It's not all seriousness around here! We actually have more fun than work, to be honest. Here are a few of the fun things I've found to supplement our schoolwork.
Romans 6:17-18
"But thanks be to God that though you were doulos of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became doulos of righteousness."
September 04, 2014
August 17, 2014
A Lesson in Culture Through the World of Richard Scarry
My daughter checked out a Richard Scarry book from the library yesterday, which was a welcomed relief after countless (and mindless) Barbie princess books! As we began to read through the book I simply had to stop and check the copyright date. Just as I suspected, it was compiled (or should I say systematically dismembered of any soul or virtue) in 1994. In order to explain what is clearly a visceral response, allow me to step back and give you some background into our relationship with Richard Scarry.
When my son was about 18 months old, his favorite book in the whole wide world was what he called "The Oh Bow Oh Wow Book"...more commonly known as Richard Scarry's Silly Stories (1978). The stories were so clever and full of interesting phrases. For what they lacked in educational content (unless you consider instructing hobos not to eat soap educational), they made up for in imaginative and relational stimulation. Will Brambles the warthog make a good first impression on Hilda the hippo by combing his hair and showing her his favorite ball of string? How hospitable of Mama Bear to bake a cake for the three hobos that came into her house through the window! Will Baron Von Crow and Dingo Dog ever learn that their competition is at the expense of those around them as well as their own safety? When will everyone learn that Mr. Fix-it Fox only makes matters worse?! There was never an instruction of colors or numbers, nor any direct, academic instruction on anything. They were silly stories written to stimulate imagination...the primary type of educational content that young children need.
He wrote several other books that are among our favorites of all time. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go has very little plot other than following the pig family through various (ridiculous) settings and trying to spot Goldbug along with hundreds of other unique cars/driving scenarios. What Do People Do All Day was a great educational look at different jobs and where things come from. Much like "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" they take interesting subject matter and fill it with clever vocabulary and silly, imaginary fluff to stimulate childhood thought.
So flash forward 30+ years to our latest library find. Same topics, same pictures, but page after page of stripped down, soulless content. I took some pics comparing the differences...take out your magnifying lense and see if you can catch them...
Here's the stripped down, "just the facts" version of today...VERY informational! |
"This is an ambulance"...uh, ok. Next page please! |
August 05, 2014
Words to School By
I read this devotional today and it really encouraged me as I'm beginning to panic with our start date looming! I often get caught up in the academic whirlwind around me, and forget what I'm really trying to accomplish with my kids. This was a nice reminder!
"Today people are known by what they do, not who they are...There is no doubt that if you brag on your children because of what they do, you ensure that you will be known by your vocation rather than who you are."
-Walt Henrichsen, Warnings for a People Not Listening to God (Day 218)
-Walt Henrichsen, Warnings for a People Not Listening to God (Day 218)
June 29, 2014
Post Modern Education and Why I Homeschool My Kids
There are
many reasons I never put in/pulled my kid out of school. Safety, peer
influences, genetic inability to sit at a desk for long amounts of time... they
all make the list, but the main reason I chose to keep them home has to do with
the educational shift in our post modern culture. It came on us fairly
quickly and subtlety, but spend 5 minutes watching a children's television
program, or add up how many hours a week your child spends doing schoolwork and
it's obvious things have dramatically changed from when we were kids. In
order to fully understand the repercussions of this shift, we must understand
the purpose of education, the times in which we live, and how the two overlap.
Education
at its core is the process by which an immature human being gradually becomes a
recipient of and participant in the world around him through the cultivation of
preferred skills, knowledge and values. * The determination of these
skills, knowledge and values are based on assumptions about the nature of the
universe, human beings, and "good"...also known as philosophy.
(One last point before you doze off, I promise!) There are 4 main
areas of philosophy that directly affect education: metaphysics (the study of nature
and ultimate reality), epistemology (the theory of knowledge/knowing), axiology
(ethical and aesthetic "good"), and logic (rules and patterns of
correct thinking). *
Ok...so
why am I forcing you into a coma by telling you this? Because the answers
to questions like...Is reality spiritual or natural? (Metaphysics)...What is
truth and who gets to define it? (Epistemology)...Is "good/right"
rooted in the universe itself or relative depending on particular situations?
(Axiology)...Are there rules that correctly frame our propositions and
arguments? (Logic)...determine the purpose and function of education. As
believers in a post-modern world, we know that our answers to these questions
differ greatly from the rest of society, but how and why?
There was
a time when our society used education to answer those questions with a
biblical worldview, but post-modern society no longer views the world as the
means to an objectively good end. Instead, our goal has become the
transformation of the here-and-now into a peaceful, tolerant utopia. Citizens of this utopia do not need
morals to restrain their evil nature, but simply need information to combat
ignorance. Thus the transformation
of education around the worldview of a 20th century philosopher named John Dewey,
who viewed a hybrid pragmatic/progressive approach as the only way to achieve
societal utopia. In a nutshell, truth can no longer originate from an
authority independent of human experience, and it is no longer the unchanging,
absolute path to "good". Truth is now derived from human
experience (pragmatism), and it must progress/change along with those
experiences in order to improve and perfect our human environment
(progressivism). This redefinition of truth shifted education from a
"restricted view" (less time in school - more time learning morals at
home) to a "broad view" of education, which is framed by the
following:
1. Morals and values presuppose that truth is absolute, and when people
don’t agree on what those absolutes should be, conflict arises. Therefore, the best way to prevent
conflict and produce utopia is to remove the absolutes altogether and replace
them with academic content.
2. Because of the emphasis of academics over morals, formal education
(a.k.a. school) is responsible for all learner experiences as only
schools/teachers are “qualified” to instruct learners. Parents cannot objectively direct
students to experience and progress their own environment without imposing
their own "experiences/environments" (morals and values) on the learner.
3. These "external limitations" of the home stifle progress and
growth of the learner by creating conflict and inequality (imposing morals
rather than letting experience dictate right/wrong).
4. Liberation of the learner to "problem-solve" conflicts with
solely academic tools will result in peace, equality, and environmental
perfection for all.
5. An increase of time at school (or at home doing academic schoolwork)
acquiring as many academic tools as early as possible should replace the
informal time spent at home where "external limitations" lurk around
every parent/child interaction.*
This is not a
doomsday prediction. This is post-modern education at its
finest...today!! This is why you believe you are not qualified to teach
your own children. This is why your
child will never survive kindergarten if he doesn't attend preschool everyday
from the time he's 3. This is why your kindergartener will come home with
at least an hour of homework every night after spending hours at a time sitting
at a desk in school all day. This is why you can only find children's
shows that teach academic content or environmental morals like recycling and
celebrating differences. Gone are the days when we taught our kids
courage under persecution, standing up for what is right even if it's hard,
putting others before yourself and treating them with respect and kindness even
when they don't return the favor rather than celebrating how wonderfully
different we all are. This is why our babies are walking into schools
with guns...and this is why my babies, at least for now, will not step foot in
one.
*The content preceding the asterisks come from the book Philosophical
and Ideological Perspectives on Education by Gerald Gutek. If
you are at all interested in a non-biased look at the development of education
throughout history, and you enjoy reading dull textbooks for fun like me, I
would highly recommend this book!
June 27, 2014
What the Heck Is Doulos Academy?!?
Welcome to my new world of homeschooling! As you can see, I moved on from the realm of preschool and I've ventured into the Grammar Stage of the Trivium. For all you non-classical folks, I intend to add a link to the right with a brief explanation of my approach to classical education that also includes an explanation of the Trivium.
But what the heck is Doulos Academy and what does is have to do with my homeschooling? Well, I like to imagine that my time spent educating my kids is an actual school, and every school needs a name! Doulos is the Greek word for "bond-servant" which is so much more than just a loyal slave. It is an attitude and act of complete surrender of your will to becoming the will of your master. As the verse above explains, we were doulos of sin before Christ died and gave us the freedom to become doulos of Him. And that is really what I am trying to accomplish by homeschooling my kids. I don't share the post-modern agenda of education that stresses hours and hours of academic instruction for the acquisition of as much academic content as possible while their brains are young and malleable. I want my kids to gain knowledge that they can apply in order to become a doulos. As Walt Henrichsen once wrote:
“Knowledge has no intrinsic worth, but rather must be used in pursuit of truth. Knowledge may be a part of truth, but is worthless apart from truth. If not careful, the quest for knowledge can be a guise of idolatry, producing arrogance rather than humility. When you make knowledge an end in itself, it is destructive of truth. Truth always has as its goal application.”
So welcome to Doulos Academy where you will find a list of all the books we use along with all my weekly lesson plans attached (eventually) to the right. And if you still don't quite understand the point of Doulos Academy, allow me to flesh out its inception more thoroughly in my next post.
But what the heck is Doulos Academy and what does is have to do with my homeschooling? Well, I like to imagine that my time spent educating my kids is an actual school, and every school needs a name! Doulos is the Greek word for "bond-servant" which is so much more than just a loyal slave. It is an attitude and act of complete surrender of your will to becoming the will of your master. As the verse above explains, we were doulos of sin before Christ died and gave us the freedom to become doulos of Him. And that is really what I am trying to accomplish by homeschooling my kids. I don't share the post-modern agenda of education that stresses hours and hours of academic instruction for the acquisition of as much academic content as possible while their brains are young and malleable. I want my kids to gain knowledge that they can apply in order to become a doulos. As Walt Henrichsen once wrote:
“Knowledge has no intrinsic worth, but rather must be used in pursuit of truth. Knowledge may be a part of truth, but is worthless apart from truth. If not careful, the quest for knowledge can be a guise of idolatry, producing arrogance rather than humility. When you make knowledge an end in itself, it is destructive of truth. Truth always has as its goal application.”
So welcome to Doulos Academy where you will find a list of all the books we use along with all my weekly lesson plans attached (eventually) to the right. And if you still don't quite understand the point of Doulos Academy, allow me to flesh out its inception more thoroughly in my next post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)