Everyday Educator - Assessing the Year by Celebrating the Student
00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)
00:00:02.580 | - Welcome friends to this episode
00:00:06.440 | of the "Everyday Educator" podcast.
00:00:09.220 | I'm your host, Lisa Bailey,
00:00:10.920 | and I'm excited to spend some time with you today
00:00:14.240 | as we encourage one another, learn together,
00:00:17.600 | and ponder the delights and challenges
00:00:20.380 | that make homeschooling the adventure of a lifetime.
00:00:23.760 | Whether you're just considering
00:00:25.960 | this homeschooling possibility
00:00:28.000 | or deep into the daily delight of family learning,
00:00:31.720 | I believe you'll enjoy thinking along with us.
00:00:35.560 | But don't forget,
00:00:36.960 | although this online community is awesome,
00:00:40.080 | you'll find even closer support in a local CC community.
00:00:45.080 | So go to classicalconversations.com
00:00:48.840 | and find a community near you today.
00:00:52.360 | Well, friends and listeners,
00:00:55.240 | I'm excited to tell you that the end
00:00:58.960 | of the academic year is approaching.
00:01:01.560 | I know that some of you have been chomping at the bit
00:01:04.440 | and some of you are sort of sad
00:01:06.160 | to see your community days drawing to a close,
00:01:09.920 | but all of us are thinking about end of the year
00:01:14.600 | and end of the year stuff.
00:01:16.240 | And one of the things that goes along
00:01:19.000 | with bringing our academic year to a close
00:01:22.000 | is usually assessment.
00:01:25.200 | Looking back at what we've done,
00:01:28.620 | at what our students have learned,
00:01:31.520 | about how we've grown together,
00:01:35.240 | and then also considering
00:01:38.360 | what do we wish had happened differently.
00:01:41.840 | All kinds of things to do with assessment.
00:01:43.800 | So today we are gonna talk a little bit
00:01:46.560 | about assessing the year,
00:01:49.440 | but I want us to think about assessment
00:01:52.080 | maybe in a little bit of a different way.
00:01:55.460 | We wanna think of assessment
00:01:58.800 | as celebrating the students that you have.
00:02:03.640 | And with me today is a very dear friend,
00:02:07.600 | a CC director who's worked with CC for years and years.
00:02:12.600 | I know her, I love her.
00:02:15.280 | I know how she loves her family
00:02:17.380 | and how she loves on her community.
00:02:19.520 | And I happen to know that she's kind of a big celebrator.
00:02:23.960 | I have with me today, Jill Philbrick from North Carolina.
00:02:27.960 | Jill, thanks for coming on.
00:02:30.240 | - It is such a pleasure to be here with you.
00:02:32.320 | Thank you for having me.
00:02:34.160 | - Jill and I have had lots of opportunities
00:02:36.560 | at practicums and at trainings to celebrate together.
00:02:40.960 | So I know listeners that you're gonna receive a blessing
00:02:44.040 | from hearing from her today.
00:02:45.960 | So let me just put it out there, Jill.
00:02:47.840 | I've already kind of spilled the beans with our audience.
00:02:50.520 | Are you a big celebrator?
00:02:53.760 | - I am a big celebrator.
00:02:56.680 | - Have you always been that way?
00:02:58.960 | - Well, I think that in many ways, yes.
00:03:03.520 | I would say that I have been.
00:03:05.200 | - So as a child,
00:03:06.400 | did your family do lots of celebrating things?
00:03:09.580 | - We did.
00:03:10.420 | We did them.
00:03:11.320 | I would say that I celebrate constantly maybe.
00:03:16.640 | That's really the way I feel like my parents were with me.
00:03:21.160 | My mom was home with me and we had one car.
00:03:25.240 | So we spent a lot of time at home together
00:03:28.200 | just celebrating whatever.
00:03:30.160 | I remember if I was learning to pronounce something
00:03:34.360 | or I was not homeschooled,
00:03:36.880 | but I have very vivid memories of my mom reading with me
00:03:40.880 | and helping me with vocabulary
00:03:43.760 | or if I had a school question
00:03:46.280 | or one time they had a math thing at school
00:03:50.840 | and they called her and said
00:03:52.360 | that I had won this estimating contest thing.
00:03:56.040 | When I got home,
00:03:57.040 | she had made a poster and hung it on the wall.
00:04:00.520 | So I think I did grow up with that,
00:04:04.120 | that celebration in everything.
00:04:07.760 | Not only, I didn't have to do something giant.
00:04:11.680 | If I was happy about it, she was happy about it.
00:04:14.160 | If I brought her a flower,
00:04:15.360 | she was, "Oh, yay, thank you."
00:04:17.400 | So I think, yes, that was my culture.
00:04:20.160 | - I love, that is very lovely.
00:04:22.080 | What a lovely way to grow up,
00:04:23.760 | celebrating big things like birthdays
00:04:26.640 | and winning prizes and then small things as well.
00:04:30.640 | I can remember feeling celebrated
00:04:34.480 | when I learned to tie my shoe, you know,
00:04:37.640 | or if I memorized a Bible verse
00:04:40.240 | for children's choir or something,
00:04:42.360 | I remember feeling celebrated.
00:04:45.400 | So what kinds of things do you celebrate as a family now?
00:04:50.400 | - As a family now, we definitely do birthdays,
00:04:56.200 | you know, and different accomplishments.
00:04:59.280 | If someone met something like a work thing
00:05:04.280 | or a school thing, some things like that,
00:05:07.040 | we definitely take a minute and everybody,
00:05:09.760 | "Oh, look, guess what?
00:05:10.600 | "Tell everybody what you did today."
00:05:13.320 | If something happened at CC,
00:05:14.520 | if there was a presentation that went well,
00:05:16.840 | we tend to ask each other,
00:05:18.120 | "Hey, how did your presentation go?"
00:05:19.680 | And even our older daughters would ask our sons,
00:05:23.880 | you know, "Hey, how'd that thing go at CC today?"
00:05:26.160 | - Oh, that's so sweet.
00:05:27.600 | - It really is.
00:05:28.640 | And I guess that sort of celebration,
00:05:31.440 | I wouldn't say it always turns into posters
00:05:33.600 | and going out for dinner,
00:05:34.720 | but it's always recognized
00:05:37.200 | and just affirming between one another.
00:05:41.640 | So those kinds of things happen,
00:05:44.800 | job things, good news that comes from different people.
00:05:48.920 | At church, we celebrate, you know,
00:05:52.560 | when there's a good report,
00:05:55.480 | especially when we're praying for something to happen.
00:05:58.240 | - Right, right.
00:05:59.160 | - So yeah, that's all that's there.
00:06:01.320 | - I love celebrating small things.
00:06:04.000 | I know, I feel like I like to celebrate things.
00:06:08.040 | In fact, one of my daughter's friends said one time,
00:06:11.080 | "Y'all have more weird celebration traditions
00:06:13.640 | "than any family I know."
00:06:15.320 | And so I think that maybe we do,
00:06:18.040 | and I just didn't recognize that,
00:06:19.640 | but we have always celebrated small things,
00:06:23.040 | maybe in outsized ways.
00:06:25.280 | I can remember for years,
00:06:27.960 | we celebrated the sighting of the first spring robin
00:06:32.960 | because Stephanie and I went to the library
00:06:36.760 | when she was really little and got books every week.
00:06:39.960 | And one of her favorite books one year
00:06:42.800 | was a book called "My Spring Robin."
00:06:46.280 | And so it talked all about the first robin
00:06:48.680 | that this little child saw.
00:06:50.440 | And so she made it her practice for years
00:06:53.360 | to find the first spring robin.
00:06:55.320 | And I found myself last week,
00:06:58.600 | when I was able to spend some time
00:07:00.600 | with my grandson in his backyard,
00:07:03.880 | I found myself looking,
00:07:05.800 | and we in fact saw our first spring robin.
00:07:10.520 | And I think he thought that Lolly
00:07:12.640 | was a little outside the bounds of it.
00:07:16.320 | He didn't understand why I was so excited.
00:07:18.960 | And I guess to him and his 20-month-old self,
00:07:22.040 | it was just a bird in the backyard, Lolly.
00:07:25.320 | But I think that celebrating is fun.
00:07:28.760 | - It is. - It's fun.
00:07:30.480 | - And why wouldn't we?
00:07:32.000 | - Yes. - I mean, you know,
00:07:33.520 | God celebrates, He sings over us with joy.
00:07:37.040 | There's glory every morning.
00:07:40.720 | And I think He loves when we notice it.
00:07:43.160 | I think He loves when we love one another enough
00:07:46.000 | to rejoice when others rejoice.
00:07:48.120 | - Yes.
00:07:48.960 | I was gonna ask you, why is celebrating fun?
00:07:53.480 | 'Cause we've talked about some fun things.
00:07:55.120 | Why is celebrating fun?
00:07:56.640 | Why is celebrating necessary and beneficial or biblical?
00:08:00.640 | I love what you've already said that, you know,
00:08:04.040 | we're following God's example.
00:08:05.680 | He celebrates and sings, and He asks us to be joyful.
00:08:10.240 | Give me some other,
00:08:11.080 | why is celebrating fun or necessary or biblical?
00:08:14.800 | - Well, it's, I mean, it's really hard to celebrate
00:08:17.520 | with a frown on your face.
00:08:19.320 | It's, you know, one time I heard somebody one time say
00:08:22.880 | that if you're not feeling happy, you should skip.
00:08:25.840 | Because it is really hard to be in a bad mood
00:08:29.600 | while you're skipping.
00:08:31.280 | - I don't think she invented that.
00:08:32.880 | I think she heard it somewhere.
00:08:34.880 | But I tried it, and it is true.
00:08:37.560 | So I think putting ourself,
00:08:39.360 | being intentional about rejoicing with others,
00:08:43.480 | it might, if you're not a rejoicer or a celebrator,
00:08:46.960 | it can feel a little uncomfortable at first and awkward.
00:08:50.520 | You know, like maybe that person who really liked to hug
00:08:52.920 | and they come with their arms a little stiff.
00:08:55.680 | But I think if we practice it,
00:08:58.320 | we can begin to find a style of celebrating
00:09:01.520 | that works for us.
00:09:02.360 | It doesn't have to everybody look the same,
00:09:04.960 | but it does put our heart in an expectant state
00:09:09.360 | for good and for joy, and that's God, right?
00:09:13.640 | He is, He wants us to think on these things,
00:09:17.160 | things which are worthy of praise,
00:09:19.080 | things which glorify Him,
00:09:20.680 | things which are good and have a good report.
00:09:23.480 | And so we're doing what Philippians says
00:09:25.720 | when we are looking for and thinking on those things.
00:09:29.600 | So it is joyful and fun.
00:09:32.040 | It is biblical.
00:09:33.720 | And I think it's necessary because if we don't,
00:09:37.800 | if we don't celebrate,
00:09:39.480 | then all the work can feel that it wasn't received.
00:09:44.480 | And I think receiving the work
00:09:48.840 | is just as important as doing the work.
00:09:51.760 | So years ago, I was visiting family
00:09:55.200 | who lives a thousand miles away,
00:09:56.960 | and I call her my cousin-in-law.
00:09:59.120 | And if you've talked to me for long,
00:10:00.480 | you've probably heard me talk about my cousin-in-law.
00:10:03.400 | Michelle is her name, and she is so dear to my heart.
00:10:06.080 | So she brought me, well, didn't bring to me,
00:10:08.840 | she was showing me a quilt that somebody made
00:10:12.440 | for her daughter.
00:10:13.440 | So the thing's 20 years old now,
00:10:15.480 | and it is shown some wear, but you can see the stitches.
00:10:19.520 | And this quilt was, it's so precious to her.
00:10:23.400 | And we were talking about how all that hard work,
00:10:26.080 | those even stitches, that was, it was not,
00:10:29.000 | it didn't just fall together.
00:10:30.680 | This was hours of someone's time and love.
00:10:34.560 | And if Michelle had not received that quilt,
00:10:38.360 | it would have been just merely work
00:10:42.040 | on the part of her friend.
00:10:44.080 | But when she received that quilt,
00:10:46.360 | it was a joy for both of them.
00:10:48.480 | And I think that when we receive the work
00:10:52.840 | that our children do, it's not anymore just work.
00:10:57.440 | It's also joy.
00:10:58.480 | If we cook a meal and everybody ate it,
00:11:00.760 | but no one received it with gladness,
00:11:03.320 | then we just feel like we did work.
00:11:05.440 | But if they tell us it was good, or that they appreciate it,
00:11:09.080 | or they even notice that we, I don't know, did something,
00:11:13.880 | whatever thing we did different that time,
00:11:17.560 | either added some cinnamon,
00:11:19.080 | or put one little single flower on the table,
00:11:22.080 | or maybe brought in that new spring robin
00:11:24.120 | and let it walk around on the table.
00:11:25.720 | (both laughing)
00:11:28.160 | That when we notice those things, it does bring joy.
00:11:31.880 | And if we don't notice, like God notices,
00:11:34.320 | we read in the Bible that He sees the work we do,
00:11:39.160 | and He honors it.
00:11:41.200 | And sometimes knowing that He sees is enough for us,
00:11:45.240 | because we can feel unthanked, we can feel unnoticed.
00:11:49.720 | And I'm sure our children feel that way too,
00:11:51.920 | about their math, and their science, and their Latin,
00:11:54.800 | and cleaning their room, and practicing their instruments.
00:11:59.120 | - Right.
00:11:59.960 | - All those things that they can feel overlooked
00:12:03.200 | and unappreciated.
00:12:04.160 | And when we know God sees it and God receives it,
00:12:07.840 | then it helps us to do it.
00:12:10.000 | Well, why not us also actively follow God's pattern
00:12:14.160 | of receiving it, acknowledging it,
00:12:17.080 | and making it part of what we celebrate?
00:12:20.280 | - Oh, I love this so much.
00:12:24.680 | We celebrate because it follows God's pattern.
00:12:29.160 | I love that.
00:12:31.680 | And what a great thing to pass on to our children
00:12:36.680 | so that our grandchildren will also be celebrated,
00:12:40.600 | and our great-grandchildren.
00:12:42.120 | I love it that in what you have said, Jill,
00:12:46.200 | I can see that rejoicing together,
00:12:50.720 | celebrating together, builds community.
00:12:54.640 | And we can live together in celebration,
00:12:59.680 | and that is a beautiful thing.
00:13:02.000 | I love this a lot.
00:13:04.040 | Okay, let me ask you,
00:13:05.200 | let's bring it toward our homeschooling lives.
00:13:08.320 | I mean, although as homeschooling moms,
00:13:10.920 | for all of these years,
00:13:12.040 | you and I are used to everything
00:13:13.880 | being about the homeschooling life.
00:13:16.040 | What do you remember?
00:13:17.520 | 'Cause you said you were not homeschooled.
00:13:19.320 | Neither was I.
00:13:20.800 | What do you remember about the end of the year
00:13:25.000 | as a student yourself?
00:13:27.400 | What was the end of the year like for you?
00:13:30.040 | I mean, I remember exams.
00:13:32.040 | That's what I remember about the end of the year.
00:13:34.400 | - Yes, I remember exams.
00:13:36.600 | And I remember feeling that at the end of the year,
00:13:38.960 | there was lots of watching movies.
00:13:41.480 | - Oh, gosh, yes.
00:13:42.320 | - In the classrooms.
00:13:43.280 | You know, it felt like everything sort of slacked off.
00:13:48.440 | But I don't know that I felt like
00:13:50.680 | there was an academic closure.
00:13:53.520 | And so I love that in CC,
00:13:57.520 | we do have some year-end presentations,
00:14:00.680 | some things that build.
00:14:02.440 | I think that that final debate
00:14:04.520 | and that final presentation or speech
00:14:08.280 | or memory master opportunity,
00:14:10.360 | even if you don't take advantage of it,
00:14:11.800 | or faces of history,
00:14:13.560 | I think that those things are an academic closure
00:14:17.800 | and a way to celebrate and finish something
00:14:21.200 | instead of just having it dribble off into nothingness.
00:14:24.040 | So I would say that my academic year,
00:14:27.760 | really, it just was a shift in our thinking
00:14:30.160 | towards summer and most people,
00:14:32.160 | I can't wait to get out of here sort of thing.
00:14:34.480 | And sometimes the teachers too,
00:14:36.960 | which doesn't make you feel super celebrated
00:14:38.960 | and welcomed at all,
00:14:40.000 | when the teachers don't know what to do.
00:14:42.120 | - Yeah, they're just eager to get rid of you
00:14:44.520 | and not see you every day for a while.
00:14:47.720 | - Yes, exactly.
00:14:48.680 | And say, instead of,
00:14:50.120 | I don't think they knew,
00:14:51.920 | they probably had work they had to do.
00:14:53.840 | And so putting a movie on was,
00:14:55.880 | it was not that they didn't want
00:14:58.040 | to do something fun with us
00:14:59.120 | and they thought they were doing something fun with us.
00:15:01.760 | There were no blue books,
00:15:04.040 | there was no big conversation at the end of the year
00:15:07.320 | with all the inside jokes that we have gathered
00:15:09.840 | as we studied.
00:15:10.840 | - I like that, inside jokes.
00:15:14.560 | Yeah, those last days of community with CC are,
00:15:19.560 | you're right, all about the inside jokes
00:15:23.040 | and the remembering the stories
00:15:26.320 | and the culmination of all those efforts
00:15:30.000 | towards something.
00:15:33.680 | Like you said, you have mock trial,
00:15:36.600 | you have the senior thesis,
00:15:38.960 | you have final debates.
00:15:41.640 | So many end of the year,
00:15:45.640 | tie up all the loose ends
00:15:48.160 | and let's celebrate together
00:15:50.920 | what we've learned together.
00:15:54.240 | And that's a cool thing.
00:15:55.640 | So what do you do with your children?
00:15:57.960 | What have you done?
00:15:59.080 | What do you do with your children
00:16:01.120 | as the end of the school year approaches?
00:16:03.320 | How do you commemorate the year?
00:16:06.160 | And then I'm gonna ask you,
00:16:07.320 | how did you assess the year?
00:16:10.120 | - So I would say that commemorations in our home
00:16:13.320 | have followed what was being commemorated in community.
00:16:18.000 | So if it was mock trial,
00:16:19.800 | we would participate in that,
00:16:21.640 | gear up for that and then celebrate that when it was over.
00:16:25.240 | Or the final debate,
00:16:27.840 | just saying, "Hey, how did that go?"
00:16:30.120 | "Yay, your last debate, okay."
00:16:32.880 | - Wonderful.
00:16:33.720 | Or you can either put it behind you
00:16:35.200 | and let's just move on or--
00:16:37.440 | - Right. - Right.
00:16:38.280 | (laughing)
00:16:40.360 | - Yes.
00:16:41.200 | - You know, that can be the thrill of victory
00:16:43.800 | and the agony of defeat sometimes.
00:16:45.640 | - Yes, the how well you did and how much we learned.
00:16:49.280 | Yes.
00:16:50.120 | - Yes, exactly, exactly.
00:16:52.480 | And sometimes, okay, the Bible says let's avoid offense.
00:16:55.720 | There can be some of that in there too.
00:16:57.480 | - Right, right.
00:16:58.480 | - Because it's difficult to look back
00:17:03.280 | without only seeing something from your own perspective
00:17:07.000 | in mock-- - Sure.
00:17:07.840 | - Anything of the competition especially.
00:17:09.640 | - Sure, sure.
00:17:10.800 | - So, you know, working through that,
00:17:11.960 | I think that's part of assessing too is,
00:17:14.760 | okay, let's be honest about this.
00:17:16.600 | Where did you do well?
00:17:17.840 | Where didn't you do well?
00:17:18.840 | What was or was not what you would consider fair?
00:17:22.200 | And what do we do about it in the future?
00:17:24.320 | Can you be more clear?
00:17:25.760 | Can you, what can you do?
00:17:28.440 | So those kinds of things I think have been,
00:17:31.720 | have guided the kinds of celebrations we have at home
00:17:36.440 | based on the things that were accomplished in CC.
00:17:39.880 | Excuse me.
00:17:41.480 | So we would sometimes go out to dinner.
00:17:45.360 | Sometimes maybe with another student or a family,
00:17:50.280 | people would say, hey, this is over, let's, who's,
00:17:53.040 | and it would be spur of the moment usually.
00:17:54.920 | Like, we're going to Chick-fil-A, you know,
00:17:56.880 | after commuting. - Yes.
00:17:57.720 | - Of course it's Chick-fil-A.
00:17:58.680 | - Of course. - Because that's where
00:17:59.520 | all the (indistinct) works.
00:18:00.360 | - That's where we're going.
00:18:01.680 | - And get a milkshake.
00:18:02.720 | - Yes.
00:18:04.920 | - Right, things like that, or just even,
00:18:08.040 | just staying a little longer
00:18:09.600 | and playing on the playground a little longer.
00:18:11.480 | And the moms hanging out and talking.
00:18:13.680 | Our community doesn't have a whole lot of dads.
00:18:15.960 | Usually if they come, they come for lunch or something,
00:18:18.680 | which we love seeing them.
00:18:20.200 | But when I say moms, I only mean that
00:18:22.320 | in my personal community,
00:18:24.480 | there aren't really a lot of dads that are there.
00:18:26.400 | Not that they shouldn't. - Yes.
00:18:28.160 | - So I don't want to exclude that.
00:18:29.520 | - Yeah, yeah.
00:18:30.720 | - But when the parents do hang around and talk and laugh,
00:18:33.520 | that feels like a celebration too.
00:18:35.320 | - Yes, it does. - That nobody's rushing
00:18:37.320 | to get in their car and that we ask each other,
00:18:39.840 | hey, how'd they do?
00:18:40.920 | How did this go?
00:18:42.240 | I feel like that is, it's a way of life
00:18:45.200 | instead of maybe necessarily a huge thing.
00:18:49.920 | And that because CC has a lot to celebrate throughout,
00:18:53.320 | because we have peer review
00:18:56.120 | and self-assessment constantly in the challenge years,
00:19:00.040 | we are frequently assessing
00:19:02.400 | and learning how our assessment
00:19:04.400 | is not only what we would criticize about ourselves.
00:19:08.160 | - Yes, yes, I like that.
00:19:11.280 | I remember that I used to,
00:19:15.280 | as a tutor, when we would have debates,
00:19:19.360 | we would begin, we would always do assessment at the end
00:19:22.960 | because for one thing,
00:19:25.600 | students have to be pressed to assess themselves well,
00:19:28.960 | to not, some to not be too hard on themselves
00:19:31.800 | and some not to give themselves too much credit.
00:19:34.440 | But it was always important that we did that together.
00:19:38.000 | And so I would always ask the opposing team,
00:19:42.560 | what did your opponent do well?
00:19:45.760 | And they got to share what the other team did
00:19:50.440 | that was so good and they would give them kudos.
00:19:52.680 | And then I would always ask each team,
00:19:56.000 | what do you wish you had done differently?
00:19:59.920 | Not necessarily better, that's kind of pejorative.
00:20:03.440 | What do you wish you had done differently?
00:20:05.880 | So I love that whole idea of taking assessment,
00:20:09.600 | not just from your parent and not just from yourself,
00:20:15.440 | but from your community of learning.
00:20:17.560 | That's really good.
00:20:18.800 | - Yes, and I love that you said too,
00:20:21.720 | it's different instead of better.
00:20:23.920 | I'm not sure that I have been intentional with that wording,
00:20:28.920 | but I love that.
00:20:30.480 | And I love very specific, very intentional wording.
00:20:33.520 | So I'm going to make that change
00:20:38.280 | and work toward adjusting that in my vocabulary.
00:20:41.600 | I really like that.
00:20:43.000 | What could you have done differently?
00:20:45.480 | - As a student, I was always, and frankly, as an adult,
00:20:49.600 | I was always really hard on myself.
00:20:52.320 | What did I do wrong?
00:20:53.760 | How did I fall short?
00:20:56.520 | And so I think it is really helpful to think,
00:21:01.360 | huh, well, this is what I did and this was the outcome.
00:21:05.440 | Instead of saying, what did I do right or wrong?
00:21:08.160 | What could I do differently?
00:21:09.920 | Maybe the outcome was not bad,
00:21:12.360 | but I now think if I had done this instead,
00:21:17.360 | maybe the outcome would have been this instead.
00:21:21.480 | And so that's just, that's kind of fun.
00:21:23.920 | - I really like that.
00:21:24.800 | I think all the future people who cross my path
00:21:27.360 | and are assessed by me will want to write you
00:21:29.680 | a thank you note.
00:21:30.520 | - Let me ask you this.
00:21:32.920 | What do you assess about your student
00:21:36.520 | or with your student at the end of the year
00:21:40.240 | or anytime you do assessment really,
00:21:43.000 | but since we're talking about assessments
00:21:44.960 | at the end of the year,
00:21:46.360 | what do you assess with your students?
00:21:49.200 | - I would say the number one thing I assess is whether,
00:21:53.600 | and I ask them, did you do your best?
00:21:56.480 | I am thrilled when their academic work is strengthened,
00:22:01.480 | but I would rather, and I don't think we have to choose.
00:22:07.880 | I don't think it's either academic growth
00:22:10.360 | or character growth.
00:22:12.440 | But I think only one and not the other can be frustrating.
00:22:17.440 | So if my child did great academic growth,
00:22:22.640 | but grew very prideful or angry at their peers
00:22:27.280 | or started comparing themselves a little haughtily
00:22:32.280 | or gave me a hard time every time I said, get out this,
00:22:35.920 | then that's a big part of homeschool for me.
00:22:40.600 | That's the whole point of homeschool
00:22:43.320 | is a whole person mentoring,
00:22:45.640 | not just can you be the best at one
00:22:48.800 | or even six strands of learning.
00:22:52.000 | So that is probably the heavier weight for me.
00:22:56.400 | I have been blessed that my children
00:22:58.960 | have not struggled academically.
00:23:01.360 | It does not mean that everything came easy.
00:23:04.040 | I mean, that they were A students in everything,
00:23:07.240 | but it does mean that I did not,
00:23:09.360 | they were able to do work when they applied diligence
00:23:15.360 | and when they tried, it was not the struggle
00:23:21.680 | that some people have to go through.
00:23:23.880 | And I am very, very blessed for that.
00:23:26.680 | So I have had the ability to push them a little further
00:23:32.680 | and to push them in their attitude as well and say, okay,
00:23:36.120 | but did you really do your best?
00:23:38.560 | And I think that I've assigned grades that way.
00:23:40.880 | I have, I've said, okay, did you do your best?
00:23:45.480 | And if they say no, then for me personally,
00:23:48.360 | then that's not an A plus
00:23:49.600 | because in my assessment of my children,
00:23:53.360 | their attitude matters toward their grade.
00:23:55.640 | And if they did not give their best,
00:23:59.320 | and if they did not give their best,
00:24:01.680 | if they got everything right in math,
00:24:03.600 | but their attitude stunk,
00:24:05.600 | well, I mean, it's kind of hard not to give an A plus
00:24:07.920 | when you got it all right,
00:24:09.040 | but I am not very good at grading.
00:24:12.280 | - You could, and you are the parent.
00:24:15.960 | You are the authority.
00:24:17.080 | You know what you were going for
00:24:19.400 | and arrogance was not it.
00:24:21.960 | - No, it was not.
00:24:22.800 | And honestly, I feel like grades mean so little
00:24:25.600 | compared to what they used to be,
00:24:27.700 | that everything is a gray area with grades,
00:24:30.200 | especially when you're a homeschooler,
00:24:31.720 | that no college really looks at that A as an A,
00:24:35.200 | that they don't look at that B as a B.
00:24:37.360 | And I've given my kids Bs for not doing their best.
00:24:40.800 | And I've asked them, what do you think you deserve?
00:24:42.800 | And they have said, well, I think I deserve a B here.
00:24:45.560 | Now I have not, if they've said it was awful and hard
00:24:48.840 | and I think I deserve a C,
00:24:50.680 | I'm like, well, okay, let's talk about it.
00:24:52.400 | - Right, exactly.
00:24:54.080 | - Did you put in the effort?
00:24:56.120 | - Yeah.
00:24:56.960 | - Did you make, did you correct it?
00:24:58.640 | Yes, I worked through it and I corrected it.
00:25:00.360 | Well, then it was right by the end.
00:25:02.680 | So I'm not gonna make you carry poor work with you.
00:25:07.380 | It's not like you got half of it right
00:25:10.040 | and you can't redeem it
00:25:12.020 | and now you move on to the next chapter
00:25:13.660 | and you still don't know what you're doing.
00:25:15.280 | We worked through it.
00:25:16.720 | We figured it out.
00:25:17.720 | You did complete the assignment.
00:25:19.740 | You did learn what you needed to learn
00:25:22.240 | and carry that with you into the next page
00:25:24.320 | or chapter or book.
00:25:25.900 | So I think that I give a lot of grace there,
00:25:29.120 | especially when there's been a good attitude.
00:25:31.560 | So I would say we assess attitude.
00:25:33.320 | We assess cooperation.
00:25:34.800 | We assess even things like preparation.
00:25:37.720 | Were you up on time?
00:25:39.280 | Did this year go well?
00:25:42.160 | And we've had years that I felt like the whole year
00:25:44.840 | was just a struggle with everybody getting on the same page
00:25:49.600 | at the same time.
00:25:50.440 | And we've said, okay, guys, you know what?
00:25:53.840 | This year, what went well was X, Y, Z.
00:25:57.880 | What did not go well was one, two, three.
00:26:00.240 | So what's our plan?
00:26:02.360 | And we've tried to work together
00:26:03.840 | and come to an agreement.
00:26:05.460 | I only have one child in CC anymore
00:26:07.800 | and he is in challenge two.
00:26:10.560 | And so this year, from last year
00:26:13.760 | and the beginning of this year,
00:26:14.680 | we talked about, okay, what's our plan?
00:26:17.040 | We know that the two of us who are very much alike
00:26:20.480 | and who are probably the most unstructured of us.
00:26:25.480 | - Sure, I can see that.
00:26:30.920 | (both laughing)
00:26:33.240 | I can see that.
00:26:34.060 | - It's just like a great big comedy show for heaven.
00:26:36.760 | And they can just watch them.
00:26:39.100 | They're having a good time.
00:26:40.600 | And so we had to say, okay, we've got to set our alarm.
00:26:43.280 | We've got to meet in the kitchen by a certain time.
00:26:46.080 | We've, and even he would come to me and say,
00:26:48.960 | mom, you know what?
00:26:49.840 | I've noticed if we don't start with math,
00:26:52.000 | then it's really hard to get it in.
00:26:53.480 | I'm like, you're right, bud.
00:26:54.840 | Let's get this thing going.
00:26:56.120 | So I think the two of us,
00:26:58.440 | sort of a continual course correction, I guess.
00:27:03.440 | - Yes, yes.
00:27:06.120 | - I feel like that was a very long answer.
00:27:08.520 | - I think that's a good answer though.
00:27:10.560 | I love that continual course correction is very important.
00:27:15.560 | And you know what, Jill?
00:27:17.640 | I think that's a good piece for families
00:27:21.600 | to add into assessment.
00:27:24.760 | So it's not just what did we do well this year academically
00:27:29.760 | and how did we grow spiritually
00:27:35.760 | and emotionally and relationally?
00:27:39.040 | It's also what will we do with this assessment?
00:27:42.940 | You're teaching your children
00:27:45.040 | that assessment is important, but for a reason,
00:27:47.840 | not just so that we can feel better or worse about ourselves
00:27:52.160 | but for what you just said,
00:27:53.720 | it will allow for continual course correction.
00:27:57.920 | If we know that what we did this year
00:28:02.520 | did not, either did or did not give us the results
00:28:06.080 | that we really were shooting for,
00:28:08.640 | then what will we do to make sure
00:28:11.880 | we don't find ourselves discouraged or disappointed
00:28:16.240 | at the end of next semester?
00:28:18.760 | - Yes.
00:28:19.600 | - So I love that.
00:28:21.560 | - I really liked that you said
00:28:23.120 | it isn't to make us feel good or bad.
00:28:26.120 | It's to have a better result
00:28:29.820 | or a continued growth of results if things are going well.
00:28:33.460 | I really liked that summary there.
00:28:37.960 | That's awesome.
00:28:39.920 | I know that a lot of parents,
00:28:42.560 | especially maybe some of our listeners
00:28:45.960 | who are just getting started
00:28:47.820 | with this home-centered education,
00:28:49.880 | they maybe have had their kids in public
00:28:52.840 | or even private school,
00:28:54.080 | and they themselves may be the result
00:28:56.040 | of public and private education.
00:28:58.840 | A lot of parents rely on assessing by test scores
00:29:02.640 | or a grade that their student may have gotten
00:29:06.680 | on a project, a report, or a paper,
00:29:10.560 | mostly seeing assessment as how much have we learned
00:29:14.400 | this year in or about fill-in-the-blank subject.
00:29:18.960 | But I love that you brought out
00:29:21.040 | there are other areas of growth
00:29:25.840 | that we as parents who love our whole child want to assess.
00:29:30.840 | You know, when I was in school,
00:29:32.840 | I got a grade for trig
00:29:36.560 | and a grade for chemistry
00:29:38.520 | and a grade for American literature
00:29:41.720 | by specific teachers who,
00:29:45.160 | now, I'm not saying they didn't care about me as a person,
00:29:47.960 | but academically, they only cared about
00:29:50.840 | what I did in that one subject, in that one class.
00:29:54.200 | And as homeschooling parents,
00:29:56.160 | that's not true of our children's teachers
00:29:59.560 | 'cause we care that they are learning
00:30:02.760 | what they are applying themselves to.
00:30:05.040 | I'm not saying that I didn't care about
00:30:07.560 | my child learning algebra two or biology, right?
00:30:11.560 | I did care that they were learning
00:30:14.600 | what they applied themselves to.
00:30:16.880 | But I also cared that they were
00:30:20.320 | learning to do hard things,
00:30:23.680 | that they were learning to persevere.
00:30:27.320 | I cared that they were learning to listen
00:30:30.960 | with a caring heart.
00:30:32.800 | I wanted to know that they were kinder
00:30:37.800 | in their dealings with their family and their friends
00:30:42.840 | than they were last year.
00:30:44.640 | So what are some other growth things that we could assess?
00:30:48.280 | - I think comprehension, and it sounds academic,
00:30:53.400 | but if they are frustrated by Latin or math or reading,
00:30:58.400 | then that would let us know that that's an area
00:31:02.480 | that they need more equipping.
00:31:04.040 | And it isn't that they failed,
00:31:07.000 | it might be that there's a missing piece,
00:31:10.080 | a gap in the grammar somewhere,
00:31:12.040 | that somewhere, something is just not clicking.
00:31:16.480 | And what we might say then is,
00:31:18.640 | if we recognize that our student
00:31:21.240 | is having a hard time with something,
00:31:22.920 | then that's probably the area
00:31:24.800 | that we need to begin sitting with them while they work.
00:31:27.640 | - Good job.
00:31:28.480 | Oh yeah, that's awesome.
00:31:29.840 | - That way we are also,
00:31:31.200 | I mean, 'cause we probably don't know
00:31:32.600 | as much as they do about the topic
00:31:34.120 | if we haven't been sitting with them.
00:31:36.800 | So letting them teach us or letting them ask questions
00:31:41.720 | and us working through some of those things and using,
00:31:44.600 | there's so many resources.
00:31:46.200 | Oh my goodness.
00:31:47.440 | I mean, CC Connected,
00:31:48.520 | if you really are a watch a video person,
00:31:50.680 | there's videos for most of the things.
00:31:52.960 | - For most everything.
00:31:54.240 | - Yes.
00:31:55.080 | And in foundations,
00:31:56.160 | lots of people have come up with lots of things.
00:31:58.320 | If memory work has been hard,
00:32:00.600 | then we need to sit with our children
00:32:02.200 | and work on memory work.
00:32:03.200 | If Faces of History or leading up to that
00:32:06.200 | with writing and IEW has been hard,
00:32:08.720 | then maybe we need to let them dictate to us
00:32:12.680 | or we need to model that for them.
00:32:16.760 | Maybe we need to diagram some sentences
00:32:19.280 | and let them ask us the questions to confirm,
00:32:23.920 | are we in the right direction here with this?
00:32:25.960 | What part of speech is this?
00:32:27.600 | The question confirmations that they learn.
00:32:29.800 | Maybe if we're in challenge A
00:32:31.960 | and they're having a hard time with their Latin vocabulary,
00:32:34.840 | we need to sit down beside them and say,
00:32:38.640 | okay, tell me everything you know about this ending
00:32:41.640 | and let's compare it to the answer key
00:32:43.440 | and what can you find?
00:32:45.200 | So it's more, I would say,
00:32:46.720 | assessing if they're comfortable learning.
00:32:50.680 | And if they're not,
00:32:51.840 | then we have a part as a parent
00:32:54.760 | to equip them in that area and strengthen that.
00:32:58.120 | It isn't necessarily, can be,
00:33:00.040 | that they just didn't do their work.
00:33:01.680 | But then that's not a learning thing.
00:33:03.360 | That's really something else.
00:33:04.200 | - That's a hard thing.
00:33:05.600 | - It is.
00:33:06.440 | So if they need assessment in that area,
00:33:09.680 | I would say, so understanding
00:33:12.560 | is something that's good to assess
00:33:14.960 | and to assess whether we're doing it
00:33:17.160 | in a way that helps them understand,
00:33:18.760 | not to assess their ability to understand,
00:33:22.280 | but is this process working?
00:33:25.360 | Like we did in IEW,
00:33:28.280 | did your keyword outline serve you well?
00:33:31.200 | If you couldn't remember it,
00:33:32.440 | it wasn't that there's something wrong with your memory,
00:33:34.360 | it's that you need to tweak your keyword outline
00:33:36.400 | 'cause those things that you wrote
00:33:38.520 | aren't triggering your memory,
00:33:40.080 | aren't allowing you to,
00:33:41.760 | you need to choose something different.
00:33:44.240 | - Right, right.
00:33:45.680 | - So did it serve you, not did you serve it?
00:33:49.040 | And so I think the same thing with comprehension.
00:33:51.600 | I would say too, assessing in an area of what,
00:33:55.080 | like you said earlier, are they kinder?
00:33:57.200 | Are they celebrating one another?
00:33:59.080 | And when they feel celebrated,
00:34:00.920 | hopefully that's some seed we planted in them
00:34:04.320 | that will grow and will produce celebration for others.
00:34:09.320 | Hopefully they will start to look at their friends
00:34:12.760 | and say, "Hey, that was a great, I loved your presentation.
00:34:15.320 | "This was so good."
00:34:16.520 | And maybe even recognize where,
00:34:18.880 | if we talk through those things with them
00:34:21.120 | about this is what you did well,
00:34:23.840 | then maybe they'll be more comfortable
00:34:25.960 | sharing those kinds of compliments with others.
00:34:27.920 | Or if we say, so language,
00:34:31.840 | if a student says, "I'm a math person,"
00:34:34.200 | which I don't like when people do that anyway
00:34:35.880 | because you're a person and God is all those things
00:34:39.200 | and he's all those things in you.
00:34:40.480 | So just don't limit yourself.
00:34:43.360 | I'm not saying that you can't love math.
00:34:45.280 | I'm saying don't say that that's all you are
00:34:47.840 | because you have all of it
00:34:49.880 | 'cause God has all of it and he's in you.
00:34:52.120 | But if you love math and feel like that literature is hard,
00:34:56.080 | then maybe you can look at literature like you look at math
00:34:59.200 | and learn to decode literature.
00:35:01.640 | Or maybe if you feel like you're really strong in literature
00:35:04.320 | and that math is not your favorite thing
00:35:06.520 | or that math seems to be more work for you,
00:35:09.960 | then look at math as a language.
00:35:12.360 | So what are your strengths?
00:35:13.920 | What makes this one thing work for you?
00:35:17.360 | And then ask the Lord.
00:35:19.280 | Like as a parent, we can say,
00:35:21.480 | "Lord," he's right there wanting us to ask him,
00:35:24.480 | "What this more approachable for my child?
00:35:28.680 | "Why do they seem to have better success,"
00:35:32.440 | on paper at least, "in this area?
00:35:34.520 | "And how can I relate that to this other area?"
00:35:38.760 | And show them where the skills they have
00:35:41.440 | will also work here.
00:35:43.320 | And that can encourage our students
00:35:45.320 | so they don't feel they have to put a whole different brain
00:35:47.440 | in their head to do a different task.
00:35:49.760 | - Oh, I love that.
00:35:52.040 | Wow, and that really teaches them
00:35:55.080 | about assessment in a different way.
00:35:59.680 | It is not just a grade.
00:36:02.640 | It is not only outcome-based.
00:36:05.640 | It's let's look at the process.
00:36:08.120 | Let's look at the process of learning
00:36:10.240 | and let's focus together as a parent and student as a team
00:36:15.240 | on how can we help you shore up your grasp
00:36:21.080 | on the skills of learning and on the different tools.
00:36:24.760 | And let's look at the outcome that you got
00:36:28.000 | and why that might be a surprise to you.
00:36:30.960 | And there's so much more to assessing
00:36:34.560 | than just thinking you got an A and you got a B
00:36:38.440 | and you got these many things right on the test
00:36:42.760 | and this many things wrong on the test.
00:36:45.680 | It goes beyond that.
00:36:47.440 | And as parents, we are so blessed as homeschooling parents
00:36:50.800 | that we have the time and the interest
00:36:55.160 | and the intimate knowledge of our student
00:36:58.200 | and how they are working.
00:37:00.520 | And we really can do a better job of assessment
00:37:04.720 | than any other entity can possibly do with our student.
00:37:09.720 | And I love it that as the homeschooling parent,
00:37:14.880 | as the mom and the dad in this situation,
00:37:18.520 | you know and love and shepherd your child's heart
00:37:23.520 | like nobody else besides the Father God.
00:37:28.200 | And so you care about are they growing
00:37:31.840 | in the fruits of the Spirit?
00:37:33.880 | You know, have they learned
00:37:36.160 | to love their neighbor better this year?
00:37:40.520 | Are they learning to speak the truth in love?
00:37:43.840 | Are they, like you said,
00:37:45.000 | are they learning the art of encouraging one another?
00:37:49.520 | You know, can you see if your child is more confident
00:37:54.520 | in following the Lord's guidance?
00:37:57.960 | You know, these are all, I mean, think about,
00:38:00.600 | here's the truth, friends, classical educators, all of us.
00:38:04.680 | Here's the truth.
00:38:05.880 | When your child is 35,
00:38:08.640 | probably nobody's gonna ask them
00:38:10.360 | to diagram a Latin sentence.
00:38:12.440 | Nobody will care if they can do it or not,
00:38:15.320 | but they may very well care
00:38:17.840 | if your child speaks words of gold,
00:38:23.280 | if they speak kindness and love and truth,
00:38:28.280 | if they can recognize and share beauty.
00:38:31.680 | And so these are things,
00:38:32.880 | if these are the things that are important to us,
00:38:36.240 | we need to spend some time assessing those things
00:38:39.760 | as well as test scores.
00:38:41.680 | - Yes, and with test scores,
00:38:45.280 | that does not assess character.
00:38:47.920 | It does not assess their confidence,
00:38:50.160 | and it can feel so clinical.
00:38:52.840 | And we don't.
00:38:53.840 | So for year-end, you know,
00:38:56.520 | the standardized tests that are required,
00:38:59.120 | I did not necessarily teach that material.
00:39:01.960 | My children did not necessarily read the same material
00:39:06.360 | that they would have read for a system
00:39:09.280 | that is planning on that particular test.
00:39:13.240 | And so I have, I think that maybe,
00:39:18.240 | I think there's a lot of us this way
00:39:19.960 | who really don't care about the test scores,
00:39:21.680 | the standardized test scores.
00:39:23.160 | We do it to check a box for the state
00:39:26.120 | and to be honorable to what is required, and that's fine.
00:39:31.120 | And I am comfortable with that because I don't care.
00:39:35.240 | I really, personally, I don't care.
00:39:37.000 | If it was really, really low,
00:39:39.040 | I would probably then say,
00:39:40.320 | "Okay, we probably need to do a little more reading
00:39:43.280 | or a little more time here."
00:39:45.240 | But I don't even, I don't care.
00:39:46.880 | If it's not dangerously low,
00:39:50.400 | and if it's really, really high,
00:39:52.360 | then I also am thinking,
00:39:53.440 | "Well, that probably has to do with the fact
00:39:55.280 | that you've had a well-rounded education
00:39:58.160 | and good reasoning skills."
00:40:00.120 | And some people just take tests well.
00:40:02.440 | Some people are fantastic at standardized tests,
00:40:05.280 | and some people aren't.
00:40:06.280 | It does not always reflect
00:40:08.000 | what we actually are thinking process.
00:40:10.640 | I have sat there- - Such a good reminder.
00:40:12.600 | - Well, I've sat there watching my children
00:40:15.080 | taking an online test, and I've seen them get things wrong.
00:40:18.960 | And I've known that it was the way the question was worded.
00:40:22.000 | Specifically, one of my children,
00:40:26.240 | and you know my children,
00:40:27.200 | you could probably- - Yep, yep.
00:40:28.200 | - Switch one like this,
00:40:30.000 | watched this math question.
00:40:32.240 | She was probably in sixth or seventh grade.
00:40:35.240 | And it said, "Tom has seven helpers,
00:40:37.720 | and they all, this many acres of wheat, this many dollars."
00:40:41.840 | This, I mean, it was a long, lots of things.
00:40:43.960 | - Yes, lots of moving parts.
00:40:45.640 | - Yes, exactly.
00:40:46.640 | And then it said, "So how much?" at the end.
00:40:49.400 | And I watched her work through it,
00:40:51.400 | and I watched her get it wrong.
00:40:53.360 | And I know that it was because the question said, "Helpers."
00:40:58.360 | And the answer did not include Tom, only "Helpers."
00:41:03.720 | And she was like, "No, it said, 'Helpers.'"
00:41:08.720 | 'Cause the answer that she was looking for
00:41:11.720 | wasn't even there.
00:41:12.560 | And she thinks, "Helpers" means all four were working.
00:41:16.600 | And so, there's nothing wrong with her brain.
00:41:21.080 | - Exactly. - She is so specific
00:41:22.960 | in her language.
00:41:24.240 | And she's taken tests that she, based on what she learned,
00:41:27.360 | she said, "Mom, the right answer wasn't even there.
00:41:29.720 | So I had to guess what they wanted me to say."
00:41:32.760 | So, and maybe it was, and maybe it wasn't.
00:41:36.640 | You know, it could have been that she was wrong,
00:41:38.280 | or it could have been that the worldview
00:41:42.080 | from the book that this test is taken from
00:41:45.920 | does not have an answer that represents
00:41:49.840 | the worldview she read from.
00:41:51.880 | - It's exactly right.
00:41:54.800 | And we are so blessed as the parent in the home,
00:41:59.800 | every day, working shoulder to shoulder with our children,
00:42:03.560 | to recognize that, and to know that,
00:42:06.920 | and to be able to assess with that in mind.
00:42:11.400 | I love that.
00:42:13.240 | And that doesn't have to be what makes my year successful.
00:42:17.040 | It can be my own observations.
00:42:19.200 | It can be the work we did.
00:42:21.200 | I do the test because we need to do the test.
00:42:24.400 | But that is not how I determine the success rate
00:42:29.000 | of what we learned.
00:42:31.040 | - So how do you determine the success rate?
00:42:33.440 | - If they completed what I asked them to complete,
00:42:40.200 | and completed it with the standard
00:42:44.040 | that I believe is agreed upon between my children and me,
00:42:46.800 | I do not think that I expect way more
00:42:50.600 | than they think is reasonable.
00:42:52.160 | I would say that they understand our family expectations,
00:42:59.360 | and they know when they're meeting them
00:43:02.280 | and when they're not.
00:43:03.240 | And they've come to me if they were sick that week,
00:43:05.880 | or something, or if it was really hard,
00:43:09.160 | or longer than expected, and said,
00:43:11.040 | I'm doing my best, or I got behind, and what do I do now?
00:43:15.480 | So even helping them, for them to be able to assess,
00:43:19.000 | I'm not meeting a standard.
00:43:21.360 | That's fantastic, that they can assess that on their own.
00:43:24.920 | And then we can decide, is this a poor planning thing,
00:43:27.560 | and what's our response going to be?
00:43:29.480 | Or is this that this is just not gonna happen
00:43:32.160 | because of circumstances that are happening?
00:43:35.720 | And we can decide what our response to that will be.
00:43:38.160 | And they're gonna need that as an adult.
00:43:39.880 | They're gonna need to decide
00:43:41.680 | if they're running late somewhere,
00:43:43.640 | does that mean we still stop for coffee?
00:43:45.880 | Or does that mean that I don't take the coffee
00:43:50.200 | and I head on to work?
00:43:52.240 | - Yes, yes, yes.
00:43:55.120 | - So, or I was having a hard day.
00:43:57.080 | Do I still also have to stay up till two in the morning
00:43:59.680 | working on this?
00:44:00.520 | Or is it okay for me to go to the Lord and say,
00:44:03.520 | I just need some rest right now?
00:44:05.400 | - Yeah.
00:44:08.120 | I think that's really cool.
00:44:09.520 | We do set examples for our students
00:44:13.360 | about what right assessment is all about.
00:44:18.360 | I think that we give them
00:44:23.600 | the tools to assess themselves
00:44:28.920 | and the knowledge that assessment is more
00:44:34.640 | than just a number on a paper or on a test.
00:44:39.640 | That assessment includes all those things
00:44:43.840 | that we've been talking about.
00:44:46.200 | The expectations, the intentions,
00:44:50.720 | the degree of effort that we put into it,
00:44:55.040 | our attitude toward our work
00:44:59.720 | and toward our parent and toward ourselves
00:45:03.920 | and toward our community, all of that.
00:45:08.600 | Here's the last question I want to ask you today, Jill.
00:45:13.680 | How can we, how do we celebrate our students
00:45:18.680 | on the growth they had this year?
00:45:24.000 | How do we, and Anne, how do we help them see assessment
00:45:27.440 | is natural and good and helpful?
00:45:32.440 | - Well, I think they can see assessment
00:45:34.280 | as natural, good, and helpful
00:45:36.200 | when we make it a positive experience
00:45:38.240 | and when we also assess ourselves.
00:45:41.240 | When they see this isn't just an assessment for them,
00:45:44.880 | but when we talk about our own thing,
00:45:47.320 | even if it is, you know, back to the dinner,
00:45:49.920 | if we say, wow, you know, I think next time I would.
00:45:54.400 | I, and we do that, you know, or if we're going on vacation,
00:45:57.680 | well, I'm not taking this interstate again.
00:45:59.200 | Next time we're going to do this.
00:46:01.200 | (laughs)
00:46:02.520 | If we, if they see us realize
00:46:07.520 | where we need to do something different and then apply it,
00:46:11.600 | then even if it's a conversation with them, say,
00:46:14.680 | you know what, I realized I did this wrong with you.
00:46:16.840 | Next time, this is what I will do.
00:46:19.680 | Those kinds of, they might not recognize that as assessment,
00:46:22.720 | but we show them, we can say now,
00:46:25.360 | just like I had to make an adjustment in my recipe,
00:46:28.480 | I'm asking you, how can we make an adjustment
00:46:31.960 | in your process here?
00:46:34.880 | So we can show them that it is an assessment.
00:46:39.240 | And I think that, that helps it to become natural and good.
00:46:44.240 | - Well, I just want to say to you, I love this.
00:46:47.360 | When we show them that assessment is positive
00:46:51.840 | and not punishment.
00:46:53.960 | - Yes.
00:46:54.800 | - Assessment is about what assessment should be
00:46:59.800 | about how we are growing and how we can grow,
00:47:07.480 | not a stick to beat us up about what went wrong.
00:47:12.240 | Yeah.
00:47:13.080 | - Right, God doesn't do that.
00:47:14.680 | He, I mean, He corrects us by showing us truth
00:47:18.920 | and by pulling us toward goodness, not by beating us up.
00:47:24.040 | And so the beating up was under the law.
00:47:28.000 | You know, the beating up was you'll never meet this standard
00:47:30.800 | was you'll never be good enough.
00:47:33.000 | And so now that Jesus paid for us,
00:47:37.200 | He put His standard in us.
00:47:40.400 | Instead of us having to race around trying to meet it,
00:47:44.400 | He put it in there already.
00:47:47.400 | It's part of us, His nature.
00:47:50.560 | And so relying on Him,
00:47:52.880 | 'cause we could never meet that standard on our own.
00:47:55.480 | Never, never, never.
00:47:56.880 | And so Jesus came and He didn't lower the standard.
00:48:00.920 | He didn't say, "Okay, now sin is allowed in holiness."
00:48:03.760 | Instead, He just made us holy.
00:48:06.440 | I mean.
00:48:07.560 | - That's great.
00:48:08.640 | - The standard doesn't change.
00:48:10.960 | The standard of excellence doesn't change,
00:48:14.000 | but the equipping for excellence
00:48:17.280 | is where we can make adjustments.
00:48:20.600 | Jesus equipped us for holiness
00:48:23.720 | and gave us the ability to live like a child of God.
00:48:28.720 | And it doesn't mean we don't have times
00:48:31.200 | that we do things wrong and that we need to go back
00:48:34.680 | and fix things or repent or make a change.
00:48:38.520 | But the ability is there and the equipping is there.
00:48:42.440 | And so equipping our children to think for themselves,
00:48:45.080 | equipping our children to assess rightly,
00:48:47.720 | equipping our children to trust God and ask God,
00:48:51.840 | ask for help and be honest with themselves
00:48:56.280 | is where we don't change the standard,
00:49:00.360 | we equip the student.
00:49:01.640 | - I love that.
00:49:03.800 | We equip the students.
00:49:05.440 | And that is the key to assessment.
00:49:09.800 | Assessment is not a dark and scary thing.
00:49:14.800 | It is not a dark and scary topic.
00:49:17.160 | It is about the continuation of the equipping
00:49:22.040 | that we are providing for our students
00:49:24.640 | joyfully as we homeschool them.
00:49:27.560 | And so listeners, I hope that Jill has helped you to see
00:49:32.560 | that assessment is not a sad day.
00:49:36.720 | It is not a sad process.
00:49:39.080 | It is all bound up in celebration
00:49:42.240 | and to celebrate is what God has brought us through
00:49:46.280 | as a family together and the ways that we have grown
00:49:50.000 | more like Him this year because of what we have done.
00:49:54.160 | And if we discover something that we didn't grow
00:49:57.720 | in the way we thought we would, that's a good thing.
00:50:00.640 | The assessment has brought that to light
00:50:03.440 | and we can do something differently in the future
00:50:07.440 | to come back toward our goal.
00:50:10.520 | That's really cool.
00:50:11.640 | Thank you so much for sharing all of this today.
00:50:14.720 | - Absolutely.
00:50:15.560 | It was always, well, it is always wonderful to be with you
00:50:18.240 | and it was a lot of fun.
00:50:19.680 | - I think it is a great time for us to talk together.
00:50:23.000 | And families, as we end this podcast,
00:50:26.920 | I want to tell you about something.
00:50:29.280 | If you're looking for something to do as a family
00:50:33.080 | to celebrate the end of your year,
00:50:36.200 | to celebrate what the Lord has done in your homeschool,
00:50:39.840 | I want to make you aware of something
00:50:43.200 | called the International Association for Creation,
00:50:48.200 | the Creation Trail.
00:50:50.040 | It has partnered with certified Bible guides
00:50:56.080 | to offer in-person biblical worldview tours
00:51:01.280 | of world-class secular museums
00:51:04.880 | throughout the United States and beyond.
00:51:07.600 | So you could have a certified Bible guide
00:51:11.400 | that will help you find your biblical worldview
00:51:16.400 | and show you how that biblical worldview
00:51:22.440 | is portrayed or not portrayed,
00:51:24.560 | maybe in what you see in the museums
00:51:27.160 | across the United States.
00:51:29.080 | There are exclusive discounts on tours for families
00:51:33.400 | that are enrolled in CC.
00:51:36.360 | You could even go as a group from CC,
00:51:38.880 | maybe your challenge class would want to do that.
00:51:41.600 | If you want to find out about the exclusive CC discount code
00:51:46.600 | go to CC Connected, into the Learning Center,
00:51:51.840 | and into CC Member Benefit.
00:51:56.360 | And if you just want to learn more about the IAC,
00:52:00.400 | the International Association for Creation,
00:52:06.280 | you can find that out at associationforcreation.org.
00:52:11.280 | That's associationforcreation.org, all right?
00:52:18.120 | That might be a cool way to celebrate
00:52:20.880 | the end of a great year as your family
00:52:23.640 | brings your homeschooling year to a close.
00:52:26.440 | Families, thank you.
00:52:27.520 | I hope that you've gotten a new view on celebration
00:52:31.920 | and a new view on assessment and how they can go together.
00:52:35.400 | Jill, thank you again for your insights.
00:52:38.440 | - Absolutely, thank you.
00:52:39.760 | I learned a lot today too.
00:52:41.640 | - All right, bye guys.
00:52:42.560 | See you next time.
00:52:44.080 | (upbeat music)
00:52:46.660 | you
00:52:48.720 | you