To IEW or Not to IEW

As we all know, I'm in the process of setting up my own website in order to teach/tutor writing students. After attending the Midwest Homeschool Convention and hearing Andrew Pudewa speak, I've become interested in the Institute for Excellence in Writing. I've since examined the website and discovered you can become registered and certified instructors of IEW methods, thus gaining the ability to have your name listed on their website in order to help others find instructors for their children. So, now the dilemma arises: is this a step I should take? The cost is minimal if you plan on using IEW methods for teaching your own family already ($169 for the teacher training manual that would be used for all years of homeschooling writing), plus $50 application fee to become registered/certified. The reviews on the program have all been wonderful (trust me--I've researched A LOT), except for one who didn't like the structure of the program. However, this would add another tool to my teaching belt, if you know what I mean.

I have this natural thirst to find out at much as possible about writing and teaching it, and to help others, so I will continue praying about it. The same speaker will be at the Louisville Homeschool Convention in June, so I plan on attending that as well. Have any of you heard Mr. Pudewa or examined the IEW materials? They go along with my classical education approach, as well...

Classical Education, Part II

I'm still doing more research into classical education, but here is a typical classical education 1st grade student's day (Grammar Stage), taken from A Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise:

Language: Do Spelling Workout A and Handwriting…Grade 1 for 10 to 15 mins per day, begin English for the Thoughtful Child for 15-20 mins per day when you begin Spelling Workout B, spend 30 mins per day reading and making notebook pages. Spend at least 30 mins per day reading fun books.

Writing: Work on simple letters to relatives & friends twice a week. Copy short sentences 2-3 days per week for 5 mins each day, working up to 20 mins per day.

Math: Work on the math lesson (either learning a concept or doing a drill) 30-40 mins per day.

History: Ask child to tell you what you just read; make notebook pages together for history notebook. Do 3 hrs per week.

Science: Study animals, plants, & human body twice a week for 1 hour each session.

Art: Do Drawing with Children, art projects, or picture study once a week for 1 hour.

Music: Spend 1 hr per week listening to classical music; begin the study of an instrument if possible.

**Now, I give you a glimpse of a 1st grade reading list**

Ancients, 4000 B.C.-400 A.D (1st Grade)

Stores & poems by, about, or from….

The Bible
Homer
Hutton, Warwick. The Trojan Horse
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Odyssey.
Greek & Roman Myths
Fisher, Leonard Everett. Theseus and the Minotaur.
The Olympians
Cyclops
Geringer, Laura. The Pomegranate Seeds.
Hutton, Warwick. Theseus and the Minotaur.
Perseus
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Greek Myths.
Aesop’s Fables
Plato
Aristotle
Egyptian myths
Indian folktales
Turnbull, E. Luica. Fairy Tales of India
African Folktales
Courlander, Harold. The King’s Drum and Other Stories
Confucius
Chinese and Japanese Folktales
Ancient Chinese & Japanese Poetry
Bishop, Clair. The Five Chinese Brothers.
Cicero
Virgil
English, Irish, & Welsh fairy tales
Bennet, Richard. Little Dermot and the Thirsty Stones, and Other Irish Folk Tales.
Steel, Flora Ann. English Fairy Tales.

Keep in mind, this is only the reading list! The history/geography/life sciences lists are pretty long as well. However, the beauty of this method is that if students find a certain subject interesting, they may concentrate on that subject and spend less time on the next. Since this is the trivium, students will study these subjects at least two more times, so they will be able to get further in-depth in the following years. You just have to remember this is 1st grade, so they don't need to know/understand/comprehend everything to the fullest, but this list gives them an introduction on what is to come. In first grade, they are only introduced to the subject--the grammar stage. Next, they will encounter the subject in the logic stage or the dialectic stage, when children are learning to reason. Finally, they will encounter it in the rhetoric stage, when they learn to communicate effectively. I think of it like this:

Have you ever turned on PBS and said, "Hey, I remember learning about that in school!" Only, now you can actually think about the consequences of the subject matter. In fact, you could probably write an original paper regarding the subject, if given a little more research. Also, I've found that if I had a good experience with a subject as a child, I'm more likely to pay attention to it as an adult just from the fondness of childhood memories.

Oh, and Latin doesn't begin until 3rd grade...

Dumbing Down Education

I recently bought several books through Scholastic's website's Dollar Days. Ten to be exact. So far, I'm enjoying my purchase, although I haven't read through everything I've received. As most homeschool parents know, books are a weakness of ours. In my case, books have been a weakness since the time I began to read. I remember saving up my money so I could order as many books as possible through school, or so I could fill my arms at the yearly book fair. Now, garage sales capture my attention when I spot boxes or tables loaded with books (I'm not willing to dig through a box full of clothes, but just try to keep me away from a box full of books!).

Last summer, I decided to purchase some of the Junie B. Jones series because I had heard of it and had seen them on the internet, etc. While I was paying for them, the homeowner's daughter said, "Ohh, I loved those books!" However, when I got home and opened the books, I was shocked to find childish sentences filled with words that aren't real words, or words in the wrong places. The sentence structure is appalling, but because I opened the book in front of my daughter, she begged me to read from it. I immediately found myself silently correcting grammar and restructuring sentences. Here is a glimpse from Junie B. Jones and Little Monkey Business:

And so then I got very happy inside. Because maybe I didn't have to eat my stewie pewie tomatoes (2)

Why on earth would someone write books at such a low level--lower than my three-year-old's speech--and thus perpetuate inaccurate word usage, poor grammar, and structural dysfunction? Look at the sentence length! How are our children going to learn to speak properly unless they are shown by example? To me, this is the same at teaching only 2+0=2 all through elementary school because that is as much as the children start out knowing in first grade, so why do more? Obviously, some children speak this way because their parents speak that way, and we shouldn't look down upon them, but we should try to improve our language skills, shouldn't we? Words are powerful, and should be used with care.

Although not all books I choose to read may be on a list of classic texts to share with children, I try to share literature that speaks of courage and morals, truths and honor. I also attempt to read books that have minimal grammar issues. I've been reading the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series to my daughters the past few nights and can't believe the different words the author uses compared with the "literature" of today! At first, I was nervous that my Kindergartner wouldn't understand the stories and grow bored, not knowing what I was talking about and not seeing many pictures. However, I'm trying the classical education method (well, I'm easing into it), which teaches entire texts should be read to children, not just snippets of stories or stories that are below their reading levels. To my surprise, my dd has been enjoying the stories! I've asked her to narrate the story once I finish reading, and she is able to tell me the gist of it just fine. This is leading me to further determination not to raise another Junie B. Jones. Why dumb down her education? I expect more, and therefore, she will give more while realizing that those she loves believe in her.