Well, I did finally experience that Portland oddity otherwise known as VooDoo Doughnut. Everyone lately has been going to VooDoo Doughnut. I tried to go once before but the line was down the street and around the corner, so I had to wait for a more opportune time. So when we saw there was one right by the church where the kids were having the speech competition, we (Elisa and I) decided to give it a whirl. May I say? I don't get it.

Now, I don't think I'm all that thin skinned. I was fine with the whole horror flick sort of aura, the voodoo jelly doughnut, coffin maple bars, etc. All just for fun, and of course it's a pretty eye catching sales gimmick. But I'm not into upside down crosses and pentagrams and there was a lot of that there. But not only that, it stank. And it was scuzzy. And my apple fritter was doughy and undercooked. And for the rest of the day, no matter how many times I washed my hands, I could smell it. All in all, it was just plain gross. Yuck. So I can cross that one off my bucket list, and I will never do it again. I'm sure they are really sad and will miss me frightfully.

Anyway, on to the speech tournament. Are you down? Do you need a bit of encouragement for the generations to come? Go hang out at a NCFCA speech tournament.  Wowzers. You can hear the gospel presented from 50 different directions. You can listen to debate on whether or not we should change nuclear policies dealing with Russia. You can hear how to solve world hunger. (Plumpy Nut. It's the best thing since sliced bread.) You can hear Natural Law debated. Golly, it was fabulous. I love this sort of thing. I felt like my mental muscles were weight lifting all day long. And as that kid in the suit two sizes to big for him is calmly and rationally discusses the effect of Natural Law on the Nuremberg Trials you kind of have to pinch yourself and remember, he's maybe 15? 16?

I'm so glad Elisa is excited to do this. I wish I had gotten my older children into it. No matter what field of study they may want to pursue in the future, being able to present yourself, speak easily and think on your feet will be an asset, whether artist, teacher, scientist, lawyer....Hey,  even auto mechanics need to be able to talk to their customers clearly and inspire confidence!

It was so interesting to be able to judge at this event. If you live near a tournament they always really need judges. They let the parents judge, but if you come in as a community judge (with no kids competing) they give you first pick of the events you want to take. They feed you good food all day long and there was coffee with real cream (Not just the powdered creamer stuff.) and candies on the tables. And you get to watch future leaders in the making honing their skills. You will feel very appreciated. It was a really quality event put on by good people.

Well that's my sales pitch!

I was doing the classic science experiment of putting eggshells in vinegar to demonstrate what sugar does with a person's teeth with the boys. All day they were impatient to check it and see what would happen to the shells in the little cup on the counter but I made them wait until after dinner to give the vinegar time to work. Finally the dinner dishes were cleared away and it was time to view the results. I got the shells out, showed them how they were all dissolved and crumbly and Noah and Zeke were looking but Owen started getting restless and retreated to the background to pace and mumble as he does when he's feeling disgruntled. Finally I look up from my lecture on tooth brushing to ask what ever is the matter with him. "Oooooo," he puffs. "I thought they were going to explode or something."

!!!

Does he really think I would let him have sugar ever if there was a chance of his teeth exploding?  I can tell he's going to be a tough one to sell on science experiments.

By the way, I was joking a little bit with the post below, but not really. All those things are actually things that I have beaten myself up over-or maybe that other woman has-at other times. Maybe not stringing harps, but for sure stress over wondering if we are doing enough on the intellectual plane and if I'm wrong to be so neglectful of Latin. I can see the value of Latin and have we've dabbled in the roots area but I kind of feel like maybe we shoud be paying more attention to it.  And even as I was typing it, part of me was thinking, "Well, yeah, that's how it oughta be... If we just get our schedule tighter, if we train those boys better, if I get up earlier..."

The thing about this woman is she is just like Bev said. She always comes to me at the point of my failure and she never sees the things I do well. She gives me these pictures of the way I ought to be, but she never presents it all at once, so I could really see all of it together. I mean there are so many hours in a day. And she is unrelenting in her expectations. Everyday, all day... I think I should name her like Bev does, maybe that would help me to keep her more under control. Sometimes recognition is the key.

Anyway, back to homeschooling. I did mean to get there.  

The reason I went over some of the stuff (two posts ago) about the things I think are pretty foundational in the way to think about school is I think if we keep some simple things in mind our schooling will be more of a joy to us, and more impactful. We ought to know why we  are doing what we are doing-not just in homeschooling at all, but in the subjects we are presenting. Why did I make Shayleen do that chapter on Chinese history three times? I can't really remember. I don't think it was probably a very good reason. 


On the whole, I think if your homeschooling time is just one big long chore, then you are probably doing something wrong. I'm not saying there are never times to discipline or buckle down and do something not-so-fun, but I don't think that should be the majority of the school day. Especially in the younger grades. 


There is a lot of talk about the "simple life". People crave a simple life. They know they are scattered, indecisive, and feel overwhelmed with the choices they have. Often we are presented with a vision for "getting back to basics" and are told if we just get back to sewing our own clothes, canning, making our own bread and cheese, etc. that that will be the simple life. But that is not the simple life. Often is just ends in more burdens, guilt and complexity in trying on that level to discern what is best. 


I think the path to the simple life is to fix your eyes one one goal and follow that one with your whole heart. Do not allow your eyes to wander from the right or to the left. 


What is the chief and highest end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever. 


Not to get in a higher math book that the other kids, not to show your public school teacher friend that homeschooled kids can and often do perform well on the SAT, not to figure out neat projects so you can take pictures and put them on your blog, not to pressure your kids into some performance level that will kick you up into the "Oh So Stellar Family" tier at church. Not so you can show other prospective families what a good catch your son/daughter will be in marriage.... no no no no.


To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.


More later.

The other day I was over at my friends house chatting with another mom that I don't know as well and we were talking about home school methods. It is hard for me to sum up my home school methods because I have traversed every method promoted out there... I think.. and like any vagabond, have picked up a few things here and a few things there and learned from trial and error and what worked with one kid doesn't always fit with another and on and on and on... (yes, I know that is a run on sentence. My whole homeschooling life has been one big run on sentence.) But anyway, I have always enjoyed finding out what other people are doing. Especially people who have older and or adult children. There are a lot of really enthusiastic young moms out there who are all ready to detail every aspect of their plan for child raising and homeschooling. I know they have good intentions (mostly. Though there are those who simply aspire to be the next rock star of the home school scene and want to be acknowledged and admired. Give those girls a wide berth. At least until they get a little humility under their belt... Which they will...) But the older women can give a more realistic idea of what to expect, what worked for them and why...

Anyway, since I like to know what other people do and benefit from it, I thought I would post a little about what we do. Maybe it'll give a resource or thought for someone who would like some new ideas.

Now remember-I am a mom with ten kids. I am also a non driver. I am certain that if I had only a few kids and a car there would be at least some things I would do differently. I am not into following methods to the letter. I am on a mailing list that is centered around a particular style of teaching and sometimes the women just agonize (it seems to me) over what book goes where and where to start and how much of this or that... I think we are so fearful of thinking for ourselves and we just want someone to take us by the hand and guide us through every little step...

Anyway, here are some basic things I think are true of child raising and general and schooling specifically (not in any particular order. I write these posts off the cuff as I'm sure you can tell):

Children are people. Can I just say, I think we forget that? They get bored, discouraged, overwhelmed, just like we adults! Why do we put burdens on their young frames that they aren't meant to carry?

They are not here to pad our egos, fulfill our unlived dreams for us, show the world our superior teaching skills, get a job that will make a bunch of money, get married just so we can have grandchildren, etc. etc. etc.. Some of those things may happen, but they are side effects, not the goal.

They are here for a purpose. It is to glorify God. Education is a tool God can and probably will use in their life to fulfill that purpose, along with other things. But it is a tool and not the end in itself. The glory of God is the end.

Part of the glorifying of God is the expansion of His Kingdom. Education should reflect the goal of kingdom expansion (though I think I would define that more broadly than a lot of the church today. Maybe.) and priority should be given to subjects that can contribute to that goal. but...

God does a lot of things for the pure joy of it. How else can you explain flowers blooming where no one can see them? So if the necessities have been covered I see nothing wrong with a kid taking time for something for the pure fun of it, like researching the history of baseball or learning to play the penny whistle, as my 16 yr old son is in the basement doing right now...

Children have been created for certain positions in God's kingdom. I know there is a basic knowledge that every kid should know. Bible, phonics, math (to a certain level) I would put in things like church history and general history and a basic science education. But I also think there should be a lot of individualization too. The education my 16 yr old son got is simply not the same one my 18 yr old daughter got. She is much more literature focused, types faster, sings, plays piano, bakes... Forrest focuses on composing music, economics, violin, and sheet rocking of late, and displays a shocking lack of knowledge about classic literature (at least to Shayleen) Elisa (14) so far hasn't done any music really, though I keep praying for a flute for her... She reads astronomy books for fun... So, like I said. Different.

And I think getting to know your child is an intrinsic aspect of homeschooling. They are like presents we get to unpack slowly. What all has God put in here? I don't think you can home school well if you don't take time just to delight in the person God has created in them.

People learn things better if they are actually interested in the thing you are trying to teach. I will never forget making Shayleen do a certain chapter about Chinese history over 3 times when she was about 10. She never did pass that chapter review, but she did proclaim henceforth that she hates history. I think that was a big mistake on my part.

Well, I better go make breakfast now. The natives are getting restless. More later.