A Magical World Around Them

Do you feel it too? Do you feel the invisible pull? In the world of learning we are pulled, pushed, thrown and cajoled in many directions.  The questions, statements and gurus are plentiful. What about this curriculum, what about this idea, where does currosity fit, what about Classical, what about STEM, what if I don't want to teach that, how do I teach this. They questions we are seeking to answer as a parent are endless.

But what I am learning is this.  Just like an adult, children have to learn how to learn.  They have to learn about themselves.  They have to learn about the world around them.  They need to learn about the God who created them.  Those three questions are at the foundation of a person.

(Curriculum is second to what is natually all around us. Who cares if they know their grammar roots if they never want to share their throughts thought writing. But what if God has a story for them to share, how will they do it? Who cares if they never want to know what a synoposis is if they never want to learn to read. But what if they have an interest and the world opens up through books?  Who cares if they never learn their math facts if they see math as stupid.  But what if they want to be at NASA?)

We have to teach and learn ourselves. This comes hard to retrofit as an adult. We have to go backwards to our childhood. We have to unlearn what we have been doing for decades. We have to be like a child. How do we do this?  By first being quiet and hearing what we have been given an inkling of interest, of passion, of strength about. We start with asking, what questions am I asking?  What motivates us to get up each morning, what questions are pressing on our minds, where does my mind wander if I have five seconds of time, what is my body telling me, what is my favorite food or chair or friend or book or a million other questions.

If the goal of learning/education is to teach/train young ones how to grow up and be adults.  How to are learn to think and act rightly is the foundation. They are images of their Creator.  How do you live as an image bearer? After all adulting is most of your life, childhood is just a fleeting balloon which only comes once. We should then pay close attention to what drives our children.  We should spend the time to learn what drives us. Raising our children is not the end goal, living a life well lived is the end goal. To hear, "well done, good and faithful servant", is the end goal. How do we teach and train and parent in light of our end goal?

A child who becomes an adult has "18" years to get ready and then about 62 years to work it out. They have a lifetime to learn. But what are the things then that should happen in those 18 years?

Below are 12, a dozen ideas which learning, education, childhood (and I contend adulthood as well) should consistet of.

Learn how to be a learner. Thats it.  

1. They should learn to pursue wisdom.
2. They should learn to ask good questions.
3. They should learn to start with the vocabulary of any new interest.
4. They should learn to fan curosity,
5. They should READ
6. They should learn to listen to themselves, their God and everything around them.
7. They should learn to learn from their failures and their try, learn, try mantra.
8. They should learn to take risks in their learning.
9. They should learn to think, feel and act.
10. They should find a master or mentor to help them in their learning.
11. They should practice, practice, practice whatever their hands find to do.
12. Finally they should learn to work hard.

12 things which sound so easy, but as adults we are more moved to keep the status quo then to do some of the above. These challenge me. These push me into deep waters and I have to learn to depend up God. We don't push ourselves on these things and model them, but we do know deep down these, and probably others, lead to joy in the journey. They give our small protagionist. They keep us humble and therefore teachable.  They teach us character and yet push us onward towards growth. The things don't happen all at once. They are statements which drive different parts of our days and years.

I inentionally chose the word, "should", in the statements because I do believe we should be doing these.  They are not biblical mandates, but I could write passages of scriptures which support each of them.

So if nothing else is taught, but the interests of a child are taken seriously coupled with the above 12 statements, children will be successful and able to guild their learning. They will learn what we put out in front of them as well as what they see all around them. They won't settle for a ho-hum workbook. They will instead be pulled along by amazingly magical world all around them.  After all, there is so much to still explore.

Sing a Song of Seasons

The seasons are changing again. The school books are calling. The schedule is filling up as the swimming pool closes and the fields/gyms/school doors open back up.  Volleyball and Baseball will once again find places in our calendar and the dailys of math, writing and reading will take their place at our table.  I know the seasons don't change as abruptly as I am writing.  They slowly give way to fall from summer.  Right now the weather is still hot, sticky and full of fireflies. The apples won't be ready to pick (at least our favorites) for another month or two. But change is coming yet again.  I've learned a lot about myself in change.  I'm one that seeks it and loves the adventure of it, but the thinking and planning a new one slows me down. It causes me to think and then rethink what and how to do it well. And with these change comes many new decisions. And in the world of decisions, where many directions can be good, I find I can do this for only so long before I get stuck in a circular pattern of thoughts.  I start to think, what is the best answer and not simply, what is the next good thing. And if this happens, I stop moving.  And if I stop moving it is so hard to get moving again.  So I'm declaring it out loud- I'll embrace this change of seasons.  I'll keep seeking the Lord and asking Him to help me make decisions.  I'll hold my hands open so He can direct my path...after all the old saying-It's easier to steer a ship if it's moving-holds true for me. It won't be easy, I know that.  Even at 41, the ability to walk the road Jesus has for me challenges me deep in my soul.  I used to think it would get easier, but now I know it won't.  The enemy has it out for me.  He is seeking someone/something to devour and He wants to see my downfall.  But with the always present help of the Lord-"I need thee every hour"-I will overcome, is a foundational truth. I'll rest on this truth.
So the season changes once again. Help me, Lord, to keep moving. Help me to not be overwhelmed. Help me to hear from you clearly. Keep me humble and dependent upon you. Help me to sing this new song of this changing season.

A Fly on the Wall-journaling

Sometimes I look around and wonder. You know the kind, you look left and then right and feel like you are a fly on the wall.

You see your kids playing basketball and think, wow, I'm older and not playing youth sports, but they are. They are learning a game, working hard and trying to make their bodies do what it didn't do last practice. They are growing.

Then you find yourself teaching in the classroom and present a driving question and it takes off on it's own and grows into a proposal which the kids have invested their hearts into and you see how important it is to them and sit back and watch them dive into their first things of desire-making their own town-with ambition. They are learning.

You look around and see people you know and others you've just been introduced to and think, I know them and they know me, well sorta, but yes they'd be there for me if I needed them.

Then your kids are sitting in their own circle of friends laughing and making their own memories and you smile remembering how fun that was.

There is so much life around me. There is so much remembering what God has done for me and is doing in my adventure story. I'm thankful HE knows what's going on. I'm glad HE is holding the whole world in His hands. I'm grateful HE'S God. HE'S got it... Always has, Always will.

Youth sports-Journaling

It's an interesting time to watch young men around the age of nine learn to compete and play the game of baseball. It seems like it would be easy. But it's not. There is the mental game, the physical game and the game of the putting the two together.
Sports can teach a lot. One can practice for hours and the moment the ball is hit to you it skips and bounces to the left of your glove sending the player scrambling to secure the one thing which will win or lose the game. A small orb controls the game.
Then there's the runner who is taunting the player who has the white with red stitches. Who sees the moment first? The runner is stealing home and the second baseman yells he's going. Did the catcher respond faster? Or did the cleats cross the base first.
Then the constant step ready. Be IN the game. What's the next play? Where does the ball go? Where are the runners? What's my back up and what's my responsibility?
And throw the ball...reach back and let it fly. Follow your throw, put in your teammates glove.
What, drop third strike? I forgot the count.
It's a mental and physical game which captivated and challenges young men and big men alike.

On the Banks of the Narnia Sea

Dear Katie, 

This story is well done!  We are proud of your perservance and hard work in writing.  We know this doesn't come easy for you, yet.  But this story is worthy of publication!  Who knows...maybe C.S. Lewis would have added this little bit to an 8th book if he was still around. Good job, Pippers!

"On The Banks of the Narnia Sea" -by Katie Hime

It was a beautiful morning in England, the Pevensies we're going to Digger Clerk's house for lunch. Lucy and Edmund got there a few minutes before the others. Where have those other Pevensies got off to? The scent of lunch drifted out of the kitchen. Where are those two other Pevensies? I'm so dreadfully hungry and it's time for lunch.

Susan and Peter arrived a few minutes later very hungry. They dove into a marvelous lunch, with fruit salad, and eggs, and toast with jam and honey. "Edmund don't pinch me like that it hurts,” said Lucy. “It wasn't me. Oh ouch” defended Edmond. Then all of the sudden the walls and table disappeared. “Well bother, I was just starting to get full, and I didn’t have a bite of bacon yet,” Peter said to Susan. “We seem to be in some sort of type of wood on a very tall hill... Very much overgrown that's for sure. Oh Peter, I'm still hungry,” commented Susan.

Peter jumped up, “Come on then, Aslan what has brought us here for a reason. I'm sure of it!” So off they went. Let us go back a few days ago and see where a little friends were called here.

A few days ago something quite mysterious had happened. All the rivers in Narnia had overflowed their banks and the water had magically encircled all the talking animals, men of earth and men of Adam. The king whose name was Kalmar Glower, had said, ”this would be the perfect time for someone to take over the kingdom.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished he hadn't said them quite yet.

For all of the sudden, a giant beast rose out of the water around them in a circle and said, “I am the dragon of everman's bluff.” Then he just disappeared. He came from out of nowhere and went back into that nowhere. It was quite sudden for sure.

Take over the kingdom he did, he took Cair Paravel, the ford of Beruna, and many other places. It was an awful sight to behold, truly awful… till the kingdom was little more than a big lake.

This is where our little friends come in. The beast visited the circle everyday. It just happened that they got to Narnia a few minutes before the beast visited the circled. Susan and Lucy decided to do a little exploring while the boys started a fire. They walked a little bit away and then the land started to slope down to the water. They were very much surprised, for what did they behold? It was water, tons and tons of water. A few yards away there was a circle of land completely surrounded by water. Lucy quickly jumped and ran back to get the others. When she, Edmund, and Peter got back they beheld a most awful sight. A giant beast slowly rose out of the water. All of the sudden Peter heard the twang of an arrow and the dragon fell. Susan had the second arrow on the string, and sunk it into the heart. The water immediately started to go down and Edmund ran down the hill followed by King Peter. Suan kept the arrow on the bow string.  Edmund then sliced off the dragon tail, and high Peter came up and said, “In the name of that Aslan's mane I hear by kill this dreadful creature,” and slashed of the head of the dragon.

A cheer went up from the crowd. The men of Adam and the men of Earth came up to congratulate the King and Edmund.  Lucy and Susan immediately went to the animals to make sure they were all okay. King Glower invited them to Cair Paravel for a glorious lunch, of course they accepted this at once. It was even grander than the one they were going to have at digger Clerk's house... This is where our story comes to an end, and I'm sorry to say that you will never know what quite happened. But someday, you yourself might find yourself in Narnia we’ll never know…

                     The End

Journaling: Believe Also the Works

Many people believe. They believe in themselves. They believe in the system. They believe in their spouse. They believe in their children. They believe in God. They believe in Jesus. They believe in the stars or a pastor or the trees which grow majestically around them.

Jesus, in John 14:11 tells us to, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves".

The above passage startled my thinking this morning, probably because I had never connected "believe because of the works themselves".  I'm assuming I had read the above sometime before, but this time it stuck out to me. Jesus wasn't just calling us to belief. He was also leaving us with evidence in the works themselves FOR belief. I know belief in Jesus is simply that...by believing we are saved. But as I read the Scriptures this morning, I gleaned there is more Jesus gives us then what some call Blind Belief. There are the works. There are the ones recorded in the Bible. There are the stories of ancient times which point us to Christ. There are the many which currently fill our library. Stories of faith, God's victory, God's provision. God's work..and they help us believe. They give us the evidence to believe.

Making what seems a 180 degree move, let's turn the tables to education. (which is where my mind mostly lately wonders). What do we believe about our schools? What do we believe about our kids? What do we believe about ourselves when it comes to learning? And what works do we believe are shouting loudest? From all that I have read-which is few compared to the books out there-education is a wonderuful idea. I believe no one will disagree.  Education allows oneself to see a larger picure of the world, ourself, each other. But what do the the works themselves show us? Are we listening well to wisdom when it comes to education? Are we listening to our children-the very ones we are "educating"? Are we as adults still being educated? Are we trying to teach our children one way, all together, with very little time to let them put down roots in the soil the Lord has given each one of them? Are we unconsciously going from one subject to another without much thought as to the bigger picture? Are our students the same plants, needing the same nutrients, same amount of sunlight, each being watered just the right portion and they, we believe, will yield beautiful flowers all at the same time? Right? Humbly, wrong and the works show us this. Will we couragously believe what the works are telling us?

I believe we are ignoring the works to blindly believe in something which does not produce the desired outcome we so much want for our children. We want a system, a pattern to follow, a nice easy step by step algorthium to produce a nice easy answer. But we know it doesn't work like that and its scary to say that outloud.

Teaching is a challening profession. But teaching is challenging for more then keeping a group of seven year olds all on task for 8 hours a day. Its challenging because 20 children come into a room, all as different plants with different flowers to bloom at different times with different instructions for those flowers to bloom! Ahhhhhh, the craziest thing, teachers have to keep learning themselves how to inspire, challenge, grow, tend, shape each little life. What a calling!

There are different ways to do this. We could ignore the differences. We could put the kids through a program which reflects the way a part makes it way through a factory. We could put them into a room and tell them to grow themselves. We could line up each child with a stake for growing up and with support and then let them try it out. We could spend the time and energy to get to know each child and tend them along the way, pruning and trimming, pushing and nurturing their individual growth patterns. Each takes time. Each is hard. Each will yield something.

But what do we believe and what do previous works tell us. What is wisdom in this arena? Doing what is hardest isn't always the best. Doing what is easiest isn't always the best. Doing what is wisest is always the best. What is true, right and LASTING, I believe is the calling of the parent-walking in wisdom is the best.

I put before you, the wisest answer is to spend our energy getting to know our children. Spending the huge amounts of time to check the soil of our children's roots to see what they need and to have the courage to give it to them when they need it. This is no picnic. This is work. This is hard. This is the joy of the parent to their child. Education is not about teaching our child a set of standards at the right ages. Education first is about the parent. Humbly stepping back to observe the works and strive to believe the Lord what HE has made them exactly how HE wanted to, for their good and HIS glory.

Observe the works of your children, for they teach you great and mighty things about our God. And in the process you might also learn about your child. Believe in God and HIS works, so that we can believe in our child and the story God is writing for each of them.

Journaling-The Glasses Are Clearer

In lots of ways I still feel in my teens.  The age where everything feels like it is coming at you fast and furious and its hard to catch what must be caught and dodge what must be dodged.  It's a full and fun and adventous stage. Then it's an overwhelming, senses-filled time too. But I'm getting better, albit slowly.  Being 40 now seems impossible.

Wasn't I just playing high school sports, or in my sorority in college -standing up in the bed of a pick up truck as a Senior encouraing all the incoming Freshman? Or what about the nights which seem so close, being up at all hours with little ones and desperate for a few hours of uninterupted sleep-weren't they just yesterday?

It's interesting, I still have this feeling which follows me around, what am I DOING?  How do I make THAT decision?  What did I miss in THAT conversation? Why CAN'T I wake up more refreshed? Why can't I keep my eyes open past 10 pm? Where do I GLEAN more patience or gratitiude?

Justin and I say often, we are looking for corners in a round world.  It's the feeling of, if I could just turn a corner then I'd know something, then I'd understand, it would click, we'd get it.  But we're learning it doesn't work like that.  Life, like many say, is many ups and downs. It's getting back in the arena to face the giants one more time. It's the fight of faith, daily. There are not magic shortcuts, but there are beautiful views.

And, in this past decade my glasses have gotten a bit clearer.  I can see the world better.  I can see myself better. I can see my God better.

I see my need of a soverign Father carring me through each battle I face and I am quicker to see His hand at work in my life.  I see His grace upon grace. I see his hand giving me my daily allotment of patience and it never running short of character building me into His likeness. I see His steady hand. I see myself clearer as His child.  I see my need to stay moving in His direction.  I see my need to listen to His voice and act upon that truth come quicker. I realize my voice needs to be heard by others and not just in my head and yet I clearer see I'm just a vessel and it's all about Him and not me. I see my need for space and time as a time to listen better to the Holy Spirit, not just take a break from the "world".

The glasses I'm wearing are clearer. Thank the good Lord for His never leaving, always loving, refinement in my life. I like seeing Him better.

A fall afternoon, a good book, a cozy chair

=LOVE

Pumpkin Carving

Though, its been almost a week since we carved these...I didn't want to forget to document a day for you two, Katie and Owen-after all its been way to long.  

It was a good day. It was beautiful, creative, filled with fall noises, the background noise of some tunes and your ideas.  And this was the first year that we didn't help you all at all.  Well done, kiddos!

journaling-stay in the dirt

Dear Katie and Owen, I want you to find and share your butterflies!

You've seen butterflies, correct?  The ones which flutter across an open meadow, here or there lightly touching down on a flower? They come and go, right?  They are not there for long. It is difficult to capture them with a photo, they sit only so long before they are off and on to the next thing.  The breeze stirs them along, the sun shines on their colorful wings.

So it is with learning to write.

Writing is beautiful, colorful, delicate like butterfly wings. Writing words and thoughts and feelings-don't last long.  The ability to put pen to paper in a coherent way, the process of forming a picture with your words-comes and goes. Thoughts flutter this way and that. It takes patience to get the photo of the simple, intricate creature. It takes patience to write, to learn to write. Nothing is new about this thought. Many a grand writers have pondered this. But this thought was new to the 8 late elementary age students I taught on Tuesday.

Why are you taking this class? I asked.

Silence, then.

"My parents signed me up for this class."
"I don't know, it is BORING."
"This is the hardest subject I have."
"I have NO idea why I am taking this class."

These sweet students don't know to look for butterflies yet. They aren't looking, they aren't even planing a meadow which would draw butterflies to it. They are studying something even more basic, they are studying the dirt which would grow the plants, which would bring butterflies. They are stuck in wonder.  Not in wonder over the richness of language or the beauty of imagination, but wondering, "why do this, this writing stuff, is pointless".

They are stuck in the mud, dirt, soil. They are at the bottom.

But the dirt is important. It holds the roots. But soil deplete of nutrients is worthless. It won't grow anything. The foundation is gone and therefore any option of a meadow and butterflies is more then a dream. It's an impossibility.

BUT, if we choose good soil. If we add nutrients. If we turn it over and over with new, full of life pieces, we can change it for something rich, we can grow deep roots. And so it is with the basis of good writing. Good writing is a gift. We know it when we read or listen to it. It captivates us. It draws us into that meadow to see what we can see. It paints us a glorious picture.

What does dirt or this "boring" foundational class (for these elementary age scholars) have to do with good writing?

Knowing strong sentence structure, using strong verbs and descriptions, adding in who-which clauses, etc, gives a foundation to creative thought. It communicates to an audience our knowledge of an subject or a solution to a problem...it allows the picture in our minds to grows to seem real, alive and be shareable.

So to the 8 students, I saw Tuesday, I say, "stay in the dirt". But don't just look at it. Play with it. Feel it. Try adding different parts to it and see what happens. Learn how to know good dirt because when you know it, it can lead to full meadows and butterflies.

Someday students, your butterflies of thoughts will come. The more you invest in your dirt and meadow the more butterflies will flutter down to your flowers. You have something to give. You have something large or small the world needs to know. You were made for something great by an even greater creator, God.

And for everyone, practice patience in the dirt, read good writings, immense yourself in the foundation work, so when you see a butterfly-a good storyline, a new character, a plot twist, a new research nook, you'll know them. And when your dirt is good and the meadow blossoms, the butterflies of words and stories will be rich and vibrant and worthy of sharing in front of your friends, family and the world.

_________________________________________________________________________________
An exercise to help students see how, knowing the make-up of the dirt they are currently playing in, can help them write better.

Objective: Helping your students see, which sentence comes alive to your students? The one with rich, cared for and tended to dirt?  Or the one which is barely giving anything to the meadow's plants?

1. Start by having your student draw a picture of this sentence, "Cat ran." This sentence is normal dirt. It is basic. It is a simple communication of a thought.
2. After they attempt this drawing, have them show each other. You'll have a plethora of different looking cats and lots of different ways to run-a simple beginners picture. Their minds have all the creative juices needed. But they don't have a foundation yet to build upon for the reader.
3. Next have them grow their sentence creatively (after all they have been playing in the dirt for 2 years now. The above was a second year writing class :).  Ask for adjectives for the noun cat. Ask them to answer, how or when or where it ran, add some prepositional phrases, article adjectives...
And example from our class, "The huge, spotted cat, ran quickly down the step side of the blue mountain." Kids can get pretty creative with the second sentence. They have no shortage of humorous thoughts. :).
4. Now have them add all the details to their picture.  The picture comes alive!
5. Help them see as long as the students know the dirt-the foundations to language and writing-the seemingly tedious part, they can get beautiful and creative sentences which explode in their and their readers imagination.  And those moments are just like seeing butterflies.

-note to Katie and Owen (or anyone who reads this).  You mom, does not claim to be an excellent writer and I'm sure the above words have errors in them.  I want you to know I'm open for you to help me learn to write better, right along side of you!  Stay the dirt, look for butterflies.  Love, Momma

Gooooo Pack!

Back to cheer on the ladies volleyball team! 

Katie, this is one of your favorite things right now, including getting the girls autographs after the game. Kylie who is the team captain and setter is tour  favorite right now (with Melissa) You asked if she was a Christian and Kylie said yes! ...You said you'd be praying for her and we will! :) 

AND you're the manager of the varsity Storm volleyball girls with coach Grace and you're loving that too! 

when homeschooling is adventurous