Homeschooling: Our History part 3

Original Post Early 2009

That particular year, two of my sisters {Tressa and Tammy} were homeschooling as well. Each of us have very different parenting styles. Very. Different. Not surprisingly, we have incredibly diverse homeschooling methods as well.

As far as homeschooling went, I was the novice. Tressa had more experience than me and Tammy was the guru. We all went about homeschooling in a completely different manner. Imagine my surprise when it became known that we had each purchased a copy of the same book {A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century} at our respective curriculum fairs. And after reading it, we each knew the principles held therein were right for our families.

Tammy, being the guru she is, went right to work researching TJEd {Thomas Jefferson Education}. She found articles published by Oliver and Rachel DeMille (author of A Thomas Jefferson Education} on various subjects that the book had touched on. There were audio downloads on seminars that had been presented.

I should give you a little background on Tammy. She is the eldest of 10 children. And smart as a whip. Her ability to research information is second to none. Hers is the gift of remembrance. She is an avid reader/researcher and can remember what she has studied. I’m in awe of that gift.

During the weeks following my initial read of TJEd, Tammy and I had many long discussions in which she regurgitated all that she had been learning. And here is the amazing part. Despite our vast differences in parenting and teaching, we had found common ground. Common ground that we could and should adapt to our own flavor.

We had many conversations regarding the 7 Keys of Great Teaching:

1. Classics, Not Textbooks
2. Mentors, Not Professors
3. Inspire, Not Require
4. Structure Time, Not Content
5. Quality, Not Conformity
6. Simplicity, Not Complexity
7. You, Not Them

Truly revolutionary to our way of thinking were the Phases of Learning:

Core
Love of Learning
Scholar
Depth
Mission
Impact

But we needed more. How exactly do we go about implementing the principles in the book? Tammy found information about a series of seminars at George Wythe College taught by Oliver and Rachel DeMille. Our interest was piqued.

Looking back, I’m not sure how we pulled it off. It involved being gone from our families for almost two weeks. There was not only the cost of the seminars, but also airfare, hotel, car rental, and food. Jake and I were in the middle of a major remodel. Tammy had 8 children at the time {she now has 9}. But we did. I smile just thinking about it. I’ll write more details on our fabulous trip {including a stay at the Bellagio in Vegas} soon.

In the meantime, BFF Kim and I had decided to follow the advice at the conclusion of A Thomas Jefferson Education and start reading and discussing classic literature. It was just the two of us, but we had some great discussions. And we started a youth discussion group called the Young Statesmens Book Club.

Little steps with big results.