Developing 'the taste buds of the mind'

At the grocery store recently, I was appalled by one family's shopping cart. It was heaped high (quite literally) with all manner of processed food. I couldn't help thinking, "Those are going to be fat kids." Their parents, who are responsible for their health and well-being, are shaping their taste buds for life. Growing up on potato chips and sugar water will not help them savor the foods that are really good for them.

What may not be as obvious as a family walks through the grocery store is how parents influence their children's taste for truth, goodness and beauty. Gladys Hunt observes:

"Good books have genuine spiritual substance, not just intellectual enjoyment. Books help children know what to look for in life. Reading develops the taste buds of the mind as children learn to savor what is seen, heard, and experienced and fit these into some kind of worthwhile framework." (Honey for a Child's Heart p21)

A diet of 'junk food' literature cripples the mind and soul just as a diet of lousy food disables the body. If you're wondering how to build a balanced literary diet, the annotated book lists in Honey for a Child's Heart is a great place to start.

Not a compelling vision

A recent letter to parents from our principal closed with these words:

"Reading, writing and math are lifetime skills we should all continue to sharpen."

It struck me that those words, while true, are not at all a compelling vision of education. What teachers, to say nothing of children, get excited about the mechanics of reading and writing, or the ability to perform mathematic procedures? Those skills are the means to meaningful ends, and when they are employed to meaningful ends are exciting. Using math to solve a real problem provides satisfaction; using words effectively to persuade someone to stop littering is gratifying; reading literature that provides a compelling vision of what is good, true and beautiful is a delight.

I pray that we, as parents, would be gripped by a compelling vision of truth, goodness and beauty (rooted in the gospel) that shapes our understanding and pursuit of education - and our dialogue with those who are intellectual descendants of John Dewey.

The Easter Story

Yesterday I read aloud Lilly's Big Day in Elisabeth's class. I also gave her teachers The Big Picture Story Bible to preview the sections on the Easter story. I explained that I wanted to be able to share with the class what Easter is about through a book written for children. I want them to understand that it isn't about bunnies and eggs.

After previewing the book, they declined (although the teacher's aid was riveted by The Big Picture Story Bible and I left it with her to read). It was a good reminder to me of where tolerance ends. As Lesslie Newbigin states:

"But if we are talking as the Bible talks about God, who is Creator and Governor of all things, who acts in specific ways, and whose purpose is the criterion for everything human, whether in the public or the private sectors, then there is an inevitable conflict." (Foolishness to the Greeks p67, emphasis mine)

The death and resurrection of Jesus call the entire modern world into question. I could not read it to the kids as a nice story (it can hardly be called 'nice'), or even merely a good piece of literature (and I think it is excellent children's literature). I would be reading it as the true story about the defining event in the history of the world - and that is a dividing line.

So I look forward to sitting with the teachers privately, away from the kids, and talking about this event that defines all of human existence. And I pray that the nonsense of the Gospel will penetrate their hearts, and give them life.

Talking straight

At long last I have discovered someone who is willing to speak directly to the cultural issues of performance gaps.

"Ronald F. Ferguson, a black scholar and Harvard lecturer, has long studied racial achievement gaps in public schools. Complicated as those issues are, Ferguson boils them down to one: 'The real issue is historical differences in parenting. that is hard to talk about, but that is the root of the skill gap.' According to Ferguson, black households traditionally see schooling as a job for teachers, while white families are more involved in schooling the child or paying for special services." (The Read Aloud Handbook p xv)

I'm convinced that he is right that the skills gap has everything to do with parenting, and that there are current cultural differences in understandings of parenting that often fall along racial lines. However, while I am no historian, I think that I would differ with Ferguson slightly. I would say that in the past forty or so years dependence on 'the system' to educate children has emerged. My understanding is that in the pre-civil rights era, the African American family was much stronger, and much more active in parenting, and produced the likes of Ruby Bridges.

So as a parent and an educator (having taught almost exclusively in an African American environment), I want to learn how to encourage, and inspire (with their own history!) my neighbors to express their love to their children by reading great books to them day after day after day.

How kids think

My sister-in-law just put me onto an intriguing new blog called How Kids Think that is exploring how to teach a biblical worldview. I have many questions about how to do that, and so I plan to be a regular reader - and thought other parents might be interested too.

Morning routine

Each morning on our way to preschool I ask Elisabeth a few questions to prepare her for the day. I ask her, "What is your major job?" to which she eagerly replies: "Listen!" I also ask her, "Why do we go to school?" to which she answers, "To learn what is good and true and beautiful."

So yesterday I asked her the questions on the way to school, and when I asked her why we go to school, she answered:

"To learn what is good and true and beautiful and right and fun!"

I think that captures well the spirit of true learning, and virtue.

Education and Evangelism

Whatever their pretensions, schools teach children to believe something and not something else. There is no 'secular' neutrality. Christians cannot evade the responsibility which a democratic society gives to every citizen to seek access to the levers of power. (Lesslie Newbigin: Missionary Theologian p149)

Schools, whose duty it is to educate children, necessarily deal in the realm of truth. They "teach children to believe something and not something else."

I have observe three general categories of Christian response:

1. Accommodation. Christians simply allow schools to teach their children to believe things that they disbelieve, and to disbelieve things that they hold dear. They assume that 'home' and 'school' are separate spheres, and each ought not to muddle with the other.
2. Argumentation. Christians engage in debate, saying that school ought to change what they teach. The classic example is evolution/creation. They assume that their position, as true, should be accepted and taught by the public schools.
3. Withdrawal. Christians create their own schools (either private schools or homeschools) that teach what is consistent with their own values. Then they don't have to accommodate, or argue with the educational establishment.
   

There are two categories of Christian response that I have rarely seen, but which I believe should have a more prominent place.

1. Evangelism. For those who choose to stay in the public schools, there is an alternative that is neither accommodation nor argumentation; it is evangelism. Evangelism? Yes, evangelism: announcing the good news of God in Christ. A truly evangelistic approach recognizes that beliefs about truth and knowledge are the consequences of faith commitments. The modern scientific world view is committed to the belief that those things that can be known truly are subject to the rules of the scientific method. Claims that cannot be verified by their method belong to the realm of opinion and belief, and therefore are private, and not the content of public education. The Christian is committed to the belief that 'in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' and that faith in Christ is the way to true knowledge. Consequently, He is central in the dialogue.
   
   This is very different from argumentation because it doesn't assume that the Christian position is persuasive or even tenable to those who reject Christ. It confesses that what it holds most dear is foolishness to the world. So it does not attempt to argue about conclusions; instead it announces the foundations, trusting that it is through the heralding of this foolishness that the Holy Spirit will save others and that persuading unregenerate persons that God created the earth in seven days entirely misses the heart of the Gospel.
2. Mission. Since the Gospel is public truth, and not merely true for Christians, it seems natural to me that we would start schools that announce the Good News, and teach all things in the context of the Good News to anyone who wants to matriculate, and not merely to children of parents who will sign a statement of faith. [In this it is distinct from withdrawal, because rather than disengaging from those who disbelieve, it goes to them with the offer of truly excellent education, built on the Gospel.] If it is true that all the riches of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, then schools that are built on this through reliance on the Holy Spirit ought to be better schools, and to attract those without any commitment to the Gospel (yet) simply on the basis of outstanding education.

As we're very actively thinking about Elisabeth's formal education these days, and we haven't found a missional school, I think that we're going to need to grow in the grace of evangelism.

Mouse Paint

Recently Elisabeth was in an art class where the teacher was showing the kids primary and secondary colors using translucent, colored stickers.

Watching her I realized that the best piece of literature I have encountered for teaching primary and secondary colors is Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

We started reading it to Elisabeth when she was about 12 months because she loved the vivid colors, the simple text, and the progression of the story. I continue to use it because it is a great way, through literature, to teach primary and secondary colors.

Art sites for kids

A friend recently put me onto two clever art websites for kids. One is: www.jacksonpollock.org which allows kids to create their own Autumn Rhythm online. The other (for a bit more fine motor skill) is My Picasso Head in which kids can create their own figure using drag and drop facial features - very fun!

The praise of virtue

For so great is the influence of probity and chastity, that all men, or almost all men, are moved by the praise of these virtues; nor is any man so depraved by vice, but he hath some feeling of honour left in him. (Augustine. The City of God p69)

I think Augustine's view of depravity is part of what makes classical education appeal to me. It is not that seeing virtue will enable one to be virtuous (which would be a Pelagian notion), but that even in our fallen state, we are "moved by the praise of these virtues" in a way that convicts us of our own sinfulness, and calls us to repentance.

So the praise of virtue leads directly to the Gospel. The repentance required for virtue is impossible apart from Christ. I think this is the context in which we can read, and greatly profit from, the praise of virtue from any lips.

Developmental phonics/handwriting

I have started using Riggs' phonics curriculum with Elisabeth, as she has shown interest in learning more about letter sounds. While their website is very poorly designed, and their teaching methodology is overly structured, the concept behind it is quite clever.

They suggest a multi-sensory approach to teaching the letter names, shapes and sounds that I think is remarkably effective. Here is a rough version of the routine they suggest:

1. Show the child the particular grapheme (on a flash card).
2. Demonstrate how to form the letter on a whiteboard or paper.
3. Say the sound(s) the grapheme makes. Then . . .
4. Ask the child to say the sound(s) the grapheme makes.
5. The child writes the letter(s) in the prescribed manner.

So what are the strengths?

1. I'm attracted by the fact that the routine incorporates looking, listening, speaking and writing, since it can play on whatever the child's strong suit is to reinforce the connections.
2. I also really like that they teach all of a grapheme's sounds outright. For example, for the letter c, they teach both the 'k' and 's' sounds outright.
3. They teach how to write each letter. I think that explicit teaching makes the learning process far easier for the child - and makes their practice consistent.
   
4. They teach the graphemes in sequence by the motion used to write it so that the child has repetition to reinforce the particular strokes before moving on to new strokes.

I didn't realize how well it was working (on the writing side) until this week. We were in the laundromat, and I had brought Elisabeth's wipe clean book for her to play with while I folded the laundry. There happened to be a four year old there, and Elisabeth wanted to share her book with him. When he started to write a particular letter, I heard her say,

"No, you start here and go around and up and down."

She had internalized the procedure well enough to teach others! Hopefully all of the other pieces of instruction will stick as well.

Handwriting

I found a site that has great printable pre-school writing paper.

Charlotte Mason

In my forays into education, I have stumbled across the name Charlotte Mason several times. Most recently, my sister-in-law pointed me to a blog that posts each day a selection from her writings.

I think that I am going to be an avid reader. From my appraisal so far, she appears to approach discipline much like Ted Tripp, in that obedience is central and not optional.

Law Ensures Liberty.––The children who are trained to perfect obedience may be trusted with a good deal of liberty: they receive a few directions which they know they must not disobey; and for the rest, they are left to learn how to direct their own actions, even at the cost of some small mishaps; and are not pestered with a perpetual fire of ‘Do this’ and ‘Don’t do that!’ (source)

Moreover, she sees discipline and education as intricately intertwined, which dovetails nicely with my inclination to classical education.

However, even a cursory glance at her reading will reveal that she believes that discipline and education are the role of the mother. So, if you apprehend the same, and are offended, leave the offense there. I think she has much good to say for fathers who can read her wisdom for mothers as being wise for both parents.

If you know of other good online resources for Mason's pedagogy, please share!

Tracing her own name

For learning to write letters, I think that tracing is one of the best tools. Starfall has some great printable resources for practicing each letter of the alphabet. A fellow teacher put me onto My Moondrops that creates a print sheet of tracing letters based on the characters you input - which is a perfect way for a child to practice writing his or her name. Type in the name, and out comes the tracing paper!

Learning is Serious Fun

If I had to sum up my philosophy of education, this would be it: Learning is serious fun. The foundations are simple:

1. We learn best when we are having fun. (Consider how many people love playing Cranium, or the like.)
2. Learning is natural when we're having fun. When we're engaged with the object, the learning process happens most authentically.

The conclusion is obvious: the best teachers are those who most fully expose the fun of learning. That is not to say that learning isn't at times very hard work; rather the fun of it helps to build our stamina for the parts that we wouldn't as naturally incline to.

So here are the question for you:

1. What are the best learning games for kids?
2. What are the best ways to make learning phonics fun?

Note: I'm assuming that the kind if fun I'm talking about is intrinsic and authentic. It is not "If you do _____, then you get something fun" but that the learning process itself is fun.

Window on the World

I recently ordered a copy of Window on the World, and it just arrived. I am very excited to begin using it with Elisabeth. It is, essentially, a version of Operation World modified for children. Instead of being heavy on facts and figures, it is heavy on pictures and stories that connect children with the countries for which they are praying. Each two-page country spread includes a small map inset, a picture of the national flag, basic facts (area, population, language, religion, exports), a narrative, and a list of requests for prayer and praise.

Has anyone used this with their kids?

Active listening

When I was a classroom teacher, I told my students at the beginning of each year that the measure of my success as a teacher was my teaching them to listen well. If I taught them to listen well, all realms of learning and communication would be open to them; if I failed, those doors would remain closed. I still think that this assertion is true, and therefore in parenting one of the most important roles a parent has is to teach active listening skills.

I recently saw a text article from Desiring God pop up on my rss reader titled Ten Reasons to Listen to Questions Before You Answer. It is an excellent Biblical, theological and practical explanation of why listening is so important. It is not the sort of thing that you'll read to your three year old (you can wait until she's four); but it provides the intellectual framework for explaining to your children from Scripture and experience why listening is so important.

Education: Skills or Character?

In The Emperor's Club, there is a fascinating exchange between the revered teacher, Mr. Hundert, and a United States senator, whose son is one of Mr. Hundert's students. The arrogant senator tells Mr. Hundert that his work as teacher is to teach his son skills, and emphatically not to shape his son's character. "I will do that," he ends emphatically. And it was transparent that the son had learned his miserable character from his father.

As a public school teacher, I can say emphatically that this is the message of contemporary education. The curriculum is skills-based, not character-based. Sadly, it fails at both.

Philosophy of education is not something that most people think about on a daily basis (except those whose profession it is to do so), and yet it profoundly affects us as individuals and as a society. Those of us who have preschool aged children have a unique opportunity to develop and implement a philosophy of education for our children that not only forms the framework of what we do at home, but how our children understand what they receive when they enter school.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that classical Christian education appeals so much to me. The classical ideal embraces the suggestion I have made that education is more primarily about the formation of a person's character, and that the cultivation of particular necessary skills serve this end. If I was to embrace simply the vision of classical education, I would deny the gospel, because the classical model purports to cultivate truly noble character apart from new birth in Christ. That is what draws me to Christian classical education; it has as its foundation the gospel - that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge - and makes its aim to shape the character of its students.

Here, under the influence of Lesslie Newbigin, is where I depart from the mainstream of Christian education, or even Christian classical education. If indeed the gospel is public truth, and not just true for Christians, then it follows that the business of classical Christian schools is not just to admit students who profess faith in Christ, but to admit all students who are willing to participate in the course of study. For those who embrace this philosophy of education and send their children to public schools, the import is no less great. The Gospel is not a private story that we tell our children at home; it is the story that informs how we receive all instruction, and as Lesslie Newbigin says:

The story the church is commissioned to tell, if it is true, is bound to call into question any plausibility structure which is founded on other assumptions. (Lesslie Newbigin: Missionary Theologian p236)

This is how putting one's children in public school (or private non-Christian schools) sets us about the business of happy proclamation.

How Kids Develop

I just discovered a great parenting resource: HowKidsDevelop.com

For some time I have been on the lookout for a good online resource of child development milestones. How Kids Develop does a great job of outlining the five major areas of development:
1. Cognitive
2. Social Emotional
3. Speech and Language
4. Fine Motor
5. Gross Motor

The site does a great job of identifying milestones in each developmental area for each time-frame of development (unlike most sites that lump them together, and only give 3-5 total milestones per time-frame).

I think they could offer more suggestions on how to prepare a child to meet each milestone, but I think their overall suggestions in "How can I help my child meet these developmental milestones?" are good basics for any parent.

How Kids Develop now appears in the sidebar under Parenting Resources!

ZPD

One of the most important theories I studied in graduate school was Lev Vygotsky's theory of the zone of proximal development, which he defined as

the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers (wiki)

What intrigues me are these two implications:

1. We learn by attempting things that are beyond our current abilities.
2. Almost my definition, we must attempt this learning with others, because it is beyond our current independent abiliities.

Thus it is essential to be constantly doing things with Elisabeth that she couldn't do alone, so that in short order she will be able to master them independently. It is my responsibility to be constantly looking forward beyond what Elisabeth has mastered to what she will attempt next.