Speaking Session: Literature and Film-A Dialog

From the 2015 Naums Conference in Ft. Worth. Sorry for the occasional technical difficulties.

 (Part 1) (Part 2)

Speaking Session: Classical Education with Quintilian

From the 2015 NAUMS conference in Ft. Worth.

(Handout here)

Speaking Session: Latin and Classical Education

Hello all! I know it has been too long between posts, but I promise that I haven't been idle. I've been working on some sessions that I'll be presenting this summer, and delivering a session on classical education and Latin at a recent homeschool convention here in Greenville. Here is that session for anyone interested. I'll also make sure to post my summer sessions when they are done and recorded. My new talks will be on Quintillian's Institutes of Oratory as well as interpreting Tolkien.

(Download link)

Youtube video:

Stargazing: Engage!

We started astronomy this week at school. The lesson plans have been pretty simple, so let me lay them out quickly:

Out of school/Prep:
1. We picked a constellation for a two-week study. (Orion is first)
2. We laid out memory work that focuses on the main stars in the constellation. (Here) This gives the kids a bit of the vocabulary they will hear in lessons.

In-class lessons: (Broken down for three days)
1. Share images of Orion with stars labelled. Have the students draw the star patterns and label stars. (We also used Google Earth to show the sky.)
2. Have the students graph the stars on graphing paper for a great maths integration.
3. Review stars and read the myth of Orion.

The remaining element that I decided to do was to add one extra concept of astronomy each week or so. So this week I focused on the relationship of the earth and moon (and the moon's synchronous orbit around earth) to the Sun.  We also used scale models to start to try to understand just how immense and awesome our solar system and universe is. (We did this.)

For "home work" then the students have two nights of stargazing assigned to them over the course of two weeks. They must go out and find and draw Orion and chart the conditions for their observation (date and time, temperature, and cloud cover). We've sent out a link to this app to help parents who (like me!) may not know what to look for.

It has proved so far to be a great experience for our families and students. I also have LOVED doing this new unit. It has really been quite the experience to be able to already look up into the sky and find things I couldn't find before! So much fun! Science on!!

Poetic Knowledge: Two Illustrations of How We Should Teach

(via Wikimedia commons)

I've been thinking a bit recently about poetic knowledge and its significance for life-changing learning.  In this post I will give a definition and two examples of how poetic knowledge differs from "head" knowledge and offer two simple ideas of how as teachers we can become more poetic in our instruction.

For a definition of poetic knowledge, I turn to Dr. James Taylor (no, not that James Taylor):

Poetic experience indicates an encounter with reality that is nonanalytical, something that is perceived as beautiful, awful (awe-full), spontaneous, mysterious… Poetic knowledge is a spontaneous act of the external and internal senses with the intellect, integrated and whole, rather than an act associated with the powers of analytic reasoning… It is, we might say, knowledge from the inside out, radically different from a knowledge about things. In other words, it is the opposite of scientific knowledge.

We have to be very careful with this definition or we risk doing great violence science itself. Taylor's definition concludes with a simple antonym to poetic knowledge: "it is the opposite of scientific knowledge." This is what Taylor means: we can know "with our head" or we can know "with our entire selves". This is the key: true, deep knowledge cannot be divorced from the head (it is not anti-rational or anti-"fact"), however, true knowledge also cannot be only, or even primarily, based in the mind and aimed at the other from a distance. True knowledge comes from coming close to another (whether it be a person, an animal, or a volcano).  Imagine saying that you "know" a woman whom you have never met because you have seen her lab work on a chart or know her DNA chain. Imagine saying that you know what a sunset or symphony is because someone has described the facts of the light and notes. This is the point Taylor is making.

Following are two illustrations of this distinction in types of knowing from the world of science and literature. First I want to demonstrate a volcanologist and PhD student from Cambridge experiencing poetic knowledge:

I want to highlight two moments. The first is at 1:40 when the PhD student is speaking. Look at his face; he can barely contain his joy. Listen to his word choice, "incredible," "special," "exciting," and "odd feeling." This is not the diction of the head or of the "unbiased observer". It is the language of the heart and the soul. Next notice that his mentor echoes him, having studied volcanoes for 40 years and finally getting to experience one! His language illustrates this key break in terms of knowledge even more perfectly! He says, "So, professionally I knew all about it, technically, scientifically, but actually experiencing it is a visceral experience, if I can put it that way, because it assaults all your senses at once." (Emphasis original) This is exactly the dichotomy Taylor laid out: the head versus the experiential knowledge of the whole person that coming into real contact with the Other gives.

Secondly, I turn to Dickens and his novel Hard Times, where we see the British master painting a picture of the preference for scientific knowledge over poetic in the schoolmasters of his day:

Thomas Gradgrind, sir. A man of realities. A man of facts and calculations. A man who proceeds upon the principle that two and two are four, and nothing over, and who is not to be talked into allowing for anything over. Thomas Gradgrind, sir—peremptorily Thomas—Thomas Gradgrind. With a rule and a pair of scales, and the multiplication table always in his pocket, sir, ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature, and tell you exactly what it comes to. It is a mere question of figures, a case of simple arithmetic.

For Gradgrind even humans are just "facts" in bodies, ready to be measured and divided using arithmetic. We are then introduced to his interaction with his students, "the little pitchers before him, who were to be filled so full of facts," with him looking forward to blowing them out of childhood by removing their "tender young imaginations." A sample of his teaching follows as he interacts with "Sissy," whose father works with horses and who is intimately familiar with them, and Bitzer, a pupil more to his liking. He instructs Sissy,

'Give me your definition of a horse.’
(Sissy Jupe thrown into the greatest alarm by this demand.)

‘Girl number twenty unable to define a horse!’ said Mr. Gradgrind, for the general behoof of all the little pitchers. ‘Girl number twenty possessed of no facts, in reference to one of the commonest of animals! Some boy’s definition of a horse. Bitzer, yours.’ ...

‘Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth, and twelve incisive. Sheds coat in the spring; in marshy countries, sheds hoofs, too. Hoofs hard, but requiring to be shod with iron. Age known by marks in mouth.’ Thus (and much more) Bitzer.
‘Now girl number twenty,’ said Mr. Gradgrind. ‘You know what a horse is.’

Of course the reader is in on the tragic joke that Sissy knows infinitely more about horses than Bitzer and Gradgrind combined. She knows their sounds, scents, and majesty. She knows awe. But her "un-scientific" knowledge is not only inferior, it is not even knowledge according to Gradgrind. ("Now you know what a horse is.")

What does it look like as teachers and parents to continually introduce our children to real knowledge, knowledge that humbles them as they learn, because they are coming into contact with the things themselves, which are so much more than just the facts? In the very least it looks like getting out into the world for science and getting into the Great Books for literature and grammar. Instead of textbooks, let's get out to the volcanoes and into the books that change us as we interact with them.

Summer Projects

Growing up, my brothers and I mowed lawns. Year round. In the Texas heat. It was great. We learned more in that Texas sun than I can appreciate even now. For example, I learned about aiming at a long-range target in the context of our family heritage from my Dad: "Uncle Bob taught me this when riding the tractor on the farm. You have to aim at a far-off fence post. If you look only at the next bit of grass, your lines will never be straight." I still think about that lesson every time I mow my lawn. We learned about working for want you needed (school clothes and shoes) and wanted (Nerf guns and CDs). We learned a lot about dignity and responsibility. And I learned about skin cancer. (Ouch.)

In the move to South Carolina, perhaps the most unexpected joy has come from working on the lawn, the plumbing, and the car. While I did grow up working on lawns and landscaping, working on a car or any kind of plumbing has been brand new. However, when you don't have money to call out the plumber, what are you going to do? Be blessed in a very unexpected way. So, here are images of the plumbing I've gotten to work on this summer. Please note: I HAVE NEVER DONE ANY OF THESE THINGS. EVER. Not cutting or repairing dry wall, plumbing, using a reciprocating saw. NOTHING.

First, we realized that we had a very slowly draining tub (I have decided against posting the gross image here. Trust me, it was gross.). So, I tried to snake it to no avail. It was time to go in and check out the U-bend, which I learned about from an episode of This Old House. So... Time to cut into the basement ceiling under the tub.

And cut out the suspected section.

As soon as the saw started to cut into that cast iron, I got pretty nervous. This had gotten real.

As the drill went through, I was guessing that there was some serious grime built up in the 60 years of the house's existence. (Brown = yucky stuff)

Then in investigating the pipe, I realized there was just a ton of gunk built up. So I built a replacement pipe

and installed it.

Then, while checking and double checking for leaks, I found a drip coming from the tub upstairs. And discovered that someone had already found it...

...and did a crappy patch job rather than fixing the problem. So I took out the stem and bought a new O-ring (for $0.37!). 

And then it was time to test and re-test for any leak. And then I cut and installed new dry wall.

I tried to do the textured finish on the dry wall. I tried. :-)

So what did I glean from this and my other experiences? Here are some thoughts. 

1. It took a fun combination of courage and gusto to go for it. In the end, I was able to rationalize that I probably wouldn't do so much damage that I would cost myself more in the end if I did have to call out a plumber and contractor. They would have to cut into that ceiling anyways, right? (Right?) 

2.  I also had to be ok with the fact that I would mess up somewhere. I wish the dry wall looked perfect. But it doesn't. I'm ok with that. I think Lesley is too. I hope. 

3. I had to be able to follow directions and ask for help. This was a communal project. From watching Youtube videos, to borrowing a friend's reciprocating saw, to asking the burly gents at the plumbing supply shop for tips on the bath stem, to borrowing a neighbor's truck, this was an inherently non-individual effort. 

4. I had to delight in the unknown and try to figure it out.
5. Sometimes you fail. After hours of sweat and trying. I do not like failing. I was humbled by working on the car. But I did learn about the way some parts of the car work, and that is good. I failed to replace the studs on the car, but I learned how to take off and replace the brake pads for the future. There was growth in the midst of failure

I absolutely loved doing my projects this summer. Not only did I save some money, but I was blessed by getting to be a reparative creator. It was delightful to fix something by mimicking the actual professional who installed that pipe. I just had to re-make a bit of pipe according to the initial design. 

I have come to believe that one of the most de-Humanizing elements of living in an apartment is the loss of these kinds of work opportunities. (We were not allowed to work on our cars in the parking lots.) Instead of mowing a lawn and working outside, washing your car, or fixing something that went wrong, you simply called the superintendent or let the contracted lawn/snow removal company do the work. It is an inherently disconnected way to go about life. We are blessed when we get to use our hands, whether that is in restoring furniture or planting a garden. 

On Birds, Fruit, and Fruit

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Gal 5:19-24

What does it look like to grow the virtues and the fruit of the Spirit inside of us?  What uses of our time grow us into Christ and help us kill "passions" and "desires"?

Before answering these questions we need to get some clear ideas from Galatians. If you look at the list provided of examples of living by the flesh (and Paul's summary terms "passions" and "desires" at the end of the section), you notice the concept that runs through it as the root cause is lack of self-control. The person engaging in such behavior is out of control. I immediately think of the stereotypical 18 year old freshman first heading off to college (think: Animal House) and my one year old at dinner time. There is only desire; there is only will to act in the now. The will to control and subject those desires is non-existent. When Rushing wants food he wants it NOW! Desire holds sway over the will, and wickedness and foolishness follows.

Paul bookends his list of the fruit of the Spirit with the two opposites of selfish passion: "love" and "self-control". Instead of unbridled desire, we find the character of someone driven by perspective: "What is the best thing for the other? How can I best love him? How can I be kind and gentle?" As Cornel West puts it, "Tenderness is what love looks like." So then, Paul can be summarized with the idea that, "The ungodly are lead by selfish passion and lack of wise lovingkindness, but those who are in Christ are lead by self-control and love for the other."

What should we spend our lives doing to encourage loving and gentle self-control? While watching the boys awaiting the birds this morning, I was thinking of Galatians 5 and what habits of the Spirit were being produced by birdwatching. Patience came to mind first, followed by peace and self-control. Finally though, I realized how joyful the boys are (including Rush getting so excited!) when a particularly vibrant bird comes to the feeder. (Bluejays, Cardinals, and Goldfinches are our favorites.) Seeing something wonderfully and beautifully made produces Love.

Two other activities that might produce the right kinds of fruit in your kids' lives: growing a garden and listening to classical music. Two of the blessings of growing something are that it takes you outside and it takes time. You have to be interacting with the creation and getting your hands dirty. On top of that, the growing of anything reminds us that there is a time for planting and a time for waiting and a time for harvesting, a vital lesson for learning perseverance amid suffering.

Classical music blesses us in this same way by forcing us to wait for themes to be developed throughout a work prior to reaching climax at the finale. That is, it is the exact opposite of popular music, where we are allowed to have a "finale" every 40 seconds or so. (Here is a great example. If you clicked this link, I bet you tapped your foot.) Beethoven makes me wait for 35 minutes! Who cares if that climax is so much more fulfilling?! I don't have time to wait! Many more examples come to mind: microwaves vs. charcoal, video games vs. board games, American football vs. soccer, time of "doing" vs. time for reflection and contemplation. The question to ask is, which pastimes and "hobbies" will instill in me and my children a delight in the Creator and a likeness to Christ? Pursue those things.