I am officially done with sabbatical now and--I must say--the end was pretty much a blur. My "May Term" started out pretty well. Norm and I had some projects lined up (for him and for me) and we started to slowly work them off. However, it wasn't too long before we got word that my father-in-law, Craig Nelson, had passed away. He had been sick for a long time. Still, you are never really prepared when someone you love dies. The second half of the month was spent in various stages of mourning. We drove down to Maryland to be with my mother-in-law, Margaret. Then, upon our return, we had to deal with our own feelings of loss while plunging back into "normal" life. While I would rather that Craig was still with us, I am glad I was on sabbatical for this. Most importantly, I am glad that I was able to be present for my wife and the rest of our family.
Now--with some sabbatical tasks abandoned or postponed--I am back at work. I preached Sunday and then helped lead a discussion on grace in our congregations at the Council of Christian Churches in the UUA Annual Convocation. It was a enlightening event and has given me much to think about. It turns out I am not the only person who thinks that the presence of grace may the most important aspect of our lives as faith communities. The challenge is, of course, to keep that front and center when there are so many less spiritual concerns that call for our attention.
I am also planning summer services. I officiate and preach about half of them. When I am present at summer worship, I serve as the musician in addition to other duties. Therefore, I am working up a dozen hymns on the uke. This Sunday is "Children's Sunday" and there are two more "regular" services after that. Finally, I am trying to figure out ways that the congregation can provide more "points of (grace-filled) contact" for church members this fall. We will try some sort of "Worship Lab" at a non-Sunday morning time-slot. We may try some other things as well. Perhaps a "Pub Theology" group.
Norm is playing "catch-up" today. While we did manage some field trips to the US Naval Academy, The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, There wasn't much time for more structured learning. Today this has been made somewhat more complicated by the presence of Son #3 who is with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays now that he has graduated from nursery school. Norm is writing a paper on the life of Samuel Prescott. If you don't know who he is, you can ask Sarah Palin about him. I am sure she knows by now...
I realize there are a few blog-posts in what I have been up to, but with family concerns taking priority, they have had to wait. Once things calm down, though, I will have time to reflect on the year. I learned a lot, I think, but I haven't quite figured out what.
Here are links to: The Maritime Museum, The US Naval Academy, and The Met
Oh...and Samuel Prescott
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
"Un-College" Update
My colleague and friend Scott Wells has taken up the conversation begun in my previous post about alternatives to college education. Scott has a much clearer mind than I and has some fairly concrete suggestions and categories to play with. It is worth checking out here...but do come back...
I posted a comment on Scott's blog about something that has come up in the discussion here, namely the importance of the social element. The word "social" doesn't begin to cover the depth of many of those relationships. Every scholar needs a community of scholars they can share with. They need people they can teach and also learn from. This doesn't just happen in class, either. In the theological hot house of Chicago's Hyde Park, many a doctoral paper (including mine) is (or was) developed, reviewed, and refined at Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap.
Scholars also need friends. This is something that I sometimes forget. During my own undergraduate years I attended four different schools (yes, for financial reasons). I met my wife, Allison, during my second stint at Bates College. That said, I have very few other continuing relationships with people I met during that time. There are a few Facebook friends and one college friend I have reconnected with through Facebook. That's it. I have (thankfully) been able to keep in touch with a few folks from both my seminary stints. Some of them have become friends and remain important to me. They still form an important part of my life as a learner as well. The networks we form are important.
Any sort of "un-college" would have to find ways to address this need. Homeschoolers have "co-ops" where families band together to teach and learn. Not going to college doesn't necessarily mean not having access to communities of learning. It may, however, mean working to build that community.
I posted a comment on Scott's blog about something that has come up in the discussion here, namely the importance of the social element. The word "social" doesn't begin to cover the depth of many of those relationships. Every scholar needs a community of scholars they can share with. They need people they can teach and also learn from. This doesn't just happen in class, either. In the theological hot house of Chicago's Hyde Park, many a doctoral paper (including mine) is (or was) developed, reviewed, and refined at Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap.
Scholars also need friends. This is something that I sometimes forget. During my own undergraduate years I attended four different schools (yes, for financial reasons). I met my wife, Allison, during my second stint at Bates College. That said, I have very few other continuing relationships with people I met during that time. There are a few Facebook friends and one college friend I have reconnected with through Facebook. That's it. I have (thankfully) been able to keep in touch with a few folks from both my seminary stints. Some of them have become friends and remain important to me. They still form an important part of my life as a learner as well. The networks we form are important.
Any sort of "un-college" would have to find ways to address this need. Homeschoolers have "co-ops" where families band together to teach and learn. Not going to college doesn't necessarily mean not having access to communities of learning. It may, however, mean working to build that community.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
When Will College Cease to be Relevant?
So here I am in a place that, honestly, I never really thought about when I started a family. I am just a few years away from the "great college hunt" for Son #1. In the part of Burbania in which I live, it is an annual rite of passage for children--sometimes starting in their Sophomore year--to collect viewbooks, burnish their talking points and go out on the "college tour." Ultimately this leads to a personal existential crisis and--finally--selection of the "perfect place" to spend the next four (or more) years.
The problem is that I have no realistic way of paying for this. I don't mean in the sense of the boys not being able to go to the "schools of their choice". I mean that I cannot afford any school. Period. Also, I do not see that situation changing in the near future. My wife and I chose professions that help people. The financial rewards are, therefore, somewhat limited.
One can ignore many of the issues around this odd distribution of wealth. Our work is fulfilling, after all, and renting isn't all that bad. However, in the case of college, it is a problem. The question isn't whether we will go into debt but how much debt we are willing to take on. There are three of the little dears, so we must ration--carefully--the family resources. Perhaps they will live at home and study at one of the local state universities. Perhaps they (and we) will have to take on more jobs to make it work. I don't know. It is an open question.
I also wonder how long we Burbanians are going to let this situation last. I am well aware of how much better off my family is than most people are. If we cannot afford the escalating tuition, how will other people? Who is going to all these schools? Is everyone going into debt for fear that their child is one step closer to homelessness without a degree from Bates?
There is a sense from the media and from parents that there is nothing we can do. According to common wisdom, college is necessary and, therefore, we must sacrifice what financial security we might have for the sake of our children. Still, as tuition and fees increase, shouldn't there be a moment when we decide that Harvard is just one big scam? There has to be a better way to gain the knowledge that college ostensibly provides. These institutions may be pricing themselves into irrelevance.
I am serious here. If tuition increases and becomes (increasingly) an exclusive club for those who can afford exclusive clubs, there will come a time when the rest of us find other options. For example, why can't my children "homeschool" their undergraduate experience? We are, as I have mentioned in other posts, members of the Boston Athenaeum, a private library with collections primarily focused in the arts and humanities. My kids are bright. They can do their own research. Also, "a la carte" college courses taken as necessary could fill in gaps. Even with occasional courses, membership in a library, and other costs, the expense would be much less and the education at least as good for a motivated student.
People in my generation (that would be GenX) graduated with mountains of debt. It isn't at all clear that it was worth it. Now another generation is learning the same thing. What are the chances that smart people are going to repeat the mistakes of the past? Wait...don't answer that.
What I meant to say was that it only takes a few people to change the way we think about higher education. All it takes is enough people to think outside the box to create a new paradigm in learning. The argument that one has to go to college to be an intellectual has always been a weak one. The argument that a piece of paper from a large institution qualifies you for gainful employment may be weaker than we thought as well. Programs of self-education have the potential to create curious life-long learners. Perhaps some of our children will give it a try...
The problem is that I have no realistic way of paying for this. I don't mean in the sense of the boys not being able to go to the "schools of their choice". I mean that I cannot afford any school. Period. Also, I do not see that situation changing in the near future. My wife and I chose professions that help people. The financial rewards are, therefore, somewhat limited.
One can ignore many of the issues around this odd distribution of wealth. Our work is fulfilling, after all, and renting isn't all that bad. However, in the case of college, it is a problem. The question isn't whether we will go into debt but how much debt we are willing to take on. There are three of the little dears, so we must ration--carefully--the family resources. Perhaps they will live at home and study at one of the local state universities. Perhaps they (and we) will have to take on more jobs to make it work. I don't know. It is an open question.
I also wonder how long we Burbanians are going to let this situation last. I am well aware of how much better off my family is than most people are. If we cannot afford the escalating tuition, how will other people? Who is going to all these schools? Is everyone going into debt for fear that their child is one step closer to homelessness without a degree from Bates?
There is a sense from the media and from parents that there is nothing we can do. According to common wisdom, college is necessary and, therefore, we must sacrifice what financial security we might have for the sake of our children. Still, as tuition and fees increase, shouldn't there be a moment when we decide that Harvard is just one big scam? There has to be a better way to gain the knowledge that college ostensibly provides. These institutions may be pricing themselves into irrelevance.
I am serious here. If tuition increases and becomes (increasingly) an exclusive club for those who can afford exclusive clubs, there will come a time when the rest of us find other options. For example, why can't my children "homeschool" their undergraduate experience? We are, as I have mentioned in other posts, members of the Boston Athenaeum, a private library with collections primarily focused in the arts and humanities. My kids are bright. They can do their own research. Also, "a la carte" college courses taken as necessary could fill in gaps. Even with occasional courses, membership in a library, and other costs, the expense would be much less and the education at least as good for a motivated student.
People in my generation (that would be GenX) graduated with mountains of debt. It isn't at all clear that it was worth it. Now another generation is learning the same thing. What are the chances that smart people are going to repeat the mistakes of the past? Wait...don't answer that.
What I meant to say was that it only takes a few people to change the way we think about higher education. All it takes is enough people to think outside the box to create a new paradigm in learning. The argument that one has to go to college to be an intellectual has always been a weak one. The argument that a piece of paper from a large institution qualifies you for gainful employment may be weaker than we thought as well. Programs of self-education have the potential to create curious life-long learners. Perhaps some of our children will give it a try...
Friday, April 29, 2011
To School or Not to School?
Right now Norm is battling his way through one of the occasional epic spelling tests that I inflict on him. His brother--sick and awaiting his visit with the doctor--is hovering over him with sometimes helpful advice. We do this (and other things like math tests) even though Norm could care less about these subjects right now. We do it because we always thought he would go back to school next year. There are "benchmarks" that the school likes us to meet and, honestly, I want him to be up to speed upon his return. This isn't a problem for most subjects. He gets his science from various projects and from the homeschool program at the bird sanctuary. History comes along with his art studies. Reading and writing are things he likes to do. Math and spelling, on the other hand, are not as much fun for him. I would wait to teach them if I thought he wasn't going back.
Now he is having second thoughts about school next year. He has made friends in the homeschool world and he is afraid that he will miss them. There are a lot of these friends, actually, and they are distributed all over Eastern Massachusetts. He is correct. Most of them will fade away quickly. Also, he has found--now after almost a year of what the homeschool folks call "de-schooling"--that he likes the structure he has developed for himself. He is curious about different subjects and pleased that he can go pursue them. This, too, will be lost at school. By its nature a school needs to structure its topics and time in a general sort of way. There is also a great deal of focus on measuring results. There is an official reward system and hierarchy based on grades and physical prowess. This opens the door to informal hierarchies amongst the children. In the homeschool world that we have experienced this year, the kids and their teachers are more often colleagues, working together to pursue individual interests. In many ways, its not unlike grad school...if none of the students had drivers' licenses.
On the other hand, next year is the beginning of middle school in our town. His friends will go an meet the kids from one of the other elementary schools (there are five in all and two middle schools). Everyone will be new and might be open to making friends. The teachers may be a bit more flexible. There will be a few electives. Also, it is the school Norm's brother goes to. Of course, it is also a whole lot less time consuming for Dad and more convenient for for both of us.
Adults I have spoken to fall into various camps based on defending what choices they (or their children) have made. The homeschool parents are mostly sympathetic, understanding the pull of school for kids who have been in it at some point or another. Other adults are mostly sympathetic as well, though sometimes there is a hint of judgment. We wouldn't be in this situation if we just did what everyone else does, after all. To them it seems an unnecessary complication for a kid. From my perspective and Norm's, I don't think we would have missed this year for the world.
Still, it is a quandary with no clear answer.There are advantages and disadvantages to every plan. Many of his friends on the homeschool side are in their own discernment processes, too. I am giving him some space to explore his options and will interesting to see what we come up with. Soon Norm will finish his spelling test. it is boring but he is doing fine. Then we will go outside for phys ed. We will walk over to the park and he will ride his skateboard for a while. He is a homeschooler after all, he can do what he wants.
Now he is having second thoughts about school next year. He has made friends in the homeschool world and he is afraid that he will miss them. There are a lot of these friends, actually, and they are distributed all over Eastern Massachusetts. He is correct. Most of them will fade away quickly. Also, he has found--now after almost a year of what the homeschool folks call "de-schooling"--that he likes the structure he has developed for himself. He is curious about different subjects and pleased that he can go pursue them. This, too, will be lost at school. By its nature a school needs to structure its topics and time in a general sort of way. There is also a great deal of focus on measuring results. There is an official reward system and hierarchy based on grades and physical prowess. This opens the door to informal hierarchies amongst the children. In the homeschool world that we have experienced this year, the kids and their teachers are more often colleagues, working together to pursue individual interests. In many ways, its not unlike grad school...if none of the students had drivers' licenses.
On the other hand, next year is the beginning of middle school in our town. His friends will go an meet the kids from one of the other elementary schools (there are five in all and two middle schools). Everyone will be new and might be open to making friends. The teachers may be a bit more flexible. There will be a few electives. Also, it is the school Norm's brother goes to. Of course, it is also a whole lot less time consuming for Dad and more convenient for for both of us.
Adults I have spoken to fall into various camps based on defending what choices they (or their children) have made. The homeschool parents are mostly sympathetic, understanding the pull of school for kids who have been in it at some point or another. Other adults are mostly sympathetic as well, though sometimes there is a hint of judgment. We wouldn't be in this situation if we just did what everyone else does, after all. To them it seems an unnecessary complication for a kid. From my perspective and Norm's, I don't think we would have missed this year for the world.
Still, it is a quandary with no clear answer.There are advantages and disadvantages to every plan. Many of his friends on the homeschool side are in their own discernment processes, too. I am giving him some space to explore his options and will interesting to see what we come up with. Soon Norm will finish his spelling test. it is boring but he is doing fine. Then we will go outside for phys ed. We will walk over to the park and he will ride his skateboard for a while. He is a homeschooler after all, he can do what he wants.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Post-Easter Blues
I always find it hard to get going the week after Easter. Yes, the seasons have changed and we are all supposed to be spritely and vigorous. However, it takes time for me to ramp up. No doubt part of this is because of the toll Lent, Holy Week, and Easter can take on someone in my profession. Every job has times like this. It is the high-energy time. It begins when many folks are feeling sluggish from their winter hibernation. It ends on the official "resurrection day". That's a lot of pressure. That's a lot of activity. Of course, it is also allergy season....
Whatever the reason, I find that right after Easter I want to either hide indoors or climb a really large mountain in some less populated region. I also would like a place with fewer cars. I was raised a country-boy but don't particularly miss it except when each season changes. The 'burbs just don't feel (and certainly don't smell or sound) the same as where I grew up. I miss the connection to nature that comes from inhabiting a place where nature--not people--still holds the balance of power.
Well, we didn't drive up to Maine. We also haven't hidden in some far corner of the parsonage. What Norm and I did manage to do was to drive about a mile away to the local bird sanctuary. We just barely managed to beat the rain. It was good to be there. We walked on some of the trails we enjoyed during our winter hikes and marveled at the changes. We spotted some birds and reported them to the office so they could go on the list. It was nice to be out, even if it didn't quite meet all of our requirements. Burbania is about compromise, after all.
We also signed Norm up for homeschool classes at the sanctuary. This is good. He has taken them before and misses his friends. These classes--held in various locations and on various subjects--are very important social outlets as well and educational ones. Norm is considering a second year of homeschool. A lot will depend on whether he feels he can see other kids. Homeschoolers spend little time at home, actually. A lot of it is spent with fellow-students. A lot of it is spent in nature. Which reminds me...its time to plan for summer camps...
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Homeschool in Winter
Norm and I have been busy lately with writing and reading projects. These are the topics he chose to focus on while I am in my "sabbatical phase". This week, however, we are also spending time with math. Our multiplication tables need more work before we tackle division in March. This is a challenge for me as much as for him as I, quite frankly, faked my way through math...or maybe I slept. Unfortunately, Norm shares this tendency and so we struggle together to make it interesting.
This is one of the biggest tensions in homeschooling for me this year. I need to find the right balance between what the school will require him to know in 5th grade and what Norm actually wants to spend his time learning. Many long-term homeschoolers worry quite a bit less about this. The idea is to wait until the child is interested before tackling a subject. This seems to me a graceful form of education. Unfortunately it is probably unrealistic in the way we structure public education today. In school what is important are benchmarks, scores and tests. These determine your achievement level and, therefore, your worthiness to advance.
I am not a test sort of person. I am a minister trying--for one year only--to teach one specific child in a way that makes sense to him. Still, we must hit the benchmarks for next year. We sepnd time focusing on his interests. Then we frantically try to keep up elsewhere. It is amazing all the things there are to learn about that school doesn't seem to know exist. Even among that which is traditionally taught, certain subjects suffer because, for example, actual school is less interested in art and history in fifth grade than Norm is. It is not clear that it is ever that interested in art. History becomes a concern later on, I guess.
Fortunately there is writing. Everyone wants kids to be able to that...right? During the wetter sorts of days this winter, when we just cannot get out of the house, this has been our saving grace. We are learning about how to make sound and interesting paragraphs. We are putting them together to make essays. We are doing our best to expand vocabulary and--even--improve spelling. Still, we mostly want to get outside. There is too little of that.
I do have concerns in writing as well. They are similar in nature to the ones I have about math. When he returns to school his classmates will probably have learned the same things, but they will have learned them in a different way. Terms will be different. Approaches will be different. My experience with many (not all) teachers has been that they know one or two ways to teach a subject quite well. They are sometimes less convinced that there are other ways. Will people know that he knows what he knows? We shall see, I guess.
So the winter of our homeschool year continues with interuptions for his brothers' snow days. Still, signs that spring is around the corner can dimly be seen now. We have had a lot more rain this week than snow. Astronomy classes at the local Audubon Sanctuary are starting up this Thursday. Art classes and the Athenaeum still fill our Fridays. All of this gets us up and going. Soon there will be less time to be concerned about the future. We are learning this winter and that is good.
This is one of the biggest tensions in homeschooling for me this year. I need to find the right balance between what the school will require him to know in 5th grade and what Norm actually wants to spend his time learning. Many long-term homeschoolers worry quite a bit less about this. The idea is to wait until the child is interested before tackling a subject. This seems to me a graceful form of education. Unfortunately it is probably unrealistic in the way we structure public education today. In school what is important are benchmarks, scores and tests. These determine your achievement level and, therefore, your worthiness to advance.
I am not a test sort of person. I am a minister trying--for one year only--to teach one specific child in a way that makes sense to him. Still, we must hit the benchmarks for next year. We sepnd time focusing on his interests. Then we frantically try to keep up elsewhere. It is amazing all the things there are to learn about that school doesn't seem to know exist. Even among that which is traditionally taught, certain subjects suffer because, for example, actual school is less interested in art and history in fifth grade than Norm is. It is not clear that it is ever that interested in art. History becomes a concern later on, I guess.
Fortunately there is writing. Everyone wants kids to be able to that...right? During the wetter sorts of days this winter, when we just cannot get out of the house, this has been our saving grace. We are learning about how to make sound and interesting paragraphs. We are putting them together to make essays. We are doing our best to expand vocabulary and--even--improve spelling. Still, we mostly want to get outside. There is too little of that.
I do have concerns in writing as well. They are similar in nature to the ones I have about math. When he returns to school his classmates will probably have learned the same things, but they will have learned them in a different way. Terms will be different. Approaches will be different. My experience with many (not all) teachers has been that they know one or two ways to teach a subject quite well. They are sometimes less convinced that there are other ways. Will people know that he knows what he knows? We shall see, I guess.
So the winter of our homeschool year continues with interuptions for his brothers' snow days. Still, signs that spring is around the corner can dimly be seen now. We have had a lot more rain this week than snow. Astronomy classes at the local Audubon Sanctuary are starting up this Thursday. Art classes and the Athenaeum still fill our Fridays. All of this gets us up and going. Soon there will be less time to be concerned about the future. We are learning this winter and that is good.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Yep, It is Going to Snow...Again
Everyone is talking about the snow these days and it is hard not to. The last storm taxed our resources and our patience quite a bit. Our road--normally about a lane and a half wide--is down to one lane. Faced with the challenge of getting their precious charges to nursery school, however, suburbanites with their SUV's have driven up over the snowbanks on either side. Now it is concave. It is our own personal half-pipe. Also, presented with the shortage of paid snow-days, the school system is going to try to race ahead of the storm and get the schools open today. It is a tough call that might have gone the other way in December or early January. Now there are only 1.5 snow days left for the year. The snow is supposed to keep falling until Thursday morning...
Regular readers will know that I am making peace with winter as best I can. It has always been a rocky relationship. Winter makes us sleepy. More specifically, it makes us want to curl up in bed with a jar of cookies and a box of decongestants praying for a glimpse of the sun. Even as a child in Maine, nestled among the happy memories of sledding and the snow forts are more problematic ones, like fetching wood in the freezing cold in order to stoke the fabulously dangerous stove that burnt my fingers and made some rooms ridiculously hot while leaving others untouched. I wore a hat to bed well into my adulthood. I still do when the parsonage furnace breaks. I still remember my youngest sister breaking into tears one late February morning in Cumberland County because the clouds had gathered above us for the tenth day in a row. In addition, I somehow list among my happiest moments a Palm Sunday where my wife and I sat in the window of the Bagel Shop in Bangor watching the rain wash the last snow of a very bad winter into the Kenduskeag canal. It may be the reason for my deep and abiding love for lox and capers.
That having been said, I am in relatively good spirits. I am on sabbatical, after all. Even being yelled at by an old lady this weekend for "messing up the trail for everyone else" while cross-country skiing was only momentarily humiliating. I like snow shoes better anyway. This storm means great snowshoeing for a few days. I will happily take them...and I will bring Norm.
In fact, my problems with the snow reside mostly in two categories. The first is the clearly taxed infrastructure. This snow is stretching the resources of our town, its institutions, and its people. That worries me. On an interpersonal level as a pastor, I am worried about the stress levels of my community as these resources get even more stretched. As a parsonage tenant, I am worried about what will happen when the snow melts. Last year the town sewer backed up and flooded my neighborhood with untreated waste...twice. When I say flooded, by the way. I am speaking of actual feet of standing water (and other things) on our lawns and in our basements. The sewer pipe belongs to the state. There is no reason to believe that it will not happen again this year. Of course, I am philosophical. As I have mentioned repeatedly on this blog, we are not meant to live this way. It requires too much of the earth. But, then, there is the clean-up...
The other category is education. Every time a snow day is called, I am put in the position of figuring out exactly how much I can ask Norm to do with his brothers home. It is messing up lesson plans and putting us behind. A brief chat with other homeschool parents at the MFA drop off last week indicated that many of them just ignore snow days and move right along with their plans. Certainly homeschool programs do not cancel as often. However, it is a hard thing to make a kid study when you have a mixed family of school and home-school kids. At this rate, Norm Academy will be going well into August.
Ah well, what can one do? I have cookies and decongestants...and a shovel so I am ready. Here are a couple links to earlier "snow-posts" that are a bit more cheerful here and here. That second one is for the homeschoolers.
Also, the Atheneaum is opening today! I won't be there. I will be shovelling. Then I will be reading the books I inadvertently saved from the flood. However, if you want to help with the clean-up, you can always contribute here. Here is a link to the original post about the Athenaeum. Might as well read all this stuff....you aren't going anywhere.
Update: I should note that the title is now officially misleading. It is snowing now...hard. Also, the town decided to burn the remaining half snow-day and the kids are on their way home...
Regular readers will know that I am making peace with winter as best I can. It has always been a rocky relationship. Winter makes us sleepy. More specifically, it makes us want to curl up in bed with a jar of cookies and a box of decongestants praying for a glimpse of the sun. Even as a child in Maine, nestled among the happy memories of sledding and the snow forts are more problematic ones, like fetching wood in the freezing cold in order to stoke the fabulously dangerous stove that burnt my fingers and made some rooms ridiculously hot while leaving others untouched. I wore a hat to bed well into my adulthood. I still do when the parsonage furnace breaks. I still remember my youngest sister breaking into tears one late February morning in Cumberland County because the clouds had gathered above us for the tenth day in a row. In addition, I somehow list among my happiest moments a Palm Sunday where my wife and I sat in the window of the Bagel Shop in Bangor watching the rain wash the last snow of a very bad winter into the Kenduskeag canal. It may be the reason for my deep and abiding love for lox and capers.
That having been said, I am in relatively good spirits. I am on sabbatical, after all. Even being yelled at by an old lady this weekend for "messing up the trail for everyone else" while cross-country skiing was only momentarily humiliating. I like snow shoes better anyway. This storm means great snowshoeing for a few days. I will happily take them...and I will bring Norm.
In fact, my problems with the snow reside mostly in two categories. The first is the clearly taxed infrastructure. This snow is stretching the resources of our town, its institutions, and its people. That worries me. On an interpersonal level as a pastor, I am worried about the stress levels of my community as these resources get even more stretched. As a parsonage tenant, I am worried about what will happen when the snow melts. Last year the town sewer backed up and flooded my neighborhood with untreated waste...twice. When I say flooded, by the way. I am speaking of actual feet of standing water (and other things) on our lawns and in our basements. The sewer pipe belongs to the state. There is no reason to believe that it will not happen again this year. Of course, I am philosophical. As I have mentioned repeatedly on this blog, we are not meant to live this way. It requires too much of the earth. But, then, there is the clean-up...
The other category is education. Every time a snow day is called, I am put in the position of figuring out exactly how much I can ask Norm to do with his brothers home. It is messing up lesson plans and putting us behind. A brief chat with other homeschool parents at the MFA drop off last week indicated that many of them just ignore snow days and move right along with their plans. Certainly homeschool programs do not cancel as often. However, it is a hard thing to make a kid study when you have a mixed family of school and home-school kids. At this rate, Norm Academy will be going well into August.
Ah well, what can one do? I have cookies and decongestants...and a shovel so I am ready. Here are a couple links to earlier "snow-posts" that are a bit more cheerful here and here. That second one is for the homeschoolers.
Also, the Atheneaum is opening today! I won't be there. I will be shovelling. Then I will be reading the books I inadvertently saved from the flood. However, if you want to help with the clean-up, you can always contribute here. Here is a link to the original post about the Athenaeum. Might as well read all this stuff....you aren't going anywhere.
Update: I should note that the title is now officially misleading. It is snowing now...hard. Also, the town decided to burn the remaining half snow-day and the kids are on their way home...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Learning the Charles
Yesterday, after jumping through some hoops in the early morning (mostly work on paragraph construction). Norm and I went for a hike in a nearby nature preserve. It was cold, but not too cold, which meant we were fine to stay out until lunchtime. We brought a bottle of water and a sort of "travel kit" of art pencils, small sketchbook, and loose leaf photocopy paper to see if we could find some image to record. We are learning about art and nature. We are interested in the ways "creation" creates and inspires.
We took our time and found a variety of things to interest us. There was deer fur on a tree and nearby off the path. There were deer prints (and dog prints and people prints) in various locations. We found a rotted stump and some interesting moss. There was ice clear enough to look through, though there was some distortion--like plastic swim goggles that have been left for a while on the wood stove--that only added to the interest.
Finally we ended up by the Charles River, much smaller and quieter than it is in the city. This is Burbania, after all. There we sat down on the mostly frozen ground and spent time sketching the far bank. We were learning about perspective, mostly, and light. Neither my picture nor his came out looking the way the far bank did. I added some mountains and a small barn (further evidence I need to get back up to Maine). Norm added a house, a snowman, and a small boat. Still, the lesson was learned even if a bit of artistic license was taken.
Getting out is important for grown-ups and for kids. So is the absence of structure. One of the goals I have for this time is to let Norm find his own way to learning certain subjects. I would do more of this than I am, in fact, if I wasn't concerned about him going back next year. For those who may not know, there is in the world of homeschoolers something called "unschooling" and if this were a multi-year project rather than one that will last (most likely) twelve months, I would be all over it. The fact is, kids will learn on their own if you let them. Contrary to popular belief, they do not have to be "molded" by adults. Norm has been working hard on the subjects he selects and he learns about other topics as they intersect with his particular subject. Geometry, for example, is big when figuring out perspective. When we call it art, he studies it and he gets it.
I see this in the other kids as well. Son #1 does his homework and jumps through the hoops, but what does he fill his free time with? Things he likes. Yes, that means "flickering box" sometimes, but he has put in epic hours on the trumpet. Why? I know he wouldn't put it this way (he is twelve) but I think the music moves him more than other things right now. Give your kids space and they will decide what to do with it. Remove obstacles such as TV and computer. Strip away all the programming that you hope will get them into Harvard, or their own big cubicle, or onto the the varsity squad (or even just make them "well-rounded" or "fulfilled") and they won't curl up in the fetal position on the couch.
They will step up. They will explore. They will impress you with their vision.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Return of the Staybattical Part II: Homeschool Edition
Today Sons #1 and #3 return to their normal non-vacation rituals and duties. The elder is off to his Junior High and the younger is on his way to daycare. Son #2 (aka "Norm") is, of course, continuing our one-year homeschool adventure.
One of the deals we made with each other was that when I was at work, he would work on subjects that could fit our mutual schedules. This has meant a great deal of math. Math concepts--at least at this level--are fairly simple. The tricky part is getting them inside us so that we no longer have to think about them. This requires plenty of repetition and practice, which meant that Norm could practice while I was working. No he gets more leeway in his work.
His choice (not surprisingly) has been to focus on the humanities. We will continue with art and music, something made easier by the acquisition of plenty of art supplies over Christmas. Also over Christmas we entertained the cousins with our three-piece (trumpet, uke, and drum) combo by playing holiday classics. We couldn't find a band for him to belong to. We tried to get him into band at his former school but the response was a rather firm "no". So the non-traditional combo, along with drum lessons will have to suffice for the year.
Most importantly for keeping up with his school-mates (remember, this is for only one year) are our plans to catch up on Norm's reading and writing skills. Norm reads a lot for fun. Certainly this was the case over Advent as my workload increased. Now, however, we need to work on the more formal building blocks that come with literacy: spelling, grammar, writing, and reading comprehension. Some of these will be easy for him. I hope (and suspect) that the others will be easier than he thinks thanks to their overlapping nature and his own enthusiasm. Either way, there is a stack of carefully marked workbooks on my desk and we crack them open today.
A few people each week--particularly over vacation--express the belief that they would never be able to homeschool their kids. The reasons are varied. There are personality differences, the need for time away from parenting duties, and more practical--logistical--reasons like the requirement for most working parents to have their children away so they can work. These are all valid. Many people also claim not to have the right "skill set" for teaching kids in general and their own kids in particular. These skill sets, of course, can be learned. However, I understand this hurdle as well. Basically, homeschooling is about a re-ordering of priorities and family structure that can be hard or even impossible for many families that would be otherwise interested or sympathetic.
At first I would have said that everyone could do this. Now I am not so sure. It is a lot of work. It takes a great deal of my time. It requires patience, which is not natural for me. However, Norm is learning and--with the exception of math--is enjoying it! I am learning, too. I am not merely learning in warm and fuzzy ways. I am learning (or re-learning) fourth grade! It is amazing what we forget, or what we ignored the first time. Perhaps it will stick better the second time around.
Well, class is about to start and I must go. No doubt there will be more to write on this subject later...
One of the deals we made with each other was that when I was at work, he would work on subjects that could fit our mutual schedules. This has meant a great deal of math. Math concepts--at least at this level--are fairly simple. The tricky part is getting them inside us so that we no longer have to think about them. This requires plenty of repetition and practice, which meant that Norm could practice while I was working. No he gets more leeway in his work.
His choice (not surprisingly) has been to focus on the humanities. We will continue with art and music, something made easier by the acquisition of plenty of art supplies over Christmas. Also over Christmas we entertained the cousins with our three-piece (trumpet, uke, and drum) combo by playing holiday classics. We couldn't find a band for him to belong to. We tried to get him into band at his former school but the response was a rather firm "no". So the non-traditional combo, along with drum lessons will have to suffice for the year.
Most importantly for keeping up with his school-mates (remember, this is for only one year) are our plans to catch up on Norm's reading and writing skills. Norm reads a lot for fun. Certainly this was the case over Advent as my workload increased. Now, however, we need to work on the more formal building blocks that come with literacy: spelling, grammar, writing, and reading comprehension. Some of these will be easy for him. I hope (and suspect) that the others will be easier than he thinks thanks to their overlapping nature and his own enthusiasm. Either way, there is a stack of carefully marked workbooks on my desk and we crack them open today.
A few people each week--particularly over vacation--express the belief that they would never be able to homeschool their kids. The reasons are varied. There are personality differences, the need for time away from parenting duties, and more practical--logistical--reasons like the requirement for most working parents to have their children away so they can work. These are all valid. Many people also claim not to have the right "skill set" for teaching kids in general and their own kids in particular. These skill sets, of course, can be learned. However, I understand this hurdle as well. Basically, homeschooling is about a re-ordering of priorities and family structure that can be hard or even impossible for many families that would be otherwise interested or sympathetic.
At first I would have said that everyone could do this. Now I am not so sure. It is a lot of work. It takes a great deal of my time. It requires patience, which is not natural for me. However, Norm is learning and--with the exception of math--is enjoying it! I am learning, too. I am not merely learning in warm and fuzzy ways. I am learning (or re-learning) fourth grade! It is amazing what we forget, or what we ignored the first time. Perhaps it will stick better the second time around.
Well, class is about to start and I must go. No doubt there will be more to write on this subject later...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Homeschool Update
I realize that I haven't posted about the homeschool year in some time. The reason for this is simply that we have been very busy! Even before my return to work for the holidays, there was just a huge amount of stuff going on.
Norm continues to attend a nature program at the local Audubon sanctuary. Right now they are studying mammals. Every other week the class is four hours long. On the alternate weeks it is two hours. This has been a good experience. There is a good group of kids and Norm gets homework, which we work up into short essays for his folder. Subjects like science, art, and history give us excuses to work on writing and typing, which is a good thing.
The Art program at the Museum of Fine Arts is on hiatus until December. The museum is re-opening its "Wing of the Americas" and right now the Homeschool time slot is for entertaining dignitaries and such. That's OK, we will get our chance to see everything in December. Here again we have found some interdisciplinary connections. Art discussions naturally lead to discussions about history, politics and religion. These, too, become short entries and essays for his folder.
The lone wolf of the curriculum--math--is going OK, too. We are just soldiering through it as best as we can. Worksheets and memorization is no one's favorite thing. However, now that I am at work and the holidays are upon us, this is the subject that fills most of his day. We are taking breaks, however, to talk Transcendentalism. I don't know how one could not discuss it. Metrowest Boston--right here--is where it all began. It is the easiest and cheapest field trip option. Again...it goes in the folder.
So here is a bit of what I have learned about homeschooling:
1) Get a folder and make sure you fill it with stuff!
The first month, for example, we learned a great deal, but we didn't record it well (my fault). Now we are catching up. A folder lets Norm see how far he has progressed and also provides Dad with concrete evidence for meeting with the Superintendent's Office.
2) Having other children is a challenge.
Not a bad thing, of course! But it makes it hard to teach and to stay on schedule. Norm probably spends more actual designated time studying than the other kids. However, when an "early release day" or a day-off for one of his brothers occurs, it is hard to keep Norm on task.
We have compensated for this a bit, however. The boys have a healthy and growing Dungeons and Dragons group (I am the Dungeon Master. Geeks know what I mean). On Veteran's Day we played a rousing game for most of the afternoon. For Norm, this is part of his curriculum (math, maps, sociology, history, creative writing, etc). For all of them, it was fun! Sometimes it is harder to find an educational connection. Like today when we went to the hospital to see if Son #3 had passed the penny he ate last week. Still, it may be something for the folder...
3) Socialization does take effort.
I am not sure that I need to say much more here. It just does. It is true as much for parents and for the kids, who--at this age--are starting to take charge of their own social schedules.
4) Working and teaching at the same time is hard, but not impossible.
I will be honest with you. It was easier during sabbatical. There is a part of me that pines for the leisurely days before going back to work. There are advantages, however. One is that we have time for math and few temptations to distract us. Another is that I have a very interesting job--at least around the holidays--which also provides us with quality learning opportunities. In the old days, ministers would shadow a senior pastor around in order to learn the tricks of the trade. I'm, not talking about internships. They would do this instead of seminary! So maybe Norm could take a church after this...
I have learned other things, too, and hopefully I will get to posting something about these things some time soon, but things are crazy as we careen in toward "Thanksgiving Sunday". As the days get shorter and the last leaves fall onto the street (and the lawn), it is a great time to not be on sabbatical. It is a blessing to be a home school dad. It is a blessing to be a minister.
Norm continues to attend a nature program at the local Audubon sanctuary. Right now they are studying mammals. Every other week the class is four hours long. On the alternate weeks it is two hours. This has been a good experience. There is a good group of kids and Norm gets homework, which we work up into short essays for his folder. Subjects like science, art, and history give us excuses to work on writing and typing, which is a good thing.
The Art program at the Museum of Fine Arts is on hiatus until December. The museum is re-opening its "Wing of the Americas" and right now the Homeschool time slot is for entertaining dignitaries and such. That's OK, we will get our chance to see everything in December. Here again we have found some interdisciplinary connections. Art discussions naturally lead to discussions about history, politics and religion. These, too, become short entries and essays for his folder.
The lone wolf of the curriculum--math--is going OK, too. We are just soldiering through it as best as we can. Worksheets and memorization is no one's favorite thing. However, now that I am at work and the holidays are upon us, this is the subject that fills most of his day. We are taking breaks, however, to talk Transcendentalism. I don't know how one could not discuss it. Metrowest Boston--right here--is where it all began. It is the easiest and cheapest field trip option. Again...it goes in the folder.
So here is a bit of what I have learned about homeschooling:
1) Get a folder and make sure you fill it with stuff!
The first month, for example, we learned a great deal, but we didn't record it well (my fault). Now we are catching up. A folder lets Norm see how far he has progressed and also provides Dad with concrete evidence for meeting with the Superintendent's Office.
2) Having other children is a challenge.
Not a bad thing, of course! But it makes it hard to teach and to stay on schedule. Norm probably spends more actual designated time studying than the other kids. However, when an "early release day" or a day-off for one of his brothers occurs, it is hard to keep Norm on task.
We have compensated for this a bit, however. The boys have a healthy and growing Dungeons and Dragons group (I am the Dungeon Master. Geeks know what I mean). On Veteran's Day we played a rousing game for most of the afternoon. For Norm, this is part of his curriculum (math, maps, sociology, history, creative writing, etc). For all of them, it was fun! Sometimes it is harder to find an educational connection. Like today when we went to the hospital to see if Son #3 had passed the penny he ate last week. Still, it may be something for the folder...
3) Socialization does take effort.
I am not sure that I need to say much more here. It just does. It is true as much for parents and for the kids, who--at this age--are starting to take charge of their own social schedules.
4) Working and teaching at the same time is hard, but not impossible.
I will be honest with you. It was easier during sabbatical. There is a part of me that pines for the leisurely days before going back to work. There are advantages, however. One is that we have time for math and few temptations to distract us. Another is that I have a very interesting job--at least around the holidays--which also provides us with quality learning opportunities. In the old days, ministers would shadow a senior pastor around in order to learn the tricks of the trade. I'm, not talking about internships. They would do this instead of seminary! So maybe Norm could take a church after this...
I have learned other things, too, and hopefully I will get to posting something about these things some time soon, but things are crazy as we careen in toward "Thanksgiving Sunday". As the days get shorter and the last leaves fall onto the street (and the lawn), it is a great time to not be on sabbatical. It is a blessing to be a home school dad. It is a blessing to be a minister.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sacred Spaces I: Homeschool Edition
I hated school.
I am pretty sure that I hated school up until my second time through seminary. That's a looong time to do something you don't like and do it virtually every day. Every once in a while--when it got really bad--my parents would give me my own short vacation and send me to work with my father. Many of my favorite memories of childhood were of being essentially by myself at the Maine State House or the nearby state museum. Or in a similar condition in Washington DC. I think I learned quite a bit more on those "days off" than I ever learned in a classroom.
Ever since then, I have been most comfortable in those sorts of settings. Large institutional buildings of a particular sort of architecture and a particular sort of mission have positive associations for me. Good memories. I seek out places like this when I have the time.
I thought of this yesterday while Norm and I were going about our usual Friday routine. First we hit the Athenaeum to return some books and get new ones. Then we headed to the Museum of Fine Arts. In an earlier post I talked about how homeschooling naturally sets one apart. It is different. I have also mentioned that there is a tendency toward wanting to instill a certain set of values in our children and that this is also part of what homeschooling is about. For conservatives this is often obvious. There are specific issues and concerns that they have with public education. For liberals it is less obvious but no less true.
I have realized that my actual goals for this homeschool year may be a bit different from what I have said they should be. Yes, the "three 'r's" have their place and he will continue to grow academically, but these cultural concerns are at least as important--probably more. I want all my children to be the sort of people who feel at home in libraries and museums. I want them to know how to change trains in the subway. I want them to know how to paddle a canoe and feel comfortable and happy on a mountain in northern Maine. I want them to experience these things for a very selfish reason. They are what I love to do.
Spaces--museums, churches, the inside of a subway train--influence and comment on the people who occupy them. Those same spaces hold limited interest to some and generate great excitement in others. They make some uncomfortable...or bored. Our houses, of course, tell us a great deal about what we value. This is true if you are a parsonage dweller like me as much as if you own your own a McMansion. Yet our houses are only one place we feel at home. The other places tell us as much or more about who we are and what we value. These are also the spaces we inhabit.
For me, school was not a place I inhabited well. Church--though that came later in life--is such a place. It probably would do us all come good to consider what places make us feel comfortable or uncomfortable and why that is so.
I am pretty sure that I hated school up until my second time through seminary. That's a looong time to do something you don't like and do it virtually every day. Every once in a while--when it got really bad--my parents would give me my own short vacation and send me to work with my father. Many of my favorite memories of childhood were of being essentially by myself at the Maine State House or the nearby state museum. Or in a similar condition in Washington DC. I think I learned quite a bit more on those "days off" than I ever learned in a classroom.
Ever since then, I have been most comfortable in those sorts of settings. Large institutional buildings of a particular sort of architecture and a particular sort of mission have positive associations for me. Good memories. I seek out places like this when I have the time.
I thought of this yesterday while Norm and I were going about our usual Friday routine. First we hit the Athenaeum to return some books and get new ones. Then we headed to the Museum of Fine Arts. In an earlier post I talked about how homeschooling naturally sets one apart. It is different. I have also mentioned that there is a tendency toward wanting to instill a certain set of values in our children and that this is also part of what homeschooling is about. For conservatives this is often obvious. There are specific issues and concerns that they have with public education. For liberals it is less obvious but no less true.
I have realized that my actual goals for this homeschool year may be a bit different from what I have said they should be. Yes, the "three 'r's" have their place and he will continue to grow academically, but these cultural concerns are at least as important--probably more. I want all my children to be the sort of people who feel at home in libraries and museums. I want them to know how to change trains in the subway. I want them to know how to paddle a canoe and feel comfortable and happy on a mountain in northern Maine. I want them to experience these things for a very selfish reason. They are what I love to do.
Spaces--museums, churches, the inside of a subway train--influence and comment on the people who occupy them. Those same spaces hold limited interest to some and generate great excitement in others. They make some uncomfortable...or bored. Our houses, of course, tell us a great deal about what we value. This is true if you are a parsonage dweller like me as much as if you own your own a McMansion. Yet our houses are only one place we feel at home. The other places tell us as much or more about who we are and what we value. These are also the spaces we inhabit.
For me, school was not a place I inhabited well. Church--though that came later in life--is such a place. It probably would do us all come good to consider what places make us feel comfortable or uncomfortable and why that is so.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Homeschooling Pastor? Yeah...It Makes Me Different
When I first started thinking about and planning for this homeschool year, I made light of how "different" (its a nicer word than "strange") it appears to most people. Perhaps the reason is that people already look at me differently because of my job. I could go on and on about the ways in which ministers are typecast by the people they meet, but I won't. Suffice it to say that it is the sort of profession where--for better or worse--people make assumptions about you. This is why many clergy will say that there is a certain loneliness to the profession. It is one of the reasons for the high clergy-burnout rate. I had a friend in high school whose dad was an undertaker. My dad was a politician. We decided they were pretty much the same. People know that your choice of vocation is respectable, yet it makes them uncomfortable. Therefore, the easiest thing for folks to do is hold you at arms length, preferably with really long arms.
Now, I am still very new at this, but homeschooling seems to work in a similar way. This is true whether one comes from the "far-right" or the "far-left" branches of the movement. It is true for those of us in the middle as well (I have met more than one public school teacher homeschooling, for example). To consider homeschooling as an option, you have to accept the possibility that the "way things are" is not the "way things should be". To actually then go out and do something about it--to pull your child from school--is, in some sense to separate yourself. People notice. It is not the choice most folks make and naturally your presence makes them think about it. In that moment, the homeschooler joins the ranks of those people who are one question away from social awkwardness.
When ministers are asked "what do you do?" in a social situation, they brace themselves. There may be an extended conversation about God (not something many ministers bring up themselves at parties, by the way). There may be a story (good or bad) from the questioner about ministers they have known. Sometimes the person just walks away. This doesn't happen to accountants. When homeschoolers are asked "where do your kids go to school?" They, too, prepare themselves. Instant assumptions are made about the person and about the kids. Of course, we don't figure out what those assumptions are until later. Are you a religious fanatic or a permissive bohemian-type? Only time will tell...
I should say here that the choices that set people apart are often made with eyes wide open. I knew when I chose to become a minister that it wasn't something most people did. I knew that the profession (and the church) had fallen on hard times in the eyes of much of the public. I knew that being a liberal minister would just be confusing for many people. I understood that I would spend a great deal of my time either explaining myself or by myself. That's OK. The same goes for homeschooling. Many of the homeschoolers I talk to list things like "getting to spend more time with my kids" as valid reasons. Even this rather simple desire is a critique of a culture that expects children to be educated away from home (like going to work) and in stratified environments. Add in other more specific reasons for the choice and the homeschooler has tipped her or his hand. It makes us different. We know this.
All I am asking, I guess, is that if you encounter someone and feel the urge to make assumptions, give those assumptions a rest at first. You may find that the diversity of experience and perspective is what make humanity great. In fact, you might learn something...
I couldn't find a good link about how homeschoolers are really not aliens...sorry about that. However, here is a link to a bunch of Vicar of Dibley videos. Most people who watch this show like it because the minister seems so non-ministerial. Ministers often love this show because we know that this is much more true to our lives than not. Yeah, the vicar is based on actual clergy-people. Deal with it.
Now, I am still very new at this, but homeschooling seems to work in a similar way. This is true whether one comes from the "far-right" or the "far-left" branches of the movement. It is true for those of us in the middle as well (I have met more than one public school teacher homeschooling, for example). To consider homeschooling as an option, you have to accept the possibility that the "way things are" is not the "way things should be". To actually then go out and do something about it--to pull your child from school--is, in some sense to separate yourself. People notice. It is not the choice most folks make and naturally your presence makes them think about it. In that moment, the homeschooler joins the ranks of those people who are one question away from social awkwardness.
When ministers are asked "what do you do?" in a social situation, they brace themselves. There may be an extended conversation about God (not something many ministers bring up themselves at parties, by the way). There may be a story (good or bad) from the questioner about ministers they have known. Sometimes the person just walks away. This doesn't happen to accountants. When homeschoolers are asked "where do your kids go to school?" They, too, prepare themselves. Instant assumptions are made about the person and about the kids. Of course, we don't figure out what those assumptions are until later. Are you a religious fanatic or a permissive bohemian-type? Only time will tell...
I should say here that the choices that set people apart are often made with eyes wide open. I knew when I chose to become a minister that it wasn't something most people did. I knew that the profession (and the church) had fallen on hard times in the eyes of much of the public. I knew that being a liberal minister would just be confusing for many people. I understood that I would spend a great deal of my time either explaining myself or by myself. That's OK. The same goes for homeschooling. Many of the homeschoolers I talk to list things like "getting to spend more time with my kids" as valid reasons. Even this rather simple desire is a critique of a culture that expects children to be educated away from home (like going to work) and in stratified environments. Add in other more specific reasons for the choice and the homeschooler has tipped her or his hand. It makes us different. We know this.
All I am asking, I guess, is that if you encounter someone and feel the urge to make assumptions, give those assumptions a rest at first. You may find that the diversity of experience and perspective is what make humanity great. In fact, you might learn something...
I couldn't find a good link about how homeschoolers are really not aliens...sorry about that. However, here is a link to a bunch of Vicar of Dibley videos. Most people who watch this show like it because the minister seems so non-ministerial. Ministers often love this show because we know that this is much more true to our lives than not. Yeah, the vicar is based on actual clergy-people. Deal with it.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Sabbatical Day 1
I knew today would be hard.
The problem with a "staybbatical" is that you are constantly reminded of what you are taking a sabbatical from! Today Norm and I got up early and headed into Boston. On our way to the "T" we drove by the church and it was all I could do not to drop in and see how things are getting along. I actually know that things will be fine. The problem is me. I have been doing the same thing for over eight years now and before that I did a very similar thing somewhere else. The idea of a sabbatical is to break out of those habits, to wake yourself up (or be woken up) and do something else, broaden the ol' horizons and what-not. Good stuff, but hard to get going.
Anyway, we got ourselves into Boston and went straight over to the Athenaeum to drop off some books and pick up new ones. One of my projects is to better familiarize myself with many of the New England theologians and philosophers of the Nineteenth Century. However, I am trying to broaden my reading to include the folks who are not so obvious. That means sometimes getting things from those who labored in the shadows of others. Not Emerson or Thoreau so much. Instead, people like FW Hedge, important thinkers who for whatever reason got lost in the public imagination. Today I picked up a pamphlet edited by James Freeman Clarke about coffee shops in England. He was trying--apparently--to broaden their appeal in this country in hopes of curtailing the drinking habits of the masses. I also got a book of sermons by the minister and hymn-writer Samuel Longfellow. Talk about laboring in the shadows...
Norm also picked out books and then we went for lunch at Emmet's. I had a Guinness. Clarke would not have been impressed. Then it was off to the Museum of Fine Arts for Norm's class. There was a brief moment of panic after he left, though. That was when I realized that sabbatical means I don't have a sermon to prepare! Sermon outlining has been my standard act for the past two weeks at the MFA. Now it is gone. After running around trying to stare at everything at once, I calmed down a bit and spent a great deal of the remaining time contemplating maiolica pottery, specifically the religious works of the the Della Robbia boys. Very nice, very bright, very renaissance. Kinda churchy, actually...
That was pretty much it. Norm had made a collage entitled "Karaoke Bar" from advertisements in Stuff magazine. The train ride home was all about talking art with my son and contemplating the creative process and the societal importance of coffee. That and old religious dudes. Anyway, it just goes to show that it takes a while to shift gears. Of course, I have the advantage of planning Norm's education so I will have things to do this month and I am looking forward to most of them. I certainly hope he is too...
Here is a link to Maiolica, Luca Della Robbia, and his nephew Andrea Della Robbia
Also, James Freeman Clarke and Samuel Longfellow
Here is a link to Maiolica, Luca Della Robbia, and his nephew Andrea Della Robbia
Also, James Freeman Clarke and Samuel Longfellow
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
RPG Homeschool
A game like this is essentially a collaborative project of art and imagination. As a group, players help create a world and then populate it. It is a participatory novel that exists for only that moment. This is, however, largely done through the use of numbers. Many things (skills, attributes, etc), in theory, can be quantified. Many incidents--as in real life--also have the chance of appearing random. This is why there are all those attractive, strange looking dice. Scores are compared, numbers crunched based on skills, weaknesses, etc. then the game goes on.
However, I am using this for much more than math. RPG's are also about story and backstory. The adventure and plot in the foreground must be supported with background information. This means that subjects such as geography, civics, economics, biology, theology (mythology) and, of course, physics are involved. All of this can serve as a starting point for all kinds of lessons. Say you are making a map of a river. In what direction does the water flow? Why? Where is the wetland? What does it do? Who (or what) lives in one? These questions prompted a field trip to a local bird sanctuary this week.
Or take today for example. Today we started mapping out a small trading post in the wilderness. This was Norm's idea. We discussed size and scale, which resulted in our measuring a room, finding the area, and converting our numbers from inches to feet and back to inches. This meant "large number" multiplication and division with many stops in the process to practice. We also dealt with conversion of units of measurement, probability, and fractions. The idea of a meaningful result to his mathematical labors kept Norm going for well over an hour on a subject that--frankly--isn't his favorite Finally we got to the map (hills, rivers, basic ecosystem issues). This is where things get interesting. Everything has to fit together to make the world inhabitable, after all. There needs to be a plausible life to the community. We aren't done with that, but we have begun.
For example, Norm decided that among the folks who inhabit this small imagined community are a clan of halflings who live there only during mushroom season. They gather something called "magic mushrooms" to sell to the wealthy people in a far-off city where they live the rest of the year. We will probably have to work on the name but magic mushrooms will do for now. There are also some small businesses and a lake which may or may not be relevant for trading. However we do know it is full of fish! Later we will develop other aspects of this community and, of course, possible plot-lines (we are thinking that someone might want to muscle in on the mushroom franchise, but there can be other ones). Right now, there is research to be done on truffle hunting and lake ecosystems. Not a lot, but enough to make the lives of these folks believable.
It should be noted that he wants to do this! The interesting thing is, we haven't slain a single orc.
Doing This at Home
There are a wide variety of Dungeons and Dragons-type games out there, including a large number with the same name. As the year have gone by, many of these games have become more complicated and less flexible. I recommend going all the way back to the original D&D game ("Basic" and "Expert"), particularly if you have 3rd-5th graders. It is a great way to learn and the paucity of rules keeps one from getting bogged down when "nation building". It hasn't been published for some time, but if you are a real geek, I think you know where you can get a copy. The new versions do not leave as much up to the imagination and are much more elaborate. If you are a grown-up and want to play, I suggest using a newer game based on the (I believe) public domain "D20 System". It goes fast and is reasonably adaptable to a lot of material.
Doing This at Home
There are a wide variety of Dungeons and Dragons-type games out there, including a large number with the same name. As the year have gone by, many of these games have become more complicated and less flexible. I recommend going all the way back to the original D&D game ("Basic" and "Expert"), particularly if you have 3rd-5th graders. It is a great way to learn and the paucity of rules keeps one from getting bogged down when "nation building". It hasn't been published for some time, but if you are a real geek, I think you know where you can get a copy. The new versions do not leave as much up to the imagination and are much more elaborate. If you are a grown-up and want to play, I suggest using a newer game based on the (I believe) public domain "D20 System". It goes fast and is reasonably adaptable to a lot of material.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Diagramming Sentences
My first time through 7th Grade was--to put it mildly--a disaster. That was the year I spent at parochial school. The nuns didn't like me because my parents didn't go to church. The teachers (who seemed to have been hired solely based on the strength of their faith) didn't like me for the same reason, but they also sensed a latent disrespect for authority that they felt could only be exorcised through the massive exertion of their power. The kids, naturally knowing what fresh meat looked like, were no solace for me or some few other exiles. Naturally these kids were already able to read the hidden signs that even today make suburbanites think twice before inviting me to a cookout. Honestly I am surprised I didn't swear off the church forever right there.
The one refuge afforded to me and my friends in the midst of our personal "Lord of the Flies Academy" was the classroom of our English teacher, Mrs. Schofield. Everyone, even the bullies and the teachers and the nuns knew enough not to mess with her. She was about two centuries old with a tall purple beehive that anticipated the B-52s by many years and--while outside her classroom she would sometimes seem lost--inside she ruled.
Mrs. Schofield was already old and worthy of respect whe she taught our parents. I mean this literally. She persisted in calling me "Jimmy," my father's name when he was her student in elementary school. The boy next to me was know as "Enoch", the name of his great uncle who "was always a disrespectful boy" and sat in roughly the same spot in another classroom many, many years before. No doubt the original Enoch was unaware he was passing on this special designation to others in his clan. She lived on the "Schofield Farm" with her brother-in-law. The farm got its name from a string of "Captian Schofields" that lived there. Paintings of their schooners beating into full gales could be found lining the walls of the public library. More evidence of her greatness.
Now, Mrs, Schofield had seen too many kids in her day to care about them as individuals, but she hated slovenliness, ignorance, and arbitrary discipline. I believe that on some level she realized that she was surrounded by it, so she made sure that it was left in the hallway when she closed her door to teach. We were a sea of children and her job was to help us navigate the language that God had--irrationally--given us. The only reason she took any notice of me, slouching miserably in the back of the room, was that I was the only one in her class who did not know how to diagram a sentence.
I loved to read, but couldn't write. My penmanship was horrible. My ideas scattered and half-formed. One day, during the first month of school, she kept me after class and asked and asked her fateful question, "Jimmy, why can't you write a decent paper?" I had no choice at that point but to confess.
I don't remember quite what happened next. There were some words and a statement about how she had never met a 7th Grader who didn't know what an "object" was. Then, like some small-yet-dangerous purple dragon, she lost it. Standing above me, stretched to her entire four-and-a-half feet she yelled "DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DIAGRAM A SENTENCE!!!???" I nodded. "THEN YOU WILL LEARN!" In that moment she probably assumed that I had been raised by hippies, taught in a school filled with raging alcoholics and probably beaten every day of my life. To not know how to do this simple thing--it became clear--was excusable. To not have taught me how was a one way ticket to hell.
Sentence diagramming was, of course, about twenty years out of date. Mrs. Schofield was very old school. So naturally she dealt with this the only way she knew how; she put me out in the hallway. She--much to the envy of my friends--also kept me in from recess. And she drilled me every day. "This is a verb. This is a subject. This is the object, the adjective, the article, the prepositional phrase." Building a sentence was like building a barn or a boat to her. There was a rhythm and a structure. Everything had its place and it would float or sink depending on how I built it. Maybe I haven't made this clear up until now, but this changed my life. Rhythm and structure, art and grace were what I needed (what middle schooler doesn't?) and the only place they could be found was in the foul-smelling hallway of a place I hated. I am a child of the eighties, so please forgive me if I compare Mrs. Schofield to Mr. Miyagi. To me that is exactly who she was. Of course, in the movie, the teacher is changed, too. That didn't happen. Every analogy limps.
The years have rolled by, obviously. I changed schools at the end of the year and had a better 7th Grade experience the second time. In fact, I have largely consigned the experience of that horrible school to some dark recess of my mind where it remains silted over and undisturbed. I have moved on and found myself with a small career in a religious tradition (Congregationalism) that has its own issues with authority and sees mine as healthy and normal. Things are fine now. I choose not to reflect on that part of my past all that often.
Today, however, I thought of Mrs. Schofield who helped me find a voice. I wanted to say "thanks" in some way. I haven't heard that she has died and I am not sure she would be capable of death. If you see her, then, let her know that this afternoon I pulled a diagramming worksheet off the web to give to son #2 (Son #1 doesn't know how). I will teach him. He will understand the beauty of a a sentence. "This is a subject," I will say. "This is an object. This is verb, and an article, and an adjective, and a prepositional phrase." It is like a boat. Will it sink or swim? Everything has its grace and structure. Everything has its place.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
NormAcademy Day 1
So Son #1 started 7th Grade today and Son #3 "moved up" in on Monday in his preschool. Today, therefore, marked the beginning of Norm's home school year.
Over the past week it became clear that the first month would have to be rather touch and go. I am new at this. He is, too. Also, I am hard at work getting the church ready for the fall and for my sabbatical time. Today, therefore, has probably met expectations, but is unlikely to have exceeded our dreams for the first day. Yeah, shocking. In fact, the worst moment was when the school called to see where Norm was. Apparently even though I had to meet with the district to get permission to do this, they do not tell the schools. I was tempted to tell them we would be right over and that I was terribly sorry but I thought that school started after Labor Day. "That's all...just a big, big, mistake!" I did not.
What we did do was concentrate on the "three "R"'s with the expectation that the sabbatical time will be relatively free of the basics and instead filled with field trips. The morning began with a canoe trip up the river and then we practiced multiplication tables as we drifted back to the landing. Then we had to run up to the church. I needed to meet with the Administrator about a variety of things and then to make phone calls to congregants. During this time Norm worked on math, mostly, and grammar. We will probably keep to that structure for a while. The practice is good for him and the repetition means that my work can also get done. Thankfully, homeschooling doesn't require complete and focused attention on the child all the time. I think that would drive both of us absolutely crazy...
After lunch we worked on reading skills and then moved on to science and the scientific method. Here, too, he would work on his own and I would drop in on him and check his work. Through all of this Norm remained curious and interested. I, on the other hand was in complete teacher panic! The fact is, the three "r"'s are really quite dull. and the science stuff was interesting but the material very schoolish. Also, there was work for me to do! In the end, I dragged out the plant press given to my children by their aunt and uncle (also homeschoolers) and Norm and I went back out in the canoe to collect plant specimens for our herbarium. This was fun. This was 19th century. Henslow would have been proud. Now Son #1 is home and the two of them are chatting about their respective first days. Norm seems happy. #1 seems happy. I will go with that and say all is well.
I will not be updating on this every day (don't worry!) but the rest of the week will probably continue as today did. I am sure that as we figure each other out things will come more quickly and all will be a little easier. I do not doubt my ability, really, but I do wish I could figure out ways for him to hang out with more kids. That, I guess, is a challenge for another day.
Oh...my favorite web site so far for education (it's not just for homeschoolers)? Khan Academy.
Also, here is some info on pressing plants.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Homeschool Dad
So, in a mere five (ish) days I am planning to submit a request to homeschool Son #2. For the sake of convenience, we will call him "Norm." The idea of homeschooling began to develop last year as the reality of my sabbatical started to sink in. I thought it would be fun for me and good for him. He would get a chance to get out of the structured surroundings of elementary school and I would have someone to share my sabbatical projects with. My plan at that point (and the plan remains, more or less) was to go all "JS Henslow" and troop around New England experiencing the landscape that has inspired so many scientists and mystics over the centuries. I always wanted to be a 19th Century clergyman-botanist, and once you throw in those transcendentalists, how can you not have yourself a party?
More about all that later, but even this brief description (I hope) shows how much Norm might enjoy the experience. Yes there will be boring times. We have plenty of worksheets, benchmarks, and tests. However, the field trip-to-class ratio is sweet.
That having been said, the work to get to this point has been tiring and a bit nerve-wracking. There have been existential issues concerning my own confidence and competence. There have also been moments when I have questioned my sanity. There have been a couple times when I wanted to throw in the towel but Norm was insistent and I stayed the course.
There have been even more moments when my sanity has been questioned for me! I do get a lot of looks and a lot of questions when the subject comes up. Church members mostly find my decision to be in character and family members (some of whom are homeschoolers themselves) do not find it odd either. That having been said, I am different from the stereotype in several significant ways which, in the rather staid confines of Burbania, does cause some shocked expressions. More casual acquaintances, I think, start to wonder who, exactly, I am.
There have been even more moments when my sanity has been questioned for me! I do get a lot of looks and a lot of questions when the subject comes up. Church members mostly find my decision to be in character and family members (some of whom are homeschoolers themselves) do not find it odd either. That having been said, I am different from the stereotype in several significant ways which, in the rather staid confines of Burbania, does cause some shocked expressions. More casual acquaintances, I think, start to wonder who, exactly, I am.
So, here are some differences I have noticed between me and what seem to be the assumptions of my interlocutors.
I Like My Public Schools
Nowhere in my reasoning for doing this is any sort of dislike for what is--frankly--one of the best school systems in the country. Son #1 is quite happy in Middle School (which is a feat) and will be staying put. One of the big struggles I had with homeschooling, in fact, is that Norm has been assigned one of my favorite teachers this year and now he won't get a chance to have her. Also, I like the sex ed courses and the absence of religious instruction that the district provides. When I read even secular material or talk to homeschoolers, many aren't so happy with the system. In one apparently secular homeschooling book for parents that I am currently reading, there are many throw away lines about the evils of "AIDS Education" and such. Really? Homeschoolers don't want their kids to know about condoms? I do.
I Love Me Some Natural Selection
Yes, I have struggled to find science materials I can trust, but the surprise over my evolutionist viewpoint is one that I have mostly experienced from the outside. That is, people I don't know well know that I am a pastor and assume that I am a creationist once the "homeschool" piece comes out. Of course, this is a problem for the religious liberal anyway. Many non-religious people like to have things kept simple for them when they think about faith. However, in my case, the stereotype just isn't true. I love Darwin and A.R. Wallace (look him up smarty-pants). Norm does too. Hence the nature-focus.
I Am A Boy
Yes, most homeschooled children have dads and many of them are involved in some way I am sure. But the books are all about (and addressed toward) moms. So, too are the support groups. In fact, the "in charge" parent is almost always the mother, at least in my admittedly limited experience. I have met some dads who have homeschooled their children and they mostly come from my demographic. They are academics or self-employed and they homeschooled for a year or two because they could and it filled a perceived need for their child.
I Am Going To Only Do This for One Year (I Think).
What makes this possible is that I have sabbatical time. Also, as I feel pretty comfortable with the educational options for Norm going forward, I do not find it necessary to make long-term plans as a homeschooler. This is a year for me and him to experience things we don't usually get to. It is a time to be less Burbanian in our focus and perhaps a bit more eccentric and interesting in our pursuits. Then we can return, reputations destroyed, to the normal world.
All of these things, of course, affect how we go about our year. Norm has friends who he has gone to school with and will do so again. These friendships need to be maintained somehow. I expect that he will have social opportunities with other homeschool kids and that would be great, too, but these connections are not the priority that they are for some. Also, I have needed to have a fairly "standards-based" approach to his education. I cannot take a year and let him explore one subject that he is really interested in. He needs to be up to speed for middle school next year! That is, the approach will be very different, but the subject matter needs to bridge the gap or even put him ahead.
I will not be a homeschooler for long but I have goals for the year, too. My goal is to learn something about educating children. I want to learn something about this particular child. I want to learn something about myself. It will be an adventure that I expect will inform my interests, my faith, and my plans going forward through life. This, I think, is enough for one year.
Links:
You can find Darwin on your own. I don't have any Homeschool links worth sharing yet, but no doubt I will...eventually...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)