Everyday Educator - Celebrate Our National Memory Master!
00:00:00.000 | (soft music)
00:00:02.420 | - Hello friends,
00:00:04.620 | and welcome to this episode of the Everyday Educator.
00:00:08.280 | My name is Kelly Wilt,
00:00:09.640 | and today I have the pleasure of interviewing
00:00:13.120 | some of my very favorite people.
00:00:15.780 | I currently serve as a curriculum developer
00:00:18.440 | with Classical Conversations Multimedia.
00:00:21.360 | And one of the joys of that position
00:00:24.000 | is that I also have the blessing of emceeing
00:00:27.440 | Classical Conversations National Memory Master Competition.
00:00:32.320 | So you may have heard in the past
00:00:35.440 | some things about National Memory Master.
00:00:39.300 | Do these students draw the world from memory?
00:00:42.480 | Do they recite the timeline backwards?
00:00:45.720 | Do they know all the memory work from all three cycles?
00:00:50.640 | Well, the answers to those three questions are yes,
00:00:54.560 | yes, and yes, and we'll be answering those questions
00:00:58.880 | and more on today's podcast.
00:01:02.240 | I am excited to have with me Ewan Fisher,
00:01:06.320 | who is our 2024 National Memory Master Champion,
00:01:10.960 | along with his mom, Kim.
00:01:13.720 | And today they are our very special guests
00:01:16.740 | on this episode of the Everyday Educator.
00:01:19.640 | So Ewan and Kim, first of all, let me say welcome.
00:01:23.680 | And Kim, why don't you take a minute
00:01:25.640 | to introduce your family to our listening audience?
00:01:29.960 | - Hi, we live in Texas.
00:01:34.040 | We've been a part of CC for several years,
00:01:36.880 | and we have loved the Memory Master process
00:01:39.920 | and the National Memory Master process.
00:01:41.880 | My husband is a math professor,
00:01:45.800 | and we have a dog named Lizzie Bennett,
00:01:50.800 | for you Pride and Prejudice fans out there.
00:01:52.840 | - Love it, love it.
00:01:53.840 | - And we have 33 chickens that also have literary names,
00:01:58.520 | and we have a cat named Lily Wingfeather,
00:02:02.280 | for the Wingfeather Saga friends out there.
00:02:03.880 | So we love homeschooling and we love reading,
00:02:07.440 | and we love being together.
00:02:08.840 | - Oh, all good things, all good things.
00:02:11.480 | So first of all, Ewan, let me say congratulations
00:02:16.360 | on being named the 2024 National Memory Master Champion.
00:02:21.560 | After all the preparation you did beforehand,
00:02:24.760 | as well as the pressures of the competition,
00:02:27.880 | how did it feel when you heard your name
00:02:30.720 | announced as the winner?
00:02:32.640 | - Well, I was incredulous.
00:02:38.640 | (laughing)
00:02:39.800 | - I love that word.
00:02:40.960 | Tell me more, how did it feel?
00:02:42.680 | I remember, well, I was there to see your face,
00:02:46.320 | and you're right, you did look incredulous.
00:02:50.000 | Were you surprised?
00:02:53.120 | Were you excited?
00:02:55.280 | How did it make you feel?
00:02:57.160 | - Both surprised and excited.
00:03:00.280 | (laughing)
00:03:01.600 | - So good.
00:03:02.440 | Well, this year's competition,
00:03:03.680 | we had something new happen that had never happened before.
00:03:08.680 | In our round two of National Memory Master,
00:03:12.080 | we actually had five finalists move forward
00:03:16.000 | rather than our typical four.
00:03:18.360 | So Ewan was one of our five finalists,
00:03:21.240 | and he did a great job with his presentations in round two
00:03:26.240 | after being completely flawless
00:03:29.080 | with remembering his memory work and timeline in round one.
00:03:33.320 | I love that word, incredulous.
00:03:36.160 | So, Kim, Classical Conversations is a family
00:03:39.680 | made up of families, and that is evident
00:03:41.960 | by the way that we love each other,
00:03:44.000 | and we support each other at National Memory Master
00:03:46.600 | before, and during, and after the competition.
00:03:51.200 | So tell us, how did you find out about CC,
00:03:55.600 | and what is your family's CC story?
00:03:58.880 | - We first started homeschooling about 12 years ago,
00:04:03.240 | and my husband's job took us to Texas,
00:04:06.200 | and I did my first information meeting over the phone
00:04:09.520 | with a CC director, and I knew that my kids,
00:04:14.920 | that small children, that young children,
00:04:16.760 | that they had this ability to memorize things,
00:04:19.120 | and I had it on my heart that I wanted them
00:04:21.960 | to put good things in their heart
00:04:24.400 | and to memorize good things,
00:04:25.880 | and so the classical model, the trivium, the grammar stage,
00:04:30.880 | my kids were there, and I saw that there was an opportunity
00:04:35.760 | for great benefit, that they could memorize good things,
00:04:39.040 | and I liked the structure of how CC
00:04:43.080 | systematically helped them learn good things
00:04:46.560 | and how they could learn how to learn,
00:04:48.320 | and when we moved to Texas and started CC,
00:04:52.920 | I was so supported by the CC community,
00:04:56.520 | and over the last 10 years in CC,
00:04:59.120 | that's just been such a blessing.
00:05:00.760 | All the families and all the people that we have met
00:05:03.480 | and how they've been such an encouragement along the way.
00:05:06.980 | - Oh, that's so wonderful.
00:05:08.980 | It's so great to hear that from the very beginning,
00:05:11.800 | you felt supported, because I really do think
00:05:14.800 | that community is one of the aspects
00:05:16.760 | of classical conversations that is truly valuable,
00:05:20.440 | especially when we're beginning homeschooling
00:05:23.000 | and trying to find the right path for our families.
00:05:26.360 | Now, Ewan, this fall, you are gonna be headed
00:05:29.880 | into a new world, my friend.
00:05:31.920 | Challenge A, how old were you when you started Foundations?
00:05:36.920 | - I was four years old.
00:05:39.120 | - Oh my goodness, were you a memory master
00:05:41.280 | from the very beginning,
00:05:42.800 | or was this something you decided to do later?
00:05:45.320 | - I started doing memory master four years ago,
00:05:52.000 | and I've done it every year since,
00:05:54.640 | so I've done it four times.
00:05:56.080 | - Awesome.
00:05:56.920 | So what made you decide to send in an entry
00:05:59.360 | to National Memory Master this year?
00:06:02.360 | - My older sisters, Evelyn and Marianne,
00:06:05.360 | were also both chosen as National Memory Master finalists.
00:06:10.080 | - Ah, okay.
00:06:11.480 | - And it was a really great experience for them.
00:06:16.480 | - Oh, I'm so glad to hear that.
00:06:19.560 | I'm so glad to hear that.
00:06:21.040 | So in full disclosure, I do know Ewan's two older sisters.
00:06:25.840 | Evelyn was scheduled to be a finalist in the year 2020,
00:06:30.640 | and unfortunately, that was the year
00:06:32.080 | that everything turned upside down with COVID,
00:06:34.840 | and the competition, unfortunately,
00:06:36.880 | had to be canceled due to that.
00:06:39.240 | And Marianne was one of our finalists in 2022,
00:06:43.320 | did an outstanding job.
00:06:45.640 | So I was really excited, Ewan,
00:06:47.840 | when I saw that you had also decided to compete this year.
00:06:52.840 | Kim, was pursuing National Memory Master
00:06:55.080 | something you encouraged Ewan to do,
00:06:57.440 | or was it mostly his idea?
00:06:59.560 | And tell us, what was creating a video entry like
00:07:02.600 | for you and for your family?
00:07:04.400 | - Well, we first heard about National Memory Master,
00:07:07.600 | I saw it in some CC advertisements several years ago
00:07:11.600 | before my oldest was even eligible,
00:07:13.600 | and I mentioned it to her at the time,
00:07:15.240 | and she said, "That sounds like so much fun."
00:07:17.960 | - Yes.
00:07:18.800 | - And when I see challenges, I think,
00:07:20.960 | "Ooh, that looks like a really neat opportunity."
00:07:23.600 | And so, and my oldest was really excited about it,
00:07:27.360 | and the process of creating the video,
00:07:30.840 | I realized that it's the last part of names,
00:07:33.840 | you know, those habits of grammar,
00:07:35.920 | the storytelling, taking what you have learned,
00:07:38.840 | and taking what you have memorized,
00:07:40.420 | and expressing it, and telling it in a story.
00:07:42.880 | And creating the video audition,
00:07:44.560 | it was such a rewarding experience,
00:07:47.400 | she learned so much, she had a great time.
00:07:50.260 | And she was chosen as a finalist, we were so excited,
00:07:54.720 | and even though it was canceled,
00:07:56.220 | the friendships that she made with that group of kids
00:07:58.520 | are still a blessing to her.
00:08:00.280 | So when it came time for Marianne's turn,
00:08:02.840 | and we said, "Do you wanna do this?"
00:08:04.000 | And she said, "Absolutely."
00:08:05.840 | And so, again, you know, the video was a lot of work,
00:08:10.840 | but there's so many valuable lessons
00:08:14.160 | in learning to speak and storytell from memory,
00:08:18.520 | and learning to look at the camera,
00:08:20.040 | and learning to keep your body still,
00:08:21.640 | and learning to use dynamics
00:08:24.520 | when you're speaking to tell a story,
00:08:26.560 | learning to use good body language
00:08:28.120 | when you're trying to speak and tell a story.
00:08:30.080 | And again, it was a really rewarding experience
00:08:32.320 | to create the video, and then being chosen to compete,
00:08:35.680 | for her, she actually got to go.
00:08:37.760 | She was in the top four, and she did a fantastic job,
00:08:40.520 | I was so proud of her.
00:08:42.440 | And after the fact, even though she didn't win,
00:08:45.340 | she came away with some wonderful friendships,
00:08:48.560 | and still is pen pals with some of her great friends
00:08:51.400 | from that 2022 year.
00:08:53.480 | And if they're listening, it's, hi everyone,
00:08:56.160 | they are such a great group of families.
00:08:59.800 | And I think Ewan saw his sisters going through this,
00:09:03.960 | and I don't know if he paid attention
00:09:06.120 | to all the work they did or not.
00:09:08.120 | (laughing)
00:09:08.960 | If he just saw how they had such a good time,
00:09:10.920 | and they made good friends, and so he was excited.
00:09:14.960 | We said, do you wanna do this too?
00:09:16.320 | You don't have to, and he said yes.
00:09:19.560 | So he went through the process of memory mastering early,
00:09:23.000 | and then again, the video was a fantastic experience.
00:09:26.240 | So for our family, we saw the video
00:09:30.480 | just really as a capstone experience
00:09:32.400 | for the Foundations of Program,
00:09:33.680 | just kind of taking all that you've learned
00:09:35.400 | and telling a fun story with it.
00:09:37.960 | And for each of them,
00:09:40.260 | we probably took over 30 takes of the video.
00:09:43.100 | (laughing)
00:09:44.800 | So many fun memories of, well, the dog barked,
00:09:47.920 | or the doorbell rang, or all kinds of things
00:09:52.320 | that can go wrong, but being able to get a good take
00:09:54.920 | where they felt like, I said that my best,
00:09:58.560 | we were under the time limit, I didn't move around,
00:10:02.200 | I looked at the camera the whole time,
00:10:04.000 | and those are all such good skills to learn.
00:10:06.600 | And so it, oh, and there's a couple times,
00:10:10.160 | the parents have to say some things to you on the video,
00:10:12.320 | and we did have a couple of takes
00:10:13.720 | that were not good because mom messed up.
00:10:16.920 | (laughing)
00:10:19.000 | Ewan reminded me of that just now.
00:10:21.000 | They thought that was pretty funny.
00:10:22.480 | But it was just a good experience,
00:10:25.080 | a great learning experience,
00:10:26.080 | but it was definitely, it involved the whole family
00:10:29.560 | working together to do that.
00:10:32.080 | So I think he was really inspired
00:10:34.880 | by the great experience that his older sisters had,
00:10:37.120 | and he says, "I want to do that too."
00:10:39.080 | - Oh, I love that, I love that.
00:10:40.680 | So listening to you speak,
00:10:42.360 | I almost feel as if we need to schedule a separate podcast
00:10:46.480 | just so you can give tips and tricks (laughing)
00:10:49.880 | to families who are thinking about
00:10:52.080 | doing National Memory Master in the future,
00:10:54.480 | and maybe you're intimidated by the process
00:10:56.600 | of putting together that video entry
00:10:59.360 | because after helping shepherd three children
00:11:02.360 | through that experience,
00:11:03.800 | I know that you are a wealth of wisdom
00:11:06.560 | about what to do and what not to do
00:11:09.200 | when preparing a National Memory Master video.
00:11:12.040 | That's so wonderful.
00:11:12.880 | And I also love one of the things you've said
00:11:15.280 | about relationships that are cultivated
00:11:17.840 | at National Memory Master.
00:11:19.160 | That is so very true,
00:11:22.080 | because I heard several people say, even this year,
00:11:25.120 | that they came for the competition,
00:11:26.680 | but they stayed for the relationships
00:11:28.400 | and the friendships that were made from it.
00:11:30.680 | And what a blessing that is to see
00:11:33.800 | that even in the midst of competing for a title
00:11:37.680 | and for a prize, that those relationships were key,
00:11:42.520 | and that they were the thing that was the ultimate priority,
00:11:46.680 | even in the midst of the competition.
00:11:48.480 | So wonderful.
00:11:50.320 | Well, Ewan, I know it takes a lot of hard work
00:11:52.560 | to become a National Memory Master.
00:11:55.360 | So when you found out that your video
00:11:58.440 | had been selected as a finalist video,
00:12:01.160 | and it was so wonderful,
00:12:02.600 | if you're listening to this podcast,
00:12:04.080 | you definitely need to go to the CC website
00:12:07.160 | and watch Ewan's video.
00:12:09.080 | It alludes to "The Lord of the Rings."
00:12:10.920 | So if that entices you, please go take a look.
00:12:14.480 | But Ewan, once you found out
00:12:15.920 | that you were gonna be coming to the competition,
00:12:18.840 | what kinds of things did you do
00:12:21.640 | to help you be able to prepare?
00:12:24.600 | - Well, I drew a map of the world every day for a while.
00:12:29.600 | - Wow.
00:12:31.000 | - And I also worked on learning the timeline,
00:12:34.320 | both forwards and backwards, every day.
00:12:36.480 | And I also got quizzed by family members a lot.
00:12:42.080 | (laughing)
00:12:43.760 | - Did they take turns?
00:12:45.960 | - Yes.
00:12:47.360 | - So good, so good.
00:12:49.600 | Well, Kim, we know that pursuing National Memory Master
00:12:53.160 | is definitely not something a student does all alone.
00:12:55.840 | So we know that Ewan was definitely not on his own
00:12:59.320 | in preparing in this way.
00:13:01.720 | In what ways did your family and community surround you
00:13:06.720 | and show support for you and Ewan through this process?
00:13:11.320 | - Well, Ewan has had fantastic tutors over his time in CC.
00:13:16.320 | And he had Ms. Lori this year, Ms. Alyssa if you're listening
00:13:23.120 | and Ms. Sarah and his director, Ms. Ashley,
00:13:26.320 | and he's had so many good tutors.
00:13:28.440 | And it was some of the memory work
00:13:30.400 | that we would come time to review that.
00:13:31.760 | And he would say, "Oh, I'll never forget that
00:13:33.240 | "because Ms. Alyssa taught me this, this, and this."
00:13:35.720 | - Love that.
00:13:36.840 | - I feel like the community is definitely a part of,
00:13:39.880 | when you leave that community day,
00:13:41.160 | that memory work is already on its way in
00:13:44.720 | because of all the work that the tutors do.
00:13:47.280 | And what were you gonna say?
00:13:48.720 | Were you gonna add something to that, Ewan?
00:13:50.600 | - I think that it was the,
00:13:53.840 | all the different first conjugation endings.
00:13:56.520 | - Oh, that Ms. Alyssa helped me with.
00:13:57.760 | - That was Ms. Alyssa's part.
00:13:59.720 | (all laughing)
00:14:02.320 | But that was like a little saying for everyone.
00:14:04.960 | Like, there's such and such like manages to work it in.
00:14:09.960 | - So through that Foundations program,
00:14:12.320 | just lots of tools to learn things
00:14:14.480 | and tools to learn things well.
00:14:17.600 | So I think one of the things that I would encourage anyone
00:14:20.560 | who thinks that preparing for National Memory Master
00:14:22.480 | is overwhelming, and I think Ewan would probably agree
00:14:25.200 | that once he found out that he was chosen,
00:14:27.600 | it was pretty overwhelming.
00:14:29.440 | And I think as his,
00:14:32.240 | I felt like my job was to kind of sit down
00:14:34.880 | and say, all right, we're gonna draw the map of the world,
00:14:38.040 | and this is overwhelming.
00:14:40.160 | I want you to put down everything you could add in,
00:14:42.840 | and then we'll be done.
00:14:44.640 | And then tomorrow, he did a little bit more.
00:14:46.720 | And initially, for him to put all that memory work in,
00:14:49.120 | it took a very, very long time,
00:14:50.800 | much longer than the time limit.
00:14:52.480 | But every day, he was a little faster,
00:14:55.080 | and he did a little bit more.
00:14:56.240 | And I think that's one of the things I'm most proud of,
00:14:58.680 | of the growth, just that,
00:15:00.600 | and I think this is something that the classical model
00:15:02.760 | in CC encourages, is if you have a big task,
00:15:05.920 | break it into small pieces,
00:15:07.160 | just work on it a little bit every day.
00:15:09.680 | And every day, he could add more in.
00:15:12.640 | Every day, it looked neater.
00:15:14.280 | Every day, he was faster with the map.
00:15:17.080 | His older sisters definitely inspired him on the timeline.
00:15:20.080 | So his older sister, Evelyn, is a classical ballerina,
00:15:24.800 | and she's been in the Nutcracker several years.
00:15:26.640 | And so when she first started learning
00:15:27.920 | the timeline backwards several years ago,
00:15:30.280 | she learned it to the music of the second act
00:15:32.800 | of the Nutcracker, which are the divertissements.
00:15:34.640 | And so Marianne, and you know,
00:15:38.720 | Ewan has performed in the Nutcracker as a guest,
00:15:41.400 | just a guest, a little boy guest.
00:15:43.040 | - Right. - At a party.
00:15:44.560 | - At a few, several times.
00:15:45.920 | But, so we know that really well.
00:15:47.640 | And so for each of them, you know,
00:15:49.080 | that overwhelming aspect of learning the timeline backwards,
00:15:52.160 | they started by learning it in musical sections
00:15:54.840 | to the divertissements in the second act of the Nutcracker.
00:15:58.320 | And from there, and they were instrumental
00:16:01.240 | in helping him do that.
00:16:02.240 | He made recordings for himself,
00:16:03.840 | but his sister, Marianne, also had a fun system
00:16:07.720 | with the timeline cards that she taught Ewan,
00:16:09.840 | and that he kind of adapted and made his own.
00:16:12.080 | Do you wanna talk about how you practiced the timeline
00:16:13.960 | with the timeline cards?
00:16:15.160 | - Well, we had, we took all the vocabulary cards, actually.
00:16:20.160 | - From IEW. (laughs)
00:16:23.960 | You have their blue, green, and beige, right?
00:16:26.080 | - Yes. - Yeah.
00:16:26.920 | So we took those and we would lay them out in circles
00:16:31.880 | for all the different songs.
00:16:33.440 | And I would have, and I would just have the timeline cards
00:16:38.080 | all laid out in a row.
00:16:39.200 | And I would just take a few of the timeline cards
00:16:44.200 | in a group, mix it up, and then put it back in order
00:16:47.880 | as fast as I could.
00:16:49.400 | - Ah. - It helped.
00:16:51.920 | - And so the IEW color codes,
00:16:54.200 | I know it sounds kind of crazy,
00:16:55.440 | but they were, each musical section had kind of a color.
00:16:59.200 | And so he would organize them and rearrange them
00:17:02.360 | by musical section, but he had,
00:17:05.600 | so he had the auditory musical version of the timeline,
00:17:09.360 | but he also had the visual representation of the cards
00:17:11.920 | that were in order and that he could put in order
00:17:14.200 | so that he could see it and hear it
00:17:15.960 | when he was asked to recite.
00:17:17.880 | - I love that, I love that.
00:17:19.520 | So if you were listening to this episode
00:17:22.160 | and you were in need of memory tools
00:17:25.040 | to help you be able to recite the timeline backwards,
00:17:27.840 | you just need to listen to "The Nutcracker."
00:17:30.000 | (laughing)
00:17:31.680 | I love it, I love it. - Also.
00:17:33.480 | - Yes. - Also, unfortunately,
00:17:35.120 | now this has ruined the second act for me
00:17:37.360 | because every time I hear that music,
00:17:39.400 | I start thinking about the timeline.
00:17:42.440 | - Oh, no. (laughing)
00:17:45.040 | So every Christmas from now until forever, Ewan,
00:17:48.040 | you will think about the timeline song
00:17:50.320 | if you hear "The Nutcracker."
00:17:51.960 | - I love that, though, as a memory tool.
00:17:53.600 | Who would have thought?
00:17:54.760 | But I do know we have some tools in our memory work
00:17:58.760 | that are built in, like our history songs
00:18:01.080 | and our timeline song to help our students
00:18:03.840 | be able to commit things to memory.
00:18:06.120 | And I love the addition of those flashcards,
00:18:09.480 | even just using the color as a clue to memory.
00:18:13.880 | It's amazing how God has designed our brains
00:18:16.600 | to be able to retain information.
00:18:18.440 | And when we commit that information over time,
00:18:22.280 | just like you were saying,
00:18:23.560 | bit by bit, a little more at a time,
00:18:26.520 | it's incredible what the Lord has designed us
00:18:29.840 | to be able to retain.
00:18:31.160 | I love that.
00:18:32.480 | Like I said, I think we definitely need
00:18:34.080 | to schedule another podcast
00:18:35.440 | just so you guys can share tips and tricks.
00:18:38.560 | So Ewan, I wanna talk a little bit
00:18:40.080 | about your National Memory Master experience.
00:18:43.760 | And before we do that,
00:18:45.040 | I just wanna remind our listeners
00:18:46.600 | that round one of National Memory Master is a memory bee.
00:18:51.600 | So during round one, as the emcee of the competition,
00:18:55.920 | I will be calling out questions in different heats
00:19:00.360 | from all three cycles of Foundations Memory Work,
00:19:03.920 | kind of popcorn style.
00:19:05.480 | You never know which cycle a question will come from.
00:19:08.600 | You don't know which subject it will be from.
00:19:12.480 | And then after each of the finalists on the platform
00:19:15.680 | have answered a memory work question,
00:19:18.800 | then da, da, da, we go into a timeline heat
00:19:22.880 | where we ask our students to do some mental gymnastics
00:19:27.840 | related to timeline events,
00:19:29.760 | which you've already heard Ewan talk about a little bit
00:19:32.080 | in reciting the timeline backwards,
00:19:35.000 | being prepared to do that.
00:19:36.280 | But Ewan, we did a lot more than that
00:19:37.800 | at competition this year, didn't we?
00:19:39.840 | - Yes.
00:19:41.200 | - We did.
00:19:42.280 | So let's think about round one.
00:19:44.720 | When we did the memory bee portion
00:19:47.840 | and everyone was sitting on the chairs on the stage,
00:19:51.600 | what do you think was the hardest part of that round one?
00:19:56.240 | - Definitely the timeline questions.
00:20:00.240 | - I had a feeling you were gonna say that.
00:20:02.040 | So why the timeline questions?
00:20:04.040 | - I feel like they just asked us to do harder things
00:20:10.440 | than memory work. - Maybe give an example.
00:20:12.840 | - As the time you counted forward
00:20:16.600 | and then went back saying every card you didn't say.
00:20:19.880 | - That was tough, right?
00:20:23.080 | - That was tough.
00:20:24.320 | - That was tough.
00:20:25.160 | But the amazing thing is Ewan,
00:20:27.400 | you didn't make any errors in that part of the competition.
00:20:30.600 | That was pretty amazing.
00:20:32.440 | - So when they asked you to do that,
00:20:33.680 | could you see the pictures of the timeline cards
00:20:35.680 | in a row in your head?
00:20:36.760 | Is that how you were doing it?
00:20:37.960 | Or how did you do that?
00:20:39.560 | - I saw the timeline cards in a row
00:20:42.600 | and then mixing that together with songs is, it helps.
00:20:47.600 | - Oh good, that's so good.
00:20:51.240 | I had a feeling you were gonna say
00:20:52.480 | the timeline questions were the hardest
00:20:55.120 | because we were definitely asking you to do things
00:20:57.640 | that are above and beyond what you would do
00:21:00.520 | when you proof for memory master in community.
00:21:03.520 | So you are having to actually think about the events,
00:21:06.640 | not just moving forward like you would
00:21:08.880 | when you proof for regular community memory master.
00:21:12.640 | You are having to skip count events.
00:21:15.240 | I think during one of the questions,
00:21:17.120 | I asked you to recite events backwards from an event.
00:21:20.800 | So you were assigning backwards.
00:21:23.120 | And at one point, I think I even asked you
00:21:25.560 | to recite five events forward
00:21:28.000 | and then go back to the original event
00:21:29.880 | and then recite backwards from that event too.
00:21:32.920 | And you did an amazing job.
00:21:34.960 | You and the other finalists who made it to round two
00:21:38.480 | did an incredible job.
00:21:40.480 | - That question you talked about,
00:21:42.280 | was that the one where you said the one in front,
00:21:45.000 | then the one that you said the one in front of the card,
00:21:47.920 | you told us, then the one behind the card you told us.
00:21:50.920 | - Yes.
00:21:53.120 | - Staying forward and backward alternate.
00:21:55.240 | - Yes, yes, that was tough, wasn't it?
00:21:58.440 | - Yes.
00:21:59.280 | - So Ewan, what helped you?
00:22:03.000 | I mean, because we're talking about
00:22:04.320 | some crazy memory work recitation.
00:22:07.400 | What helped you to focus and remember your memory work
00:22:11.720 | in the different heats?
00:22:13.240 | Because you're a pretty cool cucumber.
00:22:15.400 | I have to say, like you didn't seem like you were ruffled.
00:22:18.360 | And I always loved seeing your expression
00:22:20.400 | whenever I told you that you got something right,
00:22:22.840 | because I think you were surprised at yourself
00:22:24.760 | and what you were able to do.
00:22:26.600 | But what helped you to keep your cool,
00:22:29.520 | even with all of those things
00:22:31.520 | that you were having to think about
00:22:33.560 | and calculate forward and backward in your brain?
00:22:36.480 | Is there anything that you can think of
00:22:37.920 | that helped you to stay cool even under the pressure?
00:22:40.880 | - One thing that really helped
00:22:42.560 | was trying to mentally answer everybody else's questions.
00:22:47.560 | - Yes, yes.
00:22:50.640 | I remember during the competition,
00:22:53.600 | at one point I was watching the student
00:22:56.160 | who was behind the microphone.
00:22:57.920 | And then I looked at everyone in the row
00:22:59.800 | behind that particular student,
00:23:02.200 | and I could see you all moving your fingers.
00:23:04.960 | And I knew that you were all counting timeline events.
00:23:07.680 | And I think one of the dearest parts
00:23:09.960 | of being the MC is watching the expressions
00:23:13.120 | of the other finalists when they realized,
00:23:15.840 | before the judges said, "That is correct,"
00:23:18.800 | they would realize that their friend
00:23:21.280 | had gotten that really difficult answer correct.
00:23:24.360 | So again, going back to the fact
00:23:25.840 | that great relationships are built
00:23:28.560 | during National Memory Master,
00:23:30.480 | and it was so wonderful to see you guys
00:23:33.160 | celebrating one another during the competition.
00:23:38.160 | Kim, as a parent, how did it feel
00:23:41.680 | to watch you and tackle these incredibly difficult feats
00:23:46.280 | of Timeline Gymnastics during round one,
00:23:49.120 | and then go on to round two?
00:23:50.920 | - One of the things that we prayed for for Ewan
00:23:54.120 | and that we'd ask others to pray
00:23:55.800 | was that he'd be able to recite with joy
00:23:58.560 | and that what he had learned would come to mind.
00:24:00.920 | And to see him recite,
00:24:02.800 | and I could tell that he was joyful,
00:24:04.680 | and you really could watch on the stage
00:24:07.200 | and you could see that he was cheering for his friends
00:24:10.120 | and that they were cheering for him.
00:24:12.000 | - Yes.
00:24:12.840 | - And that was such an encouragement.
00:24:14.120 | Now, all the parents, we were nervous for everybody.
00:24:16.680 | We really did not want anyone to get out
00:24:19.600 | because you knew that all of the 16 finalists
00:24:23.640 | knew the memory work and they knew it well.
00:24:25.960 | And we were really cheering for everyone and that helped.
00:24:29.360 | And I also knew that if he didn't remember something
00:24:34.080 | or if he made a mistake, that it would be okay.
00:24:36.800 | And I was confident that he would come away
00:24:38.680 | from this experience with a good memory of it,
00:24:42.200 | with great friends and a great experience,
00:24:45.080 | and a feeling that I took a risk
00:24:48.480 | and I tried something hard and either was successful
00:24:52.720 | or it was not successful, but that it was okay.
00:24:55.000 | And I hope that his older sister, when she came away,
00:25:00.000 | and like I said, she was in the top four as a finalist.
00:25:04.040 | And I think she would tell you
00:25:06.280 | that it was just such a wonderful experience
00:25:08.480 | and that winning wasn't necessary to her happiness.
00:25:13.480 | So it's a delightful, exciting bonus.
00:25:16.080 | (laughing)
00:25:17.720 | But it was really rewarding to see him be joyful on stage
00:25:21.160 | and to see all of the kids cheering for each other
00:25:23.480 | and encouraging one another,
00:25:24.920 | and knowing that that prayer for joy was answered.
00:25:28.120 | - I love that, I love that.
00:25:29.280 | And I would second that.
00:25:30.360 | You can definitely tell, Ewan,
00:25:31.880 | that you were joyful as you recited.
00:25:35.400 | And I think it is a blessing to see our children delight
00:25:40.400 | in the giftings that God has given to them.
00:25:43.240 | I think that was really evident on the platform
00:25:45.960 | as each student recited their memory work
00:25:49.920 | just to see how happy they were to be there
00:25:54.920 | and participating and spending time with their friends
00:25:58.720 | and celebrating the remarkable accomplishments
00:26:02.920 | that were made on that platform.
00:26:06.760 | And also knowing that these accomplishments
00:26:10.360 | were not an overnight decision.
00:26:13.480 | No student that competed this year woke up and said,
00:26:16.760 | "I think I'm gonna do National Memory Master today."
00:26:19.560 | You could tell there were years and years
00:26:22.160 | of dedication and commitment,
00:26:24.160 | not only on the part of the student,
00:26:25.560 | but most definitely on the part of each parent
00:26:28.800 | that was in that room.
00:26:30.000 | And so it was just a delight
00:26:32.720 | to celebrate that accomplishment of each family
00:26:37.200 | and not only the students.
00:26:39.360 | So Ewan, I know we've talked about a lot of hard things,
00:26:43.160 | but if you close your eyes and think really hard,
00:26:46.160 | what do you think was the most difficult,
00:26:48.200 | the hardest part of competing in National Memory Master?
00:26:53.200 | - I'm gonna ask, was it the hardest part
00:26:55.360 | before the competition or was the hardest part during?
00:26:58.120 | - Hmm, well if you have an answer for both,
00:27:00.960 | why don't you give both?
00:27:01.880 | That's a really good delineation.
00:27:05.080 | - So hardest part before the competition
00:27:08.360 | and hardest part during the competition.
00:27:10.240 | - Yeah, let's do that.
00:27:11.480 | What was the hardest part before the competition?
00:27:15.240 | - Before the competition,
00:27:17.480 | I think it was just trying to keep myself calm
00:27:22.480 | and just saying, "Calm down, calm down."
00:27:29.320 | (laughing)
00:27:31.560 | - Just wondering what could happen,
00:27:33.640 | probably trying to keep yourself calm.
00:27:37.760 | I can totally identify with that, Ewan.
00:27:39.720 | I think that probably would be the most difficult thing
00:27:42.400 | for me too if I were competing in National Memory Master.
00:27:46.120 | What was the hardest part for you
00:27:48.240 | during National Memory Master?
00:27:50.480 | - I feel like there were two things
00:27:53.200 | that were harder than the others
00:27:54.920 | and that was the timeline questions, of course.
00:27:59.920 | - Yes.
00:28:01.440 | - And also the story.
00:28:05.200 | - Oh, let's talk a little bit more about that.
00:28:07.440 | Let's talk a little more about that.
00:28:09.280 | So what was difficult about the story?
00:28:11.680 | Maybe we need to clarify for the people who are listening
00:28:14.240 | what you're talking about.
00:28:15.440 | In round two, our students,
00:28:18.200 | as part of their competing in round two,
00:28:20.560 | they're asked to go back to a room
00:28:23.120 | and to prepare a story prompt
00:28:25.880 | similar to what we do when they create an entry,
00:28:30.160 | a video entry for National Memory Master.
00:28:32.560 | So Ewan, you got 20 minutes
00:28:35.320 | to look at 12 pieces of memory work
00:28:38.600 | and then you had to make a story, right?
00:28:41.240 | - Yes.
00:28:42.360 | - So tell me what was difficult about that.
00:28:44.680 | - It's just, that's one of the hardest things to prepare for.
00:28:50.120 | I mean--
00:28:52.240 | - 'Cause you don't know what they're gonna choose.
00:28:54.040 | - Yes.
00:28:55.280 | - Right.
00:28:56.120 | - You, I mean, you can get, you can,
00:29:00.640 | what's hard is when practicing,
00:29:04.560 | you tend to have people looking over your shoulder and stuff.
00:29:08.000 | - Right.
00:29:09.240 | - And helping correct you,
00:29:11.960 | but during the competition, there's just--
00:29:16.960 | - You're by yourself.
00:29:19.240 | - Yeah, and it's hard to prepare for that.
00:29:22.760 | - That is true, that is true.
00:29:25.280 | - It's hard to prepare for doing that by yourself
00:29:28.960 | when most of the preparing would be with people.
00:29:35.160 | - Right.
00:29:36.480 | - So that's hard.
00:29:38.520 | - Yeah, that is hard.
00:29:40.400 | And you actually recited all 12 pieces of memory work
00:29:45.400 | that were given to you when you gave your story prompt.
00:29:50.520 | So that's kind of incredible
00:29:52.200 | because other parts of round two involve reciting John one,
00:29:56.480 | one through seven in Latin and English.
00:29:59.320 | And then also I gave you a point on the timeline
00:30:04.040 | and you began reciting forward from that point,
00:30:07.640 | reciting as many timeline events as you could
00:30:10.880 | in the time that you were given.
00:30:12.760 | And even after those two parts,
00:30:16.000 | you were still able to remember those pieces of memory work
00:30:18.960 | and weave them into your story.
00:30:20.920 | That in itself is a really incredible act of memory, friend.
00:30:25.720 | Well done.
00:30:27.200 | So Kim, what benefits do you see for you?
00:30:31.400 | And I will say this based on your past two experiences
00:30:34.680 | with Evelyn and with Marianne,
00:30:36.960 | what benefits do you see for them through preparing for
00:30:39.840 | and participating in National Memory Master?
00:30:42.480 | Now that it's over,
00:30:43.480 | do you look back and think you would do it again?
00:30:46.160 | I think I know the answer to that,
00:30:47.480 | but I'm gonna let you answer that question.
00:30:49.600 | - Part of the reward is really the preparation.
00:30:54.240 | And I've already mentioned that the audition video
00:30:57.800 | was such a fantastic learning experience.
00:31:01.200 | Just being asked to speak and to recite in that way,
00:31:07.000 | it's such a rewarding, good experience.
00:31:10.160 | The preparation also,
00:31:11.200 | I think Ewan and his sisters and our family,
00:31:13.520 | it was, we all worked together.
00:31:15.600 | It was encouraging.
00:31:16.560 | And having all three participated in that,
00:31:18.920 | they have that shared memory and shared experience.
00:31:22.760 | And of course they have the friendships and the families
00:31:25.240 | and the encouragement of,
00:31:27.720 | I had encouragement from the great moms
00:31:30.080 | that I met both years
00:31:31.280 | about moms who are trying to do the same things
00:31:33.680 | that are trying to disciple their children
00:31:35.760 | and all over the country
00:31:37.440 | and all the beautiful ways that they're doing that,
00:31:39.760 | that's encouraging to you as a mom.
00:31:41.960 | I think that all three kids are blessed
00:31:45.400 | by the experience of seeing a hard, difficult,
00:31:50.120 | what seems an impossible task
00:31:52.400 | and working on it every day,
00:31:54.800 | just a little bit at a time
00:31:56.240 | and every day trying to do just a little bit more.
00:31:59.240 | And for his older sisters,
00:32:01.160 | it really gave them confidence to try really hard things.
00:32:06.000 | And when they had opportunities
00:32:07.880 | that came up in the following years,
00:32:10.480 | they weren't afraid.
00:32:12.040 | They weren't afraid to try something hard.
00:32:14.520 | And that's what we want for all of our kids.
00:32:16.160 | We want them to not be afraid to do something hard,
00:32:19.320 | but then to have the tools
00:32:20.800 | and have practiced through ownership and discipline,
00:32:24.800 | all those themes of talent.
00:32:26.520 | - Yes.
00:32:27.720 | - But to have practiced owning,
00:32:30.200 | this is something I want to do
00:32:31.800 | and kind of living out that daily discipline
00:32:34.800 | of doing what needs to be done
00:32:37.040 | and loving what needs to be done,
00:32:39.840 | learning to love the things that need to be done
00:32:41.880 | in order to do them well.
00:32:43.240 | And when you work hard and when you work for the Lord,
00:32:48.240 | then you have something to share.
00:32:50.560 | And so I'm thankful for that experience
00:32:54.800 | that the National Mermaid Master Space
00:32:57.080 | created an opportunity to try something hard
00:33:01.000 | and the beauty of it and the reward of it
00:33:03.000 | is not in the winning,
00:33:04.240 | but is in the process that you went through
00:33:08.760 | to go through it.
00:33:10.400 | - I love that.
00:33:11.240 | I love learning to love what must be done
00:33:13.400 | and what you said earlier.
00:33:14.240 | - That's actually a quote.
00:33:15.080 | That's actually a quote from one of the CC students
00:33:17.400 | who was on the grad panel at National Conference.
00:33:20.000 | - I think that's so wonderful
00:33:21.880 | and such a great philosophy to have.
00:33:26.200 | I mean, for life, period.
00:33:28.240 | But even thinking about preparing for something
00:33:30.120 | like this competition,
00:33:32.280 | seeing, as you said, challenges as an opportunity
00:33:36.160 | and just focusing on that mindset is what a difference.
00:33:41.160 | That quote, learning to love what must be done,
00:33:47.320 | because if we love what must be done,
00:33:49.640 | we see it as an act of love.
00:33:51.320 | We see it as a love offering to the Lord
00:33:54.520 | when we do it to the best of our ability.
00:33:56.600 | It's not for our glory, but it's for His.
00:33:59.240 | And I think that is so important.
00:34:01.080 | That's one of the things that when we have the competition,
00:34:04.560 | we really try to emphasize the fact
00:34:07.440 | that we are celebrating a love offering
00:34:10.560 | from these students before the Lord.
00:34:13.280 | And what a joy it is to see them come into the competition
00:34:18.040 | already having that understanding and that mindset
00:34:20.800 | and that mentality.
00:34:22.320 | Just such a testimony to the parents
00:34:25.240 | who have instilled that love for the Lord
00:34:27.720 | and for learning about His word and His world,
00:34:31.560 | even prior to the National Memory Master Competition.
00:34:35.400 | Well, our time is almost up,
00:34:37.200 | but you and I want to give you the last word
00:34:40.920 | in our podcast today.
00:34:42.600 | So if you could give any words of wisdom,
00:34:45.960 | let's say that there is a foundation student
00:34:49.360 | that this fall they're gonna be going
00:34:51.400 | to their very last year of foundations
00:34:53.760 | and they're on the fence about whether or not
00:34:56.800 | they should try to do National Memory Master.
00:35:00.920 | What words of advice would you give to them
00:35:03.640 | or words of wisdom?
00:35:05.320 | Should they do it?
00:35:08.280 | What advice would you give to them?
00:35:10.160 | I would encourage it.
00:35:12.200 | It's a fun experience and making the audition videos fun.
00:35:17.080 | And also when studying, just go, just take,
00:35:22.080 | just do a little more every day
00:35:24.240 | until you've done everything that needs to be done.
00:35:29.960 | Those are great words of wisdom.
00:35:32.880 | Do a little bit every day
00:35:34.600 | until what needs to be done is done.
00:35:38.240 | Excellent.
00:35:39.080 | Well, Ewan, congratulations to you on your win
00:35:42.480 | and this year's competition.
00:35:44.000 | I am so excited to see what the Lord
00:35:46.440 | is going to continue to do in and through your life
00:35:49.360 | as you move into challenge A in the fall.
00:35:52.080 | And Kim, congratulations to you.
00:35:56.280 | I say this not just for you,
00:35:58.240 | but also for Mary Ann and for Evelyn.
00:36:01.080 | I just am so grateful for the words of wisdom
00:36:04.000 | that you have shared here today.
00:36:06.000 | And who knows, maybe we have lit the fire
00:36:10.560 | of the next round of National Memory Master finalists
00:36:15.040 | for 2025 just through what has been shared here today.
00:36:20.040 | Thank you both so much.
00:36:22.240 | And thank you Lister for turning into this episode
00:36:25.200 | of The Everyday Educator.
00:36:26.840 | Our prayer is that you are inspired and encouraged
00:36:30.600 | and that every day you will strive to be an educator
00:36:34.440 | that honors and glorifies the Lord.
00:36:36.760 | Thanks so much.
00:36:37.680 | We'll see you in the next one.
00:36:39.320 | (upbeat music)
00:36:41.920 | you
00:36:43.980 | [BLANK_AUDIO]