Note to Self..

A few thoughts as I begin to focus again on the upcoming school year:

1.  I need to read aloud again.  Make a list of books for the year covering history, literature, biography, science, and geography, and read aloud for an hour a day to the kids that can sit still for it (Savannah, Charlotte, and Maddy).  This hour will be after the babies go to bed.  I am currently using that hour for the Bigs to read silently their own books, but I will have to find another time of day for that now.

2.  FORGET science and geography.  I can pick a country and schedule in a time once a week to play on sheppardsoftware.com, and purchase a few books on that country for the kids to browse, but I will not worry about geography this year.  Or science; they spend plenty of time outside.  Savannah could use a few more nature books (birds and flowers) that she loves.  It's OK.  The time it frees up is more important.

3.  More emphasis on Shakespeare.  One of the read-aloud books will be Tales from Shakespeare.  One play every 12 weeks.  Watch the play online as well.  Add Shakespeare to memory work.

4.  Keep up poetry tea time and free-writing every week.  Reconsider bringing back copy work from literature, poetry, and scriptures of their choice.  I liked that idea.  Perhaps dictation from one of their selections?

5.  MAIN focus of school: Scriptures, math, language (grammar & Latin), memory work, and free time.

Multum non multa

So I've been doing this homeschool thing for about four years now.  I'm getting a pretty good idea of what I feel is important in education.  I'm seeing results in my kids that I am pleased with.

You want to know what I think is important in education?  Multum non multa (Much, but not many things), or in other words "quality over quantity."  The following are what I consider the best use of our time:

1. PLENTY of free time to be outside, or reading a good book, or building things, or making things.  My kids have an imagination.  They apply what they are learning when they are given ample free time.  It is important to me to make our formal school day as short and efficient as I possibly can.  No busywork.  No unnecessary subjects that can wait until they are older.  No video games to distract them.  Limited outside commitments.  As I am writing this, my three oldest kids are building a bridge over a stream in our woods.  Best education they can have right now!

2. Reading from the scriptures as a family and having family prayer daily.  Not only are we coming closer together as a family, feeling the Spirit, and learning the gospel, but we are reading and hearing good, worthy language.  We are becoming familiar with the language of the scriptures.  We are learning history.  We are reading the best books of all time.  We are practicing reverence and patience and respect.  Excellent use of time for many, many reasons.

3.  Memory work.  The kids are memorizing gobs of poetry and scripture.  We recite four days a week.  They have good, beautiful language, imagery, and morals forever seared in their brain.  This is one of the best ways to promote articulation, composition, and to exercise the brain.  This year, and probably all of next year, they will hear "The Living Christ" recited approximately twelve times a week!  They will know who Jesus Christ is!  Savannah and Charlotte's Activity Day teacher commented on how well they have the Articles of Faith memorized, when the AoF actually haven't been a part of our memory work at home.  They are just used to memorizing things that it has come easily to them as they recite the AoF in Primary.  Our time and effort spent on memory work is well worth every minute. 

4.  Latin.  This is language arts all rolled up into one.  Grammar, composition, vocabulary, memory work, and the root of English, especially science, and many other foreign languages.  This is our first year in Latin and I am seeing that it is a great use of our time!  We're in it for the long haul.

5.  Greek and Roman history and mythology.  This is the foundation of Western civilization.  This is where our Constitution came from.  This is what our Founding Fathers studied.  I have just begun my first dip into Roman history and I am blown away by the examples of courage, honesty, honor, and bravery exemplified by the Roman heroes, and I've only scratched the surface!  I already find myself wanting to be more like them.  In Latin we just learned the phrase, "Romanus civis sum!"  "I am a citizen of Rome!"  I say it with longing.

6. GOOD books.  It must pass Paul's test: "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."  It must have quality language.  It must contain worthy ideas.  Reading a dumb book is just as bad as sitting in front of a video game: a mindless waste of time.  Good, living books are used to cover many topics: history, geography, science, nature study, biography, fairy tales, etc.  All of those topics are covered in my homeschool through living books.  No textbooks, no worksheets.  Some of these books are retold by the kids (narration), which is part of composition.

We do other things, like math, copywork, dictation,spelling, and piano, but I believe those six things are the most important parts of our day.

Why we do what we do

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Math	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	Math Mammoth XtraMath	XtraMath
Latin	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs	Copy vocabulary 2Xs
English	1 Lesson	1 Lesson		1 Lesson	1 Lesson
Spelling	Test		Section A	Section B	Section C
Myths	Make facts flash cards	Copy vocabulary 1X Review flashcards	Read chapter.   Review flashcards	Answer questions. Review flashcards	Review Flashcards
Literature	Read 30 min.	Read 30 min.	Read Myths	Read 30 min.	Read 30 min.
Book of Mormon	Read 30 min.	Read 30 min	Read 30 min	Read 30 min	Read 30 min	Read 30 min
Piano	Play 3Xs each	Lesson	Play 3Xs each	Play 3Xs each	Play 3Xs each	Play 3Xs each
Enrichments	Poetry teatime/ Composer	Exploring Creation-2-3 sent/ illustrate	Geography	Exploring Creation-2-3 sent/ illustrate	Discover the Old Testament	Real Science Odyssey-Life

This is what Savannah does everyday.  She has a copy in her notebook and checks it off when she finishes each assignment.

Our day is jammed packed.  I was just sitting here going over her list of things to do, trying to decide if I can or should drop some of it.

 A friend asked recently on her blog for us to write out why we do each subject, just so we have a defined reason for learning something rather than just doing it because someone else does it or thinks we should do it. 

Doing an exercise like this really makes me go back to the root of why I homeschool in the first place and to think about what my ultimate goal is for my children as a mother/teacher.

The spiritual is at the top of the list, of course.  I want my children to have a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father through prayer, to have their own testimonies, to know who they really are, to make the scriptures their dearest friends, to have a serving heart, etc.  I am trying to get there, not by any curriculum or checklist, but by just by reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, and by striving to be worthy of having the Spirit as my constant companion.  Then, by having consistent, daily family prayer, scripture study, and weekly Family Home Evening with the kids, I hope to accomplish this goal to my best ability.  But this has nothing to do with her checklist.

So aside from my top reasons for doing everything I do, my second reason is more academic.  I want my children to be well-educated and have a love of learning.  She works hard in math, latin, and piano (and science in high school) because I want her to know how to think, how to work, and how to problem-solve.  Love of learning, for me, happens when I put forth concentrated effort to accomplish a goal, develop a skill, understand a difficult concept, or learn a new idea.  That all takes physical and mental work.  I believe work is good for the mind and soul.

I want them to be well-read in worthy ideas and truth; there is no room in my curriculum for trivial reading.  So we study great books, like the scriptures, Greek mythology and other Classical works, history, and high-quality literature.

I want them to be able to express themselves clearly, eloquently, and persuasively, so that they can make a positive influence on those around them as adults.  So she studies grammar, writing, spelling, and handwiting.  Grammar, spelling and handwriting are grammar school skills that need mastered first before we can really focus on writing and rhetoric later.

I think everything we do has a significant purpose.  I purposely don't make histoy, science, or geography the center of our homeschool at this age.  History is a read-aloud three times a night.  Science is a fun, occasional activity on Saturday that we have yet to get around to.  Geography is a matter of learning catchy tunes and wall maps.  History and science will take a more significant role when the foundational skills are mastered.

So there you have it.

Moving towards Charlotte Mason

I've always loved Charlotte Mason's ideas on education. I've been acquainted with them for a few years now and have used many of her methods on and off. I just recently purchased For the Children's Sake and When Children Love to Learn, both of which are EXCELLENT reads and I highly recommend them to those thinking about homeschooling and wanting to learn more about Charlotte Mason.
Her ideas are very deep. You can't read and understand the philosophy in a short amount of time. And I won't attempt to explain her philosophy either, because I'm bound to do a hatchet job of it. But after reading those two books and few other articles on the subject, I have learned a few things I just want to make note of for myself.
When I read about CM and think about her philosophy on education as a life, and her view of children as people, and that my purpose as a teacher can and should be the same as my purpose as a mother, which is to share with my children virtuous ideas and experiences so that they can be filled with joy throughout their life. When I read and think about these things, I feel really good.
It has made me look at education differently. What is education anyway? What part of my education made a lasting impact on me? I have to admit, most of it has been flushed because it didn't mean anything to me. I learned information long enough to take a test, but I recall only a few things that actually had an impact on my thoughts or worldview or character, and those always came from a real book. In short, much of my "education" contributed absolutely nothing to my life. It was a waste of my time. Truly.
I could do that to my kids here at home too. I could get them the workbooks and have them diligently fill them out so they learn all the facts and information they need to know to pass the tests and get the paper that declares them educated.
But my kids... they deserve more than that. They're wonderful, and they have bright, imaginative minds that love learning and growing...
What do I want for my kids? I want them to be happy, to be intelligent, to be able to participate in the "great conversation", to be able to stand for truth and righteousness in a bold, intelligent, and convincing way. We are in a war of ideas, and more than anything I want my children to be able to effectively fight in that war when they leave my home. I want them to be well educated, but I don't think "being educated" comes from workbooks or texts or tests. Education comes from an abundant feast of virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy ideas. Those sort of ideas come from the best books. The best books become part of your thoughts, character, and intelligence when they are read slowly and digested, then when narrated they become your own.
I happen to think Charlotte Mason's ideas will get us there. I think she is right. My kids will get the paper that says they are educated, but they will have so much more than a piece of paper when they leave my home.
At least that's my goal.
So what does this look like, day to day? My role has changed. My purpose is not to get my kids to plug through their first and second grade curriculums and be done with it, but rather to enjoy the journey of teaching, learning with, and interacting with my children while I have them. Together we get into books and learn ideas, words, worlds, virtues. We go outside and study God's creations and learn about reverence, order, beauty, and God. We create relationships with all these things, find joy in them and each other, and together become truly educated. Our time will not be wasted.

Education must have its roots in moral principles....

"Let us never lose sight of the fact that education is a preparation for life -- and that preparing for life is far more than knowing how to make a living or how to land on the moon. Preparing for life means building personal integrity, developing a sound sense of values, increasing the capacity and willingness to serve. Education must have its roots in moral principles. If we lose sight of that fact in our attempt to match our educational system against that of the materialists *, we shall have lost far more than we could possibly gain."
--Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 297


*Materialist=One who denies the existence of spiritual substances, and maintains that the soul of man is the result of a particular organization of matter in the body. Webster's 1828 Dictionary

It is a little daunting to be in complete charge of my children's education.  I think about education constantly: curriculum, methods, theories, etc.  It's what I read about, what I research, and what I spend my time doing every day.  I enjoy it thoroughly. 

However, I feel that I am missing something.  I want the spiritual and moral to be at the root of our education (OUR because I'm being educated right along with the kids) than the academic pursuit... which is easy to get caught up in.  How do I get there?  I think I need to rethink my goals for my kids and their education. 

I want more joy and delight in learning. 

I need to be a better person than I am; I need to work on my own testimony and character.

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

We are at the end of Week 3 and it is going really well.  I feel that I have chosen some really great curriculum this year.  Our days are getting shorter as we are getting into the routine and habit of our lessons... which leaves more room for playing... or whatever we want to do.

Phonics Road is solid, as is Writing With Ease.  They don't take very long at all and they are teaching great skills.  Why do I want to ditch them both and follow a Charlotte Mason approach? 

At this age... a CM approach would include ONLY narration and copywork (when it comes to the language arts), and a gazillion good books.  Dictation and light grammar instruction wouldn't come until 4th grade or so, according to CM, WHICH, I believe, is a successful route as well.

PR and WWE are easy now with only two kids to work with.  How will it be when I have a 6th, 4th, 2nd, Ker, and preschooler (and possibly toddler, infant, and who knows how many more...)?  Will I regret my obsessing and fretting over academics while my children are young and wish I had been more relaxed about it and ENJOYED the journey more?

WHY let go of something solid that is working?  Is this just me changing my mind again or a prompting from the Spirit?

More to ponder, research, read about, think about, and pray about.  It truly never ends.