Bedtime stories

Tonight we cuddled up on my bed.  My girls were very sleepy and not in the mood for a bedtime story.  I wasn't giving up...

I opened this book and told the girls how my mom used to read these stories to me when I was a child.  My goal was to try and engage them into anticipation for the story that we were about to read.  They still weren't moved.  

Last week I received a call from a friend, who told me that she was clearing out some old books and wanted to know if I'd like to take a look at them before she gave them away. (Side note...  I LOVE old books.  Let me restate that.  I LOVE classic books.  Books that have meaning and leave a lasting impression upon the soul.  Books that leave the reader inspired to do better).  Needless to say, I rushed over and gave her books a new home.  Some of the books she gave to me date back to 1940.  These bedtime story books were printed in 1950.  

Why does any of this matter?  After I opened the cover and began to read the first story, "Wilfred's Secret," my girls were suddenly cured from their exhaustion.  They listened intently to what I was reading.  I would love to say their sudden interest in the story was due to my fine story telling skills, but that would be untrue.  It was the story.  The premis of the story is about Wilfred and his sister performing acts of kindness for people anonomously.  They call themselves the "Surprise Package Company."  What a novel idea... doing acts of service to others secretly and feeling the joy that comes from helping others. This is good stuff.

The author states in the preface to the book that these stories were "designed not only to entertain but to build character, to lead boys and girls to choose the good way of life, by teaching them to be kind, obedient, honest and truthful."  

These principles are not new, they have been around for centuries, however they are becoming harder and harder to

find in society today.  There is something gratifying about a good story with a moral foundation that fills the soul.  I believe we yearn for it.  We just have to search for it and listen.  I'm glad I didn't give up because my kids did listen.  They loved it and are looking forward with anticipation to tomorrow night. These are the moments I treasure with my kids.  

What is your name?

This year I thought it would be fun to give our school a proper name.  I have been reading Facebook posts recently about other families that have given their school a name...names like "Little Learners," and "Adams Learning Institute."  I have had a few names swirling around in my brain but nothing felt right.  I thought of "Key Academy," in honor of my dad.  As a child, my dad often asked my siblings and me, "What's the Key?" and we would energetically reply..."EDUCATION!"  I thought this name had meaning and sounded somewhat insightful.

One night, while stewing over my selected name(s)  I asked my husband for his opinion.  He wasn't very fond of my choices, which was no real surprise to me.  When it came to picking baby names he was quick to shoot down every single name I offered,  yet never provided suggestions of his own.  While we were debating school names, we suddenly heard the theme song from the movie The Breakfast Club "Don't you forget about me," play in the background.  Anyone who had the good fortune to grow up during the 80's will know this song by heart and magical memories of jelly shoes, feathered hair and florescent pegged pants suddenly comes flooding back to heart.  While singing the lyrics to the song, we looked at each other and knew what our school should be called.   In essence we have created our own little club as we sit down each morning, eat breakfast and learn together.  It's kind of silly and doesn't have much sentimental meaning but it is fun and light hearted, which reflects our family perfectly.  So that is the story of how our little school came to be known as...

The Well-Trained Mind

"How do you know what to teach your kids?"  Over this past year I have had several people ask  me about how we operate our school.  When I started researching how to homeschool I was overwhelmed with all of the options and philosophies available.  I stayed up late night after night and read and read.  I read about unschooling and taking a more relaxed approach to school.  I loved the idea of encouraging my children to foster a love of learning as they discovered their talents and interests.  However, I did not feel comfortable taking such a relaxed approach to the point that there was no structure or routine.  I knew if we were going to be successful, we needed to find a philosophy that provided us with this. That is when I discovered The Well-Trained Mind, A Guide to Classical Education by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.  This book takes a classical education approach and provides so much information about what resources to use at each age/stage of learning.  It as been so valuable to our school experience. 

What is a classical education?  It is an approach to education that has been used for generations.  When I think of the word "classic," I think of something that is timeless, which has been tested and proven to bring about excellence.  I believe this is the case with a classical education approach.  Jessie Wise and her daughter Susan Wise Bauer outline a pattern in this book called the trivium, which organizes the learning of the child's mind into three stages:

1.  Grammar Stage (K-4th grade)

2.  Logic Stage (5th-8th grade)

3.  Rhetoric Stage (9th-12th grade)

This book is such a blessing.  It provides curriculum suggestions for each age and stage of learning, which is appropriate for their individual development levels.  This book simply helps me cover all of my bases.  I don't follow ALL the suggestions in this book, because many of them are just that...suggestions, but I have found that this book has provided us with a structure for our school.  I have seen incredible results with my girls over this past year as we have implemented this philosophy and used much of the recommended material.  If you are a newbie to homeschool, I can't recommend this book enough.  The Well-Trained Mind is a must read.