Yesterday my beautiful G underwent a gruelling 2 hours of allergy testing via an innocent-sounding procedure called the 'scratch test'. IN actuality it is exactly 70 mini-shots or pokes on her back within 3 minutes. Then 15 minutes of waiting for reaction while the welts form. And the welts *did* form. And she wasn't allowed to itch or move. It was hell. My 12 yo laying face down shirtless with a grid of 70 little squares written in marker on her back while we sat trying to fam the blazing red hives to relieve her pain. She sobbed and cried. Then, joy of joys then sat her up and injected 14 more serums into her upper arms. She was shaking uncontrollably, this time so spent from her crying, that she just sat white as a ghost and little tears dribbled down her face. Oh God.
I know there are mamas who go thru this with their kids, and even worse (see my dear friend Carrie's blog) and I am SO thankful for healthy children, but for someone not used to such medical surroundings and procedures this was so unnerving. G survived, and we cancelled school for the day on behalf of her battle scars and went to Panera for treats.
The diagnosis....she is severly allergic to grasses, trees and pollen. Mildly allergic to cats and dust/dustmites. Today we head to the hospital for a CT scan to determine whether she's got chronic sinusitis. If so, we face 4 weeks of strenuous anti-biotic, as well as her new daily dose of 3 allergy meds. These will accompany her every year from April thru October for the rest of her sweet life.
*sigh*
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Mumblings: I'm fine, no really, I'm ok, seriously.
Welcome to my cage. Pretty, yes? Today has been one of those variety when you paste on a smile and pretend all is well, when actually you're having a hard time convincing yourself first and foremost.I found the card on the right at a little shop last fall and became enamoured. Art can sometimes sum up my thoughts so perfectly at times, and I knew I'd return to this cameo many times in the coming years. Sometimes it reminds me that even our cages can be beautiful and it's not so bad to smile thru the hard times. Other days, like today, it reminds me how utterly dumb it is to pretend all is well when it obviously isn't.
Inside reads the caption: "It's ok, we all go a little cuckoo sometimes"...which brings me much solace on days like today.
But more often it's "Yes, please just put me in the cage where I can look pretty and perform for my public." Or "Yes, I really am nuts and belong in a birdcage." There's no beating around the bush, you're in a cage because you're wacko. End of it.
I've been in a funk for a couple days now, just spinning my wheels in the homeschooling mud. Trying to re-evaluate my reasons for doing this. And what my priorities are....this is what happens when you give advice to others and appear witty and wise (which is ever-so-easy over a computer screen, a bit more difficult IRL) . You begin to mull over your own advice, looking for the telltale signs of success and failure. I'm in a 'failure' kinda mood these last few days. There's a situation brewing in my life that has forced me to take a serious look at what kind of education in life I've handed to my older kids. And after all my wise and witty words, it looks like I'm just due for a timeout in the bird cage. I plead cuckoo.
Hm. Well this doesn't make any sense, and I can't really say what I'm meaning to say. I just happened to catch a glimse of this little card today, and it seemed to articulate artistcally the irony of parenting. At least it made for a cool graphic.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Musings: Why am I doing this anyway?
This morning I was perusing the forums over at The Well Trained Mind, when I came upon some posts from mamas discussing the 'big picture' of homeschooling and so forth. So I bumbled my way into the convo and here's what came tumbling out (with a bit of editing)....
I've graduated one, and have two in public high school (the three youngers are home with me). I've decided after experiencing the requirements for the SAT's and high school level work that the MOST important ways I can spend my time is teaching WRITING, READING (including note taking and/or outlining) and MATH.
The one area all my older kids have struggled in is listening to a lecture while taking notes, then trying to use those notes to study for the tests. Also, they have no aptitude for dealing with textbooks....I should say no *patience* for them. And yet they all must deal with them on a daily basis. I wish I hadn't shied away from them so much (and of course this wouldn't be an issue for those not planning to send their kids to public institutions).
I'm also realizing that not all my kids are academically driven, and for me to force them to follow a certain curricula (ie WTM or LCC) isn't realistic at all. It takes all the joy out of the journey of learning. It also affects their perception of what is really important in life. I have one dd who really just wants to go to Africa and apprentice to a midwife in poor areas. Writing gives her fits. I still made her do it, but not to the degree I made my older kids who had apptitude in that area.
SO....with my youngers I'm focusing on memorywork (stuffing their wee brains with all kinds of beautiful poetry and prose, useful facts, and latin vocab), learning to read, and doing math. My 6th grader focuses on Math, Classical Writing, Latin and memorywork. All other studies play second fiddle and are learned mostly thru library books. I feel like these are the practical areas that will be of use someday no matter what they become. (Not that they'll need to speak Latin! But the exercise in logic to figure out that language is good for brain cells...)
Someone mentioned above about knowing why you teach what to your kids....what is it you want them to *be* or what you are preparing them for. I think this is really important, especially since I've watched 3 older kids wrestle thru college and high school. Each of them are still trying to find a 'fit' for themselves regarding an occupation. My married son in college is 'undeclared', so his music, literature, and theater profs are all telling him he has the makings of a great musician/writer/actor....now he's fairly confused about this 'hoop' of society, this coveted 'degree'. He's sort of a Jack of all trades, and enjoys many things, so it's hard to narrow it down. I guess I'm glad I succeeded in giving him the basics, and now he's free to explore a wide range of interests.
On the other hand, a very large part of me feels like I failed in the most important department, even though my son goes to school for free (based on his SAT scores) and one dd is 1st in her class....and that is teaching that knowledge puffs up (ie: it isn't good for anything if you can't be nice). I wish I'd have spent more time reminding them that the gifts of intellect are not given just to get free college tuition or to be smarter than the average bear. The gifts we are given should be stewarded in such a way as to make the world a better place...a place where all people whether 'smart' or 'dumb' feel valued and affirmed in their humanity.
My kids may be book smart, and they may not do drugs or get people pregnant....but they are still way too proud of their smarts and way too oblivious to the sufferings of others who didn't have the privelege of being homeschooled, let alone having food and clothing. They are extremely self-centered, and that has been a great disappointment to me...seeing as I've spent 10 years giving up many things to teach them at home. Evidently my modeling hasn't reaped any tasty fruit (yet.)
Sometimes I feel the lure of this consumerist/materialist culture is just too powerful, too tempting, too hard to resist. How can I model a life of gratitude. A life that knows what 'enough' looks like. I fear my sheltering ways as a young homeschooling mother have produced sanitized, individualized, smarties who can't see past the end of their noses.
In light of this epiphany, and as I have been given 2 more opportunities to get it right in the shape of my precocious boys, I'm redirecting and rethinking my values for their education. My curricula will stay the same for the most part, but I want to add a healthy dose of "we're in this life together, all of us, and we need to learn to get along and respect the uniqueness we each bring to the tribal fire. Having a two parent home in a cushy, safe neighborhood with a mommy who teaches Latin and 3 cars in the driveway (making us part of the 8% of the world's total population to even own a car).....does not a kind person make. In fact, it might make for a rather snobbish person. Especially here in Conservative-ville USA.
Why do I homeschool? What are my hopes for these kids in my care? What curriculum choices will best serve them? What if they don't have the same hopes? What if your daughter dyes her beautiful blond hair dark brown and highlights it with fire-engine red?
What do I really want my kids to take away from this 'happy familiar'? Top of the list is:
"It's better to be kind than right".
Number 2 is:
"Love God and love your neighbor"
THEN comes: read beautiful words well, write beautiful words well, and learn to compute the sale price at the local market.
If those get accomplished, I win. I'm still waiting for the results to come in.....
I've graduated one, and have two in public high school (the three youngers are home with me). I've decided after experiencing the requirements for the SAT's and high school level work that the MOST important ways I can spend my time is teaching WRITING, READING (including note taking and/or outlining) and MATH.
The one area all my older kids have struggled in is listening to a lecture while taking notes, then trying to use those notes to study for the tests. Also, they have no aptitude for dealing with textbooks....I should say no *patience* for them. And yet they all must deal with them on a daily basis. I wish I hadn't shied away from them so much (and of course this wouldn't be an issue for those not planning to send their kids to public institutions).
I'm also realizing that not all my kids are academically driven, and for me to force them to follow a certain curricula (ie WTM or LCC) isn't realistic at all. It takes all the joy out of the journey of learning. It also affects their perception of what is really important in life. I have one dd who really just wants to go to Africa and apprentice to a midwife in poor areas. Writing gives her fits. I still made her do it, but not to the degree I made my older kids who had apptitude in that area.
SO....with my youngers I'm focusing on memorywork (stuffing their wee brains with all kinds of beautiful poetry and prose, useful facts, and latin vocab), learning to read, and doing math. My 6th grader focuses on Math, Classical Writing, Latin and memorywork. All other studies play second fiddle and are learned mostly thru library books. I feel like these are the practical areas that will be of use someday no matter what they become. (Not that they'll need to speak Latin! But the exercise in logic to figure out that language is good for brain cells...)
Someone mentioned above about knowing why you teach what to your kids....what is it you want them to *be* or what you are preparing them for. I think this is really important, especially since I've watched 3 older kids wrestle thru college and high school. Each of them are still trying to find a 'fit' for themselves regarding an occupation. My married son in college is 'undeclared', so his music, literature, and theater profs are all telling him he has the makings of a great musician/writer/actor....now he's fairly confused about this 'hoop' of society, this coveted 'degree'. He's sort of a Jack of all trades, and enjoys many things, so it's hard to narrow it down. I guess I'm glad I succeeded in giving him the basics, and now he's free to explore a wide range of interests.
On the other hand, a very large part of me feels like I failed in the most important department, even though my son goes to school for free (based on his SAT scores) and one dd is 1st in her class....and that is teaching that knowledge puffs up (ie: it isn't good for anything if you can't be nice). I wish I'd have spent more time reminding them that the gifts of intellect are not given just to get free college tuition or to be smarter than the average bear. The gifts we are given should be stewarded in such a way as to make the world a better place...a place where all people whether 'smart' or 'dumb' feel valued and affirmed in their humanity.
My kids may be book smart, and they may not do drugs or get people pregnant....but they are still way too proud of their smarts and way too oblivious to the sufferings of others who didn't have the privelege of being homeschooled, let alone having food and clothing. They are extremely self-centered, and that has been a great disappointment to me...seeing as I've spent 10 years giving up many things to teach them at home. Evidently my modeling hasn't reaped any tasty fruit (yet.)
Sometimes I feel the lure of this consumerist/materialist culture is just too powerful, too tempting, too hard to resist. How can I model a life of gratitude. A life that knows what 'enough' looks like. I fear my sheltering ways as a young homeschooling mother have produced sanitized, individualized, smarties who can't see past the end of their noses.
In light of this epiphany, and as I have been given 2 more opportunities to get it right in the shape of my precocious boys, I'm redirecting and rethinking my values for their education. My curricula will stay the same for the most part, but I want to add a healthy dose of "we're in this life together, all of us, and we need to learn to get along and respect the uniqueness we each bring to the tribal fire. Having a two parent home in a cushy, safe neighborhood with a mommy who teaches Latin and 3 cars in the driveway (making us part of the 8% of the world's total population to even own a car).....does not a kind person make. In fact, it might make for a rather snobbish person. Especially here in Conservative-ville USA.
Why do I homeschool? What are my hopes for these kids in my care? What curriculum choices will best serve them? What if they don't have the same hopes? What if your daughter dyes her beautiful blond hair dark brown and highlights it with fire-engine red?
What do I really want my kids to take away from this 'happy familiar'? Top of the list is:
"It's better to be kind than right".
Number 2 is:
"Love God and love your neighbor"
THEN comes: read beautiful words well, write beautiful words well, and learn to compute the sale price at the local market.
If those get accomplished, I win. I'm still waiting for the results to come in.....
Monday, September 18, 2006
Mumblings: How 'bout a real post?
Today the very kind mailperson deposited a smooth, white priority package. What a way to jump-start this Monday morning! Inside I find the new History Odyssey Ancient History Level 2 Study Guide and Map packet from Classical Home Education (Pandia Press) . I had all but abandoned my chonological study of history this year for a two-stream history study of Classical and Early American studies congruously. Well, it's time for some tweaking. I find I miss the in- depth study of a particular time frame. So I re-purchased the guide (having bought it in the spring and reselling it at the start of the school year....because I am a homeschool mother).
For those following a Classical bent, these guides are a treasure trove of activities and readings. For my particular logic stage student, it also teaches outlining, mapping, and requires reports and timeline analysis. It's a no-brainer for me. And, I'm all about that. I haven't altogether ditched the Classical Studies outlined in The Latin-Centered Education, having decided our 60 minute read aloud time will focus primarily on Greek and Roman Myths, literature, and personalities....but we've dropped the Modern Studies (American History) for now. I really like the idea of always having some sort of exposure each year to the Greek and Roman time periods, no matter what our formal history study will be, as so much modern literature resonates with ancient Greek and Roman culture.
So if it's all Greek to you, and when in Rome you'd like to do as the Romans do.....check out History Odyssey. I'll report in again after we've engaged the guide in practice.
For those following a Classical bent, these guides are a treasure trove of activities and readings. For my particular logic stage student, it also teaches outlining, mapping, and requires reports and timeline analysis. It's a no-brainer for me. And, I'm all about that. I haven't altogether ditched the Classical Studies outlined in The Latin-Centered Education, having decided our 60 minute read aloud time will focus primarily on Greek and Roman Myths, literature, and personalities....but we've dropped the Modern Studies (American History) for now. I really like the idea of always having some sort of exposure each year to the Greek and Roman time periods, no matter what our formal history study will be, as so much modern literature resonates with ancient Greek and Roman culture.
So if it's all Greek to you, and when in Rome you'd like to do as the Romans do.....check out History Odyssey. I'll report in again after we've engaged the guide in practice.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Moments #2: My Beautiful Boys....
Yeah, I know. There just aren't words.
My man C at the top, and my male prodigy C, S, and B all looking mighty fine.
Moments: The most beautiful girls in the world
So I haven't done much school this week due to an exhorbitant amount of time spent editing pictures...I've finally decided to DO something with the stacks and stacks of photos in my basement and the files and files of pictures on our hard drive.
So here's G., M., and K....they just don't come purtier than that, eh?
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Moments: "Once I saw a little bird..."
I spoke previously about our memorywork and recitation time in this post and wanted to show you my little guys' sunshiny faces after acting out one of our poems. They made the bird puppets to go with our poem using Literature Pockets. What fun!
Moments: Here at the Garden
The LAKESIDE LEARNING GARDEN that is.
Everyone needs to know about this place...
If you homeschool or have wee wiggly toddlers and preschoolers in the Fort Wayne area, come visit Angie (and her adorable, precious, precocious kidlets) for story times, wonderful classes, and BOOKS! She buys and sells used curriculum and fun games. Children are always welcome....there's a romper room area full of imaginative playthings to keep the young'uns occupied while parents can peruse the shelves or enjoy groovy bonding time with the big people (some of the nicest you'll meet). I love this place. My kids love this place. YOU'LL love this place. Please stop by for some good old fashioned fellowship and fun. The coffee's on!
Everyone needs to know about this place...
If you homeschool or have wee wiggly toddlers and preschoolers in the Fort Wayne area, come visit Angie (and her adorable, precious, precocious kidlets) for story times, wonderful classes, and BOOKS! She buys and sells used curriculum and fun games. Children are always welcome....there's a romper room area full of imaginative playthings to keep the young'uns occupied while parents can peruse the shelves or enjoy groovy bonding time with the big people (some of the nicest you'll meet). I love this place. My kids love this place. YOU'LL love this place. Please stop by for some good old fashioned fellowship and fun. The coffee's on!
Monday, September 04, 2006
Musings: The Twilght Zone
I've decided I much prefer toddlers to teens. Certainly toddlers can exhaust their poor mother physically with all the chasing, tying shoes, wiping noses and bottoms, fixing vittles, and the other myriad and sundry activities required for raising little people. It's enough to leave a young mama longing for those independent years when the kids can do stuff for themselves. But don't wish too hard.....
Having offspring at both ends of the spectrum now, let me just tell ya: Teens are every bit as exhausting. They may not drain you physically any more, but they will stretch your emotional and intellectual energy to capacity....then need more. Don't get me wrong, I love my teens. Not that I haven't murmured to the contrary recently, but I generally find life, um, stimulating with adolescents.
Something else I've noticed is how much more I worry about how their actions reflect on me. I'm a rather self-absorbed kinda gal, and I've always been concerned with what others thought of me. I use to be a pro at 'tweaking' myself, rearranging my personality so I'd fit in with a certain social situation. Unfortunately, that little dance doesn't end in high school. As a young parent (expecially in the conservative circles I used to run with), I felt constantly under the gaze of my peers. If Bucky-Boy was respectful and kind around others, then by golly I was gonna have my kid live up to that standard too. Even if I had to shame him into acting that way. Not modeling it, mind you. Just imposing it and leaving the poor kid to figure it out on his own. Sick.
So just when I think I'm moving past this wacked parenting paradigm, I find myself with teenagers on the brink of adulthood. I'm still worried about how their actions reflect on me, but now I don't give a noodle what others think......instead I worry about how they'll cope with the crap I've handed to them. Those obnoxious attitudes and immature behaviors that they reflect back to me every day. I see in them the unrefined rawness and the vulnerability that still lurks under my calm, cool facade.
I used to think I had all the time in the world to grow up and get it together so that my kids would have a slightly normal mother and therefore have a decent shot at being slightly normal themselves. Now I understand that was a severe miscalculation. Before you have a chance to mature, The Powers the Be hand you children. And when you're finally moving toward your 40's, behaving in a less selfish, more loving manner, those kids morph into teenagers just to remind you that YES, you are *still* from outer space just like them, regardless of polite manners and meticulously applied personas.
We all must walk the same worn path to adulthood....one that includes rolling eyes, deep sighs, ecstatic highs and horrifying lows. It's exhausting for everyone, yet profound LIVING begins to happen for me if I can just grab hold of Grace and realize the only difference between them and me (besides some stretchmarks and wrinkles) is life experience. I don't need to worry how they'll survive the particular goofiness I've passed down to them.....it's happening everywhere throughout the world, throughout time...the awkward emergence of unique, if quirky, individuals who all need to learn to play nice. We are all learning the lesson of being kind, not right. It's just that you (think you) can force toddlers to do it. Teenagers must discover it. And we all discover best by observing. Not by being told over and over...
I think perhaps I'll just climb aboard the spaceship with my teenagers, and enjoy the ride.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Moments: That's My Girl!
Here is an excellent example of my daughter (center) K's ability to let it all hang out....not only is she able to get all the other gals to join in her 'pose'....she did this in front of a full grandstand of football fans. Oh, that I'd have been so carefree and confident at her age! She's a happy girl, despite a rather rough transition into public school life these past 2 weeks. I'm still reeling from the fact that she's even IN high school. Time flies.Friday, September 01, 2006
Moments: A Day in the Life
So raise your hand if you have boys between the ages of 7 and 5....
I realize of course you may possibly fall into that category and are unable to wrestle your arms away from holding your two precious sons away from each other....I understand.
Today I called recess. For the rest of the day. I really don't want to say PLEASE STOP ever again in this lifetime. And I'm rather tired of hearing potty talk (is there some way to tie farts into a science lesson?) I think we'll have Lego day.
Fridays can be trying. Not in the mood for trying today. In the mood for a nap. Did I mention my boys have been wearing the same clothes for 4 days? Uh huh. That's what happens when mama is too lazy to walk upstairs and pick out decent clothes for her children.
Hmmmm. I hear thumping upstairs. Any ideas what that might be? You get one guess.
I realize of course you may possibly fall into that category and are unable to wrestle your arms away from holding your two precious sons away from each other....I understand.
Today I called recess. For the rest of the day. I really don't want to say PLEASE STOP ever again in this lifetime. And I'm rather tired of hearing potty talk (is there some way to tie farts into a science lesson?) I think we'll have Lego day.
Fridays can be trying. Not in the mood for trying today. In the mood for a nap. Did I mention my boys have been wearing the same clothes for 4 days? Uh huh. That's what happens when mama is too lazy to walk upstairs and pick out decent clothes for her children.
Hmmmm. I hear thumping upstairs. Any ideas what that might be? You get one guess.
Curriculum I'm Looking For (updated 9/06)
~Evan Moor:
Geography Centers Grades 4-5
Making Books with Pockets-August and November
Daily Language Review Grade 6
~Explode the Code 4, 5 and 6
~Classical Writing's newest set for Older Beginners (Aesop and Homer)
~DIVE 7/6 (Fourth Edition)
~Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia
~Resources for History Odyssesy Level 2 Ancients
~Right Start abucus
~Color and Learn Science and History titles
Geography Centers Grades 4-5
Making Books with Pockets-August and November
Daily Language Review Grade 6
~Explode the Code 4, 5 and 6
~Classical Writing's newest set for Older Beginners (Aesop and Homer)
~DIVE 7/6 (Fourth Edition)
~Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia
~Resources for History Odyssesy Level 2 Ancients
~Right Start abucus
~Color and Learn Science and History titles
Musings: Classical Stages-A Perspective
I've been involved with classical education for a few years now....I should say I've done a fair amount of READING about it, and apply the general philosphies to my own homeschool without becoming overly concerned with anyone's particular methodology in using it.
So let me first give an brief synopsis or working definition of what classical is for me, and how it is helping me make sense of the realities in my life at present.
Classical Education affirms three stages of learning growing children pass thru as they aquire an education. The first is the Grammar Stage. The experts and practitioners disagree a bit about what specific ages this includes, but generally it is the elementary years. It is during this time they are learning the 'grammar' of reading, of arithmetic, of English (nouns, verbs, etc.) They aquire bits of information that become tools to further learning. They are the basics. They don't really relate to each other in the child's mind at this point. It's simply storing knowledge bits in their little sponge-like brains to be drawn upon at a later stage of learning, which is why memory work is stressed and fairly painless during these years.
For example, my 5 and 7 year olds are learning by rote memorization and daily recitation the helping verbs. They don't have a flippin' clue as to what a verb is, and why they help. But when they do learn this info (3rd grade-ish), they will be able to draw on that memorized list and apply what they know. In just 5 weeks, the boys have memorized 4 poems, 5 nursery rhymes, a Latin prayer, the Star Spangled Banner, the continents and oceans, the first 5 presidents, 4 famous paintings, their address/phone/birthdays, 5 scripture verses, 25 Latin vocabulary words, Spanish colors and words of greeting, and the days of the week. We just work our way thru all of it at the start of each day.
I don't share to brag (except for Gramma's sake!), but to illustrate how easily things are committed to memory at this age. We just recite every day. I like that I'm filling their brains with wonderful words and information that will be pertinent to life later on.
The second phase is called the Logic Stage. At this point, (roughly, the middle school years) kids are beginning to make some logical connections between all the sound bits of information they've accumulated over the elementary years. Classical educators will begin to use props such as timelines to connect the dots of events in a congruent manner, or will diagram sentences to show the logic of sentence structure. Studies in Mathematics begins to be more abstract as the basic functions of arithmetic stretch their muscles.
Here's an example from our homeschool. When my daughter was an 8th grader, she studied not only the facts about the Civil War, but began making observations about the very grey areas of this war.....who was right? who was wrong? who won? did the end justify the means? was slavery the 'cause' of this war? and so forth. She began to engage her logical brain to see the whole picture, not just the individual 'facts' or parts (Union wore blue, Confederates had slaves). It is a stretching time, and a time of frustration and disillusionment at times. (What do you mean some people in the North owned slaves? What are States Rights?) It's a transitional period that often shoves the child past old comfort zones of believing everything she's read in simplistic black and white terms, and then regurgitating these terms for a test. She begins to ask 'why?' and many times bristles over the very few definitive answers. It often takes unpleasant work to push past the frustration. On the positive side, it can also be a tremendous time of 'light bulb moments' when things begin to make sense, or seem FINALLY to have a purpose. It can be exhilarating to engage mental faculties just beginning to open wide the gate to incredible discovery! Due to all these factors, I think this may be the most tumultuous stage. And, of course, infamous hormones of puberty begin exerting themselves just to stir the pot.
The Rhetoric Stage is the final stop and is coorelated with the high school years. It is at this time that all the information and connections made previously are assimilated into the student's life. They begin to show command of this knowledge by manipulating the information/connections into written forms. The rhetoric student will begin to sort and sift incoming knowledge as they make critical desicions on how it affects their values, beliefs, point-of-view. Students in this stage are supposed to fine tune all their skills, learn to write eloquently, coherently, and truthfully about life. And these articulate findings should inform their behavior and life decisions. (In a perfect world!)
So....I went thru all that to articulate the following thoughts bumbling around in my brain. I'm still wrestling with becoming a full-fledged student of rhetoric myself. *grin*
Each of us go thru all three stages as we attempt to learn new information. We always start with the grammar stage, move to the logic stage, then (hopefully) arrive at the rhetoric stage. For instance, if as an adult you decide to learn to play an instrument, you should probably begin by learning the 'grammar' of the particular instrument that interests you. You learn the parts of it, how to care for it, how to tune it, what notes are, where they are found and how to play them, etc. You learn scales or chords or strums and you practice them over and over and over, and you listen to others (hopefully the masters) and try to copy them.....soon you are ready to make some connections. You play songs! Welcome to the logic stage. Here there is purpose to the hard work of learning the 'grammar' of which notes are what, how to hold your hands, playing endless scales. You begin to really enjoy playing other's music. If you stick with it, you begin to write your own music, try new techniques, and coherently express all the knowledge you've acquired to SAY something in an original way. In other words, you own it.
As adults we can move thru the stages much more quickly than our kids, but we still follow the same process. And the stages often overlap, or sometimes we'll start using techniques better suited for logic learning, and have to backtrack to the grammar stage eventually to pick up items that are necessary for the demands of the rhetoric stage. We generally don't like the grammar stage, probably because it's where the greatest learning curve is felt.
For example, in my life I learned to play guitar as an adult. I didn't take time to learn scales or theory of music. I just had friends teach me chords and strums and started right in with playing songs. I wrote songs and enjoyed playing with and for friends. But I've never been able to really 'own' that instrument, and have had many frustrating moments trying to write or play songs that require knowledge that is generally learned and mastered in the grammar phase.....So I will stay 'stuck' in that frustrating transitional stage called 'logic', writing mediocre songs and struggling with chord progressions until I go back and learn the grammar of guitar playing. As adults, we may learn faster, but children tend to learn better in the grammar stage as their little brains absorb information so easily. Learning the grammar of a thing is tedious, but children generally don't struggle as often or as much as adults.
So, what stages do you find yourself in these days, and in what areas of learning? Are you just gathering information, or have you begun to make connections in your brain? Is there any area you feel you have completely assimilated, made your own in such a way that you can articulate either in words or lifestyle?
I'll share my current process on my other blog in the next few days.
So let me first give an brief synopsis or working definition of what classical is for me, and how it is helping me make sense of the realities in my life at present.
Classical Education affirms three stages of learning growing children pass thru as they aquire an education. The first is the Grammar Stage. The experts and practitioners disagree a bit about what specific ages this includes, but generally it is the elementary years. It is during this time they are learning the 'grammar' of reading, of arithmetic, of English (nouns, verbs, etc.) They aquire bits of information that become tools to further learning. They are the basics. They don't really relate to each other in the child's mind at this point. It's simply storing knowledge bits in their little sponge-like brains to be drawn upon at a later stage of learning, which is why memory work is stressed and fairly painless during these years.
For example, my 5 and 7 year olds are learning by rote memorization and daily recitation the helping verbs. They don't have a flippin' clue as to what a verb is, and why they help. But when they do learn this info (3rd grade-ish), they will be able to draw on that memorized list and apply what they know. In just 5 weeks, the boys have memorized 4 poems, 5 nursery rhymes, a Latin prayer, the Star Spangled Banner, the continents and oceans, the first 5 presidents, 4 famous paintings, their address/phone/birthdays, 5 scripture verses, 25 Latin vocabulary words, Spanish colors and words of greeting, and the days of the week. We just work our way thru all of it at the start of each day.
I don't share to brag (except for Gramma's sake!), but to illustrate how easily things are committed to memory at this age. We just recite every day. I like that I'm filling their brains with wonderful words and information that will be pertinent to life later on.
The second phase is called the Logic Stage. At this point, (roughly, the middle school years) kids are beginning to make some logical connections between all the sound bits of information they've accumulated over the elementary years. Classical educators will begin to use props such as timelines to connect the dots of events in a congruent manner, or will diagram sentences to show the logic of sentence structure. Studies in Mathematics begins to be more abstract as the basic functions of arithmetic stretch their muscles.
Here's an example from our homeschool. When my daughter was an 8th grader, she studied not only the facts about the Civil War, but began making observations about the very grey areas of this war.....who was right? who was wrong? who won? did the end justify the means? was slavery the 'cause' of this war? and so forth. She began to engage her logical brain to see the whole picture, not just the individual 'facts' or parts (Union wore blue, Confederates had slaves). It is a stretching time, and a time of frustration and disillusionment at times. (What do you mean some people in the North owned slaves? What are States Rights?) It's a transitional period that often shoves the child past old comfort zones of believing everything she's read in simplistic black and white terms, and then regurgitating these terms for a test. She begins to ask 'why?' and many times bristles over the very few definitive answers. It often takes unpleasant work to push past the frustration. On the positive side, it can also be a tremendous time of 'light bulb moments' when things begin to make sense, or seem FINALLY to have a purpose. It can be exhilarating to engage mental faculties just beginning to open wide the gate to incredible discovery! Due to all these factors, I think this may be the most tumultuous stage. And, of course, infamous hormones of puberty begin exerting themselves just to stir the pot.
The Rhetoric Stage is the final stop and is coorelated with the high school years. It is at this time that all the information and connections made previously are assimilated into the student's life. They begin to show command of this knowledge by manipulating the information/connections into written forms. The rhetoric student will begin to sort and sift incoming knowledge as they make critical desicions on how it affects their values, beliefs, point-of-view. Students in this stage are supposed to fine tune all their skills, learn to write eloquently, coherently, and truthfully about life. And these articulate findings should inform their behavior and life decisions. (In a perfect world!)
So....I went thru all that to articulate the following thoughts bumbling around in my brain. I'm still wrestling with becoming a full-fledged student of rhetoric myself. *grin*
Each of us go thru all three stages as we attempt to learn new information. We always start with the grammar stage, move to the logic stage, then (hopefully) arrive at the rhetoric stage. For instance, if as an adult you decide to learn to play an instrument, you should probably begin by learning the 'grammar' of the particular instrument that interests you. You learn the parts of it, how to care for it, how to tune it, what notes are, where they are found and how to play them, etc. You learn scales or chords or strums and you practice them over and over and over, and you listen to others (hopefully the masters) and try to copy them.....soon you are ready to make some connections. You play songs! Welcome to the logic stage. Here there is purpose to the hard work of learning the 'grammar' of which notes are what, how to hold your hands, playing endless scales. You begin to really enjoy playing other's music. If you stick with it, you begin to write your own music, try new techniques, and coherently express all the knowledge you've acquired to SAY something in an original way. In other words, you own it.
As adults we can move thru the stages much more quickly than our kids, but we still follow the same process. And the stages often overlap, or sometimes we'll start using techniques better suited for logic learning, and have to backtrack to the grammar stage eventually to pick up items that are necessary for the demands of the rhetoric stage. We generally don't like the grammar stage, probably because it's where the greatest learning curve is felt.
For example, in my life I learned to play guitar as an adult. I didn't take time to learn scales or theory of music. I just had friends teach me chords and strums and started right in with playing songs. I wrote songs and enjoyed playing with and for friends. But I've never been able to really 'own' that instrument, and have had many frustrating moments trying to write or play songs that require knowledge that is generally learned and mastered in the grammar phase.....So I will stay 'stuck' in that frustrating transitional stage called 'logic', writing mediocre songs and struggling with chord progressions until I go back and learn the grammar of guitar playing. As adults, we may learn faster, but children tend to learn better in the grammar stage as their little brains absorb information so easily. Learning the grammar of a thing is tedious, but children generally don't struggle as often or as much as adults.
So, what stages do you find yourself in these days, and in what areas of learning? Are you just gathering information, or have you begun to make connections in your brain? Is there any area you feel you have completely assimilated, made your own in such a way that you can articulate either in words or lifestyle?
I'll share my current process on my other blog in the next few days.
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