Benefits of Genius Mentality

Another great book next to "Dumbing Us Down" about a teacher who triumphs in the school system is "Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire" by Esquith (which is a really interesting listen to on audio as I believe the author is the one that narrated the one I listened to.) He brings up how one of his goals is to change how the kids motivate themselves to do things by teaching them what he calls the six orientations of motivation: 1) (Lowest) Obedience/Punishment orientation: How can I avoid punishment? 2) Self-interest orientation: What's in it for me? 3) Interpersonal/Conformity orientation: How does this make me look? 4) Authority/Social Order orientation: Law and order, what are the rules? 5) Social Contract orientation: What is my duty? 6) Universal Ethical orientation: ...because it is right. He treated them in the orientation he wanted them to respond in, and they rose to it! After being reminded of these 6 levels through reading "Dumbing Us Down" and of course Gatto's words himself, I was primed to deal with a situation in our family in a new and better way. My husband and I have been concerned with how late our kids go to bed. Our concern was also the "collateral" damage of agency: the younger kids being up past their bedtimes because of rambunctious older ones in our relatively small house (3 bedrooms, 10 kids...makes things interesting!). We also had impressionable transition to youth kids who tended to stay up just because their older siblings were. We decided to address it through family council rather than scholar contract (which in hindsight may have been better) and we initially came up with a system that became riddled with rules, battles of interpretation, and quibbling with semantics. I hate rules for this reason. When we came back together to "evaluate" (renegotiate), my husband proposed a plan to throw the old system out for a while but if people didn't govern themselves well, reinstate our recent rule set-up. The tenor of his suggestion went against what I had been studying in this course, which is that people will want to govern themselves when taught correct principles (and shown them by their parents, which we haven't been doing very well with in light of our 1 month old youngest :S). I suggested that rather than phrase our "new policy" that way, instead we say, "Let's set aside the rules, reconsider the principles, and trust that the young adults will naturally want to succeed, want to be healthy, and will figure out a way to do it." Inspire, not require, right? And no threats :). I was so impressed with the kids! After we had the conversation that changed the tenor of our discussion from "threats" to "expectations of responsibility and genius," they all went to bed by 9 pm that night!! And it hasn't been a battle since! I am so grateful for the timing of this course...of course, it might have been helpful in similar situations over the years, but it was wonderful to see the principles work in action. Genius mentality does not come naturally to me in action, unfortunately :). Another interesting companion read is "Punished By Rewards" by Alfie Kohn, which is a little extreme but has similar ideas.

Stepping Back and Watching in Wonder!

I am super excited to take action with my homeschooling using what I have learned this week!

I am reading "Dumbing Us Down" by Gatto again and am learning and re-learning some great lessons.  The biggest one, trust the children.  Get out of their way.  This matches what I have learned from my current "Mentoring the Classics" course online from Oliver and Rachel DeMille, that if we are experiencing burn-out, frustration or just starting homeschooling and looking for direction, the most important two things to create are good relationships and a good environment.  Then everything else will fall into place.  Of course, there are components and individual ways to create those two things, and the answers to what they are are as diverse as the families we have.

My answer is to step back.  Get out of my kids way.  Have faith in their ability to learn.  Have faith in their genius, that they want to learn, want to succeed, want to fulfill a mission.

My other answer is to take note of their progress: like that Maia (7) is adding double digit columns and Hava (9) loves to do problems with multiplication and division families.  That Liesl is focusing her eyes more and knows that if she roots, I will feed her and she doesn't need to cry.  That Xai (4) and Eli (2) are learning how to say sorry and that kind words can make things better.  That Drew (16) is learning that in public school it is socially acceptable to be rude to teachers...and that he is not okay with that.  That Hyrum has rediscovered the wonder of reading and has gone through the Micheal Vey series like there is no tomorrow and even threw in The Giver, since we watched the movie and I wanted them to read the book as well.  That Lily has a passion for Marine Biology like her father and is working her way through our Apologia Marine Biology book on her own and with a vigor I haven't seen in her for a subject (besides reading) for years.  That Piper is learning that it is not a series of check-lists or specific expectations but the spirit behind those rules and check-lists that should be honored.

This answer came after reading the companion book to Gatto as recommended in the course, "How Children Learn." I think it is in the first 20 pages in the book when Holt refers to a record a mother kept of the development of her child's verbal and reading skills, just as an interested observer.  He spoke of the child noticing this journal taking and the interest they took in it.  While it does not seem like the typical approach to homeschooling, I feel prompted to implement it at this time.

So my homeschooling will be focused on the following three activities:
--brainstorming the blank page (taught by the DeMille's) weekly with the genius of that child in mind
--Weekly Mentoring/Accountability meetings with each child with the importance of helping and getting out of their way at the same time :D...definitely a prayerful challenge! (Teach correct principles and then encourage them to follow them...)
--documenting their progress individually, watch them in wonder as their genius unfolds in small and simple ways!  See how they learn!  See what their focus is on!

This reminds me of Thoreau's "Walden" where he says to take a day and let the bells ring and see how things are going normally before seeking to impose into or redirect towards activities that we feel are important.  Maybe I get to take a season to do the same?  I am excited to see what my children show me!

Now, we already have good work ethics/habits/systems in place with correction when needed.  I also have "classes" set up per their request to improve areas they feel they need for their genius. I further share what I am learning in my own personal studies with them.  We had a great schedule of time and not content that I try to protect from appointments and distractions.  So those are not priorities for my focus right now, although they are essential ingredients to make it possible for me to focus on my three areas.

It is so cool that we can each feel a direction to particular areas to focus on!  We can work on those areas until either they are engrained into habit or obsolete, at which time we put them to the side until they are needful and relevant again...if ever.  So beautiful!  

Freedom: Week 3 Eureka!

EUREKA!!

October: Integrity helps us be Free!

Week 3:

KNOWLEDGE: choose one of the following

-Get curious about chemistry! Watch the following and think about why scientists thought it was important to find and identify the elements:

-Learn more about chemistry and make connections with "integrity" by watching the following:

-watch link: Scientific Notation and think about why it is important to have integrity when working with numbers in science and math...and life!

UNDERSTANDING: “Do”: do each of the following:

*Pick one of the scientists Mom has selected in "Dr. Posin's Giants" and do some kind of presentation on it.

*Pick an elements and draw a picture of it that either is just like what it looks like or is a cartoonish representation of what it can be (like in the "Periodic Table" book)

BECOME: “Be”

*Pick an area in any area of your life, analyze it scientifically (inductively) and mathematically (deductively) as to whether or not you are living it with integrity.  Commit to make changes and do some. Come to class prepared to share.

SEPT: Imaginative Arts Inspirements

IMAGINATIVE ARTS

Diligence Leads to True Happiness

Week 4:

KNOWLEDGE: choose one of the following

-read the articles below about the power of Arts 
-watch Mom's presentation about the benefit of the Arts

UNDERSTANDING: “Do”: do each of the following:
*Find one of each of the following that captures what you learned about "diligence" this month.  Come prepared to share them with the class:
-song
-poem
-piece of art
*Be Diligent! Make sure your tome is complete with artwork for the different sections, artwork that captures how you feel about the different lenses.  Artwork that inspires you!

BECOME: “Be”

*Make a collage that captures who you are using pictures from magazines or online...be creative!

************************

ARTICLES:

The Importance of Art in Child Development

By Grace Hwang Lynch

In recent years, school curricula in the United States have shifted heavily toward common core subjects of reading and math, but what about the arts? Although some may regard art education as a luxury, simple creative activities are some of the building blocks of child development. Learning to create and appreciate visual aesthetics may be more important than ever to the development of the next generation of children as they grow up.

Developmental Benefits of Art

Motor Skills: Many of the motions involved in making art, such as holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon, are essential to the growth of fine motor skills in young children. According to the National Institutes of Health, developmental milestones around age three should include drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Around age four, children may be able to draw a square and begin cutting straight lines with scissors. Many preschool programs emphasize the use of scissors because it develops the dexterity children will need for writing.

Language Development: For very young children, making art—or just talking about it—provides opportunities to learn words for colors, shapes and actions. When toddlers are as young as a year old, parents can do simple activities such as crumpling up paper and calling it a “ball.” By elementary school, students can use descriptive words to discuss their own creations or to talk about what feelings are elicited when they see different styles of artwork.

Decision Making: According to a report by Americans for the Arts, art education strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. The experience of making decisions and choices in the course of creating art carries over into other parts of life. “If they are exploring and thinking and experimenting and trying new ideas, then creativity has a chance to blossom,” says MaryAnn Kohl, an arts educator and author of numerous books about children’s art education.

Visual Learning: Drawing, sculpting with clay and threading beads on a string all develop visual-spatial skills, which are more important than ever. Even toddlers know how to operate a smart phone or tablet, which means that even before they can read, kids are taking in visual information. This information consists of cues that we get from pictures or three-dimensional objects from digital media, books and television.

“Parents need to be aware that children learn a lot more from graphic sources now than in the past,” says Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University. “Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it.” Knowledge about the visual arts, such as graphic symbolism, is especially important in helping kids become smart consumers and navigate a world filled with marketing logos.

Inventiveness: When kids are encouraged to express themselves and take risks in creating art, they develop a sense of innovation that will be important in their adult lives. “The kind of people society needs to make it move forward are thinking, inventive people who seek new ways and improvements, not people who can only follow directions,” says Kohl. “Art is a way to encourage the process and the experience of thinking and making things better!”

Cultural Awareness: As we live in an increasingly diverse society, the images of different groups in the media may also present mixed messages. “If a child is playing with a toy that suggests a racist or sexist meaning, part of that meaning develops because of the aesthetics of the toy—the color, shape, texture of the hair,” says Freedman. Teaching children to recognize the choices an artist or designer makes in portraying a subject helps kids understand the concept that what they see may be someone’s interpretation of reality.

Improved Academic Performance: Studies show that there is a correlation between art and other achievement. A report by Americans for the Arts states that young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day on three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.

******************************************************

The New York Center for Arts Education lists benefits of exposing children to art:

• Your kid learns to think creatively, with an open mind
• Your kid learns to observe and describe, analyze and interpret
• Your kid learns to express feelings, with or without words.
• Your kid practices problem-solving skills, critical-thinking skills, dance, music, theater and art-making skills, language and vocabulary of the arts
• Your kid discovers that there is more than one right answer, multiple points of view
• School can be fun – playing can be learning
• Your kid learns to collaborate with other children and with adults
• Arts introduce children to cultures from around the world
• Your kid can blossom and excel in the arts.  Even with physical, emotional or learning challenges, can experience success in the arts.
• Arts build confidence.  Because there is not just one right way to make art, every child can feel pride in his or her original artistic creations.
• Arts build community.  Schools with a variety of differences can celebrate the arts as one community.

According to Kimberly Sheridan, Ed.D., coauthor of Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education, “”It’s not as easy to test the skills that children learn from the arts, but that doesn’t make them any less important”. She noted though that participating in a school arts program increases a child’s ability to:

• Observe the world carefully and discard preconceptions in order to envision something and then create it
• Go beyond just learning a skill to express a personal voice
• Problem-solve and persist despite frustration and setbacks
• Reflect on the results and ask what could improve them

Researchers from the Michigan State University have found a very strong correlation between childhood engagement in the creative arts and measurable success later in life. Children who were exposed to a wide variety of arts and crafts were more likely to create unique inventions that is worthy of patents, come up with ideas good enough to start a new company, or publish provocative papers on science and technology. The researchers suggest that children exposed to arts and crafts are able to think “out of the box” since a lot of working with hands involve figuring out how to solve problems creatively. After studying many scientists Co-authors Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein reached this conclusion: “The most eminent and innovative among them are significantly more likely to engage in arts and crafts avocations” than the average Joe.

Arts education and appreciation were also found to have benefits on young people’s brains. In a study by researchers from University of Kansas, students who were selected to visit a museum shows stronger critical thinking skills, displayed higher levels of social tolerance, exhibited greater historical empathy and developed a taste for art museums and cultural institutions.

SEPT: Eureka Vanguard Inspirements

I decided to use this blog for the weekly Inspirements for my Vanguard kids at home so these will be posted pretty regularly on this blog...

EUREKA!!

Diligence Leads to True Happiness

Week 3:

KNOWLEDGE: Consider the role of "diligence" as you study the following:

-Find a cool article on Astronomy in one of our books! (The Math Book, etc.)  Come prepared to share it.

-Find a "It's Okay To Be Smart" or similar short clip about Astronomy/Space and come prepared to share it.

-Read Chapter 2 of "Story of Science: Newton at the Center" by Hakim

-Watch this:

-Read Abraham Ch. 3

UNDERSTANDING: “Do”:

-Make a model or draw a picture of something you learned about this week

-Teach a class to younger kids about a concept you learned about using a prezi, visuals or activities

-Pretend that you are in the Middle Ages: which discovery would you want to have made and why?  Create a poem, prezi, song, skit or paper that shares your "experience of discovery" with us.

-Make a song or poem about something else that struck you in your studies this week

-Write a report on something you learned about and take your writing to a new level!  Ask mom how you can do this :D!

BECOME: “Be”

-Based upon what you learned this week, re-evaluate your goals and think of a way that you can commit to being more diligent.

"A Safe Place to Fail"

I posted this on my Lazarus blog, but felt impressed to share it here...

I often like to articulate what my purpose is in my different roles.  To write it down or say it out loud makes me clarify my thoughts amid the muddle that seems to keep me anxious about what my goals are when they are unclear and overwhelming.

This morning, I realized that one of my goals as a mother is to create an environment where my children can fail safely.  Where they can make mistakes, experience trials, grow and learn and experiment with different ideas that they feel they must pursue to become who they are.  For so long my goal has just been a safe place. Unfortunately, I have equated that with being safe from their own mistakes and the mistakes of others.  This is unrealistic and unhealthy.

Now, there are boundaries that I feel I must make to keep the environment as free from addictions as possible and that will change with the time and season, age and maturity, personality and needs of the child or children.  But I tend to take ownership for "mistakes" I see my children making. It struck me this morning that they need to make those mistakes and figure out how to overcome them internally...or at least develop a personal desire to overcome them from within and then they can turn to me or others for help.

My job is to be a cheerleader, have faith in them, express love and realistic expectations for them and correct them if their behavior is endangering themselves or others.  "Correct" doesn't have to equate "punish" as I have so often done.  I have been impressed recently in our "reading" (book on cd) of the "Little House on the Prairie" series.  This is my first time really reading them.  Their mother is quiet yet firm and I find myself guided by her more and more.  She is repetitive and firm in her expectations, but her statements are voiced in a quiet and loving way.  I tend to lace my voice with disappointment, scorn, frustration or even anger when I correct.  She simply stated it lovingly, firmly and quietly.

Doing so seems to allow the words to penetrate deeper, without causing a defensive "throwing up" of defensive walls in response to the negative emotions I so often use in my communication with my children.  I have seen a difference in my children's response and behavior in the short while I have been trying this different approach to "reproving betimes (immediately) with sharpness (specificity)."  I am grateful that God gives me space to make mistakes, experience trials, grow and learn and experiment with different ideas that I come across.  It is only just that I should do it for my own children.

Interestingly, this concept was tested this morning. One of my older children awoke at 2:30 am and, unable to sleep, was reading still when I came in their room this morning at 6:30 am.  From personal experience, I know that this can lead to further insomnia.  However, I didn't feel the usual "put out the fire!!!!" response--to curb the behavior in the making--but simply shared my personal experience in a loving way, expressed empathy for the situation and walked away with love...trusting that the light of Christ within them would motivate change far better than any force I created.

Not an hour later, as I mused on the beauty of "a safe environment" and how important it would be for the healthy emotional development of my children, Spooner (4) came dashing into the bathroom to use the toilet.  Several minutes earlier, I had told him he should try to go, since he was dancing.  Well, he didn't.  As he made this mad dash in, he pulled up the lid to the toilet and said, "Uh-oh." I looked over to see him emptying his very full bladder along the side of the toilet, completely missing the bowl.

I lost it.

"That is so stupid!" I exclaimed and plopped him into the bathtub.  "You will wait there until I have time to clean up your mess!!!" Continuing to vent my frustration aloud, I finished braiding Hava's hair and then turned to the yellow pool.  When I took a breath and actually was quiet, a still, small voice whispered, "What was that you were saying about creating a safe environment to fail? Is this what it looks like?"

Pause.  Gulp.
I guess it should start from their first moments in the home.  Sigh.

I apologized to my little boy as I sopped up the mess, although my heart wasn't completely where it should have been.  But it was a step in the right direction.  I guess I am still failing at and learning this new concept :).  Thank goodness my kids are so forgiving.  Time to be more like a child, I guess.

Cloud Class and Workbooks

Cloud study:  My mom school for the day!

We went outside and did the activity the first video recommends.  Then we got out blue pieces of paper and made our own charts of clouds, complete with cotton ball artistry to go with it if they wanted to.

****************************

After a summer of work projects, my 8 year old has been begging me to schedule some time where they can all sit around the table with their workbooks (customized to child for the subject and grade they wanted to improve their "crust" skills).  They all helped select workbooks off of Amazon right after our grade end of year testing.

After years of not testing, I think I am sold on testing every year.  The kids think it is fun to push themselves and test themselves.  We have had numerous discussions about how stupid some of the questions on the test are, some of them purely subjective without a clear "right or wrong," as well as the follow-up discussion that I don't feel that it is a reflection on their value as a person.

I have seen the kids, after assimilating this information and perspective, see these tests as a challenge and a spring board to want to learn more.

So,following my daughter's request, we sat around for 2-3 hours on Monday and today and I just answered questions and helped past tough places in math, science, geography and language arts in their workbooks.*  Sometimes I was not available right away and it was neat to see the other kids reach over and help their younger siblings through tough places.

My philosophy on workbooks is that they can be a fun tool to teach crust skills but don't have a lot of intrinsic sense of accomplishment to motivate kids to push through the hard parts.  I use rewards in this very isolated scenario: when the intrinsic value of an activity cannot be felt immediately or effectively or philosophically (depending upon the age), but I feel the value is worth dangling a carrot in front of them to get them past the harder parts.  They will get an ice cream cone or their own half gallon of ice cream depending upon the size of the work book.  Other non-food rewards would probably be better, but that is where we are at right now :D.

The repetition of work books also generally can build confidence in skills that they fear they are lacking when they compare themselves to public school kids.  I continually assure them that it is not a race but it is natural to wonder if you are learning enough.  Addressing these skills as "crust" skills is also important to help the kids not place "self-worth" value upon completing or succeeding in these, although "determination," "overcoming," and "persistence" are valuable side values that are worth commenting on.

To know "latitude" and "longitude" does not come up often as a necessary skill. To be familiar with it is helpful in being part of the worldly vernacular yet doesn't need to be drummed into a child with weeks of classes and worksheets.  A simple workbook can expose them to this without all the whistles and bells and if they are more interested in it, you can probably find online exposure the subjects they care for.

I feel to use a work book is worth the expense if you know they will use it as my kids do...especially if the work book is not overly busy or filled with superfluous exercises. For instance, don't get a science book that requires a lot of writing unless the child enjoys writing or writing is a skill the child is also working on.  Science should be fun and engaging, full of questions and wonder. If your child loves experiments, get one with experiments. Generally the previews on Amazon are sufficient to get a gage of the type of book it is.

Feel free to get shorter workbooks as well: more is not always better.

*REALITY CHECK: I did puzzles with my 4 year old while trying to help people and tried unsuccessfully to appease my 2 year old until I finally resigned myself to mess patrol and set him up by the kitchen sink surrounded by towels.  And without his shirt.