How many songs do you still know from high school? The old band – cooler than ice cream in its day – revs up the radio and you’re right back, lyrics sure after all these years. Which is why Holistic Boy learns a lot of things through music. He had the optional challenge of memorizing… Read More Exodus
“There are no two words in the English language more harmful than Good Job,” intones Fletcher, the monomaniacal music instructor in the film Whiplash. Isn’t good, after all, the enemy of the best? Fletcher’s psychopathic devices sucked me right into the vortex of the questions I ask as my son’s teacher. How much do I… Read More A Tiger’s Pursuit: Mastery
At seven-and-a-half, Tennyson memorized the first seven verses of John 1 in Latin and English in the homeschooling with Classical Conversations, a global home education program based on the ancient Classical model of learning. I set each text to song and he downed them like dessert. In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum,… Read More Long Live Latin
Those who might have thought the Wayfarer congenial up until now must know The Godmother from New York has taken over this leg of the trip (see Uncle?) and California Girl’s backseat, engrossed in a book. Last I checked, blogosphere was a beautiful democracy. If you are offended by what follows, remember you are free… Read More The Writing Process II, Part 3: From the Grammar Mafia
According to Malcolm Gladwell, behind the genius of high-achievers that leaves us awestruck is really just 10,000 hours of practice. Let’s see what this might look like for you as a drummer, Tennyson: You’ve put in at least 500 hours thus far. 1 hour of practice a day, 35 free days in a year –>… Read More Genius
Your toe broke through the sole. We peeped into a row of run-down restaurants for a new shoe and then stood beneath the eaves, watching cloudburst pound the pavement. I cradled you — seven years tall. I would carry you in the rain. You grew a few years smaller in my arms before slipping into… Read More Carry You In The Rain
I couldn’t resist this post. Five-year-olds memorized facts in seven subject areas along with 1) the names of all the U.S. presidents 2) 24 verses of a chapter from the book of Ephesians and 3) enjoyed hands-on explorations in science, art, and music. Middle and high schoolers also wrote papers, redrew the map of the… Read More We Underestimate The Human Brain
These thoughts emerged as a personal response to the controversial Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Yale Law professor Amy Chua who pushed her daughters to excel in ways that earned her praise and censure. She writes: I do believe that we in America can ask more of children than we typically do, and… Read More A Biblical Perspective of Achievement
My launching pad is an enlightening New York Magazine article that explains how praising kids for being smart often backfires, straitjacketing them to fear of failure. It spoke to me not only as a parent of a boy fairly fresh on the path of formal education, but as the studious girl whose achievements were marked… Read More Greatness, Part 5: Praise, Smarts, and the Myth of Self-Esteem
I got to do the fun stuff with my students when I taught the Gifted and Talented in the 90s. The elementary school kids in the program left their classroom and came to me bright-eyed, bushy-taled. Grounded in the basics, they were ready for a session of poetry or creative writing. Here are some activities… Read More Young Writers in Their Dreaming
A Holistic Journey 