Great Homeschool Convention 2020
Every spring since 2017, I've made the trek to Fort Worth to attend the Great Homeschool Convention, pretty much solely to sit in on the classical education track and investigate curricula at the vendor booths. It has grown me so much and being able to speak personally to people like Dr. Christopher Perrin, Carol Reynolds, Andrea Lipinski, Adam Andrews and Andrew Kern has been challenging, formative, and inspiring in many ways. These conferences keep me going!
For various reasons, I had decided not to go this spring. But, thanks to coronavirus, the entire conference moved online! The past three days, I've sat in the comfort of my own bed and had the privilege of listening to these wise people, and being challenge and inspired for the coming school year.
I have a composition book that has become my "GHC Notebook." I've used it exclusively for taking notes at GHC conferences the past four years. Yesterday after the conference, I flipped back through it to see what kind of things I noted down three years ago, two years ago. I was surprised to find that overall, a speaker has said the same things every year!
And you know what? I need to hear the same basic things every year.
I need to hear Christopher Perrin encourage me to "multum, non multa", much, not many. I need to hear him repeat every year the foci that we should have at different levels.
Before middle school, there are four arts children should be focused on:
-grammar (of language, through Latin)
-music: learning an instrument or choral singing
-mathematics
-literature: the Bible, fables, fairy tales, classic novels, poetry, speeches, historical fiction, etc.
From middle school on:
-mathematics
-music: continuing with instruments/choral music, and music appreciation of classic works
-Language: translating Latin and/or Greek
-Great Books: allow and deep read through literary classics that have formed though over the past 2,000 years
-logic & rhetoric: formal and informal logic that will give way to the study of rhetoric in 10-12th grade
-sciences: a progression through specialized sciences like biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy
How simple is this? This will lay the foundation for students to learn anything they'd like to go on and learn. Being reminded of this allows me to not get distracted by all the extra shiny new things, or superfluous subjects. Be faithful to study and teach these well and it will be enough. More than enough.
This is why I justify every year the two hours a day spent at the local brick and mortar school for orchestra and choir. Yes, music in general raises overall academic success and test scores. But I'm not giving them a musical education as a pragmatic means to a better academic end. Music nourishes their souls. Music opens windows to understanding math, ratios, proportions, because music is an embodiment of those things. Music in a community setting like orchestra and choir forces them to pay attention to those around them and begin to learn to adjust (modulate) themselves for the good of the whole. This lays the ground work for learning to modulate within relationships and the skills to harmonize sentences, arguments, relationships within community for the rest of their lives. We cannot afford to not learn music.
I need to hear Carol Reynolds say over and over again: take your children to the high school choir, orchestra and drama presentations. Expose them to the arts. It doesn't have to be professional performances, and in fact, it's better if it's not. Because children will be able to better relate to people in their community and churches and their performances will seem more near and inspiring.
I need to have her remind me to not push the kids too hard. Stop lessons before they want to stop, and leave them with the feeling, "That was cool!" instead of, "That was exhausting!"
I need to hear Andrew Kern say all the philosophical things.
Four Ways of Thinking:
1. Questions
2. Names
3. Forms
4. Analogies
Six Desires all Humans have:
1. Knowledge
2. Dominion
3. Glory
4. Rest
5. Life
6. Harmony
that ultimately all point us to a desire for union with God. Our job as parents are to nourish, discipline, and harmonize each of these desires. Not to squash or ignore these desires.
Music is the art of modulating well.
When teaching, there is only one thing needful: what is the logos (the truth, main idea) the child needs from this lesson? How do I embody the logos with types, analogies, things?
Jesus is the Logos of all education. The main Truth we want our children (and ourselves) to perceive.
Gaze on the True
Contemplate the Beautiful
Imitate the Good.
Do this in community!
It's never too late to start.
I've heard these same ideas every spring for four years. I still don't totally understand them. I am unable to even begin to embody them. I fail at modeling them to my kids for them to imitate. But I want to keep hearing the, thinking about them, dwelling on them in hopes that their truths begin to slowly seep into my heart and pour over into my words and actions.
For various reasons, I had decided not to go this spring. But, thanks to coronavirus, the entire conference moved online! The past three days, I've sat in the comfort of my own bed and had the privilege of listening to these wise people, and being challenge and inspired for the coming school year.
I have a composition book that has become my "GHC Notebook." I've used it exclusively for taking notes at GHC conferences the past four years. Yesterday after the conference, I flipped back through it to see what kind of things I noted down three years ago, two years ago. I was surprised to find that overall, a speaker has said the same things every year!
And you know what? I need to hear the same basic things every year.
I need to hear Christopher Perrin encourage me to "multum, non multa", much, not many. I need to hear him repeat every year the foci that we should have at different levels.
Before middle school, there are four arts children should be focused on:
-grammar (of language, through Latin)
-music: learning an instrument or choral singing
-mathematics
-literature: the Bible, fables, fairy tales, classic novels, poetry, speeches, historical fiction, etc.
From middle school on:
-mathematics
-music: continuing with instruments/choral music, and music appreciation of classic works
-Language: translating Latin and/or Greek
-Great Books: allow and deep read through literary classics that have formed though over the past 2,000 years
-logic & rhetoric: formal and informal logic that will give way to the study of rhetoric in 10-12th grade
-sciences: a progression through specialized sciences like biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy
How simple is this? This will lay the foundation for students to learn anything they'd like to go on and learn. Being reminded of this allows me to not get distracted by all the extra shiny new things, or superfluous subjects. Be faithful to study and teach these well and it will be enough. More than enough.
This is why I justify every year the two hours a day spent at the local brick and mortar school for orchestra and choir. Yes, music in general raises overall academic success and test scores. But I'm not giving them a musical education as a pragmatic means to a better academic end. Music nourishes their souls. Music opens windows to understanding math, ratios, proportions, because music is an embodiment of those things. Music in a community setting like orchestra and choir forces them to pay attention to those around them and begin to learn to adjust (modulate) themselves for the good of the whole. This lays the ground work for learning to modulate within relationships and the skills to harmonize sentences, arguments, relationships within community for the rest of their lives. We cannot afford to not learn music.
I need to hear Carol Reynolds say over and over again: take your children to the high school choir, orchestra and drama presentations. Expose them to the arts. It doesn't have to be professional performances, and in fact, it's better if it's not. Because children will be able to better relate to people in their community and churches and their performances will seem more near and inspiring.
I need to have her remind me to not push the kids too hard. Stop lessons before they want to stop, and leave them with the feeling, "That was cool!" instead of, "That was exhausting!"
I need to hear Andrew Kern say all the philosophical things.
Four Ways of Thinking:
1. Questions
2. Names
3. Forms
4. Analogies
Six Desires all Humans have:
1. Knowledge
2. Dominion
3. Glory
4. Rest
5. Life
6. Harmony
that ultimately all point us to a desire for union with God. Our job as parents are to nourish, discipline, and harmonize each of these desires. Not to squash or ignore these desires.
Music is the art of modulating well.
When teaching, there is only one thing needful: what is the logos (the truth, main idea) the child needs from this lesson? How do I embody the logos with types, analogies, things?
Jesus is the Logos of all education. The main Truth we want our children (and ourselves) to perceive.
Gaze on the True
Contemplate the Beautiful
Imitate the Good.
Do this in community!
It's never too late to start.
I've heard these same ideas every spring for four years. I still don't totally understand them. I am unable to even begin to embody them. I fail at modeling them to my kids for them to imitate. But I want to keep hearing the, thinking about them, dwelling on them in hopes that their truths begin to slowly seep into my heart and pour over into my words and actions.
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