Everyday Educator - Assessing for the New Year: What is Success Anyway?
00:00:00.000 | (soft music)
00:00:02.420 | - Welcome friends to this episode
00:00:05.880 | of the Everyday Educator podcast.
00:00:08.700 | I'm your host, Lisa Bailey,
00:00:10.480 | and I'm excited to spend some time with you today
00:00:13.880 | as we encourage one another, learn together,
00:00:17.720 | and ponder the delights and challenges
00:00:20.680 | that make homeschooling the adventure of a lifetime.
00:00:24.120 | Whether you're just considering
00:00:26.320 | this homeschooling possibility,
00:00:28.520 | or deep into the daily delight of family learning,
00:00:33.040 | I believe you'll enjoy thinking along with us.
00:00:37.300 | But don't forget,
00:00:38.440 | although this online community is awesome,
00:00:41.880 | you'll find even closer support in a local CC community.
00:00:46.880 | So go to classicalconversations.com
00:00:51.680 | and find a community near you today.
00:00:56.860 | - Well, listeners, welcome to January.
00:00:59.920 | I mean, it seems to me to be easily
00:01:02.960 | the longest month in the calendar
00:01:05.800 | because for many of us,
00:01:07.820 | it's darker than usual and colder than usual,
00:01:11.920 | and we've left behind the glory
00:01:13.880 | and the brightness of the holidays,
00:01:16.320 | and now we are back into it,
00:01:18.680 | and it sometimes can look just like a slog ahead
00:01:24.600 | for as far as we can see, but I've got some news for you.
00:01:29.380 | There are some ways that we can define or redefine success,
00:01:34.380 | some beautiful ways of looking at what the Lord has done
00:01:39.020 | in our family over the last fall
00:01:42.620 | and what he can do with us as spring approaches.
00:01:47.620 | So I brought one of my best friends,
00:01:49.860 | one of my best classical educator friends
00:01:52.940 | to share with us today, Brittany Lewis is here with us.
00:01:56.580 | Brittany, thank you so much for joining me.
00:01:59.780 | - Oh, it is a joy.
00:02:01.060 | I'm so glad to be here, thank you.
00:02:03.100 | - You are one that I think people will enjoy hearing
00:02:07.420 | your heart for homeschooling families
00:02:10.540 | and your experience with your own family.
00:02:15.540 | And then two, I just know
00:02:17.340 | that you have a really encouraging spirit.
00:02:19.640 | So I know that a lot of us need encouragement
00:02:24.360 | to be happy about January and to be happy
00:02:28.220 | about starting the second semester.
00:02:30.820 | So I wanna ask you first, what is usually harder for you
00:02:35.820 | or for your family, starting school in the fall
00:02:40.700 | or restarting in January?
00:02:44.240 | - Definitely restarting in January.
00:02:46.880 | - Yes, I think so many people have said that to me.
00:02:50.780 | Why do you think, why is restarting so challenging?
00:02:56.980 | - I think it's human nature that we look
00:03:02.540 | at the long summer break and then we're all ready for fall
00:03:07.540 | and we have spent time refreshing ourselves
00:03:11.280 | and remembering why we do this and setting goals
00:03:14.660 | and the new books and the new supplies and the new goals
00:03:18.960 | and looking forward to all that we're going to learn.
00:03:22.040 | And then by January, we've celebrated
00:03:25.300 | a shorter Christmas break in which,
00:03:27.920 | especially as homeschooling parents,
00:03:30.380 | it wasn't possibly very restful because we were busy
00:03:33.800 | with all the Christmas things.
00:03:35.000 | I know that that's true for me at my house.
00:03:37.840 | And often we're delighted to have out-of-town guests
00:03:42.720 | for long periods of time.
00:03:44.380 | And then it's time to get the books out
00:03:46.720 | and it's cold outside and we have to take
00:03:48.640 | the Christmas decorations down and just restarting
00:03:52.920 | can be a little harder just gaining momentum, I think.
00:03:56.440 | But I think there's some things we can do
00:03:58.080 | that help us refocus and be grateful
00:04:02.680 | and treasure that time and look forward.
00:04:05.480 | - That's really good.
00:04:06.440 | There are things that we can do
00:04:08.280 | to make the atmosphere seem better.
00:04:12.440 | We light more candles in January
00:04:14.560 | and we turn on the gas logs more in January.
00:04:17.220 | I try to put around a lot of warm, snugly blankets
00:04:21.640 | in January just so that almost anywhere
00:04:24.280 | you would drop down to read or to rest or to study,
00:04:27.760 | there's a blanket at hand.
00:04:30.000 | So yeah, I agree with you.
00:04:31.320 | There are some things that we can do.
00:04:33.480 | I know from experience, 'cause I homeschooled
00:04:38.740 | through a whole lot of Januarys too,
00:04:40.840 | lots of us moms and dads try at least
00:04:44.480 | to spend some time over the break
00:04:47.040 | or at least as January rolls around assessing the fall.
00:04:52.040 | Do you do that routinely?
00:04:55.580 | Do you still do that?
00:04:56.600 | Assess the fall as you're beginning in January?
00:05:01.100 | - I do.
00:05:02.140 | I did that when my kids were in foundations
00:05:04.600 | and essentials too.
00:05:06.020 | And now that I have the last of my three
00:05:10.640 | is in challenge three and I spend some time
00:05:15.640 | looking at her blue book and talking to her
00:05:19.720 | and she self-assesses and we kind of think together
00:05:23.200 | about progress, but I don't just do that for her.
00:05:26.640 | I do that for myself as well as her teacher.
00:05:29.740 | I think about how I did this past fall
00:05:34.740 | and what she needs and where she is.
00:05:37.280 | And then I also think about other categories
00:05:39.680 | than just academics.
00:05:41.680 | - That's great.
00:05:42.800 | That is great.
00:05:43.640 | And I wanna talk to you about that in a few minutes
00:05:46.720 | more deeply.
00:05:48.720 | What's the purpose of assessing the fall?
00:05:52.720 | So come January, 'cause okay, so some people say,
00:05:55.400 | "Oh, I just wanna forget that."
00:05:56.760 | I mean, let's just start fresh.
00:05:59.040 | We're starting new.
00:06:00.180 | I'm gonna not look back.
00:06:02.260 | I'm just gonna press ahead.
00:06:04.320 | I'm gonna look forward.
00:06:05.760 | What's the purpose of looking back over the fall?
00:06:10.760 | - I think it's so that we can count what is good
00:06:15.080 | and give our students well done
00:06:19.480 | and maybe ourselves a well done on certain things.
00:06:22.320 | And then also set some reasonable goals
00:06:25.920 | to meet academic goals and other kinds of goals we have.
00:06:30.440 | I think that's really important.
00:06:32.620 | I also think it's hard for students to see their own progress
00:06:36.640 | so that if we can help them,
00:06:39.040 | that can really encourage them too,
00:06:40.960 | because they might feel like they just barely made it
00:06:42.880 | through the first semester
00:06:44.560 | and it might be harder for them to see progress.
00:06:47.080 | - That's so wise.
00:06:48.780 | - Yeah, well, I just think students aren't great
00:06:51.520 | at assessing themselves yet.
00:06:52.960 | They're developing that.
00:06:54.060 | And we spent a lot of time and challenge
00:06:56.400 | asking for self-assessment,
00:06:57.800 | but I think that can be part of the problem
00:07:01.960 | and an opportunity really to move forward in hope.
00:07:06.700 | - That's really good.
00:07:07.940 | I think that you're right, that our students are,
00:07:12.540 | and sometimes it's because they are so close to the process,
00:07:17.020 | they don't see that they have grown,
00:07:20.780 | that it takes them maybe less time
00:07:24.040 | or less mom involvement to complete a lesson
00:07:28.200 | or that they are asking better questions
00:07:31.760 | or they are choosing better descriptive words
00:07:35.840 | or that they are not needing as much direction
00:07:40.840 | for the what do I do next moment every day.
00:07:45.140 | So I think that's really wise
00:07:47.580 | that we take some assessment time
00:07:51.660 | to help our students see how far they've come.
00:07:56.300 | So what kinds of things did you look at
00:08:01.120 | as you assessed the earlier part of the year?
00:08:03.280 | I like it that you said,
00:08:05.000 | you looked back over for challenge students,
00:08:08.060 | the blue books that you did or that they completed
00:08:12.680 | as part of their challenge communities.
00:08:16.360 | What else did you look at as you assessed
00:08:19.680 | and what was your main focus in assessing?
00:08:24.240 | - I think I look at my original academic goals
00:08:29.260 | for the student and then I think about
00:08:32.640 | where they are in learning the skills of learning
00:08:36.140 | so that they're prepared to learn anything,
00:08:38.740 | which CC does a really wonderful job
00:08:40.680 | of giving our students and ourselves those tools.
00:08:45.320 | And then I think about their progress in a certain subject,
00:08:48.600 | especially those ones that are troubling,
00:08:53.080 | but also the ones where I see they're excelling.
00:08:56.900 | So I think about where they are in each of the subjects
00:09:01.180 | and where they are in the skills of learning.
00:09:03.940 | And then I also think about spiritual goals
00:09:06.400 | and heart training type goals and family wins,
00:09:09.320 | celebrations, things we don't wanna forget
00:09:11.940 | that sometimes just taking a few minutes
00:09:14.800 | to look back and go, why was that project so hard?
00:09:18.160 | Or why did we feel like we fell short in this paper?
00:09:21.320 | And then also look at the bigger picture of,
00:09:22.960 | oh, well, we were throwing a wedding at that time.
00:09:25.640 | - Yes, oh my goodness. - Or we got ill at that time
00:09:28.080 | or we were serving someone at church at this time
00:09:30.800 | or this is what was happening in the student's life
00:09:33.360 | for my life.
00:09:34.200 | And I think that's really helpful to give us perspective.
00:09:39.200 | - That is so wise.
00:09:42.340 | I know so often when we do these mid-year assessments,
00:09:47.340 | and I guess I can only speak for myself,
00:09:51.040 | but I've talked to a lot of friends
00:09:53.340 | and a lot of other community members through the years,
00:09:56.560 | I feel like so often we look at what fell short
00:10:01.280 | of our expectations.
00:10:03.000 | What didn't go as planned, what lessons we didn't finish,
00:10:08.040 | which projects were not up to par.
00:10:11.420 | Especially in the early years, I would look back and think,
00:10:16.080 | look at all that curriculum that I bought
00:10:17.960 | and we never even got to it, we never even opened it.
00:10:21.320 | Why is it so natural to look at where we fell short
00:10:26.320 | when we do these assessments?
00:10:29.120 | - I think it's out of love for our families
00:10:33.040 | that we do this, our students,
00:10:34.620 | because we take what we are doing seriously.
00:10:39.040 | And so we want to do a good job.
00:10:40.840 | It's often an experiment.
00:10:42.780 | I wasn't homeschooled myself.
00:10:44.840 | I wasn't classically educated myself.
00:10:47.320 | And so I think because we love our kids
00:10:50.200 | and we love our families so much, we want to do a good job.
00:10:53.240 | So we're naturally looking for the weaknesses first.
00:10:56.540 | And that can be, maybe we're holdovers,
00:11:01.540 | maybe we're like struggling with perfectionism.
00:11:04.360 | I know I'm a recovering perfectionist,
00:11:06.240 | but I also think it's important to look at those things
00:11:09.760 | and to have an honest assessment.
00:11:13.320 | But I also think we shouldn't neglect counting all the good
00:11:17.980 | and the gifts that we've been given together.
00:11:21.200 | There are many, so I think you got to balance it.
00:11:24.760 | - Yeah, that's really, really wise.
00:11:27.180 | Okay, so let's take both of those.
00:11:29.900 | How does it help us not to beat ourselves up, right?
00:11:34.900 | It's never gonna be healthy or helpful
00:11:38.580 | for you just to beat yourself up as a homeschooling parent,
00:11:43.060 | or to let your student beat themselves up.
00:11:46.340 | But how does it help us to frankly face
00:11:51.340 | what did not go well?
00:11:55.300 | What can we learn from that kind of assessment?
00:11:59.000 | - I think we can gain some wisdom
00:12:02.420 | by thinking about what didn't go well,
00:12:06.940 | thinking about where our student is,
00:12:08.220 | and also thinking about where we as teachers need to improve.
00:12:12.340 | We're learning too, through this progress,
00:12:15.560 | this journey of learning.
00:12:16.900 | And so I think it's helpful to see where we need to improve
00:12:21.580 | and to set reasonable goals for next time.
00:12:24.940 | And I think that's the key of learning anything
00:12:29.520 | and teaching a student is we want it to be challenging,
00:12:32.940 | but we don't want it to be to drown the kid
00:12:35.220 | in something that was meant to nourish their souls.
00:12:38.480 | And we want, that's a sweet spot that is hard
00:12:41.820 | to nail sometimes as a teacher, how much is too much?
00:12:46.820 | And we're told by CC to set our own academic goals
00:12:51.720 | for our students,
00:12:53.160 | which are all on their unique learning journeys.
00:12:55.680 | We are too as learners on our own unique learning journeys.
00:12:59.600 | And so we wanna think about where our students are
00:13:03.840 | and help them take the next step
00:13:06.000 | so that we can continue to coach and encourage them
00:13:08.160 | and mentor them and also not give them too many things
00:13:11.160 | to work on at once.
00:13:12.440 | And also think about where we are.
00:13:15.280 | Do we need more time with a student?
00:13:17.520 | Do we need to plan things out better?
00:13:20.000 | Do we need to anticipate things?
00:13:21.440 | We need to tailor the guide for our,
00:13:24.040 | to meet our particular goals.
00:13:25.600 | Are we thinking about too much what other students
00:13:29.580 | and other families are doing?
00:13:31.320 | Because the Bible says to compare ourselves,
00:13:33.140 | like that is foolishness.
00:13:34.700 | We really need to look at our own selves
00:13:36.700 | and our own children and think about
00:13:40.920 | what we can do better.
00:13:41.880 | And then I think spending some time praying,
00:13:45.860 | talking to our students and asking for the Lord to meet us
00:13:48.680 | in that need, remembering we're not alone
00:13:50.280 | is really important.
00:13:51.280 | - Yes, that it is.
00:13:55.460 | It's a joint endeavor,
00:13:56.920 | especially as your children get older.
00:13:59.800 | You are partners in this learning, right?
00:14:03.880 | It's not just something you are doing
00:14:07.220 | to or for your child.
00:14:09.960 | You become partners in learning.
00:14:13.060 | It becomes a family culture that you are developing
00:14:17.680 | of learning.
00:14:18.520 | I think that's really good.
00:14:20.600 | I love that.
00:14:21.720 | And I think that you're spot on, Brittany.
00:14:26.600 | I think it is helpful to look honestly
00:14:30.320 | at what did not go well,
00:14:32.520 | not so that we beat ourselves up about it,
00:14:36.040 | but so that we without, as much as we can,
00:14:40.780 | without the sting of judgment,
00:14:43.240 | look at it and think, okay, that did not go well.
00:14:47.180 | Did I as the lead learner not tailor that assignment well?
00:14:52.060 | Did I not take into account known learning challenges
00:14:56.920 | for me or for my students?
00:14:59.360 | Or were there really unforeseen aspects
00:15:05.520 | to that assignment or that conversation
00:15:09.840 | or that book or that paper or that time of our life?
00:15:14.800 | Were there unforeseen things that affected this
00:15:17.960 | in a way that maybe I could not have seen coming,
00:15:21.560 | but that now I can modify and change and go back and do?
00:15:26.560 | I really like that.
00:15:29.760 | So when you see that something didn't go well,
00:15:35.340 | you don't beat yourself up,
00:15:38.120 | but you also don't ignore it and think,
00:15:40.740 | okay, well, I'm just not gonna look over there.
00:15:43.460 | I'm just, we're gonna close the book on that
00:15:45.680 | and we're just gonna let that be passed
00:15:47.560 | and we're just gonna move on.
00:15:49.940 | 'Cause that's not helpful for the future.
00:15:52.660 | - Right, and our students need a loving mentor,
00:15:56.080 | a coach to keep them accountable and who better than you?
00:15:59.880 | Like the teacher at home, that's what they're craving.
00:16:04.520 | I know I've seen students really wrestle with that
00:16:06.440 | and long for more accountability.
00:16:08.220 | And I've been guilty of assigning something,
00:16:11.280 | not being super clear in instructions
00:16:13.520 | and then not assessing it very well.
00:16:15.500 | And I think that is frustrating to a student.
00:16:17.780 | It can feel like you're just doing things
00:16:20.460 | that don't really matter that much.
00:16:21.760 | And so I want to think about like,
00:16:24.180 | where are the opportunities I have
00:16:26.740 | to really pour into my students to mentor and coach them
00:16:29.260 | and have those really important conversations
00:16:31.860 | that no one else can have 'cause no one else knows them
00:16:34.360 | or loves them like I do.
00:16:35.720 | - Yes, Brittany, oh, this is so good.
00:16:39.240 | Assessment is not a tool to beat up our students.
00:16:41.920 | Assessment really helps our students
00:16:45.120 | to look at what they have done or not done
00:16:49.480 | without beating themselves up, but thinking,
00:16:52.680 | huh, how could that have gone differently?
00:16:56.380 | How can I learn from what I missed last time?
00:17:01.440 | How can I gird up my loins to do this in a better way?
00:17:06.440 | Wow, that's so good and so healthy.
00:17:10.420 | And what a great skill to teach our students.
00:17:14.700 | If they could learn to honestly and without rancor,
00:17:19.700 | assess themselves and adjust their stride
00:17:24.780 | as they move through life, instead of run away
00:17:29.160 | from what they did not do well or didn't understand
00:17:31.920 | or beat themselves up until they're black and blue
00:17:34.620 | and unwilling to try again.
00:17:36.920 | Wow, that's super good.
00:17:40.240 | Okay, that assessment where you frankly face
00:17:43.440 | what didn't go well, even if you're doing it right,
00:17:46.880 | doesn't tell the whole story though, does it?
00:17:50.620 | So how can only looking at what did not go well
00:17:57.180 | be too limiting to be really helpful?
00:18:00.320 | I think it's like, you're not looking at the full picture,
00:18:04.780 | you're just looking at this tiny detail part of the picture.
00:18:08.000 | So we need to take time to count what is good
00:18:12.140 | and to collect the wins and to remind the student
00:18:16.100 | of their progress because like I said earlier,
00:18:18.860 | they're just not really good at judging themselves very well
00:18:22.620 | and seeing their own progress.
00:18:24.760 | And that can be super discouraging.
00:18:26.200 | It can feel like, especially January, February,
00:18:28.480 | a student might feel that they're sort of treading water
00:18:31.340 | or perhaps they have a learning challenge or difference.
00:18:34.700 | We have those in my family.
00:18:36.900 | And so the student is constantly overcoming
00:18:39.840 | this lie in their head that says they're not smart enough
00:18:42.160 | or they're not as smart as the other person
00:18:44.200 | or this other student in class
00:18:45.740 | or they need to be more like so and so.
00:18:47.920 | And it can be good to, iron sharpens iron.
00:18:51.680 | We want students to sharpen each other
00:18:54.520 | but also I think just as their coach and mentor,
00:18:58.400 | their teacher that loves them,
00:19:00.780 | reminding them of where they were
00:19:03.380 | and showing them their progress is what we all need.
00:19:07.180 | 'Cause I think we long for that well done
00:19:10.060 | because the Lord made us that way.
00:19:12.060 | And they need to have some well done.
00:19:15.140 | They need to see these were good habits.
00:19:18.100 | These were good routines.
00:19:19.280 | This is, I saw you grow in confidence here.
00:19:22.160 | I saw you own this over here.
00:19:24.680 | I saw you serve over here.
00:19:26.320 | I see your longing for the Lord, your time in the word
00:19:29.760 | that no one has to encourage you to do your prayer,
00:19:33.860 | your patience with others,
00:19:35.320 | the way that you're learning to forgive,
00:19:37.000 | the way you're serving family.
00:19:38.260 | I mean like these are just things
00:19:40.280 | that we have the opportunity to encourage.
00:19:44.500 | And sometimes I think we get into sort of a,
00:19:49.240 | I don't know, just too focused on the negative
00:19:52.740 | and we forget to count all the things
00:19:55.340 | that the Lord is doing in our family's life
00:19:58.160 | and our students' lives.
00:20:00.000 | - Right, oh this is so good.
00:20:02.320 | I think, I tend to be,
00:20:04.160 | and I'm sure that I burden to my children with this
00:20:09.360 | many times as a homeschooling mama,
00:20:12.020 | I tend to be a perfectionist too.
00:20:14.980 | And I want everything to be good and beautiful
00:20:19.120 | and just right and I want everybody to fully understand,
00:20:23.640 | I can remember thinking, I want you to fully understand
00:20:26.140 | what I have understood and I'm passing on to you
00:20:28.800 | and I want everybody to get it.
00:20:30.880 | I want us to all be able to check off the boxes
00:20:33.540 | and cross all the T's.
00:20:35.220 | And so for me, when I would do assessments,
00:20:39.400 | I would look at how well did I pass this on
00:20:42.220 | and how well did you pick this up?
00:20:44.080 | And it's so easy for us to fall into that kind of trap.
00:20:48.400 | But here's the truth, there are other things
00:20:51.360 | that we can assess besides just saying,
00:20:54.520 | well you did all your Latin exercises.
00:20:59.840 | You got a 96% on your last math test or assessment.
00:21:05.800 | You won the science fair.
00:21:13.320 | You wrote all your essentials papers.
00:21:15.540 | Instead of just looking, just assessing
00:21:20.540 | those kinds of milestones, what else?
00:21:23.680 | You mentioned some great things that I jotted down
00:21:27.280 | because I think, oh that's really good to remember.
00:21:29.440 | Some other things, other things that are part
00:21:32.080 | of homeschool success like an attitude of service
00:21:36.620 | to somebody else or a habit of persevering.
00:21:42.480 | What are some other things that we as parents
00:21:45.920 | need to recognize as a success or something
00:21:50.920 | that needs to be assessed as we're thinking
00:21:54.060 | about what went right with homeschooling?
00:21:57.200 | - I think there's, I mean, we just need to keep academics
00:22:01.860 | as important as I think those are.
00:22:03.800 | I love classical Christian studies.
00:22:06.400 | We need to remember that it's for the benefit
00:22:09.100 | of the student's eternal soul.
00:22:10.740 | I think we can get too focused on,
00:22:14.920 | oh no, is my kid gonna be prepared for college
00:22:17.660 | or their future calling or I need to hurry up
00:22:20.800 | and get this done and instead I think we need to think
00:22:24.100 | about what is important eternally more than academics.
00:22:28.660 | Where is my student with the Lord?
00:22:30.400 | Where is my student and their relationships
00:22:34.400 | with our family members and friends and people at church
00:22:38.880 | in our CC community?
00:22:40.880 | Where are they asking really important significant questions
00:22:45.880 | and learning to read hard things and wrestle?
00:22:49.440 | How are they learning to be hospitable
00:22:52.920 | and to bear with others in love who might be hard
00:22:57.840 | to love in community?
00:22:59.040 | That habit of contented gratitude,
00:23:07.160 | those things are things that I hope that I'm growing in
00:23:11.400 | as a Christian woman and what I want my student
00:23:15.440 | also to grow in.
00:23:17.660 | So I think learning to happily steward scholarly gifts
00:23:22.200 | that we've been given is important.
00:23:24.440 | I also think learning to respond with mercy
00:23:28.160 | to the failings of others, there's a--
00:23:30.600 | - And to our own failings, you know, we are not,
00:23:33.420 | I am not merciful to myself.
00:23:35.640 | I have tons of patience with children,
00:23:39.200 | more patience with adults than I have with myself.
00:23:43.380 | I have absolutely the least patience with myself of anybody.
00:23:47.280 | - Yeah, absolutely, I mean, I feel that same way.
00:23:51.000 | There's a prayer I love, it's from Every Moment Holy,
00:23:55.740 | volume one, it's a liturgy for students and scholars.
00:23:58.220 | And a couple of those things I mentioned
00:23:59.800 | are from that prayer.
00:24:00.840 | It's things that I've seen either my challenge students
00:24:04.560 | or my daughter or I've grasped a hold of,
00:24:09.560 | like keeping academics in perspective,
00:24:13.460 | because we're trying to do this for the glory of God.
00:24:16.520 | And the Lord says, you know,
00:24:17.680 | "Don't be anxious about the future,
00:24:19.240 | "don't be anxious about what you're gonna wear
00:24:21.220 | "or what you're gonna eat."
00:24:22.280 | I mean, I would say how you're gonna earn things
00:24:24.360 | or how quickly to get your college credits.
00:24:27.420 | The whole world says that that's the thing
00:24:29.240 | you must pursue right now,
00:24:30.520 | but the Lord says, "Seek first the kingdom."
00:24:33.000 | And so, and all these things will be given to you.
00:24:35.680 | And He says, "Rejoice, you know, always
00:24:38.920 | "and pray about the things that make you anxious
00:24:43.020 | "and abide in Him because He's going to fill us."
00:24:45.400 | I mean, like, these are the things
00:24:46.520 | that I most want my children to walk in,
00:24:51.280 | because it's the only anchor.
00:24:52.720 | I mean, Christ is our only anchor.
00:24:55.400 | And so I remember Lee talking about
00:24:58.520 | how the world will tell you all these things
00:25:01.320 | that your kids need and that you need,
00:25:03.040 | and they'll tell your kids they need all these things,
00:25:04.860 | but don't trade that opportunity to walk with them
00:25:09.480 | and to guide them spiritually and to continue on.
00:25:14.480 | And that's what encourages me in January
00:25:18.400 | is thinking about how the Lord might use
00:25:22.600 | our conversations, our studies together,
00:25:24.760 | our sharpening in community to make us more like His image.
00:25:30.760 | - I love that.
00:25:32.000 | There are so many non-academic victories
00:25:37.000 | for us as parents to look back on.
00:25:42.620 | There's so many non-academic wins to pursue.
00:25:47.620 | It's not all about getting the lesson done
00:25:52.000 | or even retaining the most information.
00:25:58.360 | Look back over your fall and think,
00:26:01.700 | did we spend more and more time talking together?
00:26:06.080 | Like you said, do we routinely ask better questions now
00:26:13.600 | than we did last year?
00:26:15.240 | I love this.
00:26:19.120 | I like to look back and think, okay,
00:26:20.920 | did my student tackle big or hard or new projects
00:26:26.880 | or subjects more readily?
00:26:29.720 | So was their confidence better?
00:26:32.640 | Was their determination better?
00:26:35.160 | Have they developed a better habit of saying,
00:26:39.840 | yes, I will, instead of no, I can't at the beginning?
00:26:45.920 | Like you said, have we as a family developed
00:26:51.440 | good spiritual habits?
00:26:53.500 | Are we loving?
00:26:56.700 | If you just looked at the fruit of the Spirit,
00:26:59.360 | are we loving?
00:27:00.760 | Do we project joy in the face of sorrow?
00:27:05.980 | Is there more peace with situations
00:27:11.640 | that were previously nerve-wracking issues?
00:27:15.240 | Are we patient with other people?
00:27:17.820 | Are we patient with ourselves?
00:27:19.760 | Are we patient with, like you said,
00:27:21.920 | that challenging member of our community?
00:27:26.240 | 'Cause if you don't know who's the challenging member
00:27:29.680 | of your community, it might be you.
00:27:32.300 | Are we gentle?
00:27:36.660 | Are your children growing in gentleness with one another?
00:27:40.440 | Are they open to new ideas?
00:27:43.240 | Are they open to other people's ways of doing things
00:27:47.380 | or seeing things?
00:27:48.900 | Is your family getting better at pursuing balance in life?
00:27:55.260 | 'Cause maybe you'll look back and say, you know what?
00:27:59.300 | We didn't finish all of the Saxon lessons,
00:28:03.120 | but every day we took a walk together.
00:28:07.240 | So are you balancing life?
00:28:10.160 | Are you better at that?
00:28:11.540 | And so I think, Brittany, what you and I are saying
00:28:14.700 | to the listeners is there are things besides academics
00:28:19.660 | that we need to assess.
00:28:21.660 | And sometimes when we grow a lot in one area,
00:28:25.300 | we discover that we've neglected another area.
00:28:28.440 | Or when we're assessing, we sometimes forget to assess
00:28:34.240 | what you rightly called the eternal important things.
00:28:39.240 | Such good suggestions that you have given us.
00:28:46.320 | I really appreciate it.
00:28:47.520 | And I know we're almost out of time.
00:28:49.820 | I wanna ask you, what is one encouragement?
00:28:54.820 | 'Cause you have homeschooled for a long time, like I have.
00:29:00.140 | We've homeschooled for a long time.
00:29:01.600 | So I wanna ask you, Brittany, what is one encouragement
00:29:06.100 | you have for mamas and daddies out there
00:29:09.380 | as we all begin again in this new year?
00:29:14.000 | - I try to spend some time just remembering why.
00:29:18.780 | What is our why?
00:29:19.860 | Why did my husband and I think this was important?
00:29:23.020 | What was the thing that's held us here?
00:29:25.840 | Because I think it can get lost in the details
00:29:28.320 | or some upcoming academic challenges that we see
00:29:33.320 | on the horizon might make us a little bit anxious.
00:29:36.980 | But remembering why we're doing this
00:29:39.140 | and filling up your own picture
00:29:42.580 | so that you can pour out to others, your children,
00:29:47.100 | I think that's really important.
00:29:48.700 | Spending time and the word in prayer is paramount
00:29:53.500 | for us as teachers and parents walking alongside our kids.
00:29:59.440 | And then just remembering that it's a privilege
00:30:04.800 | that we have this other-sidedness
00:30:07.220 | that most of the world doesn't have,
00:30:09.120 | that we know God's in everything we study.
00:30:12.880 | We know it all relates.
00:30:14.540 | And we can, I mean, what a better use of our time
00:30:17.460 | than to spend our heartbeats hunting for his fingerprints
00:30:20.980 | with our children.
00:30:22.660 | Because the world's not gonna give them that.
00:30:24.460 | Most schools that are out there, colleges,
00:30:27.260 | they're not gonna have that, careers, or even community.
00:30:30.380 | And so we have this opportunity, these precious hours,
00:30:33.400 | and you and I know how quickly those go by
00:30:36.100 | to seek first the kingdom with our children.
00:30:40.580 | And I think that would make January full of light, you know.
00:30:45.580 | - That is so true.
00:30:48.300 | And you know, listeners, if there are some of you out there
00:30:53.300 | who are thinking, I think our family's gonna walk away.
00:30:59.860 | I think we're gonna do something else.
00:31:02.820 | You know, there are other options for us.
00:31:06.220 | We're gonna pursue academics in a different way.
00:31:09.580 | I hope that what Brittany has just said
00:31:12.820 | will cause you to pause and reflect
00:31:17.180 | on how homeschooling, the homeschooling journey
00:31:22.860 | is not just about academics.
00:31:27.860 | It's not just about teaching your children how to learn.
00:31:34.180 | It's about nurturing their soul.
00:31:37.260 | It's about drawing your family together.
00:31:41.380 | I absolutely love what you said,
00:31:46.380 | that what we do as homeschoolers,
00:31:51.380 | when we're doing it right,
00:31:54.380 | we are hunting for God's fingerprints on the world.
00:31:59.380 | And what a joy, an incalculable joy, actually.
00:32:06.740 | It is to do that with your children.
00:32:09.620 | And so parents who are assessing
00:32:13.180 | whether or not you're gonna keep homeschooling
00:32:16.780 | or keep learning together classically as a family,
00:32:20.700 | take a minute and consider everything
00:32:25.540 | that's a part of this homeschooling journey.
00:32:28.380 | Brittany, thank you so much for the way
00:32:31.900 | you have poured encouragement and wisdom into us today.
00:32:36.860 | - Oh, it's a pleasure.
00:32:39.060 | I'm giving what I've received from others and from the heart.
00:32:44.060 | It's a beautiful thing that we get to do this together.
00:32:48.020 | - It is, it is.
00:32:49.500 | And listeners, parents, tutors, directors,
00:32:53.020 | if you have received some encouragement today
00:32:58.020 | and you think, okay, I need some help.
00:33:01.380 | I need to level up my skills.
00:33:05.620 | I need to become a better lead learner.
00:33:08.980 | I need to become a better assessor
00:33:11.620 | of my students learning at home.
00:33:13.620 | I have an idea for you.
00:33:17.300 | We have something called the classical learning cohort
00:33:21.340 | and registrations for the spring semester are starting now.
00:33:26.340 | So how it works is six times throughout the semester,
00:33:31.100 | you meet online with a small group of homeschool parents
00:33:35.300 | who are all on the same mission,
00:33:37.660 | growing their understanding of classical education
00:33:41.140 | and developing those lifelong skills
00:33:43.980 | that really help us guide our students through learning.
00:33:47.860 | The cohort would be led by an experienced mentor
00:33:52.140 | and you will walk through some hands-on assignments.
00:33:56.220 | You will work on giving and receiving classical assessments.
00:34:01.820 | You will work on building an exordium and introduction
00:34:06.820 | and developing a review for all the things
00:34:11.460 | you want to pass on to your student
00:34:13.820 | that will really show you how to engage your student
00:34:16.740 | with every lesson.
00:34:18.580 | Anyhow, if you wanna keep growing in your knowledge
00:34:22.260 | and your skills as a classical educator
00:34:25.260 | and you really would like a small learning environment,
00:34:28.580 | the classical learning cohort is probably for you.
00:34:32.180 | So like I said, registration for the spring semester
00:34:34.980 | has already begun and there are limited spaces.
00:34:38.420 | So go ahead and sign up or look for more information
00:34:42.820 | at classicalconversations.com/cohort.
00:34:47.820 | That's classicalconversations.com/cohort, okay?
00:34:56.260 | And I will look for you here next week
00:34:59.700 | so we can encourage and grow together.
00:35:02.940 | Thanks you guys, bye-bye.
00:35:05.300 | (gentle music)
00:35:07.880 | (music fades)
00:35:10.380 | [BLANK_AUDIO]