Week 24: Sprinting to the Finish

One goal that we have worked for this year is for Matty to prepare for the Memory Master Challenge in Classical Conversations. As I mentioned in my last weekly update, I had to wrestle with this concept and consider carefully whether it was too much pressure to put on him, or even if I was sure of its value for his education. Eventually I came to the conclusion that yes, this does have value, and no, it is not too much pressure. Rather, I began to see the constant practice and rigor as a mental discipline and not a burden that I was placing on him. He is a sharp kid who memorizes very easily, and if he can store things that are important in his brain, then he ought to memorize as much as possible.

So in the last week we have been practicing daily for the Memory Master proofing process. This entails reciting all 24 weeks of the memory work without errors in eight different disciplines. They are "permitted" 2 mistakes on the final proof. He must be "proofed" by both parents, his tutor, and the program director. If all of these levels are passed, then he has earned the status of memory master. On Wednesday, I decided to do a surprise proof. He didn't really know that I was proofing him, but he passed, with only a few mistakes and a hesitation here or there. Then Thursday we worked out those kinks and that evening his dad proofed him. He made no mistakes. I have to admit that even though we have worked very hard to this end, I am still amazed at his ability to retain all of this information!

There has been an additional lesson in this which I could not have anticipated. It has been such a wonderful thing to watch my son learn not to give in to his natural tendency to worry and fret over the smallest aspects of a thing. It has been a challenge for him to think about the things he is getting right and not focus on his mistakes. Then one evening when he had done about all the studying he could do, we talked about how he could just place the outcome into God's hands. That way if he succeeded, he could not be proud, and if he for some reason did not, he would have no need to feel as though he had failed, but rather look for the lesson that God would have him learn in the process. He understood, and immediately the pressure came off. He prayed that God would give him the words, that he would work through him, and that no matter the outcome, it would be to God's glory.

Serendipitously, this is all falling into place in such a way that we should actually be finished with the memory work a week early, and can then proceed into some OTHER THINGS. Molly will finally be able to get the full attention she deserves in her language arts and math (she has been so patient), and we plan to make a couple of lap books on topics that we covered in the memory work in the second part of the year. Be sure to check back on the progress of those lap books as we go. I will blog about how we are doing them and post pictures along the way.

Week 23: Digging Deep

This was a week of challenges for us. Last Friday at CC there was a project introduced for the students to build bridges made from straws, rubber bands, and play dough, as part of our physics portion of Cycle 2. The bridges had to be built in class and will be tested at the end of the term to see if they hold weight. The bridge that holds the most weight "wins." Matty and his partner found the task to be somewhat frustrating last week, so we bought materials and invited his friend over and together they built a prototype so that they would have a better idea of what to do in class this week. They worked diligently and after one epic failure built a bridge that ultimately held 16 lbs! Not bad for straws, rubber bands and a bit of determination, but those boys had to dig deep to conquer their frustration, disappointment, and their desire to give up.

Working diligently

The completed design

16 lbs!

In addition to bridge-building, we have been preparing to meet the challenge of Memory Master, so much of our school time is given to reviewing and reciting. It is an excellent opportunity to see just how determined this kid can be, and yet, I wake in the middle of the night with history and Latin songs going through my head! I will be glad to finish the term!

Molly is enjoying Phonics Road, though I confess that I have not worked with her as much as I have wanted to this week, due to the emphasis on memory work for her big brother. Nevertheless we started working through the readers, and while these are very easy for her, they give her a feeling of success because she can read them fluently, and she is always willing to illustrate...anything! She took her time and did a very good job illustrating "The Red Hen."

My diligent artist!

Upon reflection, this week was wonderful. I love watching the children (and especially at this point Matty) meet his challenges head on and overcome them. He is beginning to understand that he can do what he wants to do if he sets his mind firmly to do it, and "digs deep." He is growing more confident with every success, and admitting that he has learned even when he fails. I have struggled with whether or not it was wise to put pressure on him to aim for something that he has a reasonable chance of not achieving, but I have come to the conclusion that failure is just as good a teacher as success, and perhaps better. I have confidence that he is able to do this. The question becomes, however, can I guide my son to lay down his fears, work to the best of his ability, and ultimately throw himself upon the grace of God to help carry him through, win or lose? That last question...there's the rub...and the guiding principle of this whole journey, is it not?

Wordless Wednesday: The Launch!

Teaching Humility

This morning's devotion was taken from I Peter 5:5, which says:

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Humility is a difficult concept to explain to children, who are certainly not inclined to be humble at all, ever. It is most definitely a learned thing, but I believe that without the Holy Spirit, it is nearly impossible to obtain. There are whole cultures that are built on the concept of humility, i.e. one never promotes himself or speaks well of himself or his possessions. Nevertheless, this humility is as empty as any virtue devoid of the love of Christ (I Corinthians 13), and pride seeps out in other places and in other ways. Pride is rooted in the heart of man, so no act of humility can be sincere unless there is true submission to the One who requires it by His example. So how do I teach my children to be humble?

In our household we settle conflicts with a couple of questions, the first to the older: "Are you serving your sister?" and the second to the younger, "Are you respecting / honoring your brother?" I sometimes have them repeat after me, "The older serves the younger, the younger respects the older." Invariably, when conflict arises and I pose these simple questions, both of them stop and hang their heads and think. Usually the answer for both of them is, "no." I then walk away and listen for a bit, and consistently I hear the chatter of happy cooperation between the two of them, as they begin to look for a way to please the other. Almost always, both end up satisfied with the outcome, and if not, they are at least aware that they have made a choice based on what is right rather than on their own selfish desires.

Great. I have established a pattern of behavior in my children by which they can escape discipline by working out their differences. But what about the heart? Today we talked about Jesus and his example of humility. Even though he was God incarnate, he served, washed his disciples' feet, allowed himself to be murdered for crimes he did not commit. If the very Son of God made no place in his life for pride, then should we?

Philippians 2:5-9
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus who, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Thankfully, both of my children walk with the Lord have the Holy Spirit to guide them. It is my prayer that this lesson sinks deeply into their hearts, and that they live their lives as humble servants of God and their neighbors.

Week 22: All is not Lost!

Okay, I guess we get weeks like last week to make up for weeks like this. This week wasn't a total waste, but it felt really out of sync and very much like the kind of week my planner hates--few boxes getting checked off, schedules getting chucked for emergency room visits...stuff like that. However, its saving grace was that it started out wonderfully with a trip to the National Gallery of Art complete with a tour and getting ourselves caught in the pouring rain with good friends.

Matty and Molly at the tour's end

Since last week I highlighted my ideal week and indicated the things that were working well for us, this week I will highlight why this week was not a wash, and what in the end saved my patootie. It is weeks like this for which I am very grateful to have Classical Conversations as part of our homeschool experience. When I have weeks that are stressful or unpredictable, I have something to fall back on because of the community we have and the activities that we organize together. At this point, it is critical for us to study the memory work diligently, since Matty is going to make an attempt at Memory Master, which is the recitation of all the material we have covered from week 1 through 24 with no more than two mistakes. Even if we fall behind in other areas, this still continues. For example, this week we had a field trip which highlighted other topics we have been covering in the fine arts portion of our studies. The children visited with Rembrandt, Degas' "Little Dancer," Monet, and others, which made their class discussions and art projects come alive for them. In essence, when all the items which I have planned fall through the cracks, CC keeps my head above water and holds me on track just enough that I don't feel as though the week was a failure.

I know that for many people, the idea of participating in a co-op or community is anathema--they simply don't need it, or feel that such a thing would actually intrude on their own homeschool agenda. Then there are others who find that participation in a homeschool community strengthens them and holds them accountable to completing the goals they set for themselves. I have friends in both categories, but I happen to fall into the latter. I am extrinsically motivated and find that it is much easier to stay on course at home if I have a community of like-minded people who are also working to a similar end. It is also in this community that I have forged some of my most valuable friendships, and my children have as well. We enjoy spending time with these folks, and in these relationships with other families we find fellowship and companionship and even vacation buddies! In my opinion, it is the community aspect of CC above all other things that makes this tool so valuable to us as a family.

Our Classical Conversations field trip participants

Wordless Wednesday: Learning to Love Art