Dominion Family

My philosophy of education in a nutshell as stated by David Hicks in Norms and Nobility.

“General curiosity, imagination in forming hypotheses, and method in testing them, then, mark the classical spirit of inquiry. This bent of mind allows the educated man to go on educating himself or extending the realms of knowledge for his fellows. In the process of asking a wide range of questions, of forming hypotheses and of testing their consisitency with known facts, the student learns about the nature of his subject and about the methods appropriate for mastering it. This process- because it is the indispensable tool for unearthing all human knowledge- is the only true basis for a classical, or universal education.
Only the person whose mental habits conform to this generous pricess can be said to be “educated” in a universal sense. This is the person who, as Aristotle writes in his essay On the Parts of Animals, ’should be able to form a fair off-hand judgement as to the goodness or badness of the method used by a professor in his exposition,’ This is the person competent to judge what the experts say without being an expert. “

Prize for the first person to stumble upon this and comment.

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I want to apologize to anyone who finds this for taking down the blog so suddenly.
I really felt I needed a break and I was afraid if I gave fair warning I would lose my resolve.
I had 2 overriding reasons for quitting.

First and foremost I was discouraged with what was coming out of the abundance of my heart.
I needed time to reorder the things that were filling my mind.
I do not plan on feeling pressure to update this time around. If I have something to say I will say it otherwise I will try and exercise a little restraint.

Secondly, I feared, as Carmon mentioned, that I was encouraging women to gad about from house to house.
Many people have commented that it must take a lot of time to blog. Not really. Thinking and writing are not unnatural activities for me. Still if I read too many blogs I begin to feel I am wasting time gadding about and I do not want to encourage you to do that. Nor do I want to accuse you of doing that. I truly cherish the friendships that have come through the blog. Even my designated husband has new email friends from the blog. I have missed you. Thank-you for all the emails and encouragment.

I will commit to you not to pull the blog again suddenly without fair warning.

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Things:

1. Baseball season is almost over.

2. Timothy is home for a month from the Navy

3. Nicholas is working in NJ for 4 months. I will write sometime about the pain of letting a child go. He took his vehicle.

4. Dh gave up his lawn business in order to spend more time with his family. BIG DECISION on his part.

5. Tim and I began watching the first season of 24. Major mistake and major committment. We are hooked. We have been missing our early curfew these days: “Wanna watch one more episode?” If you plan on watching 24 it would be better not to look around the website too much.

6. We got a new washer and dryer: Kenmore Elites series 3 & 4. We filed for a $500 rebate for our old Neptunes. There was a lawsuit.

7. I had a blast in Ft Lauderdale with Nicholas and Emily. I have a tan.

8. I bought the the Veritas 7th grade Omnibus. It went like this. Look at catalog. listen to reviews. Look at checkbook. Sigh. Call dh at work. Timidly ask. A big yes and a big purchase. Waiting.

9. James and Nathaniel went to the Homeschool World Series in Atlanta, where they were eliminated. I do not say lost because they didn’t lose. They were eliminated in the most frustrating way by a run count. Apparently homeschoolers need a lesson in logic: How to set up a double elimination tournament.

10. There is no joy in Mudville. I try and cheer them up. They refuse to be comforted. Better luck next time. In our school all the girls are pretty and all the boys winners. Tongue firmly in cheek.

11. Timothy is setting up a physical training program for his siblings while he is home. Some siblings are not happy.

12. We may finish school by June 15. I am busy planning next year’s booklists. My rising senior explains that most seniors have an easier year and will I take that into consideration. Yes, I reply with an evil grin.

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Many people who try and read Charlotte Mason from a Christian worldview get bogged down right out of the starting gate. Charlotte’s first 2 points are:
1. Children are born persons.
2. They are not born either good or bad, but with possibilities for good and evil.
(From Preface to The Home Education Series book 1 Home Education)

This didn’t bother me too much. I believe children are born persons and that all children are born good and bad. Good because they are made in the image of God and bad because they are born with Adam’s sin nature.

In Norms and Nobility, chapter 3, Teaching the Father of the Man, David Noble discusses the teacher Isokrates.
“…..Isokrates’ educative aim was to form and adult, not to develop a child, and his method was to teach the knowledge of a mature mind, not to offer relevant learning experiences at the level of the student’s stage of psychological development.”

I personally believe that we develop strong character in our children when we respect who they will become in the future by avoiding insipid pandering. There is always a tension between whetting the appetite and feeding the monster.

Many problems arrive in older homeschooled children when they feel cheated of a good education. I began homeschooling with that anger directed at my own public education.
David Noble says, and I verify this to be true in all of my children so far,

“Children, he (Isokrates) recognized, want to be brought up; they do not want to remain 12-year-olds. The healthy child wants to become an adult, just as the mature adult wants to be and adult.”

It is very important that we recognize this need to mature in our children and that we do not impede it with idealistic expectations and a lack of respect.

It is no surprise that Ambleside Online uses Norms and Nobility to construct their upper levels. Charlotte would love that book.

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