Education, the Business Model and the Imago Dei

What is education? It is the subject of much debate, though usually the matter is consigned to educational directors and social planners. Most parents do not feel that they posses the intellectual qualifications to grapple with it. Yet perhaps a more fundamental question needs to be asked first. "What does it mean to be human?"


In the book of Genesis, in the Bible, we read a story of origins. We read that God created the world and then formed humans out of the dust of the earth. He made them male and female and placed them as co-equal rulers over the rest of creation. And most importantly, he made them in his own image. To be human, therefore, according to the Biblical narrative, is to bear the image of the Divine, the stamp of his own character. We can think, reflect, reason and create after the same manner as our Creator.

This propensity to emulate God is evident from earliest childhood. I can look around the room and see it in the activities of my own children at this very moment. Just as God thought, then expressed his thought in creative act, so they make use of the elements of paint, water, glue, piano keys, a computer, and random toys and objects in order to rearrange them into a form that was conceived in their own minds, by their own wills. And, like God, they can step back from their creations and say to themselves, "It is good." Furthermore, as God himself completed his masterpiece, and set aside a day for his people to enjoy it, so is the urge to share what is made expressed in so many words, "Look what I did, Mama!" or, "Listen to this!" or "I made this for you.", followed by an expectation of approval, a sign that the delight is mutual. This should naturally lead to the desire for God's own approval, exercising our creative labor during the week, then enjoying that work in the context of God's gifts of grace in feasting, thanksgiving and worship together when the week is done, and a new one begun. This completes the cycle of love between the Creator and his people.

What happens to this universal work ethic model, for it is nothing less than that, when one enters the business world, or the public school system which was designed to prepare children for it, is the great question that the book I am reading, The Underground History of American Education, by John Taylor Gatto, helps to answer. In it, Gatto, a retired public schoolteacher of 30 years, traces the various influences in history that played a part in shaping the structure of society as we know it today. Through a strange wedding of wealthy opportunists to Utopian dreamers, armed with the tools of scientific management and the moral commission that Darwin granted to those handpicked by natural selection to help the selective process of evolution along, the modern business model and it's labor force supplier, the public school, emerged.




















Despite the danger of oversimplifying Gatto's intensive investigation, I think the words of Frederick W. Taylor, brilliant evangelist of the scientific management model of the early 20th century, best sums up the sentiment of the age. He said, "What I demand of the worker is not to produce any longer by his own initiative, but to execute punctiliously the orders given down to their minutest details." In his book, "Principles of Scientific Management" Taylor summarized his managerial discipline in the following power points:

1. A regimen of science, not rule of thumb.
2. An emphasis on harmony, not the discord of competition.
3. An insistence on cooperation, not individualism.
4. A fixation on maximum output.
5. The development of each man to his greatest productivity

Perhaps this list does not scare you as much as it does me. But listen to how it is applied by Taylor in a theoretical scenario at a steel factory:

"Now Schmidt, you are a first-class pig-iron handler and know your business well. You have been handling at a rate of twelve and a half tons per day. I have given considerable study to handling pig-iron, and feel you could handle forty-seven tons of pig-iron per day if you really tried instead of twelve and a half tons.

Skeptical but willing, Schmidt started to work, and all day long, and at regular intervals, was told by the men who stood over him with a watch, "now pick up a pig and walk. Now sit down and rest. Now walk—rest," etc. He worked when he was told to work, and rested when he was told to rest, and at half past five in the afternoon had his forty-seven tons loaded on the car."

And so it goes, so it goes. The deliberate massification of the population. The systematic destruction of the Imago Dei in the human imagination, both in the mind transplants of those forced into the school manufacturing process and, more so, in the goitered jowls of the suit and tie business tycoons and their bought-and-paid-for politicians. We owe much to this model. Suppression of creativity leads to violent passions, which requires psychological therapy and brain altering medication to control, and television to soothe the numbed mind, or mass policing when these other methods fail. Students are trained to trust an elite hierarchy from birth onward for every area of life. First there is the immune system rape of mass vaccination, upheld by mythic hero tales, coupled with the disabling and vastly under-reported neurological side effects of these toxins. There is the seizure of the food supply by powerful agribusiness lobbies, squeezing out the nourishing traditions of small farming families and replacing them with nutritionless convenience foods with addictive chemicals added to mask their flavorlessness. And let us not forget the seizure of lands rich in fossil fuels, both local and abroad, regardless of the cost to human and ecological life. There is the co-opting and absorption of religion and indigenous traditions into mass national and global identities. There is the mutilation of family life, the shared table replaced by the cafeteria. And the list goes on.

What is the remedy? It is as manifold and varied as it's adversary is monolithic. Each of us must stop and seek to recover the Imago Dei in our own lives, in our own localities. We must reflect deeply, nuture our creative urges, and create free spaces for our children to develop theirs, away from the mind control of massified society. We can plant gardens, support local farmers and crafters, invite neighbors to read through classic literature together, share meals, and learn skills to become independent in herbal medicine, traditional foods, and locally produced renewable energy. There are many possible avenues to be explored, many minds to recover. There is much to be done.

"the fight against the wall continues" (picture by Yann Forget)

Stories to Inhabit Part 2: Books from the Inside Out

We read these three books this afternoon, gifts from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which is sponsored here by our local chapter, Cherokee County First Steps. This is a ministry that targets poorer areas of the country and provides every child who signs up a free book every month from birth until their 5th birthday. Needless to say, the mailbox is checked with much enthusiasm when the long awaited time draws near.

I have also been pleased by the quality of the books and stories. Some of them are a bit on the silly side, which we all need a little of, and some have truly inspiring messages to impart.

The first book we read, "The Spiffiest Giant in Town" is one such gem. I won't give too much away, but it is about a giant who wanders sadly around in tattered sandals and a worn out, old gown. He is tired of being so shabby so he buys himself a new suit. He is now the spiffiest giant in town. But he keeps meeting fellow creatures in desperate predicaments, and each time, he sacrifices a bit of his new wardrobe. He is left with almost nothing, but the end is absolutely glorious, the revelation of "a prince in beggar's clothing". The detailed, fairy tale hodge-podge illustrations are also captivating and, at times, whimsical (like a princess walking along holding hands with a frog), with more to discover with each subsequent reading.

"Pip and Squeak" remind me of two little girls I know, who can be so competitive that they end up hampering their own endeavors. But, like these two little mice, they occasionally find that when working together, their stars shine brighter than when selfishly pursuing their own advancements. The pictures are a cleverly created mouse world, with a whole village made from odds and ends in a very "Borrowers" fashion.

The third book, "Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come", was pretty good, other than being a sycophantic puppet dance for the educational hierarchy. But it did show kids doing fun things, in a fun oriented room, which is something we can do here at home. Like the young hero, Henry, my little ones found painting to be the activity that excited them most.
















And that's just.....












...what they....















...did.

Stories to Inhabit

Charlotte Mason spoke of "living books" as a better source for learning than the textbook approach. Her literature based method has experienced a popular resurgence in curricula for home educators as well as non traditional schools in the past decade or so.

One such curriculum I read about recently is the Five in a Row series, featured in the blog, Simple Homeschool. This method takes a children's classic, which is read over each day of the school week, and incorporates other activities along with it that relate to the story. In this way a large number of subjects can be covered in a way that allows children to relate them to their own experience with the story, rather than having to learn them in a more conventional, and disconnected, manner.

Eureka! A long smoldering passion burst into flame. My previous love as a post home schooled/ college stay-out, chasing new ideas for hands on learning and creating unit studies accordingly for my six younger siblings (and their home schooled friends) was instantly rekindled. The old, familar rush, the brainstorm, the pencil and notebook. It was all coming back.

So with a splash of Charlotte Mason here, and a swash of open-ended unschooling there, all mixed in a medium of incurable idealism for simple living, environmental conscience, social justice and outlandish back-to-the-landishness we begin our journey with Ox Cart Man.



Here is a preliminary sketch for my multi-experiential experiment with this book. The suggestions for teaching reading skills, although cumulatively progressive, can be mixed and matched depending on the skill level, interest and attention span of the child/ children. So can the discussion questions and accompanying activities.

Ox Cart Man by Donald Hall, pictures by Barbara Cooney

Day 1. First, let children look at, read and explore the book, listening to and encouraging their observations. Then read the story aloud and allow the children to invite you into their thoughts about the narrative and pictures. Later, set the book open on a stand at a page that strikes your fancy, and begin to copy/interpret the illustrations and text. Provide paper, pencils, etc. and invite the children to participate. This kind of interaction with the art encourages deeper observation and appreciation for the style and skill of the illustrator. When not in use, the book can remain on the stand with art supplies nearby to encourage this to take place during free time. (Integrated subjects: Art, Creative Thinking)

Day 2. Read the story again, this time choosing simple words and sentences to slow down at and point to as you read. Invite participation to read easy words or parts as their interest and skill
level allows. Next, discuss these questions and do the activity: How far did the man walk? How far could you walk? Go for a hike or walk for an hour or two. When you come home, look on a map to measure the distance. Try to figure out how far you could walk in a whole day. In 10 days? Write or draw about the things you passed on your little journey. (Integrated subjects: Math, Spelling, Physical Health)

Day 3. Read as above, but pause a few times and let children fill in the word from memory. Discuss these ideas. How does this family work together to meet their needs? How are things different or the same with our family and families we know? What are some ways we can all work together to provide for one another in our homes and communities? Try some ideas today and plan some for the future. (Integrated subjects: Social Studies, Economics)

Day 4. Read the story with more interaction. Let children take turns reading or telling about each page. Enjoy their interpretations and comments. For further exploration: How are food and goods grown and made, bought and sold, in this book? How are things different or the same for us? How are the changes good, bad? What do you think is the best way to get food? Plan a trip to a farm or farmer's market and ask people how they grow their produce. (Integrated subjects: Science, Social Studies)

Day 5. Let the children tell the story from memory. Then read the book, allowing much interaction, reading parts in unison, pausing for words to be filled in, pointing at words to be learned, etc. To conclude: What is one skill you would like to learn? Something to make? To grow? Something to sell? Give away? Start learning how today! (Integrated subjects: Memorization, Reading, Forget it, this is real life fun stuff, not school!)

This, as I said, is a preliminary outline. Next we'll actually do it, and I'll share how it goes as we progress. Anyone want to join in?

Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt

1. A pine cone
2. An animal track in snow or mud
3. 3 different seeds or berries
4. ice
5. A hole dug by an animal
6. 3 different birds
7. An evergreen (try to identify)
8. Tree buds waiting for spring
9. A bird or squirrel nest
10. Orion (turn off flash to photograph stars and rest camera on firm surface if possible)

Calling all nature lovers! Grab a camera and head outside. Even if it's just on your way to the car, take a quick sidetrack (just follow your kids, lol). Try to get one photo a day or more and post them on this blog. They don't need to be in any particular order or form. Include stories of your scavenging adventures and add your own items to the list. Let your kids take their own random winter photos and post them too. If you are not a contributor and would like to participate, e-mail your photos to me using the link on my profile or share a link to your photos in the comments section to your blog, facebook, flickr or photobucket album.

Virginia's Progress Report

Progress Report: Virginia Rose Harding, November, 2009

I am writing the required report early, because the holidays will most likely be filled with far more interesting activities and there will be little time for anything else. And there is so much to include, I am afraid of forgetting some of the many incredible leaps Virginia has made in her development.

As an unschooler, I have taken a very hands off approach, letting Virginia direct most of her own activities, and offering my assistance when she wants it. She keeps Luke and me very busy with the questions she asks, and if she will listen, I will give her the most detailed explanation I can come up with. Papa (Luke) is also a wonderful storyteller, and will recount tales from the Bible, as well as many made up ones, both cute and spooky, to a wide-eyed audience who does not even realize he is teaching them.

At the beginning of the school year, Virginia stated her goals without hesitation. She wanted to learn to cook, to read, to do laundry, learn more math and learn about bugs. In all of these subjects, her interest waxes and wanes, except for learning to cook. And numbers almost always get her excited. Since math skills are involved in cooking, and math is a required subject, I will begin here to chart her progress over the past few months.

Math Skills

Mondays are baking day, usually, and Virginia's job is to make granola. She can now assemble the ingredients, counting and measuring, entirely on her own. She has also learned to cook her favorite breakfast, oatmeal and hot cocoa. And if I tell her the ingredients, she can mix up a batch of cookies. She made oatmeal pancakes from a cookbook we got from the library, and cooked them herself on the griddle. On many occasions I have let her experiment with various ingredients, with some interesting results: She successfully made a cake, including the icing, from scratch, and assembled several fruit salads and bakes. And always, she is enthroned as a little "taste" goddess, distributing bits and bites to her adoring younger siblings.

There are many other ways we experience mathematics together, too numerous to include them all, but here are a few:
1. Playing with money. Virginia can name most of the coins, and knows which are worth more. We have played a game where she pretends to buy items and I give her change, etc.
2. Counting to 100. I printed out a chart and she practiced until she was able to count by 1's and 10's. As a reward, she got to pick out ingredients for ice cream sundaes.
3. Playing with a calculator.
4. Playing with an abacus.
5. Calendar fun. Like, "How may days until Christmas?".
6. Building with Lego. Affords countless problem solving opportunities involving logical deduction, geometry and counting. Virginia surprises us both with some of the models she comes up with.
7. Gardening. Both girls have helped count out seeds, bulbs, etc, and plant them at the proper spacing.

Virginia is able to add and subtract simple problems in her head, involving everyday items she comes across. She enjoys playing with numbers and seems to have effortlessly absorbed the skills she now possesses.

Language Skills

Reading takes a little more effort, but I have been very careful not to force or push since she is so easily discouraged. And patience has paid off! She sat down the other Saturday and did several pages in her phonics workbook that required reading simple words. She still has trouble recognizing some letters in less common fonts, and telling the difference between little b and d, but she has made a lot of progress.

Virginia can now write her own name without help, and several other words she has memorized. She enjoys making grocery lists, asking how to spell her chosen items, though I usually have to take over after 2 or 3. Lately, she has been using her picture/ word books to help her search for images and earn swag bucks for me. Now that's the kind of "school work" I like!

That takes care of the three r's, or at least some of the highlights! On to the sciences, social and otherwise.

Social Studies and Science

The church is the social body wherein our family finds its sole identity. Our gathering for worship and Eucharist with our local congregation, and our gathering with family and Christian friends from other branches of Christ's Church, provides the community within which we learn and grow together. We teach the stories from the Bible with great emphasis on the story part. It is the narrative that shapes our world view and practice. Virginia participates in Sunday School, in the worship and sacraments of our church, and also in our playgroup which evolved from the bimonthly story time at our library. This month, she participated in activities at our library for homeschoolers. Our church is also beginning a Sunday School program based on the Montessori method of teaching, called "Godly Play". And this year, we're helping out by heading up a blanket drive our church is participating in to distribute to the homeless. We got to meet Cheryl and Chris, a wonderful couple who run a food pantry downtown. Virginia also plays with our unchurched friends, whom we treat with equal respect.

Interest in bugs comes and goes. Most observation takes place on an unplanned basis. You never know when you're going to see an interesting one. I printed off a couple pages from one of Donna Young's nature journal templates and Virginia made several drawings. They were all on one page because she made them true to size, or smaller. An ant, a spider, a grasshopper, and a moth with "eyes" on it's wings to scare off predators.

Other inhabitants we have observed in our neck of the woods are:
1.Deer, including a doe with triplet fawns!
2. Chickens and a couple chicks that hatched this summer. We might get some more soon, because our broody black hen is nesting again- on 13 eggs!
3. Squirrels and birds aplenty.
4. Wild turkeys.
5. A baby rabbit Virginia rescued from our dog.

Nutrition is also foremost in our conversations and meal planning. Taming the candy monster hasn't been easy, but Virginia has learned how to identify healthy snacks and meals. We made a nutrition chart, which divides food into three groups- colors (fruits and veggies), whole grains and proteins.

There is a lot to learn and a lot to explore both in the kitchen and on our 17 acres of woods, field, garden and creek. But we also like to get out now and then. Some of the field trips we have taken include:
1. A two mile hike on the nature trail at the historic Cowpens battlefield
2. A visit to Glencora farm
3. A trip to Kidsenses InterActive Museum in Rutherfordton, NC

The most important aspect of our un-school, however, are the activities where progress cannot be easily tracked, but are vital to Virginia's neural, physical and mental development. It is the hours upon hours of unhindered playtime, both indoors and out, that allow her to gain strength of body and clarity of thought as she runs, swings, explores and pedals; confidence tempered with humility as she draws, builds, stirs and learns to deal with her shortcomings; and the ability to express herself in action and word as she pretends with her siblings, dolls and toys.

From "Psychology Today"

Why don't students like school? The same reason I didn't.

Sundaes!

I told Virginia that when she learned to count to 100 using the number chart, we would have ice cream sundaes and she could pick the toppings. And yesterday she did it!

My Little Chef

I asked Virginia what she wanted to learn for school this year, and she said she wanted to learn to read, to cook, do laundry and learn about bugs. Miriam also said she wanted to learn more about ABC's, to cook, and also drive the car! So yesterday we took a family trip (Miriam didn't drive, btw) to the library and found lots of good books. I found a children's cookbook called "Kids in the Kitchen" which featured easy recipes, most of which were very healthy too. Virginia looked at the book and decided she wanted to make oatmeal pancakes for dinner. She did almost everything herself, even poured the batter and flipped the pancakes. They were delicious. We enjoyed them with some colcannon (an Irish potato and cabbage dish) and apple butter we made earlier that morning.

Here's a Doodle!

We haven't had any posts about polliwogs yet, though perhaps my brothers will take pics of some marine life on their upcoming trip to the beach (hint hint). But recently my kids have been enjoying some doodles with an imaginary character named Harold who has a magical purple crayon. You can read all about it in my new hub article. Here is the first paragraph:

Who does not remember that magical time when, with a box of new crayons and a fresh sheet of paper, a world of infinite possibility was opened before us? We could do anything, and anything could happen.

Enjoy the rest of the article and the link to the series on hulu!

Fun With Poetry

This year the boys and I have been using the book, The Roar on the Other Side by Suzanne U. Clark, to study poetry. We have had fun with some of their creations. The first I'll share with you is a type of Japanese poem called haiku which usually consists of three lines the first of which has five syllables, the second has seven and the third has five. The poem is usually about nature and with an element of surprise. So here we go!

The Foolish Bear (by Stephen)

The bear climbs the tree
Strongly with his mighty limbs.
But that sapling breaks.

The Coming Storm (by Alan)

Black clouds approaching
Flashes of lightning in the dark
Blue crack, thunder booms.

The Dragon ( by Robert)

The dragon flies miles,
Fleeing fast against the wind.
Fast flying dragon.

The next is a poem of interlocking form called the pantoum which was originally from Malaya but brought to the West by Victor Hugo.

Listen to the Rain or The Random Poem (by Robert)

Listen to the rain as it falls
Drip, drip, drop. It's a peaceful racket.
The windmill gets pattered over.
Houses washed on their roofs.

Drip,drip,drop. It's a peaceful racket.
Splash go the people running. Slip!
Houses washed on their roofs.
Wally Brown goes a'sliding.

Splash go the people running. Slip!
Breakfast cereal sloshes out the window.
Wally Brown goes a'sliding.
See a bottle randomly washing away.

Drip, drip drop. It's a peaceful racket.
Breakfast cereal sloshes out the window.
See a bottle randomly washing away.
Listen to the rain as it falls.

The Fuzzballs (by Alan)

In the grass, dirt, sand and rock,
Three cats rustle, tumble and play.
One jumps, the other two crouch
Forming a perfect ball of black, brown and grey.

Three cats rustle, tumble and play
Rolling in the soft shrubs
Forming a perfect ball of black, brown and grey.
The trees wave in the sky.

Rolling in the soft shrubs
The fuzzballs finally crash to the ground and look up.
The trees wave in the sky.
Resting and panting, then another round.

In the grass, dirt, sand and rock
One jumps, the other two crouch.
The fuzzballs finally crash to the ground and look up.
Resting and panting, then another round.

Flight of the Dragon (by Stephen)

The dragon crashes through the leafy brush
Spreading its wings, it smoothly takes to the air.
The scales on its streamlined body flash like gold.
Its breath flows as a tidal wave of fire.

Spreading its wings, it smoothly takes to the air.
The very trees cower under the wind of its flight.
Its breath flows as a tidal wave of fire.
Birds and beasts alike scatter as ants from heat.

The very trees cower under the wind of its flight.
No creature alive boasts the size of those talons.
Birds and beasts alike scatter as ants from heat.
And when it alights even mountains tremble.

The dragon crashes through the leafy brush.
The scales on its streamlined body flash like gold.
No creature alive boasts the size of those talons.
And when it alights even mountains tremble.

I hope you have enjoyed these. There will be more to post later.

Deschooling Society

I have just finished the above titled book by Ivan Illich, social critic of the 1970's and an influence upon the modern home schooling movement, and have submitted an article about it entitled Educational Nemesis to the Jesus Manifesto webzine, a hub of Christian counter cultural discussion. Take a look!

Homeschool Resources

Sara asked me to write a little about ambleside.org. I found this website a few years ago and liked it very much even though at the time I was not ready to fully use it. It is a free curriculum following Charlotte Mason's philosophy. It is such a rich website I hardly know where to start. There are helps for those who are just beginning to homeschool and for those who are veterans. Many of the books they use can either be found at libraries or online for which they provide links. At first glance the curriculum may seem daunting because of all the books they suggest, but they are quick to let you know that you are free to pick and choose what would be best for your children.
I would encourage everyone to at least visit the website whether or not you are familiar with Charlotte Mason. On the homepage there are five headings from which to choose, the first being an introduction. That's the best place to start because it will answer many questions. For those of you who have tried to read Charlotte Mason's books but have given up because of the language, they have rewritten the whole series in modern English, which you will find right on the website.
This website has enabled me to take better charge of my homeschooling and has provided me with so many suggestions of books that I might never have known about. Some are books that I should have read years ago, but are enjoying now with my sons. We are encouraged to spend more time outside learning about God's creation. The boys and I even enjoy reading Shakespeare plays together making our voices sound different to try to fit the parts. Sometimes we just end up laughing.
Ambleside.org is a great website that I highly recommend. The homeschooling mothers who have put it all together are to be commended for all their hard work. There are also many groups on Yahoo that are part of the ambleside family some of which I have found very helpful. One group in particular that has helped me is the Year 5 Notebook group. One mother has gone through the entire year's curriculum and posted the weekly readings so all I've had to do is download and print them weekly for Robert to read. There is a wealth of information at ambleside.org and I hope you will all visit sometime.