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New SCM post on Using vs. Feeding the Mind
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Okay, Sonya I just need to say thank you. I occasionally read blogs by classical homeschoolers and allow it to frustrate me because they approach their children with the using the mind method instead of the feeding the mind method. I quite literally had just finished leaving a comment on a post by a blogger about this very thing, asking for them to enlighten me as to why they fill kids minds with facts to be memorized first (with no relevance/living ideas attached). I tried to explain what I meant, this is a conversation I’ve had with this particular blogger before, and tried to do so without offending and truly seeking an answer to my honest question. (We’ll see if I managed not to offend… this former friend and I have had a few problems with the limitations of online communication ….) Well then I click over to the SCM blog and you’ve said it all SO MUCH BETTER than I did in your new post. I went back to the classical blog and left a reply sharing your post’s link because it was so helpful in showing what I was trying to say.
To others – go read Sonya’s newest post, called Using the Mind vs. Feeding the Mind. Let’s chat about it!!
That was a great article! One thing that I’ve noticed is that we seem to accomplish more in our day when we are “feeding the mind”. It seems like it would give us less time to get our “using the mind” subjects done, but it seems to give them more motivation and focus when we are adding in the “extras”. Whenever I’m cutting out the extra studies (to save on time), our days just aren’t the same and my DC aren’t enjoying it nearly as much.
It makes me sad to think of how little time is spent on these with public school students. I remember reading about how common core is moving to include more document type readings in their English programs instead of living books. It also seems like art and music are cut from school budgets and replaced with more sports.
We saw an example of this, this morning as we were driving to meet some friends. I had brought some school with us to do in the car, and, although it wasn’t on the “agenda” I pulled out our Poetry For Young People: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow book (which we are really enjoying!). I had been reading through the poems myself, and had come across A Psalm of Life, and wanted the kids to hear it. I read it once or twice, thrilling over the beautiful language, and deep meanings. When we finished, my oldest – 9, told me that it was just confusing.
This led to a great discussion on the importance of taking time to try to understand, to let words soak in and take the time to find the meaning in them.
Even though the kids are young, and some of the depth and meaning might be “over their heads”, it has become such a joy to start by just appreciating the beauty of poetry together. I love watching my children develop their own relationships with great thoughts, even if they don’t quite understand all of those thoughts yet.
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