Everyday Surprises

Remembering

noreply@blogger.com (April (Houk) Sumner) — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 21:19:00 +0000

I did that old-person-thing today, where you see a picture of a child on the first day of fourth grade and think, “wasn’t she just a baby?” And before Tevye could get to the chorus of Sunrise, Sunset, I also was in fourth grade.

Mr. Perryman walked around with a yardstick that he tapped on the corner of your desk. He was too tall to bend down. That was the year I learned that for the rest of my life, I would be the one doing the serious part of group work while the others did the fun part, thanks to his assignment of Spindletop. And I am pretty sure we did a puppet show about a séance. In fourth grade. My sticker book got stolen, and I still remember To This Day Who Did It. But, I also shared in the sinning by reading the back of a book, dressing up in my lavender party frock, and putting on a show. I mean, “book report”. I got an A+, of course. I failed spelling, also of course. I fell in love with Brazil in geography and promised myself I would go when I turned 50. I didn’t get to hold the baby chicken we had hatched because Someone dropped the feathery little thing while passing it around and it died and we cried. I was the uvula in the Becky the Hamburger play for which I wore a wrap-around jean skirt and held a stop sign. I had a hard time keeping that skirt wrapped around. We had a logic puzzle class, the kind where you cross off spaces of the rows and columns:

Soap Bubbles by Foto Rieth

Mr. Green was not sitting to the left or right of Mrs. Peters, but was sitting directly across from Mr. Thomas’s wife. My favorite part was when I got to write on the overhead. That was the year I blistered from too much fun in the sun at Nikki and Kelly’s pool. And also when I scraped my knee so bad the scar still sometimes puffs up. Nikki loved the colors blue and yellow. She was my best friend. And I was the mother in the play about immigrants coming to America. And it snowed that year. A good ‘ole Texas blizzard.

The next year I would have a crush, learn what it means to be embarrassed, and learn how to stand up for what is right. So there is a part of me that cherishes fourth grade as being the end of my child-childhood… the last year before any adolescence started to creep in.

And now I am brought to the present, to the fourth graders in our school, in whom I pour love and prayers and brain energy. What will they remember about this year? What will take hold?

Our fourth graders are an anomaly when it comes to schools. They were the first group of students, so they will always be the oldest. And so they seem so very old. And our expectations are high. And it is easy to forget that they are only fourth graders. Well, to be truthful, it's hard to remember that they are just kids.... little kids who will have tender moments over sad things. Who will have best friends. Who will experience things that drive them the rest of their lives. They will earn their scars and their stripes. And they will be kids. But...

But I was wrong. They will not be just kids. They will be human.

Lord, help me remember that.

Let This Be My Best Day

noreply@blogger.com (April (Houk) Sumner) — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 10:44:00 +0000

Almighty God, as I cross the threshold of this day I commit myself, soul, body, affairs, friends, to Thy care.

Watch over, keep, guide, direct, sanctify, bless me.

Incline my heart to thy ways. Mould me wholly into the image of Jesus, as a potter forms clay.

May my lips be a well-tuned harp to sound Thy praise.

Let those around see me living by Thy Spirit, trampling the world underfoot, unconformed to lying vanities, transformed by a renewed mind, clad in the entire armour of God, shining as a never-dimmed light, showing holiness in all my doings.

Let no evil this day soil my thoughts, words, hands. May I travel miry paths with a life pure from spot or stain.

In needful transactions let my affection be in heaven, and my love soar upwards in flames of fire, my gaze fixed on unseen things, my eyes open to the emptiness, fragility, mockery of earth and its vanities.

May I view all things in the mirror of eternity, waiting for the coming of my Lord, listening for the last trumpet call, hastening unto the new heaven and earth.

Order this day all my communications according to Thy wisdom, and to the gain of mutual good.

Forbid that I should not be profited or made profitable.

May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one. If my life should end today, let this be my best day.

From THE VALLEY OF VISION

Plastic Bags, Culture Shock, and a Pandemic

noreply@blogger.com (April (Houk) Sumner) — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 17:54:00 +0000

I was cleaning my house yesterday. I gathered plastic grocery bags -the ones we use as trashcan liners at school - and put them in my school bag. And the grief welled up like nausea with the reality that I will not see my students again.

I didn't even get to say goodbye.

We are not going to hatch a butterfly. We are not going to learn about Pompeii. We are not going to grow the garden with the seeds we've already sown.

So much loss. So much stolen. I didn't even get to say goodbye. Not the real kind. Not the, "I'll see you in August kind."

We were so close to the end of "The Hobbit." And like a thousand other things, the Pevensie children and their magic wardrobe will have to wait until next year. And I didn't even get to say good-bye.

This new life has been a rush of change. I have jumped in to a new form of work: how to minister to and serve our students and families long-distance. My husband I re-arranged our house so he could work from home. We are conscience of what we do and where (and if) we go, of washing hands and of being careful. Like everyone else, we are envisioning the germs on everything we touch.

And the process, I have felt, well... lost. Uprooted. And misplaced.

This is not what was supposed to be.

There is so much grief and loss and where-in-the-world are my good scissors. And why is it I'm having a hard time focusing when I pray?

And then, I remembered that I have felt this before. A few times, in fact. I know what this is.

It's culture shock. It's being abruptly taken out of my culture and set in another. But this one I didn't choose. And this one, I didn't plan for...

And that got me to thinking about how I have prepared for changes in the past: moving from one country to another and then another... even getting married. For each of these, I took time to think, to pray, to celebrate, and to mourn. I worked diligently to help the transitions I was facing. I wrote out tasks to help me process my changing life. You can read that list here.

Once I realized this discombobulated feeling was part of culture shock, I sat down to re-make that list, specifically geared towards this strange season of "flattening the curve" and "social distancing"... words, that were sprung upon us - a life that was sprung upon us - without much advance notice.

So, here's my plan to help me live well during this season:

*Journal about how you have changed over this time and through this experience.
*Write a list of things you’ve learned how to do during this experience.
*Make a list of the blessings.
*Keep a list of the fun things you do.
*Write farewell letter to your life before the pandemic.
*Recruit people to pray for you.
*Make a list of hopes for this next season.
*Clean Out/Arrange one really good work space on a counter or desk.
*Make a list of the people you regularly saw. Call or video-call them.
*Make a loss/gain chart.
*Write letters (with a paper and pen) to long-distance loved ones.
*Make a list of "all the things I wish I could do to my house if I had time." This is not a "I am going to do these things during this season. But, you might get a few of them done. Check back in with that list each week.
*As you study the Word, jot down characteristics of God - and his promises.

Click here for the Processing This Season Workbook .

But, here's what I know about changing cultures: the most important thing is to give yourself grace.

Even if you've lived in multiple countries and have gone through culture shock before, you've never done THIS before. Yes, give yourself a little room to breathe. The Lord has not abandoned you in a far country. And I hope that we both come to find Him as our real Home.

Click here for a list of the journal prompts.

We will walk in and among these "Culture Shock" stages,
and will even double back a few times as we figure out this new normal.

Little Stuffs in Kindergarten

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 15:53:00 +0000

There are a thousand moments of growth in your students when you teach. In kindergarten, they are sometimes dramatic. The first time all your students write the numbers facing the correct direction. The first time they write a sentence. The first time they realize that adding and subtracting are the same thing.

I know it is technically not a metamorphosis, but it feels like it. These little humans growing into a skin of learning which will carry them the rest of their lives.

Many of these moments pass by so quickly, neither I nor my students can account for them. But, when I can measure them, time seems to stop. A tear might fall. A celebration dance might be done. A prayer might be offered in the greatest gratitude and awe.

This week we have shared in four such holy occasions.

Swings are wild things. They let you fly to Antarctica and back. But for the child who jumps off, dizzy from spinning and too close to the next propeller, they show their dangerous side. Two of my littles crashed. One jumped on the monkey bars, but one needed some cuddles.

I make it a practice, or at least, I try to make a practice of praying for emergencies, the big ones and the small ones. For some reason, I didn't this time. But, on the other side of the playground I heard a tiny voice, "Let's pray." And another tiny voice lifting up this wounded child to the Perfect Father.

From the moment I introduced the alphabet, I have been talking about God giving us His Word so that we could know Him. In fact, when we draw pictures of the characteristics of God, my students will sometimes write the alphabet. He is the A-Z Himself. He is the Word Himself.

We have spent the last seven months memorizing The Word, as songs that get caught in our heads and in our hearts. But, this week my students were ready. They were ready to see The Word as words. They were ready to break it apart and put it together again. They were ready to see that they can read the Bible for themselves.

You alone are the LORD.

You made the highest heavens

and all the starry host,

the earth and all that’s on it,

the seas and all that’s in them.

You give life to everything,

and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Nehemiah 9:6

iii

Teaching handwriting has fallen out of favor in most classrooms. However, so many sweet gifts are lost when we loose the discipline. That's what it is: a discipline. A discipline and an art. My student's love it. They love the stillness of it. They love the beauty of it. A beautiful lowercase e? Hours of precision.

And in these hours of writing and erasing, writing and erasing, a common refrain from my lips, and now theirs, speaks up. "Working as if for the Lord..." For a month we wrote only a lower case c. For a month. That adds up to five hours of a lower case c. Yes, we made it out of clay. Yes, we drove a car, making a left hand c turn. But five hours of a lower case c would drive anyone crazy.

Unless you were learning to do the right thing when no one was looking. Unless you were learning to honor God even when you knew that the whiteboard would be erased, the practice lines put in the recycling bin.

Unless that when you needed to keep going even though you were growing bored, you reminded yourself and your classmates that God is the audience of your diligence.

Our little lunch table is a perfect place for my littles to hear big stories. We have a book of fairy tales, an old one, with old stories. These aren't the Disney ones. These aren't the pretty ones. These aren't the quick and easy ones. These don't even have pictures.

I've never taught fairy tales before, but my mind was changed last fall*. A change that not only made me know how to teach fairy tales, but one that convinced me I had to. And my kids are eating them up.

With Rapunzel, I talked about how we are locked in a tower of our sin. With Sleeping Beauty, I talked about how Jesus is coming for us. And now, there is Beauty and the Beast.

This version is a beast of a story. Nine pages. Tiny print. No pictures. Very different from Belle and her yellow dress.

The father has picked a rose for Beauty, but in doing so, has earned the wrath of the Beast. He must die for this trespass, or sacrifice a daughter. When I read this, I heard a chorus of gasping, and I looked up. Bright eyes, not appalled - but excited, looked back at me. "What does that make you think of?" I asked. "Jesus!" I didn't have to tell them.

This version of the story with big non-kindergarten words wraps their minds with a child-like understanding of salvation. One that is non-kindergarten. One that is eternal.

Let us not mistake the learning and growing of five-year-olds as being just play. They are playing with real things, the things that will carry them and sustain them through bumps and bruises that baindaids can't heal.

This is what we mean when we talk about truth, goodness, and beauty. These are the little stuffs that aren't so little.

* This podcast changed my teaching. If you have little ones anywhere in your heart's realm, you should listen:

Why Fairy Tales are Not Optional: A Conversation with Angelina Stanford

Books, Babar, and Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 19:27:00 +0000

Part of our day, includes me reading to the students while they eat lunch. I read the same story all week long. By the time they are finished eating, they are ready to discuss themes, character development, and characterization. This sounds like a lot for kindergarten, but we do it on a five-year-old level. I often ask 3 questions: What did you notice, what did you value, and what do you wonder...

But more than just hitting the beginning middle and end of a story line, I asked the kids to really think about how characters change and how we see the truth about real life even among talking animals.

This means that choosing good books is where it starts. There are all kinds of lists of books that emphasize truth, goodness, and beauty.

And the Babar series is one of my favorites. The books aren't short. The one we read this week, took 20 minutes to read aloud. However, the action is super fast. The story changes with each page.

The main character, Babar, is King of the Elephants. In his stories, he wrestles with integrity, leadership, bravery, and wisdom.

The story we read this week, has two elements of the Gospel that I don't want my kids to overlook. That! That is what I love about reading. The truth of God is retold through good stories. After all, it is the one real story.

Babar has been away. While he is gone his tribe has gone to war with the rhinoceroses. They are being defeated and are discouraged. Their Hope Has Gone. But!

When their king comes back, they find New Hope. They take courage by his wise leadership. And their strength is renewed.

I need to hear that. My kindergarten students need to hear that. My guess is, that when you are reading aloud to your children, you need to hear it, too.

There's another little aspect of Grace tucked in to this story. The little elephant who made a poor decision and started this war, is allowed to participate in the battle. He is restored to the tribe. He is given a tough task and has to work hard, but through his work, and the leadership of Babar, victory is won.

Now, there are so many things that make my kids gasp and giggle as we read this. And I don't know that they will grow up connecting their spiritual journey to Babar. I even hope not. What I want them to do, is be aware that while they read, the Grand Story of God is waiting on the next page.

My encouragement is that you look for books that open great discussions. Read the same book again and again. It will build vocabulary, yes. But it will also build the vocabulary of understanding.

Read to your kids while they do their chores. Listen to books in the car... or while they take a bath. Don't underestimate their minds. Ask them questions about their favorite part. Talk about the art in the book. Talk about beautiful lines and word sequences.

While you're reading, ask what they think is going to happen next. They go crazy when they get it right! Laugh with them as they say, "I knew it!"

They will surprise you. Ask them about how the character changes. If they don't know, tell them. Ask how the character is feeling and why he is feeling that way.

They might not catch everything this time. But if you love this book alongside of them, and you listen to it again again... They will get it.

And I hope, we all will.

Need some inspiration? Check out Read Aloud Revival.

The God of Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 00:07:00 +0000

To teach my students to journal, we draw pictures for our prayer lists, including a section on "God, you are..." In readiness for Christmas, I asked my kindergartners to draw pictures of the names and attributes of Jesus. Two of my students wrote numbers. At first I was a little disheartened. This wasn't supposed to be a time of practicing numbers. It was supposed to be a time of worship.

So I asked.

And the answer from both girls was this: God is a God of order.

One. Then two. Then three. A rhythm that is steady. A rhythm of the day and the night. Of winter, spring, summer, fall, and winter again.

Even in the most secure homes, the world is a scary place for kids. There are big, big unknowns. So many things seem out of control. It's so hard to trust. It's so hard to figure out what is going on even when it's people you love who are supposed to be in charge.

But when you can trust a God who takes five, adds one more, and always gets six... then you can breathe. Then you can rest. Even when the situation is chaotic, you can find peace.

The Cleansing 1 John 1:9-10 Interactive Study Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 17:07:00 +0000

For the last few years, I have on-and-off been sitting with 1 John. Rolling it around my mind. Writing about it for a week or two, then putting it away. Forgetting, remembering. Ignoring. Craving.

I don't have one of those steel-trap minds. I can re-read a book seven times and on the eight time still be surprised. Still only know that the lead character's name starts with an M. Maybe.

So, each time I pull out this study written two years ago, edited a year ago, now changing formats, it's like seeing it again for the first time.

The year I sat down to write this was a season of great wonder. Freedom and time stretched in front of me like a luxury. The year of editing it felt scary. I thought I was a writer, but I am not... and I needed something else. Now, this year... the third year, I find myself cozy with kindergartners, and so very much in love. This writing thing now is a release, not a pressure.

I've held on to this idea for a long time. I saw an interactive journal at a shop in Colorado and loved it. However, it was a little too close to new-age. A little too close to the dangers of following your heart.

But, what if your heart was following Jesus? What if those of us whose pens and markers liked to doodle our prayers could doodle around Scripture?

Do you want to join me?

In the forth section, we hear about God's amazing cleansing. I am desperate for it. Not just the eternal Heaven it will bring, but the sweet, tender maturing it brings me today.

My kindergartners journal their prayers through pictures. We draw a trashcan to talk about forgiveness, a bar of soap to talk about getting all clean.

That soap, it smells like life.

To download a printable version of the forth section of this study, click here.

For all the released sections, click here.

1 John Interactive Study Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 16:05:00 +0000

Download a printable version of each section for this Interactive Study Journal:

(1) The Message 1 John 1:1-5

(2) The Light 1 John: 6-7

(3) The Darkness 1 John 1:6-8

(4) The Cleansing 1 John 1:9-10

It is taking words of the Scripture and pondering them in such a way that your thoughts and feelings converge on God. I want your heart to be stirred and guided... rightly warmed and inclined toward prayer.

-Martin Luther in "A Simple Way to Pray"

The Darkness 1 John 1:6-8 Interactive Study Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 15:50:00 +0000

Battles come in all shapes in sizes. The effects of mine are plus size. I do not over-eat. I am an over-eater. I am a glutton. It runs deep in my blood and is my natural way of self-medicating, rewarding, and entertaining my heart.

Even this morning. Even when I prayed this morning for a fresh start and a God-honoring mindset... I opened the fridge and ate some cookies for breakfast. And then two more. And then two more.

It's not cute. It's not a little thing. It's darkness.

I don't know why I do this, exactly. Its pleasure is so quick, so demeaning, and so very disappointing.

But, I do know this... this is not the best for me. This is not God-glorifying. This is not living in the light of who God is and what He desires for me.

This is me trying to create my own life... trying to satisfy a moment's whim with whipped cream and another two cookies. This isn't me enjoying the gift of food as nourishment and grace. This is me manipulating it to be under the domain of "because I can."

And this is living in the darkness.

But, I have been called to light... to a refrigerator that is opened because our God is sustaining our physical bodies and our spiritual ones... to a cookbook enjoyed because we have a creative God who has made curry, cinnamon, and chocolate...

And to self-control, which says "I am bought with a price..." I am a slave to Christ and not to the cravings that speak false words of hope.

Christ is my peace. Christ is my sure foundation. The cookies will give me neither.

The moment I believe they do, my eating is sinful.

But, there is hope for me. Hope for this day... forgiveness for my sinful breakfast. And hope for the days to come... maturity in living righteously. And a hope for eternity... the sinless eternity I will know.

All because of the Cross.

The darkness does so much damage. Here is an Interactive Study Journal from 1 John on the darkness - and the beauty we can know through Christ...

To view the project in its entirety, click here...

1 John 1:6-7

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 12:03:00 +0000

It is the beginning of August. The sun gets later and later each morning. I am starting to beat it to the porch in the morning. My handwriting tells me at what point in my journaling did it arrive. Before, the lines are arbitrary. After, there is calmness and order.

The Farm's Summer Sunrise View

This is something we know. With light comes clarity.

This week's Interactive Study Journal is looking at light - and how we reside it in and why. Specifically, we will be looking at the Source of it and how that affects our lives.

Click here to find the 1 John 1:6-7 Interactive Study Journal (2) on the Light.

For former studies...

Click here to find the 1 John 1:1-5 Interactive Study Journal (1) on John and his message.

1 John 1:1-5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 13:08:00 +0000

1 John 1:1-5

An Interactive Study Journal

As you walk through this journal, my prayer is that you will fall more in love with our Creator and Sustainer God.I pray that your heart is stirred by the noble theme of His love. I hope you find great delight in Scripture as it reveals Jesus and our eternal peace because of Him.

I'll be dividing each chapter of 1 John into four parts. Each part will have five pages that help you focus on Scripture. You'll see several ideas and even texts repeated throughout. During this study, you will be asked to interact with Scripture in creative ways so that you can process through the verses. This is not a contest for creativity, but a way to help your mind see and understand what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do. You will have many opportunities to pour out your heart to Him. Be slow. Be real. Be prayerful. Use your own gifting and creativity to help you hide these Scriptures in your heart and pray through them.

It is taking words of the Scripture and pondering them in such a way that your thoughts and feelings converge on God. I want your heart to be stirred and guided... rightly warmed and inclined toward prayer.

-Martin Luther in "A Simple Way to Pray"

DOWNLOAD a printable copy of the 1 John 1:1-5 Interactive Study Journal by clicking here.

Terms you will see:

Hand Lettering - Write it in a fancy to help you have time to think about it.

Create Motions - Make up your own sign language or actions to help you learn the scripture. For instance, if you have the word, "King", draw a crown representing putting a crown on your head. This visual and kinesthetic learning will help you memorize the verses.

Journal through Scripture - Write your thoughts and prayers around and within the text. Does something or someone come specifically to mind when you read a line? Write it there.

An Explanation Part 1: The Image of God

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 May 2017 16:57:00 +0000

What is Classical Christian Education? Well... I'm glad you asked. But, be forewarned, it gets a little complicated. Because it is a movement which has grown organically, there are different branches to the root ideas. The roots, in themselves aren't very complicated. In its interpretation and actual daily layout, things get creatively differentiated. The big thing to understand is it isn't a curriculum, but a way of choosing and using tools to equip someone to think well and love learning.

Different experts, teachers, and authors each put emphasis on certain aspects. I'm going to attempt to explain the foundations of Classical Christian Education that Classical Christian Educators agree on. As I said before, the interpretations change within different schools of thought. So, here is my personal take (in Italics) on my interpretation of that thought. And, here's what that looks like in my classroom.

Classical Christian Education begins by seeing the child as an individual

CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.

God has created us to be learners. He made the world and everything in it. He has created ways for us to be in a relationship with Him. He reveals Himself through the ways we are to love Him: heart, mind, soul, and strength. He created us to be learners and has helped us by giving us the five senses, the Bible, wise men and women of old, the Fruit of the Spirit, and a curious mind.

The classroom should be fun! I limit busy work and instead, ask students to engage their body and mind with whatever we are learning. I want students to see something from several angles, which means I teach holistically. When we talk about a number, like the number 8, we talk about "octo" in Latin. Then, we look at octopuses, the clock, cents, Roman Numerals, the homophone, "ate". We create it with clay and then our body. We make stop signs and play running games with them. We do this all on the eighth day of school. And, we might just listen to the Beatles sing and then discuss the idiom, "Eight Days a Week".

It sounds like a lot - but rather than a list, it's a calm conversation...It's what I call, spiraling! ... making connections with the student's wealth of knowledge already obtained and adding to it.

This is the first part of a five part series explaining Classical Christian Education. To go to part two, click here.

Looking for more musings on Classical Education? Click here.

An Explanation Part 2: Right Affections

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 May 2017 16:56:00 +0000

In a Classical Christian Education, the desire is to set the

affections of students on three things:

TRUTH, BEAUTY, and GOODNESS.

God is Truth. All truth brings Him glory. We want to think well, to not be swayed away from truth by fads or emotions. He is also Beautiful. Everything that is of beauty reflects Him as the Beautiful Creator. He is supremely Good. Although we can never be perfectly Good, He has covered our failings through Jesus and helps us grow towards goodness as we mature in Him.

The classroom should be inspiring. I want my kiddos to see the subject matters as alive and exciting. I want to teach in a way that is full of joy and awe. If I think an activity or content matter is boring, how will my students be drawn towards God's glory? This means a lot of work for me as a teacher: in planning, in energy while I'm teaching, in figuring out the good stuff behind the multiplication facts. The goal is not to avoid things that are tedious and not my favorite. The goal is to find God's truth, beauty, and goodness even among the hard-to-understand ideas. Honestly, we have to pray for it. And talk about it. Why is this math problem truthful, beautiful, and good?

This is the second part of a five part series explaining Classical Christian Education. To go to part three, click here.

To return to the first part, click here.

Looking for other tidbits on classroom theory? Click here.

An Explanation Part 3: The Trivium

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 May 2017 16:55:00 +0000

Classical Christian Education practices The Trivium:

GRAMMAR, LOGIC, and RHETORIC.

The Grammar years (the young ones) focus on laying a strong foundation on memory work as students learn course material. This material is different depending on which branch of educators, curriculum publishers, and associations. The Logic years (middle school age) twist and turn all that information they have memorized to piece it together. The Rhetoric years (high school) focus on debate, writing, speaking, and presenting knowledge.

The classroom should be purposeful. I need to keep the big picture in mind. Even though we will be doing a lot of memorization, it will be living memorization, in context of all the other things we are learning. The goal of all this memorization is to be aware that things fit together and relate to other things - mathematics overlaps with music which overlaps with poetry, etc. We memorize a lot of information, but in really fun ways: grammar rules, history timeline, the Bible timeline, Scripture verses, math facts, and more! These are done at an easy pace with a lot of repetition... and hopefully allows students to have a framework of knowledge when they are ready to piece it all together.

This is the third part of a five part series explaining Classical Christian Education. To go to part four, click here.

To start at the beginning, click here.

Looking for more information on Classical Christian Education? Click here.

An Explanation Part 4: The Subjects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 May 2017 16:52:00 +0000

Classical Christian Education uses

LATIN AND LANGUAGE LEARNING, the FOUR LIBERAL ARTS,

and CLASSICAL LITERATURE,

Learning Latin (as well as other languages), helps students process, analyze, and use their native language well. It helps them think through the mechanics of what they actually want to say. The Four Liberal Arts: MUSIC, MATH, SCIENCE, and GEOMETRY, look at how the world works. Classical Literature allows students to grow in virtue, honor, and valor as they engage with ancient stories and great writing.

The classroom should be engaging. This sounds very overwhelming, doesn't it? Especially for kindergarten. But it's not! This all works together within the other Classical Education ideas and ideals. The knowledge itself is important, yes - but it is a distant second from the learner, himself. Who this child is becoming as he learns is of greater value than the information obtained. That the child can ask the right questions, have the self-discipline to seek the answers, and be able to communicate his learning - that is what we're after! So, we learn phonics, sight words, cursive, and how to diagram sentences. We read and reread because we love reading, not because we're trying to earn points. Our "exams" are observations throughout the continuum of learning rather than a high pressured moment. We set high expectations for our students and watch as they raise their own bars.

This is the fourth part of a five part series explaining Classical Christian Education. To go to part five, click here.

To start at the beginning, click here.

Looking for more musings on Classical Education? Click here.

An Explanation Part 5: World View

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 May 2017 16:50:00 +0000

Classical Christian Education teaches students to have a

CHRISTIAN WORLD VIEW.

A Classical Christian School should not be a bubble where there is no interaction with what the world says or does. In fact, it should encourage students to evaluate what the world has to offer in light of the Gospel and the promise of Heaven. The sparkling lies of the world should be met with the truly glorious delights of knowing and walking with God.

The classroom should be centered in Jesus. The greatest energy and celebration each day should revolve around learning what the Word of God teaches, and memorizing Scriptures. As students memorize the timeline of the Bible, they are equipped to see how God has redeemed His people again and again. Through prayer, addressing sin, and encouraging "towards love and good deeds"*, the classroom is a place where students seek and find grace. The gospel affects discipline, communication, steadfastness, and gentleness. The students sift through ideas to see if they line up with God's ways and measure them up to what He has said in the Word. Every aspect needs to point to Christ.

*Hebrews 10:24

This is the last part of a series explaining Classical Christian Education.

To start at the beginning, click here.

Looking for more musings on Classical Education? Click here.

And Once Again, A Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 May 2017 21:08:00 +0000

We are coming to our second anniversary of diving off of the sane and safe path of the suburbs and steady jobs. We are coming to our second anniversary of trading busy lives for the stillness of a farm... one we are just borrowing, with land enough to share. We now have calves outside our bedroom window. They too, are on loan. We are entertained by them, but have no work to do to keep them alive.

Anniversaries are always sentimental times of recounting the losses, the gains. It's the pondering-in-in-your-heart which makes you happy and sad at the same time. Sad for your mistakes. Sad for the things you've left behind. Sad for the time you've wasted. And happy, too. Happy for how you've grown. How you've grown up. How you've grown together.

And then there are things that fit into both categories. Food, for instance. The Tex-Mex I crave sitting on the loss side. The healthy eating I've gained. Bluebonnets traded for peonies.

On the loss side, sits seven letters filled with a thousand memories.

f r i e n d s

Relationships turned long-distance never get easy. They sit in the pit of your stomach years later. And as they should. Yes, memories fade - and your Facebook feed gets filled with locals, but your love is still right there. Right where you need it. Right where it needs to be.

Each move I've made has brought it's own tears of loneliness, isolation, and the idea that friends will never be found. But each time, God gifts me with one-at-a-time people who speak into my life. Lunches and laughter are consumed. Coffee and confessions are poured out. The stranger becomes my friend.

And I'm surprised, yet again. Surprised that God could hand me the life of someone and let me walk beside her.

Today is the birthday of just such one. One who spurs me on towards love and good deeds. One who names my sin and calls me to repentance. One who laughs with me like little school girls playing.

But, more than anything, this friend has a great freedom of today... living life to the fullest at the moment. Loving hard. Exploring hard. Playing hard. Not wasting a minute.

I've needed her to hold my hand as I seek Not My Will But Yours Be Done. I've needed her wisdom and her wide-eyed wonder. I've needed her to address the hardness of my heart and speak Christ into it. Why should I be surprised that God would provide exactly what I've needed.

It's another thing God didn't have to do. It's another thing I do not deserve. It's another thing of God's sweet kindness. It's another thing I need to hold loosely in my hands.

Someday one of us might move. Our paths might go different ways. But, forever I will guard her name with the title of friend.

My friend.

And I will thank God that on both sides of the lists - the losses and gains, sit the same seven letters.

f r i e n d s

An Ode to the Glue Bottle

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 May 2017 19:59:00 +0000

I love glue sticks, don't get me wrong. The convince they offer is a delight. You will find them in my desk and in my classroom. However, you won't find them often in the hands of my kindergartners.

I know your eyebrows must be raised. After all, aren't they perfect for little hands just figuring out how to make their ideas come to fruition with a pair of scissors and some glue?

Let me tell you why I vote for the old fashioned glue bottle.

Learning to use a glue bottle is just that - learning. And isn't that what school is supposed to be about? It takes a lot of coordination to get those small muscles in tiny hands to get drops of glue exactly where they should be. The child uses the hand-eye team to be precise. The nervous system is in high alert building levels of accuracy and control.

The mind is also working: Just enough - not too much. We all know how disastrous it is to have wet pages sticking together because there was too much glue. But a kindergartner has to experience it. Let's not give easy tools so that he won't encounter those mistakes. Let's teach him how to use complex tools diligently.

Don't forget about the heart when it comes to those bottles, either. The heart of integrity and virtue carefully closes the lid for the next time. The diligent heart doesn't skip that step, or she will find that when she tries to open it for the next masterpiece, the price will be great frustration. What a good lesson in self-discipline to prevent heart-ache in the future.

So, glue bottles it is*.

*Under no circumstances will these glue bottles interact with glitter. I don't care how many fine motor skills are developed. That is, unless you are willing to come clean my classroom, car, bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, washing-machine, and dryer - and send me to the spa for a weekend to recover.

For more thoughts about classroom stuff, look here...

Little by Little, to Catch the Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 21:04:00 +0000

How do you catch the rain?

It is not a trick question. It is not something only the wise know. Even a child could tell you. You catch the rain one drop at a time.

It comes as no surprise that this idea is often talked about in Classical Christian Education: a slowing down, a going deep, a stillness in the learning.

Three Latin phrases are often talked about when it comes to the pedagogy of a Classical Christian educator. They flow into each other, swirling in on one another.

FESTINA LENTE
(make haste slowly)

MULTUM NON MULTA
(much not many)

REPETITO MATER MEMORIAE
(repetition is the mother of memory)

Their combined ripple means that the classroom is a gentle place of learning. Yes, learning is enjoyable and exciting. But the pace is calm. Steady in it's rhythm. Things are taught in a spiral. Learn one thing well, learn it again, this time adding to it. Continue to add to it again and again. Simple addition, over years, grows into calculus. But, first the child must understand that one and one always make two. You have to know your facts - your foundations - before you build structures of glass and gold.

These ideas inspire a teacher to teach holistically. Why not learn the Latin alongside the Science, twist in the art, the music, the literature. Let it all make sense together - not as individual pieces that must be forced together. There is logic to be found. Let's make it easy to be discovered.

And once found, let's talk about it again and again with the natural ability to be one-track-minded that children often carry. Let's retell it from a different angle. Sing it again. Read it again. Act it out one more time. Let's let the knowledge become part of the person.

My lesson plans are stretched out. Stories are read over-and-over. Tell me: who are the characters, the setting, the plot. Each day, a new question. Math plans, too, cover multiple days. We will play with these ideas in our hands until something solid is formed in our brains. Other aspects of the day tread slowly through the week. Some meander through two or three. Each thing building on, adding to, what was learned before. And then there are the days of simply slowing down to take account of it all, reminding ourselves not to forget.

Let's not be sloppy with this learning thing. Let's not learn so that we will quickly forget. Let's slow it down and learn to keep. We are catching the truth, so let's not rush it.

To read more about April's ideas on the classroom and Classical Christian Education, look here...

Why So Much Memorization?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 17:48:00 +0000

In Classical Education, the elementary years are called, “Grammar School” where many facts are memorized.  Our kindergarten will be memorizing Latin vocabulary, a timeline of the Bible, large chucks of Scripture, grammar rules and parts of speech, songs, classical musical pieces, and how to draw a map of the world.  They will also be learning math facts and phonetic rules. Plus, they’ll be memorizing things in science like the names of the planets. 

During science, we’ll also be learning Latin prefixes along side whatever we are studying.  The first week’s prefix is “gen-” for birth or origin.  Does a kindergartner need to know that on the playground or at soccer?  Well, how about when he hears that the first book of the Bible is Genesis.  Won’t that make something click?  Won’t he have a frame of reference for that?

My friend was a researcher in Antarctica.  On Saturday she told me about the mountain they could see in the distance.  I heard about the same mountain on the news the next day.  What made my ears perk up?  A frame of reference.

Have you ever had those “coincidences” strike you?  You hear about something and all-of-the-sudden you’re hearing about it from different sources? That’s what we’re trying to do with giving our kids so much background knowledge.  We want them to pay attention as they learn later in life.  We want them to have a strong foundation for building a great wealth of knowledge.

Will it make our kids robots?  No!  The Grammar years of memorization are coupled with exploring the world and learning to love learning!  We are going to be busy with our hands, our voices, our bodies, and our creativity.  We’ll have a lot of fun memorizing through poems, songs, and games.  And that memorization will just be the beginning.

The Four Maths: Not Chaos but Order

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 17:46:00 +0000

I have always been drawn to literature and writing.  I love how words play with each other to create an environment of truth, goodness, and beauty.  This trio of virtues was called the triumvirate by the Ancient Greeks and is at the heart of Classical Education.

Even though I find myself at home with words, this past year, I’ve fallen in love with math.  I find it a great surprise.  I am confident my high school geometry teacher would also be surprised.

Although I’m getting ready for kindergarten next fall, currently I work for a few hours each day with forth and fifth grade math students.  In teaching them, I’ve been in awe with the triumvirate math reveals... the octopus-tentacles of how everything is connected, the mirror images, the puzzles, the nity-gritty details... the constant discoveries.

One of my fifth graders wrestled with the distributive property this week.  Unless you’ve been around a math classroom lately, you might have forgotten what the distributive property is, so I’ll remind you.

3(20+7)

What you’re doing here is multiplying 27 by three.  My guess is that even if you don’t know what the distributive property is, you do it all the time.  Unless you are a math wiz, if you see 3x27, you think 20x3=60 and 7x3=21.  60+21=81.  Ta-da!  You have successfully completed the distributive property!  ... and so did my student.  Whoo-hoooo!

Just look at what you’ve experienced in the process... there is truth that a certain number multiplied by certain number equals a certain number.  There is goodness in solving something, in coming up with an answer and having to think through it.  And there is beauty in seeing how something big is built by little pieces.

Be still my heart.

And let’s do some math.  But, let’s not stop with numbers.  Let’s look at math from the four angles of the Mathematical Humanities.  Classical Education swims in these and through them answers these questions:

Number Sense: How do numbers work and what do they mean?
Geometry: How do shapes, spaces, and things physically fit together?
Music: How does time, rhythm, and motion create beauty?
Astronomy: Where is our place in the universe?

As you can see, in Classical Education, math becomes a holistic view of figuring out the world around us and how God reveals Himself through it.  

Math is true.  2+2=4.  That’s the deal.  Our kids need that.  I hope that they find it refreshing and even energizing.  It is good.  The self-discipline, the accuracy, the working towards an answer makes us better.  And then there’s the beauty.  The stars, Puccini, the stunning high-rise... the fact that division and multiplication are opposites... all pointing to a Creator God who put order into chaos.

Classical Christian Education

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 17:44:00 +0000

Here is a Five Part Introduction to Classical Christian Education
and my interpretation of it in my classroom.

1. Children are Created in the Image of God

2. Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

3. How the Grammar Years Work

4. The Subjects

5. Christ is the Center

Click on a posts to read about school, Classical Christian Education, and kids in general.

Little by Little, To Catch the Rain

The Four Maths: Not Chaos but Order

An Ode to the Glue Bottle

Who She Shall Become

Why So Much Memorization?

The God of Numbers

Books, Babar, and Beauty

Little Stuffs in Kindergarten

As for the journey here...
When the Not-So-Familiar Turns Out Familiar

Who She Shall Become

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 17:36:00 +0000

The other day my husband caught me making eyes with the diner sitting at the table next to us. She was just the right age to make me giggle. She was just the right age to maybe become mine. "I can't wait for my babies," I said. My husband laughed with me.

Not my baby-babies, you see. My kindergarten ones. The ones who will walk into my classroom and spend 180 days with me. The ones who will teach me with wild abandon as I teach them. The ones who will enter into my care. The ones who have already entered into my heart.

I think about them a lot. I'm waking up in the middle of the night, piecing together how I want to teach this or that. I am buying books and imagining their faces when the pig tricks the wolf and gets a good massage. I am thinking through PE and music and art. I don't want to waste a moment.

I have butterflies for them. The real kind - well, I hope - that we will watch hatch. And the kind that stay in my stomach, flitting with anticipation.

I'm dreaming big. I'm dreaming of the doctors, the leaders, the scientists, the teachers, they will become.

Sure. Students with a Classical Christian Education are performing well on all those college entrance exams. I hope they do. I hope they do their best from the first day of kindergarten. But, I'm more concerned with WHO they grow up to be as opposed to WHAT they grow up to be.

I want them to learn well, think deeply, create joyfully, and love boldly. I want them to be able to make hard choices and stand up for what is right. I want them to love truth and to be able to decipher it and to communicate it. I want them to be generous with their lives. I want them to love God and enjoy who He is. I want that to overflow into every aspect of their lives.

Sure, they can go that route of having what the world says is a successful job and I'd be happy for them. But I'd be tickled to have one wash my hair in the nursing home, if she does it with kind hands and a kind voice. I want her to tell me something interesting she is still learning. I want her to describe the tree in her back yard with such poetry I feel like I'm there. I want her to hum Mozart to me and tell me about taking her daughter to the aquarium. I want her to tell me about the book she is reading and how it is challenging her vocabulary. I want her to tell me what God is teaching her and how she is loving studying Nehemiah. And I want her to look me in the eyes and remember that I'm still human, even if my brain can't create the words.

That little girl at the next table is not going to stay a little girl. She is going to grow up and I'm going to grow old. So, on the first day of kindergarten, when my littles are walking in, I'll be thinking of my last days. I'll be thinking of how these children have a lifetime of love to give to everyone who is blessed to spend a moment or two walking with them.

And I'll be thankful for the 180 that are my turn.

Chili with a Little Bit More

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 21:06:00 +0000

Hide some veggies and a lot of flavor in your chili by using Mirepoix. If you don't know what Mirepiox is, find info about it here. I like to throw it in the pot after the ground beef starts to brown.

Here's a 30 minute recipe if you don't mind the cans!

1 bag of Mirepoix (about 2 cups)
1 pound ground beef
1 garlic clove (crushed)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can of crushed tomatoes (16 ounces)
1 can of black beans (16 ounces)

Brown the ground beef in a big stockpot with garlic until almost done. Drain off any grease and place back into the pot. Add the Mirepoix and seasonings and continue to brown on medium heat. When brown, add tomatoes and black beans. Reduce to a simmer and leave on stove for at least 20 minutes.

What a perfect way to end a dreary winter day. Top with
a little sour cream or cheese... perfect!

For a variation, you could always skip the beans or the beef but keep the Mirepoix.

If you are doing the beans in the crockpot, throw your Mirepoix in with them - as well as 1/2 your spices.

Find more Mirepoix ideas here!

When the Not-So-Familiar Turns Out Familiar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 23:35:00 +0000

A year and a half ago, we left our very secure jobs, family, and church, to jump off the deep end. We were seeking something crazy. Rest. We wanted stillness, focus, and time to really seek the Lord. We would live on a farm (but not work it); David would change career direction and I would write.

I found out that even though I love to write, I happen to be an extrovert. And I really, really love kids. I was incredibly lonely, so I knew I had to get back in the classroom. I picked up an application for a Christian school that was just starting. But, I let it sit on my desk. That was too much for my Sabbatical year. So, I started subbing while I wrote a study on 1^st John and multiple drafts of a juvenile fiction story about human trafficking.

In the mean time, we fell in love with our church family, and more deeply in love with the God we worship together. We took classes and made friends. We learned to be still. We learned to live simply. And God was gracious enough to give us Himself.

So, we decided to stay.

And I once again got an application for that school. It hadn't started, but this was the year. Well… not really. God once again didn't send the students.

And so, I became an assistant at the school where I subbed. I love it, my kids, and my cohort there. I don't have the responsibilities of a teacher which allows me to be done around 3. So, I can still be writing.

The novel isn't getting so far. It's in my head somewhere, but it's a big ole mess on paper. But, I'm not giving up. The 1^st John study is rolling. I'm in the process of cutting it down by 40%. Like most things both difficult and worthwhile, preparing this study has been one of the sweetest gifts I've ever received from my Father. I have learned more about Him – and more about me – during this endeavor.

As my husband and I spending time thinking about “what next”, we have found God to literally hand us both surprises, job wise.

Mine came in the form of a phone call. Would you come talk to our school board about starting the school next year?

So, here I am, the teacher of that same Christian school. We are starting with a kindergarten. I'm looking a curriculum, scope-and-sequence charts, singing Latin songs, writing Orff Schulwerk melodies. I'm reading Classical Education books and looking through Montessori center ideas.

I'm praying for God to build a school. And I'm praying that these kiddos will love Jesus with all of their lives. I'm praying that they will have a great passion for His Word. I'm praying that they will see their neighbors through the eyes of Jesus. I'm praying that they will travel to the ends of the earth to glorify Him. I'm praying that they delight in who God is and what He has done. I'm praying that they will long for heaven.

Those prayers, somehow, seem very, very familiar.