"I don't want [my sons'] horizons limited by city blocks, their feet on pavements, everything under the sun in their heads that concerns a scheme to make money; not room for an hour's thought or study in a whole day, about the really vital things of life. After all, land and its products are the basis of everything; the city couldn't exist a day unless we feed and clothe it. In the things that I consider important, you are a king among men, with your feet on soil you own."

Quote from: Laddie; A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

   Yesterday my son told me, "Dad, when I grow up I'm going to buy a farm and have lots of land and cows and horses." I couldn't help but think of this quote from Laddie's father. He then told me he was going to be an architect, a musician and a farmer. It certainly made me smile.

   Back when I was still hesitant to embrace the idea of homeschooling my children, my wife started us volunteering at the Farm to Food program for the Maryland Food Bank. She would learn of a gleaning opportunity, gather the family together, and haul us all over the Eastern Shore to pick produce. I often thought the children's time would be better spent learning lessons at home or doing worksheets instead of trying to get them to pick cucumbers off the ground or whatever the project that day was. I realize now my ignorance. There really is no better lesson young kids can learn than where their food comes from, the value of hard work, and the satisfaction of serving others. 

   Since we moved to the country two years ago, the pace of life has slowed down. We seldom watch TV or movies, video games are a thing of the past, and the only time I ever get on my computer is to write these posts. I've found I have more time to read and think. My children are learning how to plant and tend gardens and care for our animals. My wife has learned how to spin yarn and we started collecting the kashmir from our goats. It may take a long time to get enough to knit anything but I think it would be neat for my kids to see how clothes are made from start to finish. These are the things they are learning. Things they could never experience in a classroom. 

   I would sometimes consider how Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and others became such profound men of God. I came to the conclusion that it must be easier to develop a relationship with Deity when you have the time to think on the things of eternity. We often get so caught up in what C.S. Lewis described in the Screwtape Letters as the "stream of immediate sense experiences." Screwtape then instructs his nephew Wormwood to teach humans to refer to this stream as 'real life'. So it is that we get so distracted by this 'real life' that we forget to focus on real life. While I still get distracted I'm hoping to stem the flow of the stream and get my kids looking in the right direction. 

   

"Since we are reasoning creatures, it little matters in what form Thy truth comes to us; the essential thing is that we soften our hearts for its entrance, and grow in grace by its application."

Quote from: Laddie; A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

   We are indeed reasoning creatures and are able to recognize our faults. Even when we are aware, sometimes it takes another person to point them out before we decide to make a change for the better. It's hard to accept truth in some of the forms in which it comes. Sometimes there is no easy way to tell a person what they need to hear. It takes courage on the one side and humility on the other. I'm thankful to those along the way who had the courage to tell me things I knew in the back of my mind to be true but had pushed them back there because it was difficult to accept. It was easier to pretend like everything was fine. I wish I could say I had softened my heart and had the humility to accept it at the time, but, the guilty take the truth to be hard. Nevertheless, I can now express my gratitude for all the truth that has been pointed out to me. It has indeed helped me to grow as a person and as a professional through its application. You may not think that you are getting through to someone, but as long as they are able to hear and comprehend your words, they will think about it. It will stick with them for a long time. In they end, they may choose to reject the truth, and that's their choice, but at least you've given them that choice. Hopefully, though, we all choose to accept truth, wherever it may come from, and thereby "grow in grace by its application."

He said our language was founded on the alphabet, and to master it you had to begin with "a". And he said the nation was like that; it was based on townships, and when a township was clean, had good roads, bridges, schoolhouses, and churches, a county was in fine shape, and when each county was in order, the state was right, and when the state was prosperous, the nation could rejoice in its strength.

He said Atlas in the geography book, carrying the world on his back, was only a symbol, but a good one. He said when the county elected him to fill an important office, it used his shoulder as a prop for the nation, so it became his business to stand firmly, and use every ounce of strength and brains he had, first of all to make his own possessions a model, then his township, his county, and his state, and if every one worked together doing that, no nation on earth had our amount of territory and such fine weather, so none of them could beat us.

Quote from: Laddie; A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

   I know we like to get wrapped up in national politics. The focus on the presidential race has been going on for over a year already and we still have another eight more months to go. It has completely permeated the news. But what affects our daily lives way more than the president and federal politics is local politics. I admire Mr. Stratton, as described in the quote above, for taking his county position so seriously. I think we should all take local government more seriously too. Cities and counties levy taxes just like the federal government. We need to know how our money is being spent locally and who are the kind of people in charge of it. It would fix many of our nation's problems if locally we could get men and women in office who believed as Mr. Stratton that the fate of this nation is resting on their shoulders, that they need to get their own houses in order and set themselves up as a model before they can hope to put their town in order, and who truly believe that this nation is the greatest nation on earth.

   

I was so full, so swelled up and excited, that when I got ready to pick up a book, I could learn a lesson in a few minutes, tell all about it, spell every word, and read it back, front, and sideways. I never learned lessons so quick and so easy in all my life; father, Laddie, and every one of them had to say so. One night, father said to Laddie: "This child is furnishing evidence that our school system is wrong, and our methods of teaching far from right."

"Or is it merely proof that she is different," said Laddie, "and you can't run her through the same groove you could the rest of us?"

"A little of both," said father, "but mostly that the system is wrong. We are not going at children in a way to gain and hold their interest, and make them love their work."

Quote from: Laddie; A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

   Our public education system is running every child through the same groove, but every child is different. They have different learning styles, weaknesses, and strengths. It's like trying to fit the square, wooden peg through the round hole. It doesn't work. But, government keeps trying to make it fit. They keep hammering away at the peg with their mallet of regulations and our kids suffer the blows until the peg is hopelessly stuck.

   When I was in college taking history classes I didn't have a desire to teach, but I also realized that there is not much else you can do with a history degree. So I applied for the education program at Weber State University and was accepted. During the summer we were instructed that we were to show up on the first day of classes with an outline of our ideal curriculum in whatever subject we wanted to teach. I chose ancient world civilization and spent a good deal of effort on outlining what points and lessons I'd like my students to learn from the material. Not long after classes started, in fact it might have been day one, we all learned that this idealistic curriculum that we all labored to create was just that, idealistic. The reality is, that teachers these days in the public school system are told what to teach and how to teach it. They are the "furry little cogs in the government wheel," as one of my instructors put it. That was back during "No Child Left Behind." Now, I hear it's even worse with common core and standardized testing. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG DIRECTION!!! Teachers need to be trusted. They need to be allowed to inspire children to learn, to explore, and to gain an education themselves. An education can not be forced upon anyone. It can not be legislated into a child. Like Little Sister in the quote above, who was allowed to stay home from school and study outside in nature, which she loved, children will flourish when they want to learn. Children will want to learn when they are inspired. Then they will love learning and be life-long scholars.

   I hear a lot of complaints about common core but if you do nothing more than complain to a sympathetic hear, than nothing will get done. Our government is supposed to represent the will of the people. Maybe it is time that our will reflect a better education system. We need to get the government out of our schools and let teachers do what they love to do...teach and inspire.

"Is he well educated?"

"Yes, I think so, as far as he's gone," I answered. "Of course he will go on being educated every day of his life, same as father. He says it is all rot about 'finishing' your education. You never do. You learn more important things each day, and by the time you are old enough to die, you have almost enough sense to know how to live comfortably. Pity, isn't it?"

Quote from: Laddie: A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

   It certainly is a pity that it takes almost until the end of our lives before we start figuring out life. I guess until they develop a microchip that they can insert into our brains with all the knowledge mankind has collected thus far, we just have to do the collecting ourselves. With a database so large we can never learn all there is to know so we just have to focus on what interests us and what we find useful to know. But to think that you ever finish learning is rather naive. I must confess, I was rather naive. When I finished my bachelor's degree, I knew that I had learned one important thing, and that was how to research topics. However, I thought I wouldn't need to anymore. I thought I could coast and never study again. Not long after, I was in Ft. Rucker, Alabama going through Army flight school trying to keep up with the curriculum and wishing for the easier days in college. Well, when that was all over, then I was sure that I could coast again. I guess that's why it was surprising to me how some of the things Oliver DeMille wrote in his Thomas Jefferson Education book series were so inspiring to me. I have a deep desire to see my children educated. But in order for them to be inspired to learn, they need to see me inspired to learn. As I read I am inspired to read and learn more. I often ask my kids to tell me one thing they learned today. I try to impress on them that a day in which nothing is learned is a day wasted.

No one spoke, and Leon having shot his arrow straight home, saw as people so often do in this world that the damage of unkind words could not easily be repaired;...

Quote from: Laddie; A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

   My sons can spend hours building things with Legos and my daughter can spend only a minute destroying it all. It takes time to build up a person's self-esteem, careful cultivation with many kind words, but it can take only a few, well chosen, spiteful words to tear it all down. Many times we regret saying things that we have spoken thoughtlessly, or in a fit of anger, but people remember the things that are said about them for a very long time. It is hard to take back a well aimed, barbed arrow that has struck its mark with force. Words spoken cannot be unspoken. The amount of damage that can be done by the tongue is so disproportional to it's size. This is why I think James in the New Testament likened the tongue to a rudder on a ship. Also he compared it to a fire, dangerous and destructive. 

   My wife and I once read a little story to our children called, "Have you filled a bucket today?" It's about how everyone has a bucket. Those buckets carry positive feelings like happiness and love. Then it teaches that we should go around trying to fill everyone's bucket by doing and saying nice things, and when we do, our own bucket gets filled too. But some people have empty buckets and they want everyone else's buckets to be empty just like their's. Bucket dippers try to take those good feelings away. So every once in a while we'll remind our kids to be a bucket filler not a bucket dipper. It's a simple analogy that kids can grasp rather easily and they remember for a long time. Hopefully, if they learn early and often enough, they can prevent the kind of tragedies that words can unleash.

Father had always said grace before meals; always the same twenty-five words, and the ritual was always the same. Mother would look around the table to see that everything was in readiness; then she would nod to Father. That night she nodded to me, and I became a man.

Quote from: Little Britches - Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

   There are a couple of points I draw from this. The first is the benefits of good, wholesome family traditions, or as Ralph Moody called them, rituals. I believe kids thrive on routine. Of course, we don't want everyday to be exactly like the day before, but a little structure goes a long way with kids. I think they need a stable platform on which to try and make sense of the world. There is something reliable and familiar with family traditions. They are the things that draw our minds back to home and fuel our fondest memories. They teach children what is important and instill morals. Think of all the little lessons that can be learned from the quote above. Here are a few I drew from it: Mother and Father were in charge and they were a team, grace before meals was important, Mother valued order, and meals were a time for the family to gather with no other distractions. I'm sure there are other things you can get from it and I'd love to hear them. Or tell me your family rituals.

   When I was pursuing a bachelor's degree in history I took an anthropology class. Turns out I'm much more interested in anthropology than history, but at the time I was already in my third semester of history and the Army ROTC was riding me to get my degree done on time, so I felt like I couldn't switch fields. Anyway, I wrote a research paper for this anthropology class about coming-of-age ceremonies. I became keenly aware that we, Anglo-Americans and for that matter any American who has lost his or her original cultural heritage, don't really have a ceremony or even a life event where we are considered a "man" or a "woman." Is it when we get our drivers' license? graduate high school? enter college? graduate college? or is it an age thing like when we turn16? or 18 and can vote? or 21 when we can drink alcohol? or 25 when we can rent a car? Ok, the last one was a bit of a gripe I had with a rental agency once, but the point is, that there is no point at which it is generally agreed that we become adults. I think that those cultures that have coming-of-age ceremonies do their youth and their community a huge service. The youth are not confused about when they need to begin acting as a fully contributing member of their society. They are also taught during or through the ceremony important lessons of what is expected of them, skills that they will need, and what attributes they are to acquire and which to avoid. I bemoan the fact that there was nothing of the sort for me. I think many American youth are confused about their roles in society. I was free to coast, probably far too long, before I had to learn the hard lessons of adulthood. It has created a kind of cultural crisis for our youth. 

   Although the circumstances behind Ralph becoming a man were tragic (spoiler alert - his sick father died), there is at least the fact that he can pin-point the day he became a man.

"It isn't a case of 'if the sheriff finds out about it.' It's a case of your breaking the law without intending to. If you tried to cover it up, you'd be running away from the law. Our prisons are full of men whose first real crime was running away because they didn't have courage enough to face punishment for a small offense. Tomorrow you must go see the sheriff."

Quote from: Little Britches - Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

   Of course nothing bad happened to Little Britches. The sheriff told him he was ok and bought him a birch beer, which is kind of like root beer. What a great lesson to teach our kids when they commit their first offense against the law. The key in this story was the father. He was in touch with his son's behavior. He was observant and noticed his son when he did anything out of the ordinary. On top of that he had established a relationship with his son wherein his son, Ralph, was comfortable telling the truth to his father. It was a reminder to me that I need to cultivate this environment where my children can feel comfortable confiding in me, even when they are sure they have done wrong. 

    There is a common saying at my work, where honesty is highly valued and lying is severely punished. The saying is, "Mess up, fess up." Things will go better for you if you admit your mistakes right away. Maybe not always in the short term but always in the long run.

   I don't believe anyone was born a bad person. I think that if on their first offense people faced their fear and admitted their mistakes instead of trying to hide them, or hide from them, they would perhaps see that they are not so bad themselves. When we seek to hide our mistakes we often blow them out of proportion and start to believe that we are worse people than we actually are. Years of such internal misrepresentation can add up and result in a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's like tomato sauce in a can. If left in a metal can it will slowly corrode the can. People corrode their characters by leaving these little mistakes hidden deep inside them. It is by no coincidence that many religions promote the confession of sins. Or, perhaps the reverse will happen, which can be equally damaging. A person may grow complacent with their behavior if gone unpunished for too long and erode away their conscience. We all have seen the result of people with little to no conscience left. It is a tragic end to a chain that could and should have been broken at the beginning.

   I can not say that I look forward to teaching this valuable lesson to my kids but when the time comes, it will be to their utmost benefit for me to have them face, instead of trying to protect them from, the consequences of their actions. One thing my wife and I have done already is talking to them about this as being wrapped in toilet paper. If you are wrapped in one layer of toilet paper it is easy to break through, but, if you allow yourself to get wrapped up in the whole roll, it becomes much harder to break free, almost impossible. But, as the scriptures teach, "the truth shall make you free."

"There are only two kinds of men in this world: Honest men and dishonest men. There are black men and white men and yellow men and red men, but nothing counts except whether they're honest men or dishonest men. 

"Some men work almost entirely with their brains; some almost entirely with their hands; though most of us have to use both. But we all fall into one of the two classes - honest and dishonest.

"Any man who says the world owes him a living is dishonest. The same God that made you and me made this earth. And He planned it so that it would yield every single thing that the people on it need. But He was careful to plan it so that it would only yield up its wealth in exchange for the labor of man. Any man who tries to share in that wealth without contributing the work of his brain or his hands is dishonest."

Quote from: Little Britches - Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

   When Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden they were instructed that from that point on by the sweat of their brow they would eat their bread. That is the world into which we all were born. The color of a person's skin doesn't matter to the earth or to God, nor should it matter to any one of us. The caliber of a person is all that matters. The choices they make are based on their core beliefs. If at their core they are dishonest, that dishonesty will be reflected in the way they conduct themselves. 

   There is only a finite amount of resources on this earth. If you want some of those resources, without contributing towards them, then you are expecting to take it from someone else. You want what others have but are unwilling to work for it yourself. This is stealing. I know people need assistance at times and there are programs in place for them. I've needed assistance before and I had to ask for it. When I was again able to support myself and my family, I got off the assistance. There are different circumstances everywhere but the mentality of the individual is the key. If you believe the world owes you a living, then you believe that it is alright to take from others what they've worked to gain in order to support you in your idleness. 

   Christ teaches us that if we have, we are to give. He gave the the ultimate example of giving even to those who might not be worthy of such gifts when he suffered for all of us. Clearly there is a need for us to give charitably and without prejudice. My family and I participate in crop gleanings for the Maryland Food Bank. We pick produce that would otherwise go to waste to support those who don't know where they're next meal is coming from. I have heard of people abusing this program. People getting hand outs when they don't need them. While it is frustrating that our hard work goes to people like that, I know that there are honest people in trouble that benefit from our efforts. It's not my place to judge. Each individual is accountable for their own actions. While we can't make people be honest, we CAN teach our children to be honest, to work with their hands or brains or both for their bread.

"Son, there is no question but what the thing you have done today deserves severe punishment. You might have killed yourself or the horse, but much worse than that, you have injured your own character. A man's character is like his house. If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin. If he tells lies to be able to do the things he shouldn't do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin. A man with a ruined character is a shame on the face of the earth."

Quote from: Little Britches - Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

   These words were spoken by Ralph's father, a great man worthy of emulation. Throughout the rest of the book Ralph, aka "Little Britches," thinks about tearing boards off of the house that is his character when he starts to do anything underhanded or sneaky. It just presents such a great mental picture.

   When I was looking for a house to buy before moving to Maryland I noticed several houses with cypress trees planted along the road to give the house behind them more privacy. They are tall, pleasant looking, evergreen trees that can grow close to each other. They also grow quickly and do their job of screening the house from the road quite well. 

   I wish we could see people's characters as easily as we can see a house. Imagine how it would change our willingness to vote a politician into office if we could see their character in shambles, boards missing everywhere, a complete eyesore. Or how quickly we could decide whether or not to do business with someone who's character was in such a state. Unfortunately too many have their 'character houses' screened by these charming evergreen cypress trees. They are good at putting up a front, and the world suffers because of it.

   I think the word "character" is more used these days to describe a role an actor plays on a show and seldom used to denote ones moral qualities and intrinsic value. We don't talk enough about building character and how important it is. How a carefully constructed character takes effort, planning, and teamwork amongst friends and family. Then, if done right, can withstand anything the ofttimes harsh environment that is life can throw at us. We end up with a product that is both a strong shelter and a beautiful home that we can be proud to display to anybody along the way.

   After reading this quote, both my wife and I have tried to instill this image in the minds of our children. I just hope it sticks with them as it did with Ralph Moody.

"How in this world have you managed it? The members of your family whom I have seen are fine, interesting men and women, educated above the average. It is not idle curiosity. I am deeply interested in knowing how such an end came to be accomplished here on this farm. I wish you would tell me just how you have gone about schooling your children."

"By educating ourselves before their coming, and with them afterward. Self-control, study, work, joy of life, satisfaction with what we have had, never-ending strife to go higher, and to do better---"

Quoted from: Laddie; A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

   Lately I have had a paradigm shift. When my wife came to me with the idea of homeschooling our children I immediately thought of all the homeschooled social misfits I had ever met (which actually wasn't very many, but in my mind EVERY homeschooled kid was weird or socially awkward). I was mostly against the idea but allowed my wonderful wife to pursue the idea because I trusted her and I knew she would eventually get whatever she wanted in the end so why fight it.

   My wife started to mention a curriculum called, "The Thomas Jefferson Education" as one that she was interested in trying. I kind of shrugged it off as, "Yeah, sure, do whatever." She tried to get me involved in TJ Ed but I had my own ideas of homeschool and proceeded to attempt to cram education down the throats of my children whether they liked it or not. Then one day I decided to give my wife the green light to buy the books that accompany "Thomas Jefferson Education" and help guide teachers/parents/mentors in its method. By the time the books arrived I had finally decided that I was going to back my wife up in this endeavor 100%. So I started to read the first book. My mind was blown. Actually, it was expanded upon.

   If there was one thing I had learned in college it was that I can learn whatever I want through reading the right books. I felt I didn't need to go on to a master's degree because if I ever wanted to learn something new, I just needed to do the research myself. I never thought, though, that this could apply to high school, middle school, or even elementary school. For some reason that concept had never entered my mind. I was just too conditioned to think that school is the way it has to be. But these TJ Ed books helped me realize that the values, morals, life lessons, facts, and practical applications of theories needed to make an educated person can all be learned simply from reading great books and having a great mentor. And for a person to gain an education, they have to seek an education. An education cannot be forced on anyone. It is my job as a teacher and a mentor to my kids to gain that education myself and inspire them to seek their own.

   So, I am starting to read from the classics in earnest. I'm starting to gain the education that I want my children to gain for themselves. I want to inspire them (and maybe bring some more folks along for the ride). This is mainly the backdrop for this blog. As I've begun to read some of the suggested classics, I've found many quotes that have spoken to me. I want to remember them, think about them, write them down and maybe even expound on them or at least try to apply them to my life. I've decided that I will start every post with a quote from a book that I'm reading, or read lately, and then write some thoughts on it and invite comments. Hopefully a new quote daily, or almost daily. The next several quotes will be from "Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers." Then I'll continue on with "Laddie; A True Blue Story." I hope you enjoy the quotes I select and will check back in regularly to read and leave comments. In fact, let me know what you think of the quote at the top of the page and what I've briefly touched on in this, my first post ever!