Sir Ken Robinson: Schools Kill Creativity This video speaks deeply to the need to change how we think about education. Everyone should take time to watch! This lecture embodies my heart in Pedia Learning. I highly recommend that all teachers listen to Sir Ken Robinson. I have been deeply challenged by his words. He points [...]
As I consider the homeschool phenomena, and my ability to homeschool. I am thankful for public schools. It is because of the free education I was given that I am able to homeschool my children and they can stand on my shoulders. My great grandparents were immigrants from mainland Europe. Most of them were illiterate, [...]
When given the task of identifying trees in our backyard, one of my boys became frustrated to the point of tears. He could identify the leaves but as soon as he compared the bark to the picture in the guide book, he would become uncertain about his choice. The stress of being wrong drove the [...]
Posted in An Education of Respect, Children Becoming, Education, Educational Reform, Freedom and Fear, Purpose of Education, Relational Reformation, Uncategorized | Also tagged Education and fear, Homeschool, Life, mistakes
For a season my husband and I are reversing roles. He is taking responsibility for educating the children, and I am pouring my time into teaching Seminars, working homeschool conventions and writing. I am learning so much from Nathan as a teacher. I tended to hover and micro-manage their education, whereas he is taking a [...]
Each time I teach a Seminar I tell people: “Reading is the foundation of education.” It is true. All other subjects require the ability to read well, even math. I encourage people to focus upon developing reading and writing skills early as a way to save time and effort later and to help their students [...]
We have the most amazing piano teacher. MaryAnn was a concert pianist and by teacher’s a granddaughter of Horowitz. In addition to being an amazing pianist, she is phenomenal teacher, with amazing insights into the world. Recently we were conversing about people who excel in the arts. MaryAnn commented: “Yes but think about what they [...]
Yesterday, reports of our lack of progress in teaching reading were all over the headlines. I found the New York Times, article fascinating, and I recommend others read it. The latest report of National Assessment of Educational Progress Exam showed that the US has not progressed in teaching reading in the past 9 years. The [...]
Posted in Educational Reform, Literacy, Struggling Learners, The Logic of English, Uncategorized | Also tagged Dr. Orton, Literacy, National Reading Scores, Orton-Gillingham, Reading Scores, Romalda Spalding, Struggling Readers, Struggling Spellers
In 8th grade Health class, I learned that we are a “Pretty Mess,” an acronym for Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social and Spiritual beings. As I have homeschooled my children, I have become increasingly focused on their mental training. When they were young we focused on character, which is a dimension of the emotional and social, [...]
The past few weeks have been a time of simplifying for our family. Up until this year we had kept outside activities to a minimum. Last spring, we opened Pandora’s box. One year later we found ourselves, over stretched and over budgeted. All the activities were “good.” But as a family we were overextended. Yet [...]
Recently I have been reading Oliver Van DeMille’s books about Thomas Jefferson Style Education. For many years I have appreciated Classical Education and Charlotte Mason and strived to implement the principles of laying a solid foundation, studying history and reading the classics. Oliver Van DeMille’s books though have brought me new understanding and freedom in [...]
Posted in Book review, Children Becoming, Curricula Reviews, Education that inspires, Educational Reform, Homeschool, Purpose of Education, Relational Reformation, Uncategorized | Also tagged Classical Education, Homeschool, Oliver Van DeMille, Thomas Jefferson Education, Thomas Jefferson Style Education Review