literature — subjects that are too often fragmented and confusing. The pattern widens and deepens as the student progresses in maturity and learning. For example, a first grader listens to you read the story of the Iliad from one of the picture book versions available at any public library. Four years later, the fifth grader reads one of the popular middle-grade adaptations — Olivia Coolidge’s The Trojan War, or Roger Lancelyn Greene’s Tales of Troy. Four more years go by, and the ninth grader — faced with the Iliad itself — plunges right in, undaunted.

The classical education is, above all, systematic — in direct contrast to the scattered, unorganized nature of so much secondary education. This systematic, rigorous study has two purposes.

Rigorous study develops virtue in the student. Aristotle defined virtue as the ability to act in accordance to what one knows to be right. The virtuous man (or woman) can force himself to do what he knows to be right, even when it runs against his inclinations. The classical education continually asks a student to work against his baser inclinations (laziness, or the desire to watch another half hour of TV) in order to reach a goal — mastery of a subject.

Systematic study also allows the student to join what Mortimer Adler calls the “Great Conversation” — the ongoing conversation of great minds down through the ages. Much modern education is so eclectic that the student has little opportunity to make connections between past events and the flood of current information. “The beauty of the classical curriculum,” writes classical schoolmaster David Hicks, “is that it dwells on one problem, one author, or one epoch long enough to allow even the youngest student a chance to exercise his mind in a scholarly way: to make connections and to trace developments, lines of reasoning, patterns of action, recurring symbolisms, plots, and motifs.”

What did we do this week?

There is so much I want to write about, so many things that I have been thinking/reading about that have recently begun to influence my thinking in regards to education. However, my time today is limited. I will try this week to blog a little more about the methodology shift we are currently experiencing. Until then, here's a little glimpse into what we were up to this week.

Math - John and Madi continued to work on math facts and both did well on their math exams.

Spelling - We are loving our new spelling! The Spelling Workout Books have been much more enjoyable for the children.

Writing - John began his first week of Writing with Ease Level 2, while Madi continued her second week of Writing with Ease Level 1. Their writing consisted of narration, copy work, and in John's case - dictation.

Grammar - Madi continued differentiating between proper and common nouns, John continued differentiation between helping verbs and action verbs as well as looking at a sentence and identifying nouns, verbs and adjectives.

Reading - Madi finished up Ninjas at Night (Magic Tree House) and worked in her vocab journal. John is thoroughly enjoying A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and drew a picture of what he would do if he were stuck in a hole waiting to get thin again.

Recitation - Madi and John both continued the poems they are memorizing.

History - We studied Shamshi-Adad and the Assyrians as well as Mohenjo-Daro and the early cities along the Indus River.

American History - We studied Coronado and his search for the Seven Cities of Gold as well as John Smith and his influence in the establishment of Jamestown.

Science - John completed his report on Gabriel Fahrenheit that was assigned in his Super Friday science class. Madi chose to do her next science report on penguins.

Art - We made Jack O' Lantern luminaries.

Music - We sang seasonal music along with our two hour class on Mozart. And there is, of course, the daily piano practicing.

We also started Caddie Woodlawn, celebrated Madi's doll's birthday, had a picnic at the park, visited the library, and made delicious Halloween cookies. It was a nice, quiet week.

why I do what I do

Yesterday Madi and I were doing her math lesson when we started doing picture addition problems together. Immediately she froze and became panicky. She started to repeat over and over, 'Mom, I can't do these problems. I can't do them. Mrs. K. (omitting names) would never help me with them, I can't do them.' She was shaken and quite upset by these addition problems and continued to repeat that her kindergarten teacher would never help her with them. We stopped for a moment and I quietly assured her that I am her teacher now and that she didn't need to worry because I was going to help her. In just a few minutes she was back to her smiling, giggling self and was able to complete the problems without difficulty. This is why I'm doing what I'm doing.

evaluation and change

I've posted about several things that are working wonderfully in school, now let's talk about some things that aren't working so well.

Spelling.

For the last month I've been compiling word lists from a book I have, The Natural Speller, for each of the children. We've done pretests, alphabetized, spelling bees, and had tests. The kids were spelling the words from their lists well, but I felt like they were failing to grasp the actual rules of spelling. Probably because I wasn't teaching them the rules of spelling. I started looking for a systematic way to teach spelling words and rules, which I didn't feel The Natural Speller was providing. I came across a highly recommended series entitled Spelling Workout. Each week focuses on different spelling rules and then provides additional spelling activities to reinforce both the rules and the list words. The series also includes proofreading skills every week, which I feel are important. We will start tomorrow and see if this series will better meet our needs.

Writing.

I'm not overly pleased with the writing we are currently doing in the form of journaling. I've been doing a great deal of reading on this subject and am currently mulling over the following statement.

In these elementary years the student masters the new and unfamiliar process of writing: putting ideas into words and putting those words down on paper... Good writing requires training. It demands one on one attention...Before requiring the student to write, teach him to narrate. Narration happens when the student takes something he's just read (or heard you read) and puts it into his own words...As the young student narrates out loud he is practicing the first part of the writing process: putting an idea into his own words. He is practicing a new and difficult skill without having to come up with original ideas first; because his narrations are always rooted in content of what he's just read or heard, he can concentrate on expressing himself with words...Separately, and preferably at a different time during the day, the student begins to master the second part of the process: putting words down on paper. This is not a simple task. It requires physical labor, fine motor coordination, and an understanding of the rules that govern written presentation: capitalization, punctuation, spacing, letter formation...Many students who struggle with writing put down sentences that are lacking in punctuation, capitalization, or spacing - a clue that they have never learned to picture written language in their minds...But what about journaling...and imaginative writing? In Years One through Four, it's not necessary for the student to do original writing. In fact, original writing (which requires not only a mastery of both steps of the writing process, but the ability to find something original to say) is beyond the developmental capability of many students...During the first four years it is essential that students be allowed instead to concentrate on mastering the process: getting ideas into words and getting those words down on paper. Some children may be both willing and anxious to do original writing. This should never be discouraged. However, it should never be required either. Students who are required to write, write, write during elementary years are likely to produce abysmal compositions. Take the time to lay a foundation first; during the middle and high school years, the student can build on it with confidence.
Writing With Ease, Strong Fundamentals by Susan Wise Bauer, professor of literature at William and Mary

Change is in the air for our writing as well, we'll keep you posted.

a little chemistry

This year John is studying chemistry. In the classical education model (which we find ourselves following more and more closely - but that's for another post) a child begins to study both chemistry and physics in the elementary years. When chemistry is introduced in the high school years it can be almost like a foreign language to many students. The classical model suggests introducing chemistry at a young age so that, like biology which students have been exposed to since kindergarten, it will be second nature to the student when it is time to study it in far greater depth.

We are using the book Adventures with Atoms and Molecules as our basic text. Each chemistry lesson asks a specific question and then teaches the concept through an experiment. Today's question was 'Do Hot Molecules Move Faster Than Cold Molecules?' We then worked through a simple experiment using hot water, cold water and food coloring to illustrate the principle of diffusion. This book is wonderful; the experiments are straightforward and use household items while the text is clear and concise. Even if you don't homeschool it's a great resource for a summer of science.

John is loving chemistry. He is now wanting to write/draw the chemical structures for every compound he can think of. I am beginning to see the logic behind introducing chemistry to younger children; their little brains are sponges waiting to soak up whatever is put in front of them.

Our Fridays

So, if we only do school Monday - Thursday, what do we do on Fridays?

We love Fridays around our little neck of the woods. Every Friday my children attend what is known as Super Fridays. It's a once a week private school specifically for homeschoolers. The children attend classes at the school from 8:45 - 12:15.

Madi is considered a freshman which means that she is grouped with about seven or eight children just her age. They have a teacher, Miss Julie, who does all sorts of marvelous activities with them. Their focus this fall is on Texas habitats and Texas animals. Madi's little group also attends a music class with a different teacher as well as a gymnastic class with a few coaches.

John is considered a sophomore. Before the semester started he was able to chose three classes that he thought would be interesting. He chose science, art and gymnastics. He attends each class for roughly an hour and then switches to his next class. There is also a brief snack time where all the sophomores, juniors and seniors gather in the gym to munch. The school offers a surprising variety of classes; yo-yo, karate, bell choir, Lego Robotics, home ec, drama, Little House on the Prairie, history, geography, the history of chocolate, etc.

I have been nothing but impressed with the facility and staff from day one. Madi and John absolutely adore attending Super Friday, it's the perfect end to their week. We couldn't have asked for a better set up, having Super Friday allows all three of us just that little smidgen of breathing room which then enables us to jump back into our own school room with enthusiasm Monday morning.

questions and a captain's log

In American History we are studying the early explorers. I decided against another tired Christopher Columbus lesson, and decided to have a full 10 week study on New World Explorers. To start off our Time Traveler Adventure, we've been learning what life would have been like for those seafaring explorers. We tasted limes and beef jerky (known as 'salted horse' to the sailors), tied knots, looked at Ptolemaic maps, and tried to figure out why they would want to become adventurers in the first place. This week we made a Captain's Log, so that we will be able to chronicle the rest of our findings more authentically.


We first dyed paper in a coffee bath. (My children were sufficiently horrified when I brought coffee home. They were still somewhat skeptical that we should even be dying things with it.) We then hung the paper to drip dry.
The next day we covered cardstock in fabric and then sewed the pieces of paper into the spine.

We are now ready to work with our quill and ink. I love living history, so needless to say I was thrilled when I stumbled upon Homeschool in the Woods, an amazing source for both living history and timelines. (We adore timelines around here as well, but that's for another post!) Even if you don't homeschool, check out their site. They have so many fantastic resources available to enable history to come alive at an exceptionally reasonable price.

Now, to answer some questions we've been asked...

How much time do you spend in each subject?

We don't really have a set amount of time for each subject. But here's a very rough breakdown.

Morning Meeting (pledges, calendar, weather etc.) - 5-10 minutes

Morning Devotional (Scripture of the Week, Primary Song of the Week, Book of Mormon Study) - 20 min

Math/Journal/Spelling (These are occurring simultaneously with me teaching a math lesson to one child while the other works independently on the other subjects) - 45 min.

Reading/Grammar/Recitation (Again, occurring simultaneously) - 45 min.

Snack (During snack time I introduce, depending on the day of the week, either our 'Hero of the Week', 'Virtue of the Week', a section from the For the Strength of Youth, or a 'scripture adventure') - 10 - 15 min.

Personal Study - 10 - 15 min.

Citizenship (Mondays) - 15 min.

Geography/Copy Work (Mondays) - 20-30 min.

Art (Mondays/Wednesdays) - however long the project lasts

Science/Copy Work (Tuesdays/Wednesdays) - 30-45 min.

American History (Tuesdays/Wednesdays) - 30 - 45 min.

Music (Tuesdays/Thursdays) - 15-25 min.

World History (Thursdays) - 30-45 min.

Another mother and I alternate every other Thursday teaching a class. This week my kids went to her house for two hours for World History. Next Thursday her little girl will come to my house for a two hour class on Composers.

Yes, I only teach Monday - Thursday!

What are you reciting?

Each week each child has a different saying/poem to memorize. At the end of the week the recitation is given in front of the principle (Corey). Last week John memorized a quote by President Monson; "Work will when wishy washy wishing won't." This week he is memorizing a line from the book Pinocchio; "To become a real boy one must prove himself brave, truthful and unselfish." This week Madi is memorizing - "A happy home is heaven on earth." We are also memorizing scriptures as part of our morning devotionals, but the children are not graded in that area.

What does citizenship tackle?

Citizenship is a Texas state requirement. However what Texas defines as 'citizenship' is totally ambiguous. We are choosing to focus on patriotic themes each month. This month we are studying the symbolic nature of the flag, how to fly a flag, the importance of the flag etc. We are reading Betsy Ross from The Childhood of Famous American Series in conjunction with our flag study.

How much time do you spend planning your day's activities every night?

Right now when school is over I can turn off the light and leave it all until school the next morning. This is due to the fact that I spent a tremendous amount of time prepping the month before school started. Theoretically I could not really have to prep much of anything until Thanksgiving, but starting in the next week or so I plan to set aside 20 or so minutes every day to continue to prepare for the rest of the year. In all honesty, it's been a lot less stressful than I had anticipated. As strange as it sounds, I am finding that I have more time now than I ever did when both my kids were in public school.

I am more than happy to answer any questions - so feel free to keep sending them my way!

a little tweaking

On Wednesday I noticed my daughter's eyes starting to glaze over a little bit after PE and lunch. She was tired and starting to shut down her brain. Now, there are a variety of reasons as to why she was tired; adjusting to our new school schedule where the kids get up an hour earlier, having spent a fantastic weekend with family celebrating John's baptism, riding her bike up and down the street a bazillion time during PE, etc. Anyway you look at it, she was exhausted.

Although there were many factors contributing to my kids being tired in the afternoon, as their mother I know that even on their most rested days - after lunch they tend to slow down for a little while. Trying to teach a tired child didn't seem to be enabling the most conducive environment for learning. So yesterday I tweaked our schedule just a smidge. We started at 9:00 and were done with everything by 12:30. It was fantastic! Condensing things just a little allowed us plenty of time in the afternoon to ride bikes, read several chapters from Mr. Popper's Penguins, scrub the house from top to bottom, and just enjoy each other's company. (I even snuck in a little nap myself!) I love the flexibility we, as a family, are experiencing. When something needs a little tweaking - we can tweak it!

our first day

I was nervous about today. I just wasn't sure how everything would shake out. How would my children respond to my new role as their sole academic instructor? Would I have the patience necessary? Would I disappoint my children? Would homeschooling meet their expectations? Would they want to be on the next big yellow school bus heading back to public school?

It was a better day than I could have hoped for. The children were happy, excited and ready to jump into a new phase of our lives with both feet. It was so refreshing to spend 5 uninterrupted hours just one on one with my children. I am amazed at how much I learned about my children, especially Madi, in just one day of completely personalized instruction. Their strengths, weaknesses and needs may be different from what I initially thought. I am so grateful that we are now in an environment where I can better evaluate and then meet those needs.

Now, don't think that I, for one second, think every school day is going to be idyllic. I am a realist, my friends. When I was telling Corey about our day he said, 'Now you just have to remember how great today was when you're having 'pull your hair out' days.' And believe you me, I know they are coming. I'm just so grateful that today was such a good day. I wanted the first day, the first impression for the children to be a good one. What a blessing that it was.

What did we do today?

Book of Mormon Devotional
Math
Journal
Spelling
Reading
Grammar
Recitation
Self Directed Study
PE
Citizenship
Copywork
Geography
Art

Madi's favorites were spelling and the paper bag owls we made in art. John was torn between the jump roping in PE, grammar, and our art owls. I was just happy they were happy.

1 + 1 = 2

One of my biggest frustrations with our school last year was their seeming lack of a formal math curriculum. I am sure that there is one, however the implementation in the classrooms my children were in was disappointing at best. One week John would be doing addition, the next week he would be doing the multiplication, then he'd hop on over to fractions, maybe dabble in a little money the next week etc. I never could sense any sort of strong foundation being built. And to be honest, I'm really not all that sure what Madi was doing in kindergarten with her math. John, especially, became very frustrated and determined that he hated math. Although he was doing fine with the classwork, he couldn't see how all the pieces worked together. The other glaring issue I had with the math was that memorized math facts were nonexistent. I am a firm believer that you must give the child the tools in order for them to successfully build the structure. Enough ranting about this issue.

We will be using the Saxon math curriculum this year. I LOVE this math program. Having actually taught this curriculum in a formal classroom setting, I know that it works. I love that each lesson builds upon the lesson before - hopping around is eliminated. I also love that there is an emphasis on math facts. I'm sorry, you just can't do math if you have to stop and work out what 5x2 is every time you come across it. John hates math so I have my work cut out for me. However, I am confident that with this program his hatred will be eliminated.

World History

Our room is ready, my files are filled, our schedule is planned through Thanksgiving - we are ready to go! However, with John getting baptized and family in town we will not be starting until September 1st. Over the next few days, while we're waiting for our adventure to start, I'm going to highlight some of the books/resources we will be using this year. I honestly had no idea there were so many fantastic things available.

We'll start with World History. The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer is amazing! Whether you homeschool or not, I would highly recommend it. Written by a professor of literature and writing at The College of William and Mary in Virginia, Ms. Bauer has created a wonderful world history read-aloud. We will be reading Volume One: Anciet Times which covers earliest written history to the last Roman Emperor. We will also be using the accompanying Activity Book, which provides various projects that correspond with the read-aloud in order to help history come alive (which is exceptionally important to me). We will be making a model of the Nile, creating cuneiform tablets, designing our own version of Hammurabi's Law Code Stele etc. The Activity Book also includes a variety of maps, encyclopedia cross references, suggestions for additional reading, review cards, comprehension question and answers etc.

We're excited!

Key #7 You, Not Them

“Set the example. The best mentors are continually learning and pushing themselves. Read the classics. Study hard... George Wythe studied as hard as Jefferson, and Jefferson contacted home with questions and for help through his life until he passed away. The mentor must lead the way, by reading what the student reads, discussing it with him and requiring quality work. …Children tend to rise to the educational level of their parents, and maybe a little above if their parents have shown them that this is important. The most effective way to ensure the quality of their education is to consistently improve your own.”

Oliver Van DeMille, A Thomas Jefferson Education, 2nd Edition, pages 52-53

We have fully embraced this in our home. Corey, through his pursuit of his degrees has done this quite naturally. While daily scripture study has been a constant in our home, I have loved transitioning to serious studying of other areas again. At the moment I am studying The American Founding, The History of the World - From Earliest Records to the Fall of Rome, The Abolition of Man, Algebra One (yes, my math is extremely rusty), and Jesus the Christ. It has been delightful to share what I have learned with my family at various times during the day. When do I have time to do this? It's a combination of getting up earlier to study and having a short study time with the kids during the day. The kids love to help me correct my math problems - always ready with a sticker if I get them all right. I cannot emphasize enough how much I have enjoyed implementing this key in our home.

Key #6 Simplicity, Not Complexity

“To achieve truly excellent education, keep it simple: Read, Write, do Projects and Discuss. The more complex our national curriculum has become, the less educated our society. …George Wythe structured Jefferson’s curriculum around these simple items: classics, discussion, projects, writing. Nearly the whole Founding generation did the same, and the further we have moved from this simple formula, the worse our education has become. What we need to improve education is not more curriculum, but better education, and that comes from classics and mentors.”

Oliver Van DeMille, A Thomas Jefferson Education, 2nd Edition, pages 48-49

Who am I to argue with keeping things simple? That's our plan.

Key #5 - Quality, Not Conformity

We will not be applying this key in our home at this time as it is designed for the older student. Oliver Demille describes the key in this way:

When Scholars do an assignment, either say “great work” or “do it again.” You can help them, but have them do most of the work and never accept a low quality submission or performance. Wythe was very demanding this way with Jefferson. Note that we’re talking here about more mature students, usually at least 12 and older, not of toddlers or children (A Thomas Jefferson Education, pg 44-45).

Key #4 - Structure Time, Not Content

Structuring time, not content is an important part of the TJed methodology. The idea behind this key is to provide, when the student is ready, a specific designated time devoted to intense study. While the mentor structures the time, the mentor does not structure the content to be studied within that time. The content studied is up to the discretion of the student.

We will be implementing this by having designated study time every day. We will start at 15 minutes for Madi and 30 minutes for John and hopefully work our way up through the year. As their mentor I will provide them with resources for what they have indicated they would like to study during that time frame. At the end of the designated time they will be responsible for telling me what they have learned - whether it's an interesting chess move or a fun fact about Besty Ross - the pursuit is up to the child. During study time I will be available to help them in anyway they wish, but I will not direct any of the learning.

We are hoping the implementation of this key will allow the children to find the joy in self-driven exploratory learning.

Key #3 - Inspire, Not Require

The thought behind the third key, Inspire - Not Require, is the idea that for a student to be truly motivated to learn he/she must be inspired by the teacher/mentor. Oliver DeMille states:

Mediocre teachers and schools use the require method; great teachers and schools pay the price to inspire. Instead of asking, “what can I do to make these students perform?,” the great teacher says, “I haven’t yet become truly inspirational. What do I need to do so that these students will see my example and want to do the hard work to get a superb education ?(The Seven Keys of Great Teaching)"

While this key sounds great, (don't we all want to be inspiring teachers?) the implementation of this key can be somewhat tricky. Most people following the TJed principles implement this key by encouraging the child to follow their own interests, whatever inspires them. They then, in turn, do not necessarily require other basic subjects, such as math or writing.

As a family, we will be applying this key somewhat differently then many others following the TJed idea. (If you are a TJed purest, I apologize) As previously stated, Corey and I feel our children need a solid foundation in the basics to be able to better pursue their own interests. So we will be doing some requiring. I don't really feel that it has to be all of one and none of the other. An inspirational teacher helps a student to develop enthusiasm for required work. The inspirational teacher helps make the leap from the drudgery of required work to the joy of meaningful, important work.

I think it's important to teach our children while they are young that sometimes life requires work, hard work, that they may not be particularly enthusiastic about. The key is to find joy in the process, in the labor itself and then the exhilaration of a job well done.

There is very little in this world that is more enjoyable then to see your child excited about learning. I feel weighed down with great responsibility to inspire my children daily, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Key #2 - Mentors, Not Professors

The idea behind the second key, mentors - not professors, is that a mentor has the unique ability/opportunity to create a specific individualized program for the student. Whereas in most cases a professor has a standardized curriculum for the whole class, a mentor creates a curriculum just for the one.

Homeschooling lends itself quite well to establishing a mentor relationship with a child. Corey and I have taken a very serious, in-depth look at our children's strengths, weaknesses, abilities and, most importantly, needs over the last few months. As we have discussed ideas, concerns and spent a great deal of time on our knees we have come to a better understanding of what each of our children need at this stage in their lives. And even though they are fairly close in age and back to back in school, I've been surprised at how differently each of their curriculums (for lack of a better word) have come together.

As always - it all sounds great in theory - we'll see how it goes in actual practice!

Key #1 - Classics, Not Textbooks

The idea behind the first key, classics - not textbooks, is to expose a child to classic works in all fields. Oliver Demille stated:

'No one can deny the value of a great idea well-communicated. The inspiration, innovation and ingenuity inherent in great ideas elevate those who study them. Great ideas are most effectively learned directly from the greatest thinkers, historians, artists, philosophers and prophets, and their original works. Great works inspire greatness, just as mediocre or poor works usually inspire mediocre and poor achievement. The great accomplishments of humanity are the key to quality education. This first key means that in pursuit of a transformational education, in preference to second- or third-generation interpretations we study original sources—the intellectual and creative works of the world’s great thinkers, artists, scientists, etc., in the form they were produced (Demille, The Seven Keys of Great Teaching).'

The concept of classics, not textbooks was a critical component in our decision to homeschool. Having the opportunity to expose our children to greatness throughout the ages instead of the watered down, often times politically slanted version they were getting was tremendously exciting.

How will we be implementing this in our home?

Books, books and more books. Each aspect of our foundation will be literature based - even our math and science. For example, when Madi and I are studying Europe in geography this year, we will spend a great deal of time reading European age appropriate classics such as fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm, or the magical stories of Hans Christan Anderson. As John explores the Northeastern United States we will spend time with The Courage of Sarah Noble, when he explores the Southwest we will spend time with Sing Down the Moon.

We will be exploring American History almost exclusively through classic children's literature as well as both the Childhood of Famous Americans series and The American Girl series. In math and science we will be exploring the lives of those who created the classics in those fields - Pythagoras, Newton, Einstein. (We're not quite ready to read their classic works yet!)

Classics certainly aren't limited to literature. There are fabulous, age appropriate resources to help explore the art and music of the masters, not to mention all of the great museums and concerts we have at our fingertips here.

This is probably the key that I am most excited to implement. Because, let's be honest here, my favorite thing in the world is to read to my children. And the thought of having the opportunity to put aside the textbooks and read classic children's literature to them even more, well, that is just down right lovely.

A Thomas Jefferson Education

In the early part of the year Corey and I found ourselves more and more disenchanted with what was happening in regards to our children's education. We had fought tooth and nail to get them into one of the best schools in the district, and yet some of the same problems we had encountered in our previous school were beginning to show again. We began to feel more and more unsettled. As we began to attempt to problem solve the various issues, homeschooling was not even a blip on our radar. We began looking at charter schools in the med center, we even met with an administrator and toured the school we thought would best meet the needs of our children. I was expecting/hoping to walk away thrilled at the prospect of my children attending that particular school. As much as we wanted to be, Corey and I just weren't. For all of it's accolades and ratings, it just didn't seem all that different from where our kids were. It certainly wasn't worth uprooting our entire family to a completely different part of town. I began meeting with the kids teachers again to try and work through some issues, but the unsettled feeling continued to grow.

I had heard through the grapevine that a woman I greatly admired in our ward was homeschooling her daughter, who happens to be John's age. One night I had the impression to find out more about what she was doing, more specifically the method she was using. She was very generous and went out of her way explain her methodology, Thomas Jefferson Education, which I was unfamiliar with. I asked her if I could borrow some of her literature on the subject. Within 24 hours I had read both of the books she had lent me. The best way I can describe the experience was that the material resonated with me. It just made sense. I knew, within a matter of days, that this was what my children needed. After much searching, we felt grounded and settled with our decision to bring our children home.

A Thomas Jefferson Education has many facets. Here I will be outlining those we have chosen to most closely follow. A Thomas Jefferson Education isn't a methodology in and of itself, it really is a series of principles that can be readily applied to almost any homeschool method. Over the next few days I will be writing about 'The Seven Keys of Teaching' found in a Thomas Jefferson Education (known as TJed) and how we will be applying them in our home.

Methodology

I have spent the last several months studying in-depth various homeschooling methods, trying to decide which would be most beneficial to my children. In the end, we have decided to use our own hybrid of sorts. We will be using a unique combination of the Classical Method, following Thomas Jefferson Education principles with a little Charlotte Mason mixed in. For those of you well versed in homeschooling methods, our hybrid may seem somewhat contradictory. However, the beauty of homeschooling is that you can tailor each individual child's education to what will best suit their needs.

We feel that our children need to have a solid foundation in the basics; reading, writing, grammar, math, logic, history, science and the arts (Classical Method). However, we also feel it is imperative that they experience self-directed, self-guided forays into areas that peak their curiosity (Thomas Jefferson Education). And just as essential for our children is daily, meaningful experiences in nature (Charlotte Mason). How will we meld these seemingly contradictory ideologies?

Each day our children will have learning in their foundational areas - assembling the tools in their tool box if you will. We feel that a strong foundation will enhance their ability to explore their own interests, they will have the tools in hand that will allow them to better understand what awakens their curiosity. Following our foundational time each day the children will be given structured time to follow their own interests. Whether this be John studying every creature from the Pleistocene age as he is want to do, or Madi studying various versions of Hansel and Gretel - it will be their choice, their interest. During this time I will be able to be used in whatever capacity they wish, functioning more as a mentor than a professor. Following our foundational time, structured time and lunch we will venture out into nature, exploring, experiencing and documenting in our nature journals.

We have, in a sense, created our own unique method. Lucky for you, you will get to see whether or not it works!

Welcome!

Where to begin...

First, let me welcome you on our expedition! We are happy that you have chosen to walk a mile or two with us. The terrain is uncertain. There are bound to be bumps, detours, and the occasional wrong turn along the way but, hopefully, a whole lot of fun as well!

The format for this blog will be a little different from our family blog. This blog will be both a way to share what we are doing and function as a sort of education journal for me. You will probably, over time, find more here then you ever wanted to know about the ins and outs of our days. Glean from it what you will, we're just glad you're interested in our new adventure.

And thus begins the who, what, where and how of our little academy. Welcome!