The Cardinal Virtues by Raphael (1511)
As some of my children have neared the end their high school years there has been a temptation to want to cram all the things I think they should know or should have covered or really 'must' read into the remaining time. In fact, cramming or gap filling seems to be a pretty common temptation, even with those whose children still have years to go before they finish homeschooling.
When there have been glitches in our plans - sickness, moving house, the addition of a new family member; when circumstances overwhelm us for different reasons, we rush to make amends when we get the chance.
In this video Andrew Kern addresses this temptation in the context of a student who hasn't been classically educated as yet and advises the parent not to stress out and cram in an effort to fill in the gaps.
Even if you are already classically homeschooling, this practical and encouraging video helps to identify the true goals of a classical education and how important it is that wisdom guides our decisions.
I appreciated his perspective and the lack of elitism when giving his answer to the question below.
"In those years when you weren't teaching classically...maybe some other really important thing were happening."
Am I moving towards wisdom & virtue? - this should guide be our guide and then:
"You do what you can do, when you can do it."
Question: What can I do for an older high school student who hasn't been educated classically to fill in some gaps?
I've added a page on Classical Christian Education at the top of my blog which I'll add to from time to time.
6 comments:
Thanks Carol!
This reminder couldn't have come at a better time.
Thanks for posting this video Carol! I think you're right that it can be a common tendency to want to try to fit lots of things in to cover any gaps when you're at that high school level. And I think it also feels like there's extra pressure at that level for the teacher in preparing the school work for each high school year because of looking at test prep, college prep, etc. You know? I really look forward to hearing what Andrew has to say in this video you posted!
I am/was trying to cram for my daughter's senior year but just decided to give up. She was really fighting it. We need to remember that God has a hand in our children as well and that everything isn't always up to us. He is more invested in them than we are. Love your blog!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Carol. I took much encouragement away from this video by Andrew Kern as well. It really helps me to trim back to what is really important for me to do with my children in these highschool years.
Brilliant.
Thanks for sharing this video! I haven't seen this one, but I look forward to watching it!
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