Raising Leaders: First Born
August 2009
Today is his day.
And he was eager to get on with it.
We are entering our fourth year of homeschooling. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, although I won’t deny having my moments. Because most certainly I do. Thank goodness for sisters and good friends like BFF Kim who listen to my woes and assure me that I’m terribly normal and all will be well.
As I conversed with BFF Kim yesterday I was almost brought to tears. I miss our early morning ritual. The one in which we talked and walked. We would spend the hour of physical exertion chatting about home, family, education, religion, church, politics, and the state of the world today… And when we were through I could face my own little corner of the world. Telecommunications aren’t quite the same, but they work in a pinch.
And then I remind myself… Times and Seasons. Each moment has its own.
I suppose I digress.
This is about him, not me.
He’s officially entered Scholar phase. As I type from my mini HP mini laptop mini {did I mention it was mini?} in my room, he is downstairs wearing a headset and talking to a computer screen. Technology.
He’s attending Williamsburg Academy online.
He fought for his right to do so. Jake and I weren’t sure he was ready. Scholar phase is a big commitment. Youth study 8 to 12 hours a day… willingly, with a passion. They focus on gaining their own education. Knowing that to do so is to be prepared for their mission, their purpose; the reason they were sent to earth.
There are very important prepatory phases that get them to that point. Jacob has been in a transition for a while. We encouraged him to spend another year there. We voiced our concerns. He listened and processed and decided he was ready now.
He wrote a four page application essay pleading his case. During the interview there was a moment he thought he might not be accepted. His expression in that instant was enough for me to recognize that he is ready. His headmaster was also convinced. It is that drive, the desire to be mentored, the need to step up the tempo of his study and his commitment to submit, which confirmed his transition from Love of Learning into Scholar phase.
Williamsburg Academy Mission Statement:
Becoming Who We Are
From their website:
Liberal Education:
Liberty is only possible for those who are disciplined in the arts of liberty—or, the liberal arts. Free nations and free people understand the great ideas expounded throughout history, and they appreciate the great lives of those before; they think for themselves and persuasively communicate their ideas to others; they understand their stewardship over the earth and their own potential for leadership; they are steeped in grammar, logic and rhetoric.
All of these skills are uniquely human! They give us the ability to lead our families, communities, social and religious organizations, and to serve in America’s democratic institutions. At Williamsburg, students develop these skills through studying U.S. History, Government, Western Civilization, American and British Literature, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Leadership, and more.
Liberal Education and the Classics
Our culture is the product of thousands of years of development. We believe the best approach to liberal education is through persistent engagement with the ideas that have shaped this culture. These ideas are found in what many scholars call “the classics,” and they preserve the very best that has been thought, said, or accomplished in history. In addition to books, classics include any and all masterful artistic works that have contributed to the development of society.
Because we believe that all true knowledge is connected, we integrate, rather than compartmentalize the subject areas of our curriculum. With this broad understanding, the liberally educated mind can trace the development of ideas through history and understand how they shaped Western Civilization. This is “the great conversation” and the liberally educated understand it and can participate in the current debate.
Liberal Education and Leadership
Leadership, the ability to positively transform individuals, families, businesses, communities, government, religion, media, and the arts, springs from individuals who have learned to recognize their unique gifts and feel a strong sense of personal mission regarding how those gifts are to be used to benefit mankind. Leaders courageously undertake incredible objectives because they have a large repertoire of past experiences to draw from in which their limits have been tested and their greatness has shone. Many great leaders have had the benefit of mentors who helped them recognize and cultivate their unique gifts and have nurtured their sense of personal mission.
At the Academy students gain hands-on leadership experience by involvement in the Outdoor Program, student-led projects, class presentations, in-class simulations and other leadership projects. These activities are engaging and provide venues for students to practice leadership.
The Role of the Mentor:
Mentors are at the center of a liberal arts education. Mentors model scholarship and leadership, they teach, coach, provide academic accountability, and inspire students to be their best. Mentors can often reach where parents and traditional teachers cannot. In addition to a student’s official mentor, some mentoring will inevitably come from other students, the great men and women from history, and, of course, God.
All education is self-education, and learning best occurs when mentors personalize the program for each student. At the Academy the mentor regularly meets with students for individual mentoring sessions. Mentors and students discuss the students’ unique gifts and interests and personalize the program accordingly. Students set goals and make commitments and mentors hold students accountable.
I breathe a sigh of relief. I listen to him laughing and learning. He’s going to have a great year life.