Catching Up

Lake Michigan--gorgeous!

It really has been two months since I last made a blog post!  This summer has been full of traveling, gardening, and planning.  Two trips took us to four states I had never been to~~Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Michigan.
One was a ministry trip and the other a really truly vacation.  A quick trip to West Virginia was also a ministry trip, but we got to visit with some very old, very dear friends, so it felt more like a vacation.  Also, we attended the national convention of The American Association of Lutheran Churches, which is our denomination, in Minnesota in June.  I'm ready to stay home awhile . . .

The flowers have been spectacular this summer, especially the zinnias and marigolds.  For the first time, I grew the marigolds from seeds and they are enormous.  The zinnias are abundant too.  The vegetable garden has struggled somewhat due to lack of rain (yes, we water it, but it's not the same as rain somehow, is it?), and anyway, by this time of the year I'm ready for it to be over.  Not the flowers, just the veggies!  We have gotten a decent amount of green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and spaghetti squash.  For the second year in a row the cabbages were completely worm-eaten and a complete loss.  It seems they won't be successful without some sort of cage or netting to keep the loopers off, and spending money on it gets us quickly to the point of diminishing return.  I give up!



We've begun another year of ministry to our local college campuses, which means the resumption of our every-other-Friday dinners.  The array of nationalities represented at these dinners is really something wonderful.  Besides our American friends, we've hosted people from China, Turkey, Haiti, Brazil, Morocco, India, and Japan, and ages range from less than a year old to mid-fifties.  Educational levels include everything from special ed to post doctoral researchers and visiting scholars.  My job in all this is as a support person.  Along with my husband, I plan menus, shop, cook, prepare, clean up, and extend a glad welcome in the name of Christ to each guest.  For more on the various outreaches we're involved in through Wittenberg Door, go here. 

The big news for me is that I'm homeschooling again!  I loved homeschooling my own two daughters, so I  was thrilled when the opportunity arose to teach my granddaughters.  The older is in first grade and the younger is a preschooler.  Every morning, their dad drops them off and we learn and grow together until their mother collects them about four hours later.  It is so rewarding to lay out for them a feast of good things to nourish their hearts and minds!  I will try to post with specifics soon. 

Playdough Spelling

On a field trip to the nature center in a neighboring town.
The little girl in the middle belongs to another family. :)

We began school the Tuesday after Labor Day.  The first two weeks were a time of adjustment and working out a few kinks, but we are settling in now and making good progress.  I will keep you posted! 

 

Life Under Compulsion by Anthony Esolen

Last week I finished a book by one of my favorite authors of cultural commentary, Life Under Compulsion: Ten Ways to Destroy the Humanity of Your Child  by Anthony Esolen of Providence College.  It's a follow-up to his Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child.  However, it's not written in Screwtape-esque style as was the first one.  As you would expect if you've read anything by Esolen, the prose is well crafted, lucid, and fluid.  I'm looking forward to attending a conference in April in which he will be the plenary speaker.

Here are a few choice quotations from the book~

If you are not in love with beauty and goodness, you will be clutched by the drab and the listless if not worse.

What happened to this freedom-making education?  The short answer is that John Dewey happened to it.  Dewey, mild of temperament, was as narrow-minded a reformer as the world has ever been plagued withal.

Every encounter with what is good--the chivalry of General Lee, the willing poverty of Mother Theresa, the shy greathearted youth of Alyosha Karamazov--can expand the soul; it helps to set us free from the compulsions of false goods, which Christians have long grouped under the headings of the seven deadly sins.  Every encounter with beauty--the glint of a simple word in a poem by Herbert, the meditative subtleties of the late Shakespeare, the sweet charm of a ballad by Burns--can expand the soul; it helps to set us free from the heavy accretions of the drab, the dull, the mean, the spiritually sluggish, the smog of contemporary workaweek life.  Every encounter with human truth--Jane Austen deftly showing how little we know our own motives; Dickens revealing the meaning of "economy" in the cheerful and charitable housekeeping of Esther Summerson, his finest heroine; or Shakespeare offering us the foolish Lear, mad and childish and yet 'every inch a king'--can expand the soul; it helps to set us free from the common delusions of our time, the lies we believe and the lies we tell.

 That's just a taste.  Perhaps I'll post more another day.  Now, I'm off to read Esolen's latest release, Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture.

This Week in Preschool

I've been enjoying Friday morning preschool with my granddaughters ever since they moved nearby in March.  I used to teach preschool and it's been fun getting my preschool teacher persona out and dusted off every week.

This morning, we began the day by dropping colored vinegar into pans of baking soda.  The girls loved it!  Look at the concentration on those little faces!  They stayed with it for an hour.

My son-in-law the chemist, who works from home, came by at one point and said with a smile, "Leave it to Grandma to turn science into art."  :)

Later, Arane did a couple math pages.  I'm not a big fan of worksheets for preschoolers, but these are really more like activity pages.  I found them at The Measured Mom's fabulous website.  Arane really seems to enjoy doing these.

Then we all three sat on the couch while I read aloud some nursery rhymes, illustrated by my beloved Eloise Wilkin, which included singing some of them, of course.  Call me old-fashioned (Please do~I'll consider it a compliment!), but I believe in nursery rhymes and singing.  

Then I read a chapter from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods.  I began it two weeks ago when the little ones spent the night at my house, and when I asked if they would like to continue today, they were enthusiastic.  I'm reading to them from my own crumbling copy, which brings back a flood of memories.  How I loved those books as a child!  I still do, truth be told, and was happy to read them to both my daughters many times as they were growing up.  I still have a fondness for pioneer stories!

Bloggy News

So sorry to have gone AWOL for two weeks.  It was not intentional.  The first Sunday I missed turn out to be so full that I ran out of time, and the second Sunday, the fine gals at Like Mother, Like Daughter didn't do {phfr}.  And it seems that {phfr} is no more, alas.   I saw it coming, didn't you?  Fewer people seemed to be joining in, and even the LMLD ladies were no longer following the template.  And then there was the missed week . . .

What that means for me is that I am going to try to post more frequently, though posts will probably be shorter.  What I liked best about {phfr} is that it gave me the impetus (including a firm deadline!) to compose a summary of the week and get it up on the blog already.  But all things must change, and so I'll give this new plan my best shot.  So here goes . . .


Every Friday I go to my daughter's house to "do preschool" with my granddaughters.  We do a craft (thank you, Pinterest!), read some books, sing some songs, play outside, maybe do another learning activity with numbers or letters.  This week, we made fire-breathing dragons!  (We followed these instructions.)  They turned out so cute and the girls really enjoyed blowing into them.

Arane (pronounced AIR-uh-nay)

Verity

Verity was a little confused about the blowing part.  I'm so glad to have Elizabeth and family nearby now.  (They moved here in March.)  I love being able to be a regular part of the girls' childhood and to help in their upbringing wherever I'm useful.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ May 15, 2016

It's time for {phfr}!

(Pretty}

I love watching the wildflowers emerge in the woods that surround our house.  There's always something new.  Right now, daisies and the darling blue but-unknown-to me flowers you see below are blooming.  Though I left most of them where they were so they can re-seed themselves, I picked a few for the kitchen windowsill.

Right now, allium are stealing the show in my flower garden.  They are beautiful, aren't they?  The blooms last and last and last.  I had some for the first time in our Illinois house, and I had to plant some here too because I love them so much.  These are bigger than softballs!

The bees love them too!

{Happy}

Since Elizabeth and her family moved nearby, I've been going to their house once a week to do a craft and/or fun activity with Arane and Verity.  They both look forward to it and so do I!  I used to be a preschool teacher, and it's fun to plan for that age once again, but it's even better when it's for my own grandkids.  Here they are painting "binoculars"~

~and playing balloon tennis.  That was a big hit!

{Real}

One day last week, I began to notice a most unpleasant smell wafting in the windows at the back of the house.  I recognized it as the odor of something dead and decaying, and when it didn't go away, Dave heroically went out to look for the source.  Look what he found!

Poor thing!

Right up against our back porch!  Dave determined it was a coyote, which is completely plausible because we can hear them howling at night sometimes and the woods are right outside our back door.  He fearlessly dragged it into the woods far, far away from the house where it is free to stink as much as it wants.  I do feel a little bit sorry for the coyote, though!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ April 10, 2016

Here I am, back with a full-fledged {phfr} post after going AWOL.  May I just take this opportunity to say that I'm loving having Elizabeth and her family nearby?  So much fun!

{Pretty}

One of the fun things involved doing this cute craft with Arane last week.  We used these directions, though, really, a picture is all that is necessary.  The apple is cute, sure, but isn't Arane cuter? I ask you~

Sorry for the weird lighting!

Apparently, Arane really enjoyed making this.  Her mom says she talked about it all day!

{Happy}

Last week, I took both girls to the farm store to see the baby chicks.  They loved the chicks, which were awfully cute, I admit!  We followed it up with a donut as Baskin-Robbins.  I love Grandma time!

{Funny}

My 86-year-old mother, though still very spry for her age, has given up hosting holiday celebrations at her house.  So she's been distributing many of her holiday decorations among the family, and I fell heir to these cute ducks.  

This one is cheeky, don't you think?

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr}!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ Feb. 1, 2014

Goodbye, January! Hello, February.  February is the time of year that is toughest for me, despite the two birthdays we celebrate this month.  Winter has grown old and spring seems so slow in coming.  I'm going to try to keep myself cheered up with little things I enjoy (like flowers from the grocery store, Jane Austen movies, and Ralph Vaughan Williams' music).

{Pretty}

Here's more Christmas show-and-tell.  Hannah made this quilted wall-hanging, which I admired and thought would go especially well over the bed in my bedroom.  So sneaky Elizabeth, Justin, and Dave bought from her (at a discount!) and gave it to me as a joint gift at Christmas.  As of this evening, that empty space is filled with something bright and a little bit quirky. :)

It was made from leftover scraps.  Even better!

I especially like the juxtaposition of pink and turquoise.  It's not a combination
 would have thought of, but it really works together!

{More Pretty}

When the sun shines through these patchwork curtains I made for the bathroom, I always think of stained-glass windows.

{Happy (and Pretty too!)}

The day Hannah took the Junior Classical League's National Etymology Exam, she was sicker than the proverbial dog, but she managed to pull out a bronze medal despite it.  We are proud of her for persevering and for doing so well!

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr}!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ July 28, 2013

How can it be the end of July already?  Summer is more than half over and there is still so much I want to accomplish . . .

{Pretty}

Our backyard in the summertime is pretty.

{Happy}

We dug up all our carrots this week and canned them.  Carrots are such cheerful vegetables!  We are well-stocked in the carrot department for many months to come.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

The time had come for Hannah to dissect a shark for her biology studies.  She invited a younger friend with a very inquisitive mind to assist.  They both had a lot of fun and learned something too!  I can't say the same thing for the shark . . .

 

Yes, his face is blurry on purpose.

{Funny}

I would not have chosen this method to wash carrots except that Dave swears his mother did it all time.

 

 

I admit it worked a lot faster than scrubbing them at the sink!

 

 

Go to Like Mother, Like Daughter for more {phfr} fun!

 



{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ March 10, 2013

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter again this week . . .

{Pretty}

It snowed this week.  Humph.  Snow in March shouldn't be allowed.  I am waiting for snowdrops, for crocuses, for daffodils!  Instead, what we got was this:

 

Isn't he cute?

I have to admit, the snow was pretty!

{Happy}

Dave planted our tomato seeds yesterday.  Last year, not being familiar with spring in northern Illinois, we planted them a bit early.  They turned out fine~ in fact, we were really pleased~ but we opted to wait a couple extra weeks this time.  Seedlings in peat pots on our counter under the grow light is a sure sign of impending spring!



{Sad}

A week ago Saturday was a sad day at our house.  It was the day when we ate the very last of our homegrown tomato sauce and green beans.  It's back to store-bought for the next several months . . .

 {Real}

I knew this day would come eventually. I managed to get through high school and college without having to dissect even a little bit. Elizabeth was also not required to dissect in her high school science studies. But Hannah is taking biology through The Potter's School and, alas, she is required to dissect, a worm for starters. The various animals~ frog, crayfish, grasshopper, perch, starfish, and the said worm~ came preserved and vacuum-packed in plastic along with a dissection kit. The things one can send through the US Postal Service! It's a good thing Hannah is not squeamish. In fact, she enjoyed it!

The Big Plan for 2011-2012

Last year I wrote about our homeschool plan for Girl of the House's eighth grade year. Things did not go exactly as we expected (do they ever?). She had a very challenging year dealing with acute acid reflux, which often derailed schoolwork. She worked hard during the days she felt well, but all told, she missed at least one day (and often two or three days) a week due to illness for all but eight weeks the entire schoolyear. We made up for some of the lost time during the summer, but she still managed B's in her on-line classes, and all essential things were covered by hook or crook. I have more than once thanked the Lord for leading us to homeschooling and never more than last year. I'm also thanking Him that Girl 2 is a thousand times better than she was this time a year ago. So I have high hopes for the coming months of school! Here's the plan:

Math ~ Continue Math-U-See tutored by That Boy. She's over halfway through Zeta and will be moving into pre-algebra during the year. But do you know what she brought home from the library the other day? The entire Demystified series of math books, starting with pre-algebra! You gotta love a motivated student!

Logic ~ This is something that got dropped last year. Using Traditional Logic by Martin Cothran, we picked it up this summer and will slowly work our way through it. Once it's finished, we will study . . .

History and Literature of Late Antiquity through the Renaissance and Reformation ~ Our resident classicist, Man of the House, took her through ancient lit. last year and over the summer. Since he'll have enough to do for the next nine months what with teaching, pastoring, and going to seminary and all, I'll pick up where he left off with Vergil's Aeneid, some Aristotle, on through Augustine, Dante, Chaucer,etc. Details still to follow. We'll cover the history at the same time using Jackson Speilvogel's Western Civilization and Philip Daileader's medieval lectures through The Teaching Company.

Music History ~ I teach this class for an on-line school. Okay, I'll come clean and say that it's The Potter's School. Any remaining anonymity we might have had is now blown. ;-) Not that I'm biased or anything, but I think this class is fascinating . . . at least I find it fascinating to teach! Girl of the House has already absorbed a lot of this through osmosis, but I think she'll find it an enjoyable class.

English Vocabulary from Latin and Greek Elements ~ This is Man of the House's class. (Need I say it's through The Potter's School also? Yes, my dh is Mr. Spotts of international reputation. LOL!) Girl of the House is eager to take it. I know she'll get a lot out of it. I know I did the year I taught it. The development of the English language is another fascinating topic.

Writing ~ The One-Year Adventure Novel curriculum is going to be more like the 18-Month Adventure Novel for Girl 2. Illness is the culprit again, but she's on the verge of actually writing her novel now. We both really like this program, and I know she has learned a lot from it because she uses concepts she's learned to discuss movies and books with us. She will also be taking some progymnasmata tutorials with Cindy Marsch of Writing Assessment Services. I can't speak highly enough of Cindy and her writing tutorials!

German I ~ Even though Girl 2 (okay, let's call her by her name, Hannah) managed a B in this class last year despite everything, none of us thought she really mastered the material well enough to go on to German II. Dratted reflux! Her foundation was too shaky, so she's happy to have a do-over this year. This is another Potter's School class with another excellent teacher, Frau Gilliam.

Christian Philosophy ~ This class is being offered by some on-line friends. One of our goals for both our girls' education is to familiarize them with the foundations of Western civilization. If they don't know where they came from, they won't know where they're going. We want them to be able to discern the spirit of the age and weigh it against a biblical perspective. That's why we spend so much time in the upper grades studying worldview and philosophy. The text is Norman Melchert's The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. Hannah seems very eager to tackle this discipline judging by the readiness with which she digs in every morning.

So there you have it! It looks like a full year full of good learning! May the Lord be glorified and His will be done.

Classical Education, Classical . . . Liturgy?

My family has been part of the classical education restoration since 1995. In terms of the contemporary movement, that's a long time. Man of the House teaches Latin, Greek, and ancient literature. We have both taught at a classical Christian school. We've attended ACCS conferences. We have read most of the "right" books, and we even agree with some of them. ;-) We attempted/are attempting to educate our own children in the classical tradition. (I use the verb "attempt" because I know we have not really captured classical education in all its fullness. Having so far to come in our own education leaves us starting out behind, but I believe by God's grace our children are better off than we were. Our hope is that they will contine recovering what has been lost with their own children.) We've been around the modern classical movement for awhile.

When it comes to being Lutherans, we are newbies. It's only been two and a half years since we made the move officially, but we have a good five years of prior study, prayer, and discussion to our credit. During those two and half years we have come to greatly appreciate the historic liturgy. Even Girl of the House prefers it. Lying just under the surface of my active thoughts during the divine service is an awareness of the connection the liturgy has to the church of the past and the saints who have gone before us. The richness and timelessness of worshiping the Lord using the very forms and words that the early Christians used is unequalled by any other mode of organizing a church service that I have ever participated in . . . and I've seen quite a few. After these few short years, I cannot imagine going back. I would miss the liturgy too much, and I'm thankful for faithful Lutheran pastors who still use it.

Now, what have these two paragraphs to do with each other? They raise a question in my mind: Why don't those who espouse classical education also espouse classical worship more often? We classical educators, whether in schools or at home, spend a lot of time looking to the past when it comes to history, literature, educational methods, etc. We rightly extol the timeless classics of past centuries, but we participate in worship that employs modes and methods that are anything but timeless. Contemporary worship services and praise songs pass their freshness dates within a few months. The historic liturgy has been around for at least a millenium and a half. It is an inconsistency I didn't see myself until my family moved to a liturgical tradition. So what I'm offering here is food for thought. If we go to so much effort to bring classical education to our children, should we not also give them classical worship?

School Update

We have finished seven weeks of school and I thought it was time for an update. We finally, in this seventh week, had a "normal" week with no disruptions for illness, doctor's appointments, travel, or alien invasion. I tried not to let it get to me that each of the first six weeks were interrupted in some way. That's life. We just picked up where we left off and kept plugging away. That's a heck of a lot better than getting riled up and fretting. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint, and you can't let disruptions derail you. That and that doing something each day, even if it's only a little, adds up unbelievably fast. This is brought home to me each spring when I prepare Girl of the House's portfolio for the dreaded Annual Evaluation by a Public School Teacher Who Is the "Real" Educational Expert and Will Yea or Nay Our Entire Efforts for the Year. When I lay everything out and see it altogether, even difficult years like last year come out far better than I was hoping. It all adds up. Okay, so that's two things. :-)

So here's how our year is going so far. Let's start with Girl of the House's (aka Girl 2) Potter's School classes:

Physical Science~~Going very well. Girl 2 loves the textbook (Apologia) and while the teacher is new to TPS and has some challenging circumstances in her life, she's inspiring Girl 2's love of the subject. That's what I like in a teacher. :-) The math is challenging for our mathophobic daughter, but she's working hard to learn it. So far they've covered topics such as the atmosphere, atoms, and air. The experiments are the most fun part. This past week we made a stream of water bend~~no touching!~~by using a comb and a cat!

German I--This class and physical science are Girl 2's first forays into high school courses. The challenge of ramped up expectations and requirements were being met a bit shakily in the first two weeks, but we are on a roll now. Vocabulary, conjugations and the like are being mastered, and Girl 2 can now recite the Lord's Prayer in German from memory. The teacher is experienced and organized and knows her stuff. A real blessing!

Ancient History and Literature~~Man of the House is spearheading this. I am so blessed to have a husband who plays an active part in our children's education! They've moved into Herodotus after finishing the Iliad and Odyssey and were going to do selected portions, but Girl 2 insisted on reading the entire thing (a la Helene Hanff). Who could say no to that?? She's also doing work in Spielvogel's Western Civilization, which is going well as far as I know.

Math--Well. Humph. Math is not the favorite subject at our house, either to learn or to teach. That's where That Boy comes in. He's been tutoring Girl 2 and also helping her with the math for science. It makes a difference to have a tutor who loves the subject and knows the in's and out's of it. . . not like some I could mention . . . meaning myself. They've moved into the Zeta level of Math-U-See, which deals with decimals and percents and other mathematical perplexities. So you see we are "behind" in math, whatever that means~~we are where we need to be for Girl 2, and that's what matters. She also gets a dose of Calculadders each day when I remember. For some reason she never seems to remind me. ;-) This is the area where I need to constantly remind myself that doing a lesson each day really adds up over the long term. It's so easy to lose track of the great gains made through regular, faithful work each day.

Grammar--We've been devotees of Rod and Staff English for a long time. It's thorough if a little preachy, which we find amusing at some times and annoying at others. I had hoped to make it all the way through the 8th grade book this year, but it's beginning to look like that won't happen. Since I'm more concerned with my children learning the material than covering a certain amount of ground each week, at our current pace we'll have to continue next year, but that's okay with me. Who knows, though? Maybe we'll be able to pick up the pace. Right now we are in chapter 2 and slaving away at clauses~~dependent, independent, and otherwise.

Spelling--Progressing nicely, thank you. We are in the D section of our dumb spelling mistakes book. When we get to Z, we will leave spelling as a formal study forever. Hopefully, we will never leave proper spelling in actual usage.

Writing--I cannot say enough good things about the One Year Adventure Novel curriculum. Girl 2 loves it, and I've learned a lot just grading her work (which doesn't take much time at all). There are online webinars (phooey on that word!) and plenty of additional study aids on the website. This is just what Girl 2 needed to help her develop and hone her fiction-writing skills. Worth every penny!

Bible--We are studying our way through Luther's Small Catechism (and explanations) at the dinner table. Man of the House has also set Girl 2 to reading through an Old Testament survey. I don't really know how this is going, but since I'm not hearing sounds of wailing or the gnashing of teeth from either party, I assume all is well.

In addition, voice lessons are going well and Girl 2's singing is improving. She's spending time outside most days (though not as often as I'd like) either riding her bike (and falling off said bike all too frequently, walking in the park, or persuading a litter of wild kittens to take up residence in our backyard instead of the neighbors' by plying them (kitties, not neighbors) with food and the promise of much petting if they will comply.

So goes the first seven weeks of school. Only twenty-six more to go!

Sick Day=Shakespeare Day

Girl of the House didn't feel too well today. She has trouble with reflux at times, and today was one of those days. Since I knew when I was planning the schoolyear that there would be days like this, I prepared. Last summer I bought two copies of the Oxford School Shakespeare Edition of Henry V, the corresponding ArkAngel CD set, and the Kenneth Branagh version of the play on DVD to have on hand when needed. Girl of the House propped herself on the couch and we listened and read along. I like the Oxford School Editions because they include notes on the text, discussion questions, and the like. This is the fourth Shakespeare play that we've gotten under our belts this way: read and listen to the play and then watch a movie version. . . or two. . . or three. It's been a successful method for us. By her own admission Girl of the House loves Shakespeare. I can't complain about that! And as long as she's not too miserable to do even this much, the day is not a total loss. In fact, I think it's a day well spent. If she's still not feeling well tomorrow we'll continue. If she is, we'll pick it up next time she's under the weather.

To whet your appetite, here is Kenneth Branagh's inspiring rendition of the St. Crispin's Day speech. It sends shivers up my spine!

Getting Boys to Read, or Why We Homeschool Reason #8

There's been a bit of a controversy this past week over an article published in the Wall Street Journal about boys and reading. I was working on a post about it but then saw that Cindy at Ordo Amoris had already said it very well. She's a homeschooling mother of eight boys and a girl, several of whom are graduated, so she knows something about this topic. Go read her post and be enlightened. Links to the original WSJ article and a response from Scholastic are there too.

If you homeschool or plan to homeschool, making Cindy's blog a regular stop on your blog reading schedule will be well worth your time.

Antique Store Treasures

When we travel, I like to stop at antique stores, and my family indulges me. Actually, I think Man of the House enjoys it and Girl of the House enjoys it for about fifteen minutes. I'm usually hunting for blue transferware china, but other things often present themselves and ask me to buy them. Such was the case when we visited Girl Out of the House and That Boy down South over Labor Day weekend and when we went to my niece's wedding in the Midwest this past weekend.

We stopped in Sonora, TN (or was it KY?), a tiny farming town that appeared to be dying a slow death but looked like it was once a charming place to live. There were two ramshackle antique shops across the street from each other manned by friendly proprietors. We didn't find anything in the first shop, but the second yielded . . . a math book. Now, I don't usually get excited about math books (okay, I've never gotten excited about a math book!), and I almost missed seeing this one entirely. It was tucked away in a dark corner, the top book in a stack of old books, and my eye just caught the title: Mathematics: A Human Endeavor by Harold Jacobs. I gasped. This is a book I had thought about using with Girl Out of the House but never figured out how to fit it in and was still pondering for Girl of the House. When I've checked on Amazon the price was sky-high. There was no price, so I calmly and nonchalantly asked the man at the desk how much he wanted for it. "Oooooh, a dollar." I got the feeling he thought he was charging too much. "I'll take it," I said and coughed up my dollar. The book was a little moldy and a lot musty, but it's nothing that an Office Depot rebinding job and some airing in the sun won't fix.

My find from this past weekend has a more immediate use. I'd heard about Romertopf clay cookers and liked the concept. I like old-fashioned ways, and cooking in a clay cooker appealed to me. So when I spotted one tucked away on a bottom shelf at an antique shop in IL (or was it IN?) with a price tag of $22.50, it didn't take much pondering to decide to buy it. Man of the House is usually pretty indulgent when it comes to my buying cooking utensils. He likes food and he likes my cooking. :-) I roasted chicken and sweet potatoes last night (with a regular potato for Girl 2), and it was delicious! It was easy to prepare and easy to clean (so Man of the House tells me~he's a great dishwasher!) I can see using this frequently, especially as the weather cools down. As you can see, it isn't in perfect condition, but I didn't mind as long as it cooked well, and boy, did it! I'm thinking roasts, more chicken, baked beans, pork loin, even meatloaf . . .



I love the chickens, pigs, and other animals in relief over the sides and top!

Girl of the House~~Homeschooling Plan for 8th Grade

I've noticed that a lot of homeschooling bloggers post their kids' homeschooling plans for the year, so I thought I'd do the same. I'm only homeschooling one since Girl Out of the House graduated last year, though she was pretty much independent the last few years and managed her on-line classes herself for the most part. So here's what Girl of the House will be up to this year:

Ancient History and Literature~~Since Man of the House is a classicist by trade, he is heading this up and, in fact, much has already been accomplished this summer. They started with Hesiod's Theogony followed by a couple Homeric hymns. Then it was off through Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, which they finished a couple weeks ago. Last week they had fun with a few fellow homeschoolers reading through Aeschylus' Oresteia. Three days, three plays. As unlikely as it sounds, they all had a great time and are getting together next week to read Sophocles' Theban plays. After Sophocles they will move to Plutarch's Lives (selections), Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Politics and/or Ethics, Livy's History of Ancient Rome, Virgil's Aeneid, possibly some Ciceronian Speeches against Cataline, Caesar's Gallic Wars, and something by Tacitus still to be determined. They will supplement with the relevant pages of Spielvogel's Western Civilization. We've also been slowly working through Peloponnesian Wars lectures, about half of which is background information and talks a lot about Greek culture and history. Man of the House has been throwing in some writing assignments too. This will count as a credit or two on the high school transcript.

Physical Science~~Girl of the House is taking this through The Potter's School. Her experience with General Science at TPS last year was fabulous, and we are hoping (and expecting!) a repeat this year. The text is from Apologia. Another high school credit.

German I~~Another TPS class and another high school credit. Girl of the House is really looking forward to this one. The text is Deutsch Aktuell and I know nothing about it. I think her desire to take German is related to her World War II craze.

Math~~Math is the bane of Girl of the House's existence. She grins and bears it pretty well, but it is far from her favorite. We discovered Math-U-See a couple years ago. It's the best fit for her that I've found so far, and she tolerates it better than other curricula we've tried. That Boy started tutoring Girl of the House last spring over Skype, and it's provided some much needed motivation. We are rounding the corner on Epsilon and will be moving into Zeta pretty soon-ish.

Writing~~Now we move from the most-dreaded to the most-loved with the One Year Adventure Novel. Girl of the House loves to write and spends hours writing in her spare time. She discovered this curriculum through her fellow writer-friends. It's quite expensive but not as expensive as a TPS class, as she often reminded me before final curriculum decisions were made. And you do get a lot for your money, including books, video lessons, and access to web extras. It also counts as a high school credit. So far I've been impressed!


Grammar~~Building Christian English by Rod and Staff Publishers has been our grammar text of choice for many years now. (We skip the writing exercises.) Using R&S English 8, a very thorough grounding in grammar can be accomplished by the end of 8th grade, leaving time in high school for subjects more fun and interesting. I love that it includes diagramming because a student who can diagram a sentence understands that sentence. We've put an emphasis on grammar for both of our girls, but with Girl of the House's love of writing, we think it's more important than ever.

Spelling~~303 Dumb Spelling Mistakes and What You Can Do about Them by David Downing is the capstone to many years of spelling practice. As the title implies, this book simply consists of a listing of 303 commonly misspelled words with little memory tricks to help the student remember how to spell them. We'll work through the list, noting those that Girl of the House doesn't know and just work on those. It shouldn't take long. When she's finished with this book, she's finished with spelling as a formal study forever! Hurray!

Bible~~Introduction to the Old Testament by Tremper Longman III and Raymond B. Dillard, Introduction to the New Testament by Douglas Moo and D.A. Carson, and Luther's Small Catechism~~These books will give Girl of the House a solid, basic understanding of the Bible. This is another area Man of the House is spearheading, so I'm not sure what all this will entail, but I feel very blessed to have a husband capable of and willing to undertake the spiritual formation of our children. The catechism is an on-going study, and we are also working our way through The Peacemaker by Ken Sande. We consider this book crucial to helping our children understand how to live in a fallen world full of sinners~~including themselves!

I'm hoping there will be time later in the year to add Traditional Logic I by Martin Cothran, but if not this year then next year. There will also be music instruction in the form of children's choir and/or voice lessons and some memory work~~Scripture, catechism questions, poems, selections from Homer and Shakespeare. Oh, and speaking of Shakespeare. . . On days when Girl of the House is feeling poorly (and let's face it, there will be some of those days), we are going to listen to the ArkAngel recording of Henry V and follow along with the Oxford School Shakespeare edition of the play. Then we are going to watch the Kenneth Branagh version on DVD. I've already got the materials on hand and at the ready. If we get through that, we'll pick another play, amass the various media and be ready with it should illness strike again. Girl of the House loves Shakespeare, and I think (and hope!) this will be a relatively painless way to squeeze in a little mind and heart expansion when she's not up to regular schoolwork. Throw in lots of independent reading and that's a lot of larnin'!

So there you have it. It looks like a full year, but I'm pleased with the line-up. Fatten her soul and sharpen her mind~~that's what we're after.

Why We Homeschool~~Reasons #3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. . .

Wow, Erica has a lot of guts. It's worth reading to the end.

One Valedictorian Survives the Soul-destroying Classroom by Erica Goldson

(The following was read as the valedictorian's speech at Coxsackie-Athens High School in recent weeks, creating quite a stir among administrators, to great applause from students and many of their parents)

There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master: "If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen?" The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years . ." (The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast - How long then?" Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years." "But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?" asked the student. "Thirty years," replied the Master. "But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?" (Replied the Master, "When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."

This is the dilemma I've faced within the American education system. We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way, we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our original objective.

Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn't you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.

I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on to the next phase expected of me, in order to receive a paper document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contest that I am a human being, a thinker, an adventurer - not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition - a slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning.

John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, "We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don't do that." Between these cinderblock walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt.
H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. ... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States. (Gatto)

To illustrate this idea, doesn't it perturb you to learn about the idea of "critical thinking." Is there really such a thing as "uncritically thinking?" To think is to process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are not critical when processing this information, are we really thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?

This was happening to me, and if it wasn't for the rare occurrence of an avant-garde tenth grade English teacher, Donna Bryan, who allowed me to open my mind and ask questions before accepting textbook doctrine, I would have been doomed. I am now enlightened, but my mind still feels disabled. I must retrain myself and constantly remember how insane this ostensibly sane place really is.

And now here I am in a world guided by fear, a world suppressing the uniqueness that lies inside each of us, a world where we can either acquiesce to the inhuman nonsense of corporatism and materialism or insist on change. We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us.

We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still.

The saddest part is that the majority of students don't have the opportunity to reflect as I did. The majority of students are put through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a complacent labor force working in the interests of large corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are completely unaware of it. I will never be able to turn back these 18 years. I can't run away to another country with an education system meant to enlighten rather than condition. This part of my life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be - but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation.

For those of you out there that must continue to sit in desks and yield to the authoritarian ideologies of instructors, do not be disheartened. You still have the opportunity to stand up, ask questions, be critical, and create your own perspective. Demand a setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. Demand that you be interested in class. Demand that the excuse, "You have to learn this for the test" is not good enough for you. Education is an excellent tool, if used properly, but focus more on learning rather than getting good grades.
For those of you that work within the system that I am condemning, I do not mean to insult; I intend to motivate. You have the power to change the incompetencies of this system. I know that you did not become a teacher or administrator to see your students bored. You cannot accept the authority of the governing bodies that tell you what to teach, how to teach it, and that you will be punished if you do not comply. Our potential is at stake.

For those of you that are now leaving this establishment, I say, do not forget what went on in these classrooms. Do not abandon those that come after you. We are the new future and we are not going to let tradition stand. We will break down the walls of corruption to let a garden of knowledge grow throughout America. Once educated properly, we will have the power to do anything, and best of all, we will only use that power for good, for we will be cultivated and wise. We will not accept anything at face value. We will ask questions, and we will demand truth.

So, here I stand. I am not standing here as valedictorian by myself. I was molded by my environment, by all of my peers who are sitting here watching me. I couldn't have accomplished this without all of you. It was all of you who truly made me the person I am today. It was all of you who were my competition, yet my backbone. In that way, we are all valedictorians.

I am now supposed to say farewell to this institution, those who maintain it, and those who stand with me and behind me, but I hope this farewell is more of a "see you later" when we are all working together to rear a pedagogic movement. But first, let's go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we're smart enough to do so!

Erica Goldson
Athens, NY

ht: Angelina

From My Commonplace Book

"Earlier in this century someone claimed that we work at our play and play at our work. Today the confusion has deepened: we worship our work, work at out play, and play at our worship."~~Leland Ryken

"The feeling that 'if nothing is happening, nothing is happening' is the prejudice of a superficial, dependent and hollow spirit, one that has succumbed to the age and can prove its own excellence only by the pseudo-events it is constantly organizing, like a bee, to that end."~~Vaclav Havel

"Wonder is the workshop of worship. The child who wonders is moving toward worship."~~Steven Faulkner

"We have also been the beneficiaries of an extraordinary web of relationships. We have begun to understand that true education is more about a culture than it is about a curriculum. It's more about a way of life than it is a way of doing. A vision of what God's called you to than it is about a mechanical set of prescriptives that are to be implemented in your life. It is about relationships, about community, about the rich covenant into which you have been grafted by God's good providence."~~George Grant

Why We Homeschool Reason #3

“Homeschooling forces you to see your home as a place where more than just consumption takes place. It leads you back to the traditional view of the home as a place where something was produced. It keeps you from seeing home as just a place where you sleep and eat before you go out into the rest of the world to do the really important things. It keeps you from feeling dependent on experts to do the serious teaching of your children.”~~Rod Dreher


Picture courtesy of allposters.com

Two Articles and a Funny

I have two bang-on articles to share with you today.

The first article is from Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon. He writes regarding the important education children receive at the family table, and I wholeheartedly agree, though I hadn’t thought of all the points he makes here. My family has always made it a point to eat dinner together most evenings. I am continually surprised at how few families do! We limited activities that would interfere with dinnertime, but that’s not to say we outlawed every one of them. If it was a worthy endeavor, then we’d work mealtimes around it, but the overwhelming majority of our dinners are shared as a family. And now, after reading this, I’m gladder’n’ever that we do!

The second is from the American Enterprise Institute. I am especially interested in it because the subject of the article, Prof. Patrick Allitt of Emory University, is also one of the lecturers in the Teaching Co.’s US history course Girl 2 used in high school. He was very knowledgeable and engaging, and after reading this article, I’m sure he’s even more so in person. Also, I relate to his lament; I see some of the same complaints from my own students, who are junior and senior high school age. I am strengthened in my resolve with my remaining homeschooled child and my students to stick to my persnickety ways!

And now on a similar note~~a funny here.




Picture courtesy of allposters. com (Florence Cope Saying Grace at Dinnertime by Charles West Cope)