The Brainy Bunch book review

I didn't post yesterday because I was busy reading Kip and Mona Lisa Harding's The Brainy Bunch, a book about how they homeschooled 6 of their 10 children into college by the age of 12.

It's an easy read - 195 pages.

The Hardings' story is intriguing. Their oldest daughter earned her BS in math at 17. Their second daughter finished her 5-year architecture program at 18 and became the American Institute of Architects' youngest member. Their third daughter graduated with a degree in biology at 17 and is now a Navy doctor. Their fourth child, a son, started college at 11, graduated with his BA in English at 15, and graduated with his MS in computer science at 17. Their fifth child, another son, is 15 and a senior in college, majoring in music.

How did they do it?

Basically, they found ways to enroll their children in college by 12:

*Some colleges offer high school concurrent enrollment. For example, at Santa Monica College, a child who has "completed 8th grade" can enroll in up to 6 units or 2 classes per semester, and receive credit in both high school and college simultaneously.

*In California, children in 10th grade (or - what the Hardings would call the back-door in - taking 10th grade level classes) can take the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) and receive a high school diploma. The test only assesses language arts (reading and writing) and math. A child with a diploma can then enroll in college.

*Children of any age can take the SAT and the ACT - which also only test reading, writing, and math - and children can take it as many times as parents want to pay for it. A high enough score can qualify a student for college enrollment. This is how the Hardings do it now, because they now live in Alabama where there isn't an exam like the CHSPE.

I agree with letting your child move ahead when they're ready. At the beginning of my 12th grade year, I was bored with high school. I wanted out. I wasn't interested in prom, Grad Night (an all-nighter field trip to Disneyland), or high school graduation - which were the only carrots my high school counselor could dangle when he tried to talk me out of graduating a semester early.

Every year, I had participated in Mock Trial, earning a semester's credit each year. I had also taken chemistry in summer school so I could tutor two periods a day at the elementary school and take a third year of drama. I talked my Mock Trial coach (who also taught English) into letting me tack an independent study English class onto my schedule, and viola! I had enough credits to graduate in January instead of June.

I enrolled at the community college, and - because the college semester started before my high school semester ended - for the last two weeks of high school, I went to high school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and college Tuesday and Thursday.

But back to the Hardings...

They do the following:
*Teach their children to read at age 4 or 5.
*Talk about what their children like to read and have them read more of it.
*Do math daily, getting to prealgebra and algebra by 8 or 9, even if their child doesn't have math facts memorized.
*Have their children write daily. Mom edits. Child corrects. They teach the 5-paragraph essay by age 11.
*They have their children read high-school level books (history, science, etc.) by 8 or 9.
*Have them start studying the SAT/ACT study guides by 8 or 9, have them take the SAT or ACT at age 10 as a practice run, and then work on whatever area that needs work.

I like a lot of this book. But I also disagree with some things. Maybe I'll post about this topic another day, but for now, I'll mention this:

The Hardings recommend having your child read anatomy books if they "want to go premed or Shakespeare if they want to major in English." But why shouldn't an English major have some understanding of anatomy? And why shouldn't a premed student read Shakespeare?

I think they should.

My Favorite Referral to the Nurse This Year

Are you able to read this? Back on May 7th, I sent a student to the school nurse because he had a "wheel in nose."

In case you have a hard time deciphering the nurse's writing, here is what it says:

Small wheel in [left] nostril. 

Unable to remove. 

Parent called. 

Home w/mom.

Curious as to what kind of wheel fits up a nostril? It was one of those tires off a miniature skateboard, and the student thought it would be funny if he shot the tire out of his nose by covering the other nostril and blowing. As you can see from the referral, it didn't work.

Going Off Script

The other day, I responded to a comment by saying that some public school teachers are afraid to think outside the box.

As homeschoolers, we already think outside the box. Homeschoolers are brave. So the idea that other educators would be afraid to think outside the box, to deviate from the mandated/scripted curriculum, is probably pretty perplexing.

But the reason many teachers follow the script is so they’ll have documentation they did so. Teachers are evaluated on a list of “elements” so long that it would take me a month’s worth of blog posts to detail them all. And while homeschool educators evaluate ourselves, public school teachers are evaluated by administrators who determine who is effective and ineffective. So it's documentation, documentation, documentation.

(There have been lots of complaints that teachers get “tenure,” which is not true; teachers go from probationary to permanent, but permanence does not mean permanent. It does not mean you get to laminate your lesson plans, prop your feet up on your desk, and read a newspaper, while your students answer questions at the end of a textbook chapter. As a permanent teacher with good evaluations, I was made to change subjects (from English/history to math/science). Then, I was – due to budget cuts – pink-slipped (and rehired) a couple of years in a row. Finally, three years ago, I was “displaced” from my first school, because my school’s population had decreased by about a hundred students, and I had the least seniority of all the 6^th grade teachers. (Two of my 6^th grade teacher-colleagues from my first school retired this year.)

How we’re evaluated…

Teachers must demonstrate that they know each subject they teach – and for elementary teachers, that means Reading, English Language Development Reading, Writing, English Language Development Writing, Listening, English Language Development Listening, Speaking, English Language Development Speaking, Math, Science, Health, Social Studies, Physical Education, and Arts (Visual, Performing, Dance, Music).

We must also show we know how the subjects within each discipline relate to each other, and integrate with each other. For example, in math, I need to know how algebra is related to and integrates with geometry, and I need to show that I know this.

We must show we understand the pedagogy of each subject we teach. For example, we must show we know effective ways to teach writing, based on research into writing pedagogy. The “effective” teacher uses technology, shows an understanding of 21^st Century skills, and must show she has anticipated the misunderstandings students will have during lessons. Also, we must show we have an “extensive, current, and accurate knowledge of how” the students we teach learn (age group/development). And we can’t forget those 21^st Century skills!

Teachers need to track each students’ “skills, knowledge, and language proficiency” and demonstrate the use of this data in lesson planning, and planning for intervention (remediation). We must also collect information about each students’ special needs to plan and accommodate. On top of that, we must use our students’ interests, families, and cultural heritages to plan our lessons, as to “encourage” students.

I had 33 students this year, and am evaluated as to whether or not I meet the needs of ALL of them. I am with them for one year. Only one year. And only from the hours of 8:20 a.m. to 2:44 p.m.

As parents, we know our children. We are with them from birth. We don’t have to learn their names each year, do ice breakers so they will – hopefully – like us each year, have them fill out questionnaires about their likes and dislikes each year. (This topic is worth a post of its own.)

I’m summarizing these “elements” from a 35-page booklet, and I’ve only discussed through page 6 so far.

So, when I say some teachers have a fear of going off script, I hope this helps begin to show why.

Geography in 4th Grade

This year, in my public school 4th grade classroom, Friday mornings I taught Geography. We read about different countries, colored maps, looked up how to pronounce place-names. Last night, I reread Charlotte Mason's writing about geography more closely and am wondering how I want to go about teaching geography next year...

Form II (A and B)* are engaged with the counties of England, county by county, for so diverse are the counties in aspect, history and occupations, that only so can children acquire such a knowledge of England as will prove a key to the geography of every part of the world, whether in the way of comparison or contrast. For instance, while I write, the children in IIA are studying the counties which contain the Thames basin and "Write verses on 'The Thames'" is part of their term's work. Our Sea Power, by H. W. Household, is of extraordinary value in linking England with the world by means of a spirited account of the glorious history of our navy, while the late Sir George Parkin, than whom there is no better qualified authority, carries children round the Empire. They are thrown on their own resources or those of their teachers for what may be called current Geography. For instance, "Learn what you can about The Political Map of Europe after the Great War."
(Vol. 6, pg. 225)

Students in grades 4 through 6 studied the geography of their country, not the world.

Do I want to continue to teach world geography? Or do I want to focus on the geography of California?

Brandy Vencel, Ambleside Online board member and Afterthoughts blog author, suggests using the book The Cruise of the Arctic Star by Scott O'Dell. She also laid out a 36-week schedule (here). After listening to a sample of the audiobook, I'm considering using this book as a read aloud next year.

I think it's important to look at the exam questions for Form IIB (4th grade). As a public school teacher, I have to backwards plan, which means I have to consider how I will test students before anything has been taught.

Exam questions looked like this:
1)Describe a visit to _____.
2)What do you know of _____? (Insert a specific geographical feature or historical figure.)
3)Give a short description of _____ and say where it is.
4)Give a rough sketch map of _____(county), putting in the boundaries, chief towns and rivers.
5)Describe (or What do you know of) [a series of three places]?
 
Specific questions included:
1)Tell the story of a piece of coal. [If you're curious, I found a book by Edward A. Martin titled The Story of a Piece of Coal.]
2)Why is it necessary to keep the ocean highways guarded? How did England become policeman of the seas in the Great War?
3)What products does New Zealand send to England?
4)Describe a visit to the Lake District. What mountains and lakes could you see?  

5)Write what you can about Drake and his "Golden Hind."

 

The Last Week

Tomorrow is the last day of school!

Today, my students had their end-of-year party. I let them bring board games and food, and they played while I filled out cumulative folders and English Language Development portfolios, packed a little more, and threw away things that could go.

Teachers who are moving from one grade level to another are also physically moving to other classrooms. (At my school, all of the third grade classrooms are close to each other, all of the fourth grades are close to each other, and so on.) So, there has been a lot of talk this week about the way teachers "hoard."

It's true. We hold on to what we have, and we amass more. When a teacher retires and puts out a box of freebies, we take all that our arms will carry, and we run back for more. We stuff our cabinets. When we are made to move from one classroom to the next, we take all we have and discover that the previous teacher has left things behind; we keep those too. We never know when we might need something. We fear that one day we will be made to change grade levels and so we take and hold onto books and supplies for grades other than our own; we might need them. We save all sorts of little objects because we might need them for crafts. We take items when they're offered, because we fear they will never be offered again.

But in thinking about Charlotte Mason, it's easier to let go. What is the best book I can use? Is this the best material I have to teach this topic, or do I have better?

One more day...

More Afterschooling Ideas

Yesterday, I posted about Charlotte Mason Afterschooling. Today, here are three more ways to supplement your child's public school education...

Read bedtime stories. When I was little, my mom read to my brother and me all through elementary school. She read one Bible story and one chapter from a classic. (Every four weeks, a leather-bound book with gold-edged pages and a sewn-in satin ribbon arrived in the mail from Easton Press.) Some parents stop reading bedtime stories to their children once their children can read independently. Don't. Read a story from the King James Version of the Bible. Read a couple of poems by the same poet. Read a classic like Alice in Wonderland or The Jungle Book. Read a story version of a play by Shakespeare (adapted by Nesbit or Lamb). Just read.

Have one night a week be Foreign Language night. Check out Mango Languages (available free from the public library), or DuoLingo (super super fun!). During the week, incorporate new vocabulary and speak French-lish, or Span-glish, or whatever "-lish" you've chosen.

Make one night a week be handicraft night. A very simple way to start could be a weekly origami project. Or cook together. Make one new recipe. It doesn't have to be a whole meal; it can be a side dish.

How do you afterschool?

Charlotte Mason Afterschooling

A friend and I were talking Friday. She is a full-time teacher, like me, but unlike me, her daughter goes to public school. My friend wishes she could to give her daughter a Charlotte Mason education, but homeschooling is not a possibility. One solution is to afterschool.

The word "afterschool" has become a verb. Some parents who send their children to public and private schools supplement their children's educations after school, on weekends, and on school vacations.

My first suggestion is to look at what your child is already receiving at school (language arts, math, possibly science, possibly social studies, etc.). The reason I say "possibly" is because language arts and math are tested, which means some teachers teach these subjects to the exclusion of other subjects.

More than likely, your child is not receiving classical music appreciation. Choose a composer to study for twelve weeks, buy a CD, or get one at the library, or pull up a video on YouTube, and listen. Listen on the car ride home, or while doing homework, or during bath time.

If your child is not receiving art instruction, buy your child and yourself sketchbooks and kneaded rubber erasers. Choose one day of the week to be Drawing Day, and stick to it. Give her an everyday object like a fruit or vegetable, or an object she found outside, or an object inside. Give her an apple, a shoe, a leaf, or a lemon. Draw with her.

There are four weekdays left...

Make one day Nature Walk Day. Just go for a walk. Buy the book What Tree is That? published by the Arbor Day Foundation. Find a tree to identify, and follow the book's directions. Repeat next week with a new tree.

Make one day Picture Study Day. Choose an artist to study for twelve weeks, find a new painting by the artist each week (this is a good place to start, and the Met just made its collection available online, and there are lots of paintings available through Wikimedia Commons), and ask your child to tell you about it. Don't tell, just ask questions. What do you see? What colors do you see? What shapes? Are they inside or outside?

Tomorrow, I'll post some ideas for the other two weekdays.