Everyday Educator - Practice Makes Progress: Memory Master with Kelli Wilt
00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)
00:00:02.580 | - Welcome friends to this episode
00:00:05.980 | of the "Everyday Educator" podcast.
00:00:08.640 | I'm your host, Lisa Bailey,
00:00:10.340 | and I'm excited to spend some time with you today
00:00:13.640 | as we encourage one another, learn together,
00:00:16.980 | and ponder the delights and challenges
00:00:19.540 | that make homeschooling the adventure of a lifetime.
00:00:22.900 | Whether you're just considering
00:00:24.900 | this homeschooling possibility
00:00:26.980 | or deep into the daily delight of family learning,
00:00:30.860 | I believe you'll enjoy thinking along with us.
00:00:34.200 | But don't forget,
00:00:35.480 | although this online community is awesome,
00:00:38.560 | you'll find even closer support in a local CC community.
00:00:43.480 | So go to classicalconversations.com
00:00:47.560 | and find a community near you today.
00:00:51.120 | Well, listeners, I'm happy to welcome you to this episode.
00:00:55.720 | We are gonna talk about Memory Master.
00:00:59.040 | Those of you who may be new to classical conversations
00:01:02.700 | and the foundations program may have,
00:01:06.240 | as the fall wears on, has worn on,
00:01:10.120 | you guys may have started hearing the words,
00:01:13.800 | the phrase Memory Master bandied about
00:01:17.080 | in your foundations community day.
00:01:19.000 | And maybe some of the students
00:01:22.080 | in your child's foundations group
00:01:25.440 | have already started working on Memory Master.
00:01:28.160 | And you're wondering what in the world is Memory Master
00:01:31.480 | and why should I care?
00:01:33.000 | And should I press my student to do that?
00:01:35.640 | And what does it look like?
00:01:37.160 | Now, some of you have been in foundations communities
00:01:40.840 | long enough to know what Memory Master is,
00:01:43.600 | but maybe you've never stuck your toe in the water,
00:01:45.840 | or you're just wondering,
00:01:47.360 | "Mm, it's a lot of pressure."
00:01:49.780 | I mean, is it a lot of pressure?
00:01:51.800 | Does my child want to do that?
00:01:53.380 | Do I want to do that?
00:01:55.140 | I have got somebody here
00:01:56.920 | who can answer all of your questions.
00:01:59.120 | And she loves Memory Master,
00:02:02.720 | but more than loving Memory Master,
00:02:05.440 | she loves children and families,
00:02:08.320 | and she loves equipping them to learn together.
00:02:11.840 | So welcome Kelly Wilt today.
00:02:14.920 | Kelly, thank you so much
00:02:16.100 | for sharing your Memory Master magic with us.
00:02:19.760 | - Oh, friend, it is a rainy, gray November day here
00:02:23.680 | where I am, but it is pure sunshine to talk to you.
00:02:26.580 | - Oh, that's so sweet.
00:02:27.420 | - But I have something near and dear to my heart.
00:02:29.360 | So I am excited to be here today
00:02:32.060 | and to discuss these things with you
00:02:34.600 | at what could be a critical time
00:02:37.320 | for a lot of families who are trying to make that decision
00:02:40.000 | about is Memory Master for us this year or not?
00:02:44.680 | So it's good for us to have this conversation
00:02:47.780 | because hopefully it will encourage families
00:02:50.900 | who are on the fence,
00:02:52.060 | and also maybe give a new perspective
00:02:54.700 | about the purpose of Memory Master
00:02:56.820 | and what it can mean for them and their families.
00:02:58.820 | - That's really good.
00:03:00.060 | You guys, Kelly knows all about Memory Master.
00:03:02.340 | You might recognize her voice,
00:03:04.420 | well, maybe from podcasts or other recordings,
00:03:07.380 | but also if you have been
00:03:09.540 | to the National Memory Master competition before,
00:03:14.540 | Kelly Wilt serves as the emcee.
00:03:17.100 | So she knows all the ins and outs of Memory Master
00:03:21.260 | on the grand stage.
00:03:23.220 | But I'm here to tell you, that's not all there is.
00:03:26.740 | You do not have to commit to being part
00:03:30.220 | of the National Memory Master competition,
00:03:33.700 | which is like Memory Master on steroids,
00:03:36.140 | in order for you and your family
00:03:38.940 | to benefit from learning together
00:03:42.660 | and practicing Memory Master at the community level.
00:03:46.740 | So that's most of what we're gonna talk about today.
00:03:49.500 | If you came on this podcast thinking,
00:03:51.700 | oh, I'm gonna learn all the tips and tricks
00:03:53.500 | for National Memory Master, you need to wait.
00:03:56.260 | We're gonna do that episode in a little bit.
00:03:59.700 | But today, this is just about families
00:04:03.700 | who might be sticking their toe
00:04:05.940 | into the water of National Memory Master.
00:04:08.700 | So Kelly, I wanna start out just,
00:04:10.700 | and this is actually good for everybody to consider.
00:04:14.540 | This first question I wanna ask you,
00:04:17.100 | how can I inspire my child
00:04:21.580 | to want to do Memory Master?
00:04:25.060 | And the question a lot of us as parents are asking right now,
00:04:29.820 | is it too late for this cycle?
00:04:32.340 | So two part question.
00:04:33.620 | - Two part question, and I'm gonna answer it in reverse.
00:04:36.420 | It's definitely not too late for this cycle,
00:04:41.780 | but I will say this,
00:04:43.660 | the sooner that you have a conversation with your child,
00:04:48.660 | and you make it a priority for your family for this cycle,
00:04:52.940 | the more time you will have to practice.
00:04:56.140 | And we like to say, practice makes progress.
00:05:01.140 | And one of the keys to achieving Memory Master
00:05:04.980 | is understanding that a large portion of this
00:05:08.020 | is mastery, not perfection.
00:05:11.100 | We don't expect as parents perfection from ourselves,
00:05:13.900 | and we can't expect it from our children,
00:05:15.540 | but we can expect them to take steps
00:05:19.180 | toward mastering difficult things.
00:05:23.020 | And so, I think it is key to inspire our children
00:05:27.060 | to want to do Memory Master by first of all,
00:05:30.580 | being honest with them,
00:05:32.700 | having a conversation about,
00:05:34.020 | you know what, this is gonna be a challenging thing,
00:05:37.380 | but I have confidence in you.
00:05:40.220 | We can do this together.
00:05:42.220 | And that togetherness,
00:05:44.020 | as a parent communicating that to your child is key,
00:05:47.780 | because then immediately your child knows
00:05:50.620 | that he or she has a support base
00:05:53.820 | for accomplishing this challenging thing.
00:05:57.820 | And so, I think part of inspiration is honesty.
00:06:01.540 | I think part of inspiration is also
00:06:04.900 | being a ready source of encouragement for your child.
00:06:09.940 | - You know, I think about some of the long-term goals
00:06:13.820 | that I've tried to achieve in my life in the past,
00:06:17.620 | and at some point it is very likely
00:06:20.340 | that you might hit a plateau,
00:06:22.780 | or you just might be burned out with reaching an end goal.
00:06:26.700 | And it's always wonderful to have that one person
00:06:29.500 | in your life who looks you eye to eye in those moments
00:06:34.380 | and says, you know what, this is tough,
00:06:37.460 | but I have confidence in you.
00:06:40.220 | You can do it.
00:06:41.140 | Keep going, keep pressing forward,
00:06:44.940 | and you will accomplish this.
00:06:47.620 | And as parents, we have to be that for our children
00:06:51.340 | when they are taking steps to achieve a goal,
00:06:55.100 | a long-term goal like Memory Master.
00:06:58.220 | - That's really good.
00:07:00.420 | I love, love, love what you said.
00:07:04.700 | As parents, maybe the best inspiration for our child
00:07:09.700 | is to be their chief cheerleader.
00:07:14.140 | I like this.
00:07:15.060 | Be honest, be encouraging, and be available.
00:07:20.060 | That will inspire your child.
00:07:23.940 | Because you're right,
00:07:25.260 | our children need us to be honest with them.
00:07:27.500 | This may not be the easiest thing you do this year.
00:07:31.020 | This may be hard.
00:07:35.340 | This may be sometimes discouraging
00:07:37.340 | if you get to that set of math facts
00:07:40.020 | that for some reason,
00:07:41.180 | you just can't make them stick in your head.
00:07:43.580 | Or if there's a history sentence,
00:07:45.700 | the wording of which keeps tripping your tongue up.
00:07:50.100 | But that encouragement that you can do it,
00:07:54.180 | you can do hard things, keep going, that's really good.
00:07:58.340 | I like that.
00:07:59.580 | I like that.
00:08:00.460 | Do you think it's encouraging to children
00:08:03.140 | to think that they might have a partner and a parent?
00:08:07.300 | - You know, I know for me, in difficult tasks,
00:08:11.380 | it always is encouraging to know
00:08:13.300 | that there's someone else there.
00:08:15.100 | And I think, especially in homeschooling,
00:08:17.780 | for our children to see that we are right alongside them,
00:08:21.660 | and that we are not going to basically
00:08:25.180 | throw this off on them
00:08:26.540 | to accomplish this hard thing by themselves,
00:08:28.820 | and then be incredibly disappointed
00:08:30.740 | when they don't accomplish it.
00:08:32.180 | - Yes.
00:08:33.060 | - That's not a good relationship builder.
00:08:36.660 | I think that is a discouragement to children.
00:08:39.780 | I know a lot of parents really take this to heart,
00:08:43.740 | and they actually commit themselves
00:08:46.540 | to learning all of our foundation's memory work,
00:08:49.620 | which I think is fantastic.
00:08:50.860 | - Man.
00:08:51.700 | - We've had some parents who in the past have joked
00:08:54.020 | that we need to have a parent national memory master.
00:08:58.460 | They want to model that dedication for their children.
00:09:02.540 | And you know, that's not for everyone.
00:09:04.420 | - Right.
00:09:05.260 | - I think as parents,
00:09:06.180 | we can commit to demonstrating for our children
00:09:09.900 | that we also are willing to do hard things alongside them.
00:09:13.620 | - Yes, yes.
00:09:14.460 | - And complete the way.
00:09:15.940 | - And I think, you know,
00:09:17.100 | for the parents who have bitten that off
00:09:19.420 | and are chewing on it with their child,
00:09:22.140 | I think it can be very eye-opening for children
00:09:24.620 | to see that we as parents also struggle,
00:09:28.420 | and that in some ways,
00:09:30.900 | our kids are sometimes quote-unquote better at it
00:09:33.420 | than we are.
00:09:34.260 | I remember memorizing the timeline with my girls years ago,
00:09:38.100 | and I was keeping pace with them.
00:09:39.820 | I was feeling pretty darn good about myself
00:09:42.220 | for like the first five weeks.
00:09:43.860 | And then after we got up and we had bukus of cards,
00:09:48.180 | they were way faster than I am.
00:09:51.180 | Now, my husband and I, who are now grandparents, okay,
00:09:54.780 | and our grandchildren are not old enough
00:09:56.780 | to do foundations yet,
00:09:58.500 | but we are preparing ourselves.
00:10:01.300 | So we have decided that we are gonna start working
00:10:04.180 | on the timeline cards now.
00:10:06.540 | - Love it.
00:10:07.380 | - So that when our grandson is ready to tackle that,
00:10:11.060 | we'll be able to keep up.
00:10:12.180 | So, wish us luck.
00:10:14.100 | - Thank you.
00:10:14.940 | - Wish us luck.
00:10:15.780 | All right, so listen,
00:10:16.900 | why is Memory Master important?
00:10:20.580 | Would you say that Memory Master is important
00:10:24.500 | for foundation students?
00:10:26.220 | And if you think it is important for those students,
00:10:30.140 | why is it so important?
00:10:32.380 | - That's a really great question.
00:10:34.460 | Yes, I would say it is important,
00:10:36.940 | but for reasons,
00:10:38.540 | different reasons than what might be typically thought of.
00:10:42.740 | - Okay, awesome.
00:10:43.860 | - So in our family's homeschooling journey,
00:10:46.420 | we have graduated two of our three children
00:10:48.940 | through Challenge Four.
00:10:50.660 | And looking back, I think when they were in foundations,
00:10:54.340 | I didn't recognize how important
00:10:57.140 | committing information to memory would be
00:11:00.380 | for their future success.
00:11:02.140 | I think I sort of had a view that Memory Master
00:11:06.380 | was a cool thing that they could do and they could achieve.
00:11:09.700 | And we could look at that as a recognition
00:11:12.940 | of what a great job we were doing as foundations families.
00:11:16.900 | - Right, in those early years, we did this great thing.
00:11:19.900 | - Yes, and truly Lisa, now looking back,
00:11:23.820 | I don't think I realized that that foundation's memory work
00:11:27.140 | is truly foundational.
00:11:29.340 | - Yes.
00:11:30.180 | - Not only in giving children the memory pegs
00:11:32.700 | that they'll later use to hang information on
00:11:35.780 | through their years in challenge.
00:11:37.500 | - Yes.
00:11:38.340 | - But also, we are basically doing brain training.
00:11:41.980 | - Yes, absolutely.
00:11:42.820 | - Brain training, even in the youngest of foundation students.
00:11:47.820 | And so, as we, I can say if I went to the gym
00:11:53.340 | and someone handed me a 200-pound barbell
00:11:55.620 | and said, "Lisa's brain,"
00:11:57.340 | I can assure you that would not be happening.
00:11:59.980 | But--
00:12:00.820 | - Let me tell you, there are not 200-pound barbells.
00:12:03.540 | But maybe a 200-pound deadlift bar or something.
00:12:08.540 | - There you go, there you go.
00:12:10.220 | Ooh, yeah, that's true, that's true.
00:12:13.060 | But you know, if I took time to lift weights bit by bit
00:12:18.060 | and increase my strength, it would be much more likely
00:12:21.740 | that I would be able to lift that heavy weight
00:12:24.580 | with more ease without injuring myself, maybe.
00:12:28.500 | - Yes, yes, absolutely, you're right.
00:12:31.180 | - Yeah, and it's kind of that way, I think,
00:12:33.060 | for our foundation students who, in these younger years,
00:12:36.540 | are getting a taste of that brain training
00:12:40.620 | as they commit all of these facts to memory,
00:12:44.700 | as they commit these geographical locations to memory,
00:12:48.420 | or timeline events, they are essentially starting
00:12:52.660 | to lift those smaller weights and then heavier weights
00:12:57.020 | so that when they are in challenge and beyond,
00:13:00.820 | their memory is outstanding, that they commit to memory
00:13:05.660 | more than just facts and information, but stories
00:13:10.380 | and poems and build up a library of the mind.
00:13:16.100 | So, you know, this is kind of the foundation's memory master
00:13:19.140 | is kind of the mental strength equivalent of, you know,
00:13:22.820 | looking at picture books with your child
00:13:25.620 | and having them recite back that picture book.
00:13:28.740 | - That is so true.
00:13:29.940 | - Yeah, and so as they grow,
00:13:32.620 | their ability to remember should also grow.
00:13:37.020 | - Mm-hmm, I will tell you a little short story,
00:13:40.620 | an anecdote that really showed me that this was true.
00:13:45.860 | My older daughter only did two years of foundations
00:13:48.340 | 'cause we didn't find CC in our early days
00:13:51.660 | of homeschooling, but she was a great,
00:13:54.860 | she did memory master both of the years
00:13:56.780 | that she was in foundations.
00:13:59.180 | She had a great memory that just got better.
00:14:02.300 | But when she was in college, she had one class,
00:14:04.860 | it was some kind of political science class,
00:14:06.660 | and she had to memorize.
00:14:08.620 | It was like the top, for 15 countries,
00:14:11.820 | she had to memorize their gross national product,
00:14:15.380 | in order, and several other categories.
00:14:18.740 | And I was just, it was just a bunch of numbers
00:14:21.260 | and percentages, and it just seemed horrifying to me.
00:14:24.780 | And she was like, "Oh no, I'm done with that part."
00:14:27.900 | And I'm like, "How in the world?"
00:14:29.100 | And she said, "It's like way easier
00:14:30.980 | "than memory master, Mom."
00:14:32.060 | She said, and she told me all the tricks
00:14:34.620 | that she had learned about cycling the information,
00:14:38.420 | about grouping it, about how to practice
00:14:40.580 | and when to practice, and mind palaces,
00:14:43.300 | and tricks that she had learned,
00:14:45.100 | that she had held on to as a college student
00:14:48.340 | from her foundations days.
00:14:51.260 | And the one thing that impressed me the most,
00:14:54.620 | not that she could memorize it all,
00:14:56.100 | 'cause I knew she had a sharp mind,
00:14:57.660 | what impressed me the most was her confidence
00:15:01.100 | that that would not be a stumbling block at all.
00:15:04.220 | And so I love what you said, it does build brain muscle,
00:15:07.180 | but it also builds confidence, confidence.
00:15:10.500 | - Okay, so we have decided
00:15:13.220 | that our family's gonna do memory master.
00:15:15.100 | Yep, it's a good thing, it'll be good for us,
00:15:18.020 | eat your spinach, it's gonna be good for us,
00:15:19.780 | we're gonna do it.
00:15:20.660 | So what should my expectations be as a parent,
00:15:25.260 | both for me as the parent and for my child
00:15:30.260 | as the hopefully eventual memory master?
00:15:34.060 | - So I think how we said,
00:15:37.260 | how do I inspire my child to want to do memory master?
00:15:40.260 | We need to be honest.
00:15:41.660 | We need to be honest with ourselves about our expectations.
00:15:45.300 | I am guilty of in the past expecting my children
00:15:49.740 | to review memory work and letting them be on their own
00:15:54.740 | and expecting it to happen
00:15:57.020 | and for all of it to sink in through osmosis.
00:16:00.460 | And obviously, I don't even have to tell you
00:16:02.660 | the end of that story.
00:16:03.860 | I would come in the room and both of my boys
00:16:07.220 | would have created Lego lightsabers
00:16:08.940 | and they would be doing other things
00:16:12.020 | aside from listening to the memory work.
00:16:14.340 | So I think as a parent,
00:16:15.740 | one of your expectations must be that you will be hands-on.
00:16:19.220 | You have to be.
00:16:20.820 | Now, that's not to say that there won't be opportunities
00:16:23.300 | to be hands-off, for instance.
00:16:25.380 | If you play the memory work when you're in your minivan,
00:16:27.940 | driving to the grocery store
00:16:29.620 | or since we're approaching the holidays,
00:16:31.260 | if you're on your way to pick out a Christmas tree
00:16:33.980 | or driving to a Thanksgiving meal
00:16:36.300 | at a family member's house and you put on the CD,
00:16:39.340 | there are plenty of opportunities for review
00:16:42.140 | where you are not hands-on at.
00:16:43.620 | However, as a parent,
00:16:45.860 | you have to be willing to commit the time daily,
00:16:49.820 | if not almost daily,
00:16:51.620 | to reviewing a portion of the memory work
00:16:53.820 | because when we think about this type of information,
00:16:57.500 | saturating our children's mind, they're like sponges.
00:17:02.140 | If you dump a big bucket of water on a sponge,
00:17:04.340 | it's not going to soak in as deeply
00:17:06.500 | as if you pour a little bit by little bit over time.
00:17:09.820 | - That's true, that's a great analogy, awesome.
00:17:13.500 | - So I think as parents,
00:17:15.100 | we have to be willing to give time.
00:17:18.060 | We also, one of our other expectations is
00:17:21.060 | that we need to not allow ourselves to be frustrated
00:17:24.380 | because one of the delights of parenting
00:17:27.260 | is the fact that we are helping to refine
00:17:29.820 | our children's sinful little natures.
00:17:31.740 | - Yes, yes, oh my goodness.
00:17:34.020 | - And so there will be times when your child
00:17:36.860 | will want to go and build Lego lightsabers.
00:17:39.300 | - Yes.
00:17:40.140 | - And you know what, at that moment in time,
00:17:41.780 | as you weigh the situation,
00:17:43.420 | you weigh what has transpired
00:17:45.140 | in your household for that day,
00:17:46.940 | that might be exactly what they need to do.
00:17:49.060 | They might need it from time away.
00:17:51.260 | But I think also we have to be willing
00:17:56.260 | to sit down with our children and say, it is now time.
00:18:00.140 | I have given you time for these other things
00:18:02.180 | and now we are focused and we are here to do this together
00:18:05.940 | and to bring them into that time
00:18:08.900 | where you are working together.
00:18:10.700 | So I think, you know, our expectations,
00:18:12.580 | we have to be honest with ourselves.
00:18:14.620 | We also have to recognize that there will be times
00:18:17.500 | where we as parents may be frustrated
00:18:20.020 | and we need to figure out ways to work around that
00:18:23.740 | for the benefit not only of ourselves,
00:18:25.420 | but also of our children.
00:18:27.980 | And, you know, I think I had really high expectations.
00:18:31.820 | - Yeah, yeah.
00:18:33.140 | - All three of mine,
00:18:34.460 | when they were coming through Memory Master,
00:18:36.340 | I expected to say it once and they would retain it forever.
00:18:40.060 | - Right, like we could do that.
00:18:42.860 | - Exactly.
00:18:43.700 | So our expectations for our children cannot be,
00:18:47.580 | they cannot exceed the expectations we have for ourselves.
00:18:50.900 | If it takes us multiple repetitions
00:18:53.820 | in order to master something and continue to remember it,
00:18:57.500 | of course it's gonna be that way for our children.
00:18:59.540 | Now, Lisa, you're right.
00:19:00.820 | They are better than us.
00:19:01.860 | Every year at National Memory Master.
00:19:03.620 | - I'm amazed.
00:19:04.980 | - I am reminded how these children can not only memorize,
00:19:09.420 | but they can manipulate facts in their minds,
00:19:13.140 | which is outstanding.
00:19:15.220 | But, you know, we also need to give them that confidence
00:19:18.820 | that you were speaking about earlier by repeating.
00:19:23.500 | Repeating, you know, over a long period of time
00:19:26.700 | and that we also need to have intensity
00:19:29.580 | by presenting the memory work
00:19:30.980 | in ways that they can easily remember.
00:19:33.140 | So we typically will say it has to be practiced
00:19:36.020 | with duration, repetition, intensity
00:19:40.020 | in order for it to stick.
00:19:41.460 | - Yeah, yeah.
00:19:42.500 | So what should be the expectations
00:19:45.860 | that we have of our child?
00:19:47.060 | 'Cause I believe you and I do agree
00:19:49.460 | that we need to keep our expectations realistic.
00:19:54.220 | - Yes.
00:19:55.060 | - And that's our job for our, we need to be realistic.
00:19:58.500 | But what are those realistic expectations?
00:20:01.940 | - Right.
00:20:02.780 | Well, you know, sometimes I think we look at our children
00:20:05.540 | and we make the assumption that they're going to perform
00:20:07.780 | to the highest level.
00:20:09.260 | We look at our four-year-old and say,
00:20:10.860 | oh, he's gonna be, or she's gonna be
00:20:12.500 | a memory master this year.
00:20:14.340 | And we make that assumption.
00:20:16.220 | And either through life experiences, you know,
00:20:20.060 | things that are going on within your household
00:20:22.020 | during that particular cycle,
00:20:23.940 | it just may not be a reality.
00:20:26.260 | And so I think we have to look at
00:20:28.660 | what is going on in our lives.
00:20:29.860 | Did we move this year?
00:20:31.100 | Did our children go through, you know, a big move?
00:20:34.500 | Are we changing communities?
00:20:36.260 | Was there a family member who was sick that, you know,
00:20:39.740 | maybe mom or dad didn't have time to practice,
00:20:43.180 | to commit themselves to practicing?
00:20:45.300 | I think we have to be realistic with what is achievable
00:20:48.220 | based on the life circumstances
00:20:50.700 | that we've gone through for that year.
00:20:52.220 | And also we need to look at our children and think,
00:20:54.940 | okay, what is my child's capability?
00:20:58.500 | Maybe your four-year-old came into foundations this year
00:21:03.500 | and is sitting on community day, you know,
00:21:06.380 | doing all the fun new grammar, you know,
00:21:09.300 | practice and jumping around and having lots of fun,
00:21:12.420 | but maybe memory master just is not
00:21:14.300 | on your family's radar this year.
00:21:16.060 | You're new to this whole classical education thing
00:21:19.260 | and the classical conversations.
00:21:21.260 | It might just be time for you to sit back
00:21:24.580 | and watch and take in and learn more
00:21:27.540 | about what classical home education is all about.
00:21:30.020 | And that's okay, that is okay.
00:21:32.580 | - And you know, one thing that I was thinking, Kelly,
00:21:34.700 | that I always counsel young parents to consider
00:21:38.940 | is that your expectations for each of your children
00:21:43.340 | need to be individual.
00:21:44.820 | You can't have a blanket,
00:21:47.380 | this is what we expect of memory masters in our house.
00:21:51.980 | No, you got to consider what is the grow,
00:21:55.140 | what's the grow goal for this child this year?
00:22:00.140 | Because like you said,
00:22:01.940 | if you have a child who really struggled
00:22:04.740 | at the beginning of the year to even make eye contact
00:22:07.620 | with other people in their class,
00:22:10.340 | then complete mastery of memory master
00:22:13.380 | might be too much of a stretch.
00:22:15.820 | So you have to consider where each of your children is
00:22:19.340 | in the given year and what would be,
00:22:22.940 | it's never bad for us to encourage our children to stretch,
00:22:27.220 | but what would stretch one child might break another.
00:22:30.780 | - Oh, that's so true.
00:22:32.260 | I think, you know, we have to, you're right,
00:22:35.140 | each child needs to be considered as an individual
00:22:38.180 | and each year needs to be considered individually.
00:22:42.020 | It's a dangerous thing for a parent to say,
00:22:45.020 | in this family, every single child is a memory master
00:22:48.300 | every single year.
00:22:49.340 | - Right, yes.
00:22:50.180 | - And to not give that consideration,
00:22:52.740 | both to life and to the children
00:22:54.940 | that are entrusted to your care,
00:22:56.260 | because not only are you growing their minds,
00:22:58.460 | stretching their minds, you're shepherding their souls.
00:23:01.860 | And so you're very right, you know,
00:23:03.980 | what might be achievable for one child,
00:23:06.140 | even within the same family,
00:23:08.020 | might be too much of a stretch
00:23:09.500 | to the point of breaking another.
00:23:11.900 | So as parents, you know,
00:23:12.980 | we are our children's best, first and best teachers,
00:23:16.740 | and we know them best.
00:23:17.900 | And we really have to be honest with ourselves
00:23:20.140 | and consider not only the student,
00:23:22.780 | but also the life circumstances
00:23:25.020 | and the ability for that goal
00:23:26.980 | to be accomplished in that year.
00:23:28.540 | - That's so wise, so rich.
00:23:30.500 | Okay, so we have gotten ourselves straight.
00:23:34.140 | We've had a stern talk with ourselves.
00:23:35.780 | We've decided to do it.
00:23:37.220 | Our child is excited.
00:23:38.660 | We have committed to being realistic
00:23:41.300 | about our expectations of ourselves and of our child.
00:23:44.740 | We are all in, what do I do first?
00:23:47.620 | - Oh, so good.
00:23:48.540 | Okay, so first steps.
00:23:50.860 | If you have had a, well, the very first step,
00:23:53.940 | if you haven't already had a conversation with your child,
00:23:57.100 | be honest, sit down and say, you know what?
00:23:59.620 | I'm thinking this would be a good goal for you,
00:24:02.540 | and this is why.
00:24:04.140 | And also, you know, looking through the memory work,
00:24:09.060 | it also is something to consider
00:24:11.140 | that maybe the goal for your child for that year
00:24:13.300 | might need to be tailored
00:24:14.980 | from being a memory master of all subjects
00:24:18.460 | to being a memory master of two subjects or three subjects,
00:24:23.380 | or even just one subject based on what you've observed,
00:24:28.060 | like we were saying, that, you know,
00:24:30.420 | honest dialogue with yourself,
00:24:32.700 | and then communicating that to your child and saying,
00:24:35.660 | okay, I wanna look with you, you know, at the memory work,
00:24:39.420 | and I wanna talk through what is this gonna look like?
00:24:42.220 | Have that conversation with your child and say,
00:24:44.300 | okay, I think we can do this by practicing 15 minutes a day,
00:24:49.300 | if it's a small goal, or 30 minutes a day.
00:24:51.820 | Now, I would strongly recommend
00:24:54.940 | that you not take hours and hours every day.
00:24:57.820 | - Yes, yes.
00:24:59.020 | - Like with being our gym analogy
00:25:01.260 | that we had before with my 200 pound barbell.
00:25:04.740 | (laughs)
00:25:05.580 | - Too much of a good thing is not too good,
00:25:07.980 | it's just too much.
00:25:09.100 | - Exactly, and so very quickly,
00:25:11.900 | your child will weary of this.
00:25:14.500 | And unfortunately, in some cases,
00:25:16.540 | come to resent practicing memory work,
00:25:19.900 | which is definitely something we don't want to do.
00:25:22.860 | So I think it's good to first have that conversation
00:25:25.580 | with your child, lay down expectations,
00:25:28.780 | and think through, you know,
00:25:30.660 | how will we give each other accountability for this?
00:25:34.140 | Maybe you tack on that daily habit of reviewing memory work
00:25:38.260 | onto something that you already regularly do.
00:25:41.380 | For instance, maybe right after lunch,
00:25:44.100 | as soon as we, you know,
00:25:44.980 | clean up the dishes from the table,
00:25:46.340 | we're gonna come right back and do our practice.
00:25:49.460 | That makes it easier because you're attaching that
00:25:52.220 | to something that you already do regularly.
00:25:55.020 | And so there won't be the battle of,
00:25:56.980 | okay, your children have run off to their rooms,
00:25:58.740 | they've hidden under their beds.
00:26:00.220 | Don't do it.
00:26:01.060 | - It'll just become a natural routine,
00:26:03.700 | and nobody resents a routine, it just is.
00:26:06.780 | It's not something that's been put on them.
00:26:09.300 | - Exactly. - Cool, I like that.
00:26:10.580 | I like that. - Exactly.
00:26:11.740 | When it comes to community and first steps in community,
00:26:16.180 | one of the very first things you need to do
00:26:18.780 | is let your foundations director know.
00:26:21.580 | Let her know or him know,
00:26:23.900 | this is a priority for our family this year.
00:26:26.300 | Right now, you know, maybe our stretch goal
00:26:29.500 | is to memory master in three subjects.
00:26:33.380 | But our realistic goal is that we're going to at least
00:26:36.660 | try to daily practice our memory work for one or two.
00:26:39.900 | Or maybe, you know, you look at your director and say,
00:26:42.420 | "Hey, this is the year."
00:26:44.460 | - Right, right.
00:26:45.940 | - You know, and so have that conversation
00:26:48.820 | because your director is planning more than likely
00:26:52.860 | to have an interest meeting to gather other parents
00:26:56.020 | who are also interested in memory master.
00:26:57.940 | And some directors even taking it upon themselves
00:27:00.620 | to plan fun things like memory master clubs
00:27:04.580 | or having a review party over Christmas
00:27:08.580 | where you all get together or a review day in the park
00:27:11.620 | where everyone can run
00:27:12.820 | and then come back together and practice some more.
00:27:16.820 | So letting your director know is a very hospitable way
00:27:20.100 | to also help him or her to be able to plan
00:27:23.940 | and also to gain support for this goal
00:27:26.700 | that you're trying to achieve as a family.
00:27:28.460 | - Yeah, oh, that's really good.
00:27:30.620 | Okay, I know 'cause I've read the catalog and other things
00:27:34.500 | that memory master is supposed to be child led,
00:27:39.500 | not parent pushed.
00:27:42.020 | And I know that none of us good parents
00:27:44.660 | who are listening to this call would ever be pushy,
00:27:47.900 | at least not at the beginning with our intentions.
00:27:51.540 | But sometimes, man, it is so easy for a parent to get pushy
00:27:55.900 | when a child's energy or interest starts to wane
00:28:00.420 | like what do I do?
00:28:01.900 | What do I do, Kelly, if my child's attention
00:28:04.980 | or tenacity wanes during the process?
00:28:08.380 | Do we just give up?
00:28:10.060 | - Oh, okay, first of all,
00:28:11.900 | you have a parent on the call right now with you
00:28:13.780 | who is guilty of being a pusher.
00:28:16.180 | - Oh my gosh, I so can slip into that
00:28:18.740 | without even noticing.
00:28:21.180 | - Well, and for me, just being completely honest,
00:28:23.820 | it was a point of pride for me.
00:28:26.180 | I wanted to be able to say my child was a memory master
00:28:29.620 | as long as that,
00:28:31.020 | because that's a goal that's centered on myself,
00:28:34.140 | not on my children, not on their eternal benefit.
00:28:36.620 | It was all about me.
00:28:38.100 | And the Lord quickly drew my attention to the fact
00:28:41.580 | that my vision was wrong.
00:28:45.300 | Because the one year I did push,
00:28:48.140 | I completely stole my son's joy
00:28:50.580 | out of the memory master process.
00:28:52.620 | Stole the joy.
00:28:54.380 | I might as well have been cracking a whip
00:28:57.540 | 'cause I was just unkind and not the mom
00:29:02.260 | that he needed at that moment.
00:29:04.100 | And so, I think I would say, first of all,
00:29:07.300 | keep the fact that this is child-led,
00:29:09.580 | not parent-pushed in your mind.
00:29:12.060 | And when you feel like you are moving to that side
00:29:16.380 | where you're a pusher and not a leader,
00:29:18.660 | you need to take a moment to regroup as a parent
00:29:23.300 | and really examine,
00:29:24.620 | okay, are we doing this at a great time of day
00:29:28.420 | when our children get up in the morning?
00:29:30.380 | It is not good.
00:29:31.860 | You know, it's not kind as soon as their eyes pop open
00:29:34.380 | for us to say, all right, here's the timeline song,
00:29:37.140 | here we go.
00:29:37.980 | I mean, that just, I think that would build resentment.
00:29:41.340 | - Yes.
00:29:42.180 | - Examine. - That's so good.
00:29:44.220 | - Yeah, examine when you're doing it.
00:29:45.700 | - Your kid's natural rhythm.
00:29:47.780 | - Right. - Yeah.
00:29:49.620 | - You know, examine when you were reviewing.
00:29:51.940 | Is there something that you can improve
00:29:53.900 | that will make it more natural?
00:29:56.660 | Is there a point in the day
00:29:58.460 | where it's just basically simpler
00:30:00.300 | for you to do this thing together?
00:30:02.620 | And I think also, you know,
00:30:04.500 | when our children's attention wanes,
00:30:07.140 | or their tenacity.
00:30:09.140 | - Yes.
00:30:09.980 | - You know, we also, as parents,
00:30:12.500 | need to be willing to inspect what we expect.
00:30:16.220 | - Ooh.
00:30:17.060 | - So it may be time for an honest conversation
00:30:20.300 | with your child and to say, you know what,
00:30:22.300 | in, you know, at the beginning of the year,
00:30:24.020 | or, you know, even as now,
00:30:26.300 | right before we get into the holidays,
00:30:29.220 | maybe you sit down with your child and say,
00:30:30.900 | you know what, when we first started doing this,
00:30:32.620 | I noticed that you were really excited.
00:30:35.020 | And you came to the couch and you were,
00:30:37.340 | you had the book and the CD and you were ready to go.
00:30:41.500 | - Right.
00:30:42.340 | - Now, you know, when I call you to do this,
00:30:45.940 | you don't come right away,
00:30:47.740 | or I'll find you doing other things.
00:30:49.660 | And that what that says to me is,
00:30:52.340 | you're not excited about this anymore.
00:30:54.540 | And as parents, you know,
00:30:55.620 | sometimes we have to look at our children and say,
00:30:58.180 | I need to dig a little deeper to find what is the reason?
00:31:01.700 | Did we set too large of a goal?
00:31:04.300 | Are you discouraged?
00:31:05.820 | Are you just brain tired?
00:31:07.340 | And you need a little bit of time away,
00:31:09.260 | and then can come back to this with renewed energy,
00:31:12.500 | because I know I've been there.
00:31:14.140 | - Right.
00:31:14.980 | - But we have to be willing to have that conversation
00:31:17.620 | with our children.
00:31:18.700 | Now, if your children are really young,
00:31:21.020 | it might just be as a parent,
00:31:22.660 | your opportunity to say, okay, I reached too far.
00:31:26.100 | The goal is too big, we're stretching too far,
00:31:29.060 | and then you--
00:31:29.900 | - We're stretching too thin, we're just too thin, yeah.
00:31:32.460 | - You just need to intentionally tailor the goal
00:31:36.060 | to something that is manageable.
00:31:37.660 | And that's okay, that's okay.
00:31:39.420 | It is far better for you to intentionally tailor a goal,
00:31:43.020 | than for you to aim for something and then stop trying.
00:31:47.620 | - Right, and be miserable about both things,
00:31:51.060 | that you stopped and that it was too much.
00:31:54.980 | - For sure.
00:31:55.900 | - I like that.
00:31:56.860 | I love that the reminder that we need to explore the why
00:32:01.820 | of the waning interest and respond appropriately.
00:32:05.540 | So do we need to scale the goal?
00:32:07.980 | Do we need to take a break?
00:32:10.020 | Do we just gently remind our student that,
00:32:13.580 | well, we knew it was gonna be hard.
00:32:15.660 | - Right.
00:32:16.500 | - Stretching is sometimes uncomfortable,
00:32:19.500 | but it does allow us to do things with ease
00:32:22.660 | after we stretch.
00:32:24.300 | So sometimes our students just need to be given a break
00:32:28.860 | and then encouraged to come back.
00:32:30.980 | But sometimes, like you said,
00:32:32.900 | we've set a goal that was unrealistic.
00:32:35.260 | And maybe we didn't realize it was unrealistic.
00:32:38.620 | - Right.
00:32:39.460 | - And a lot of how our children will feel
00:32:41.420 | about amending a goal will come from us.
00:32:44.860 | So if we act like, well, the best,
00:32:47.620 | let's just do the best we can.
00:32:49.260 | I guess this is the best we can do.
00:32:51.620 | Then that seems like a loser mentality.
00:32:54.740 | - Yes.
00:32:55.620 | - But if you are like, oh my goodness,
00:32:57.900 | we are having so much fun with this history sentences.
00:33:00.820 | Let's put all our time there
00:33:02.220 | because that is bringing us so much joy.
00:33:04.540 | That is a joyous way to tailor.
00:33:06.700 | And this is embracing the strength.
00:33:08.700 | I love that.
00:33:09.780 | - For sure.
00:33:10.620 | - I love that.
00:33:11.460 | - I will also add, for goodness sakes,
00:33:13.300 | don't do what I did
00:33:14.580 | and compare your children to one another
00:33:17.380 | or to their community.
00:33:19.900 | Do not look at your child and say,
00:33:22.500 | well, Tommy's mom never has to call him.
00:33:26.500 | - Yes.
00:33:27.540 | - Don't do that.
00:33:28.380 | Because again, that builds resentment.
00:33:30.700 | It's not motivational.
00:33:32.100 | I mean, my goodness.
00:33:33.820 | If I were lifting weights, like we alluded to earlier.
00:33:37.220 | - Yes.
00:33:38.060 | - You looked at me and said, well,
00:33:40.020 | your friend, whomever is lifting this,
00:33:43.380 | I'm not motivated for that.
00:33:44.860 | - What's the matter you?
00:33:46.340 | - That's right.
00:33:47.180 | That's right.
00:33:48.620 | You know, part of that encouragement
00:33:50.540 | is finding your child's emotional currency.
00:33:54.260 | What will build them up
00:33:55.900 | to the point where they can come at this again,
00:33:58.940 | that with renewed interest and vigor.
00:34:01.980 | And you know, I really do think the holidays
00:34:04.380 | are a great time for us to be able to do that.
00:34:07.500 | To have, you know, refreshed vision, fresh eyes,
00:34:11.460 | to come back again, you know,
00:34:13.260 | at that goal with energy and excitement.
00:34:16.980 | Because, you know, realistically,
00:34:18.860 | sometimes we do need a little bit of time away
00:34:21.940 | in order to come back and completely be able to achieve
00:34:26.140 | what we're wanting to do over the longterm.
00:34:27.980 | So I agree with you, Lisa.
00:34:29.380 | The conversation and how it's framed to your child
00:34:32.380 | is of critical importance for them wanting to continue
00:34:36.380 | forward and chase that goal.
00:34:39.180 | - Yes.
00:34:40.180 | That's great.
00:34:43.460 | That is really great.
00:34:44.860 | Those are good thinking points for us.
00:34:48.620 | So this kind of goes along with it.
00:34:50.980 | Some of us on the call might be thinking,
00:34:54.180 | okay, this sounds really good.
00:34:55.700 | I just joined in to see what in the world
00:34:57.220 | this Memory Master thing is,
00:34:59.180 | and we're not really gonna do it.
00:35:00.780 | I don't think it's the right goal for our family this year.
00:35:04.860 | But are there some ways that we could stretch
00:35:07.940 | toward this goal for the future?
00:35:10.380 | - So good.
00:35:12.380 | I think that we've alluded to this a little bit already.
00:35:16.100 | Just by dipping your toe in the water
00:35:18.420 | and saying to your child,
00:35:19.620 | well, I think we're going to do this one subject this year.
00:35:23.620 | And then, you know, say, okay, next cycle,
00:35:26.500 | we're gonna make it our goal to do this subject
00:35:29.140 | and one other, and continue stretching.
00:35:34.220 | Obviously, with kindness toward your family
00:35:36.580 | and toward your student and consideration
00:35:38.460 | for what they're able to do.
00:35:40.260 | And also, I think, assess each year,
00:35:43.300 | okay, this was when it got tough.
00:35:45.820 | - Right, right.
00:35:46.660 | - This is when, you know,
00:35:47.900 | when we got to week 16 out of 24,
00:35:50.980 | that was when it started to feel heavy.
00:35:53.100 | And anticipate those things as you move forward.
00:35:57.620 | You know, I think also,
00:35:59.260 | just thinking about this being a stretch goal,
00:36:02.220 | a lot of parents will try to get their children
00:36:05.140 | to commit to memory the subjects of memory work
00:36:08.740 | that repeat from cycle to cycle.
00:36:11.420 | So maybe they'll start out, you know,
00:36:13.500 | working on the timeline song,
00:36:15.540 | because timeline repeats in cycle one, two, and three,
00:36:18.860 | or math, which can be difficult for some students
00:36:22.020 | to remember those numbers.
00:36:24.380 | And when our children are young,
00:36:26.380 | skip counting is a little easier because of the song.
00:36:29.780 | But when they're 10 years old and up,
00:36:32.420 | you know, committing those facts to memory
00:36:34.620 | is incredibly helpful for our students moving forward
00:36:39.460 | in their math studies.
00:36:40.860 | So, you know, potentially starting with a subject
00:36:43.940 | that would be repeated and having them focus on that
00:36:46.900 | and try to master that,
00:36:48.620 | helps you to continue to build forward
00:36:51.580 | because they've already mastered that subject in one cycle.
00:36:54.380 | - Right.
00:36:55.220 | - It's just review in the next cycle,
00:36:57.620 | and then add on one more subject.
00:36:59.860 | So that by the time that you've done this
00:37:02.140 | for a couple of years,
00:37:03.820 | your child is starting to feel more confident
00:37:05.900 | because they're seeing things they're familiar with.
00:37:09.460 | And then at that point,
00:37:10.620 | it becomes easier to retain the information
00:37:12.820 | because they've seen it more than once,
00:37:15.300 | they've experienced it more than once.
00:37:17.340 | You know, their bodies have grown,
00:37:19.100 | their minds have grown,
00:37:20.540 | there's more familiarity with what we do in community
00:37:23.020 | and then also what you do at home.
00:37:25.100 | You know, if you're building good habits
00:37:26.460 | and you're using good rhythms on a daily basis,
00:37:30.100 | and that confidence makes them think,
00:37:32.700 | "Well, yes, I can do this, I can do this."
00:37:35.940 | It also helps if you're asking your child
00:37:38.900 | to continue to stretch,
00:37:40.620 | to encourage the other students in the community
00:37:44.060 | who have talked, who have done this,
00:37:46.500 | to talk to your child and to say like,
00:37:48.980 | "What was this like for you?"
00:37:50.620 | And have conversations with other people,
00:37:53.500 | other families who have stretched for these goals
00:37:56.420 | and glean wisdom from other people in your community,
00:37:58.820 | as well as from your child's tutor and director
00:38:02.540 | about ways that you can continue to tailor,
00:38:04.900 | always stretching toward the future,
00:38:07.220 | always looking for it with a growth mindset,
00:38:10.340 | but yet also tempering that with the understanding
00:38:13.940 | that at some point, you may need to continue to tailor.
00:38:18.380 | Sometimes it may look like three steps forward
00:38:21.100 | and two steps back, but you're still making progress.
00:38:24.700 | And that is what I think.
00:38:26.740 | - That is so good.
00:38:27.980 | And that's very encouraging, Kelly.
00:38:30.100 | It's not, Memory Master is absolutely not
00:38:33.180 | an all or nothing proposition.
00:38:36.180 | I think that's what I want families to take from this call
00:38:39.300 | more than anything else.
00:38:41.620 | It is not all or nothing.
00:38:43.220 | And you can, parents, even give your students
00:38:47.100 | incremental rewards at home that you determine.
00:38:51.740 | So it's not, you'll get a brand new bike
00:38:54.540 | if you become a Memory Master.
00:38:56.700 | It might be that you earn a Bailey book
00:39:00.540 | for every fact you memorize.
00:39:04.460 | And so then you are in control
00:39:06.660 | of how much you quote unquote earn.
00:39:10.580 | - Right.
00:39:11.420 | - So, all right, we're getting into the slow slide
00:39:14.900 | to the holiday season where everybody's regular routine
00:39:20.420 | and all our well oiled rhythms kind of unravel.
00:39:25.220 | So Christmas is coming up.
00:39:27.060 | What can I do to make sure that memory work
00:39:30.540 | is not forgotten over the break?
00:39:33.020 | What can I do over the holidays?
00:39:35.220 | - So good.
00:39:36.060 | First things first, do not relegate your curriculum
00:39:39.140 | to a spot on your bookshelf and let it get dusty
00:39:42.780 | over Christmas break.
00:39:44.540 | Keep it out on the countertop safely away
00:39:46.980 | from all of the Christmas and holiday baking
00:39:49.100 | that you're going to do.
00:39:50.700 | But keep it handy.
00:39:52.460 | If you have any other resources like flashcards,
00:39:56.140 | during the holidays, we're on the go.
00:39:58.180 | Take those flashcards in your car,
00:40:00.500 | put on the memory work.
00:40:03.540 | As you travel from place to place,
00:40:06.140 | who knows your children may even want to serenade a neighbor
00:40:09.460 | by caroling the history book.
00:40:11.900 | - You never, my kids used to do weird stuff like that.
00:40:14.660 | (laughing)
00:40:16.580 | - I think the first tip I would say
00:40:18.820 | is keep your resources handy.
00:40:21.580 | That means that you might need to put them in a bag
00:40:23.580 | and take them from place to place.
00:40:25.620 | So that way you're still continuing to work
00:40:27.900 | on reviewing memory work little bit by little bit.
00:40:31.220 | I know a lot of families who have that stretch goal
00:40:34.420 | of memory mastering for every subject
00:40:37.460 | will often take time during the holidays
00:40:40.500 | to review the memory work that comes
00:40:42.820 | at the end of the cycle.
00:40:44.540 | And to go ahead and read those things,
00:40:47.380 | recite those things with their children
00:40:49.460 | so that they have a little bit of familiarity
00:40:51.620 | before they get to the end of the cycle.
00:40:53.660 | Because obviously we don't have as long to practice
00:40:56.620 | the facts on weeks 22, 23, and 24,
00:41:01.020 | as we do the facts that came way back on weeks one,
00:41:04.420 | two, and three.
00:41:05.980 | So I do know some families will take advantage
00:41:09.300 | of that opportunity just to not necessarily master
00:41:13.100 | those facts, but to at least introduce.
00:41:14.780 | - Yeah, that's such a good idea.
00:41:17.700 | - I think one of the easiest ways
00:41:20.420 | to not forget memory work over the break
00:41:23.060 | is to integrate it into your preparations for the holiday.
00:41:26.980 | I have distinct memories of my children
00:41:29.380 | singing into rolling pins
00:41:31.020 | as we rolled out Christmas cookies
00:41:33.340 | and we recited memory work.
00:41:36.020 | Or if we're measuring ingredients for cookies,
00:41:38.980 | that they're reciting their metric measurements.
00:41:42.500 | So I would look for little ways like that
00:41:45.180 | to integrate the practice into what we were doing
00:41:48.340 | at home during that time.
00:41:49.980 | And I would also say, Lisa, you were spot on.
00:41:52.860 | A lot of times over the holidays,
00:41:54.300 | our homeschool routines just fly out the window.
00:41:57.460 | And it's good to attach that memory work review
00:42:00.860 | to something you still continue to do regularly
00:42:04.180 | over the holidays.
00:42:05.180 | Like for example, we were talking about eating lunch
00:42:07.940 | and then memory work.
00:42:09.300 | Obviously you're still going to eat lunch over the holidays.
00:42:12.340 | So it's a good thing to attach that habit to something
00:42:15.780 | you're going to continue to do that won't be upset
00:42:18.860 | by the fact that you may be taking a break
00:42:22.500 | from other subjects over the holiday break.
00:42:25.060 | So I think those are two good things.
00:42:28.980 | - Yeah.
00:42:29.940 | - And giving your children opportunities to play.
00:42:32.940 | I know that there is a brilliant CC mom
00:42:36.860 | who has figured out that the flashcards
00:42:39.420 | that we have for each of our cycles
00:42:41.420 | actually correspond to the color spots
00:42:44.340 | on the board for the game candy land.
00:42:48.020 | - Yes, that's hilarious.
00:42:49.660 | - So if you have fun games,
00:42:51.340 | or there are things that your children have done
00:42:52.900 | in community for grammar review,
00:42:55.340 | I mean, while you have a little more ease at home,
00:42:58.780 | that's a great time to just say,
00:43:00.820 | hey, what game do you want to play
00:43:03.460 | that we played on community day?
00:43:04.940 | And just to continue to cultivate those memories with them
00:43:09.940 | by doing those same things at home.
00:43:12.380 | I think there are so many ways
00:43:14.820 | that we can have fun with memory work.
00:43:17.340 | Children really, their love language for learning
00:43:20.740 | when they're young is play.
00:43:22.820 | And so if we can tap into that and we can harness that,
00:43:25.380 | particularly over the holidays,
00:43:27.180 | you're making great memories,
00:43:28.420 | but you're also strengthening their memory along the way.
00:43:32.300 | - That's really good.
00:43:34.660 | That's really, before, I know I need to let you go,
00:43:36.740 | but you said one thing in passing a few minutes ago
00:43:41.140 | that I really want to ask you about.
00:43:43.220 | You talked about sometimes communities
00:43:46.420 | will have like memory work practice days
00:43:49.580 | or something about playground days
00:43:52.740 | where they run off and play and then they come back
00:43:54.620 | and everybody does math facts or something.
00:43:57.540 | What are some fun things that we as parents
00:43:59.900 | can encourage our community to do
00:44:03.060 | that will help our family stretch
00:44:07.060 | toward this memory master goal?
00:44:09.140 | - Oh, that's so good.
00:44:10.380 | I think if we do have conversations with our directors
00:44:13.620 | and they have a really good idea
00:44:15.460 | of how many students in a community
00:44:18.340 | are stretching toward memory master in different ways,
00:44:21.540 | they can work alongside parents
00:44:24.340 | to plan fun things together.
00:44:27.340 | I have been in communities in the past
00:44:29.020 | where directors would set up a different station
00:44:33.380 | in one big room for each portion of memory work.
00:44:37.020 | And so the students would rotate through
00:44:38.700 | and they would get a stamp or a sticker
00:44:41.140 | for their review index card,
00:44:43.780 | with each center that they had gone through
00:44:47.140 | and they had reviewed memory work
00:44:48.540 | and it was motivating for them.
00:44:50.140 | I know other communities have also done color beads.
00:44:54.740 | And so as students go through each section of memory work
00:44:58.460 | up until that point,
00:44:59.820 | as they review it with a different parent,
00:45:01.620 | they'll get a different color bead for a bracelet.
00:45:04.500 | Those are just fun little things
00:45:06.780 | for communities to be able to do
00:45:10.140 | that are a little more formal,
00:45:11.660 | but you always have the opportunity to call up a friend
00:45:15.140 | who also is stretching toward this particular goal
00:45:18.340 | and say, hey, you know what?
00:45:20.420 | We're gonna go do this thing today
00:45:22.500 | and we'd like to invite you along.
00:45:23.940 | We know you're also working on memory master
00:45:26.420 | and we were just wondering, could we trade off?
00:45:28.660 | And you could ask my child questions
00:45:30.620 | and I could ask your child questions
00:45:32.740 | just so that you're continuing to practice,
00:45:34.660 | but you also have ample opportunities for fellowship
00:45:38.020 | during those times.
00:45:39.500 | Never forget that there are people alongside you
00:45:41.780 | in the trenches who are doing the same things
00:45:44.540 | and community, just knowing you're not alone
00:45:47.740 | in the same sense that your child wants to know
00:45:50.540 | they're not alone in this memory master process.
00:45:53.340 | As a parent, you are not alone either.
00:45:56.460 | - Yes.
00:45:57.500 | - Not only are we here at Classical Conversations
00:46:00.780 | delighted to support you with any questions
00:46:03.420 | that you might have, your local director,
00:46:06.140 | your child's tutor are also there to walk alongside you
00:46:10.340 | and to give you support.
00:46:11.700 | Your friends and community are wanting the same things
00:46:14.940 | for their children.
00:46:16.460 | So if you reach out to another parent and you say,
00:46:18.940 | hey, we would love to review memory work with you.
00:46:22.100 | Do you want to come over for a play date?
00:46:23.860 | There is nothing more delightful to that parent
00:46:26.180 | than to hear, you know what?
00:46:28.900 | I have a friend here who is also doing hard things.
00:46:32.420 | Let's do hard things together.
00:46:34.180 | - Yes.
00:46:35.180 | - Support one another.
00:46:36.620 | - I really think that as humans,
00:46:39.820 | God made us to be in community.
00:46:41.660 | And I do really, really believe that doing hard things
00:46:45.900 | is easier with a friend.
00:46:47.820 | - For sure.
00:46:49.140 | And it does help to know that we as parents
00:46:53.260 | are not alone in this endeavor
00:46:56.420 | that we're encouraging our children in.
00:46:59.620 | That's really good, Kelly.
00:47:01.020 | Thank you.
00:47:01.860 | That reminds me of something that I wanted to mention
00:47:05.060 | to you guys, you listeners.
00:47:07.220 | You are not alone as you try to become
00:47:10.540 | a better and better home educator.
00:47:13.340 | And you may think, I really wish I knew
00:47:15.980 | how to wield those tools, those skills better.
00:47:20.980 | I really want to know more and more
00:47:22.980 | about the skills of learning that people
00:47:25.340 | keep talking about, but man, I need some encouragement
00:47:28.300 | or I need a community.
00:47:29.740 | If that's you, I want to ask you if you've heard about
00:47:33.020 | the classical learning cohorts.
00:47:35.580 | You can cultivate those new skills
00:47:37.860 | and grow in your confidence
00:47:40.500 | as you are giving your children that quality education.
00:47:45.140 | If you want to check this out,
00:47:48.340 | you're invited to experience the classical learning cohort,
00:47:53.140 | ask a mentor event,
00:47:55.380 | if that's not the longest title for an event ever.
00:47:57.900 | But listen, what it is, is a free,
00:48:01.820 | absolutely free, no pressure event
00:48:03.460 | that will give you a little bit of firsthand knowledge
00:48:07.100 | about the classical learning cohort,
00:48:10.860 | where you can learn to wield the skills better
00:48:15.860 | with a group of fellow learners.
00:48:19.340 | Registration is open now
00:48:22.100 | and it closes the beginning of February.
00:48:26.140 | So in the spring, classical learning cohorts
00:48:29.380 | begin early in February, okay?
00:48:33.580 | If you are interested to do that,
00:48:37.220 | you can register at classicalconversations.com/cohort.
00:48:42.220 | That's the classical learning cohort
00:48:48.620 | and encourage a group of encouragers for parents,
00:48:52.180 | just like we as parents are gonna be encouraging
00:48:54.660 | our students who are interested in Memory Master.
00:48:57.780 | And Kelly, you have given us so many good suggestions
00:49:01.820 | about how to equip ourselves and equip our students
00:49:06.300 | to be realistic and be a part of this process.
00:49:09.500 | Thank you so much for your wisdom.
00:49:11.620 | - Absolutely, friend.
00:49:12.740 | And if you're listening to this podcast
00:49:14.740 | and you have questions about the Memory Master process,
00:49:18.540 | please check out our forums on CC Connected
00:49:22.260 | or reach out to our Foundations Academic Advisor
00:49:25.620 | at foundations@classicalconversations.com.
00:49:29.060 | We're happy to help in any way that we can
00:49:31.020 | to help you be able to stretch toward this goal
00:49:34.020 | for your family.
00:49:35.460 | - That is awesome.
00:49:36.620 | It's a great reminder, Kelly.
00:49:37.980 | Thank you.
00:49:38.820 | Guys, I will see you next week.
00:49:40.460 | Thanks, Kelly, again.
00:49:41.980 | Bye-bye.
00:49:43.020 | (gentle music)
00:49:45.620 | you
00:49:47.680 | [BLANK_AUDIO]