How is this possible? How did I not blog about my pride and joy, the youth symphony concerts which have already happened this season? So back in November, our children with their respective orchestras played at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville.
The Tennessee Theater
There are six orchestras. Our daughter plays in Philharmonia (the one in the middle) and our son plays in the Youth Chamber (the second from the top). The music is gorgeous. Continue reading
C. S. Lewis gave three lectures at Cambridge about the philosophy of education as he understood it. These lectures became The Abolition of Man (affiliate link). Many commentators put this book on a short list of books that can save Western Civilization.
Lewis starts out by criticing an English high school textbook of his time. From there, he builds a case for education in morality and absolute values. Honestly, at times, I had no idea what he was saying. He lost me about the middle of the first chapter, Men Without Chests. I got the main idea, but when he got into the details of The Way (which he calls the Tao), my poor mind did not comprehend him anymore. Continue reading
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (affiliate link) fascinated me to no end. Everybody knows the story of how Caesar died and what the Ides of March is, but I had no idea Caesar dies in the middle of the book.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
I wondered, “What is in the rest of the book?” It turns out, plenty. Shakespeare is brilliant, as always, to pace the story in such a way that the climax happens in the middle of the book. Then, he can clearly show the outcome and all the consequences of the conspirators’ actions. Continue reading
John Steinbeck’s books usually happen in California, but The Pearl (affiliate link) happens in Mexico. The story comes from Mexican folklore and Hollywood made it into a movie as soon as Steinbeck published it.
The Pearl by John Steinbeck – audiobook cover in my Libby app
I listened to this book on Libby, the library app. Somehow, most books I find there this year are available on audio format more than in e-book form. It poses a challenge to me because auditory processing is not my strong suit. However, it seems to work. It stretches my skills and helps me utilize the time I have at co-op, when I am waiting on my children to finish their classes. Continue reading
Veni, vidi, vici. We came, we saw, we won. Our team, Cedar Springs Homeschool, beat Webb Middle School (a $20,000 per year private school) and several magnet schools from Chattanooga. Out of 23 events, we won 20 or 21. I cannot keep track.
Cedar Springs Homeroom at Regionals
I wonder what goes through the minds of these parents who spend a fortune sending their children to Webb, when they see a homeschool team beat them by a lot.
If it sounds like I am gloating, allow me to redirect you to the song of victory which Deborah sings in Judges 5. There is a whole lot of gloating there and then some mocking of her enemy and – I kid you not! – his mamma. Anyway. I am not gloating, just stating facts. We won by a large margin.
Cedar Springs Homeschool Science Olympiad Team A
The thing is, we did not even study that much. Now that we know we are going to State, the kids must do a whole lot more and they know it.
The life lessons from Science Olympiad count even more so than the scientific knowledge. Planning, executing, grit, pushing through when the going gets tough, communicating with the team and the coaches, controling your nerves, winning graciously (don’t scream too loudly when they announce you won gold again), applauding your competition etc etc.
Our son had five events, all written tests. He won gold in Codebusters, Crave the Wave, Dynamic Planet, and Solar System. He won bronze in Green Generation.
Our daughter had two events, both building something that does something. She won gold in both Bridge and Flight. It was really difficult for her because she had never built an airplane before and then she had to learn how to trim it.
She walked up to me after the awards ceremony and said, “It was worth it.” Our son is the team captain and he just put a long message in Slack, where we communicate with each other, telling the team that they can go to Nationals, but they have to study hard. And then he gave details on how they should have a daily routine etc.
State is in April at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I will definitely let you know what happens. Only the top team gets to go to Nationals, which are in May in Wichita, KS.
John Steinbeck published several novellas, among them “Of Mice and Men” (affiliate link). Initially, I wanted to read “Grapes of Wrath,” but its length gave me pause. After finding “Of Mice and Men” on my library app, Libby, both as audio and ebook, I decided to read it. Actually, I listened to it.
Of Mice and Men cover
George and Lennie represent the main characters, two drifters who work the fields in California, trying to save enough money to buy their own little plot of land. Mentally disabled and physically strong Lennie keeps smart, but uneducated George company as best he can. George protects Lennie from others and from himself, or at least he tries to. Continue reading
You can easily read Atomic Habits (affiliate link) by James Clear in a week. It is only 264 pages. Besides, it is written well and presents a few simple concepts. The stories Clear uses to open each chapter and illustrate the principles keep your interest in reading.
My copy of the book from the library
What Clear proposes are small changes you can implement in your daily routine so that you can change your habits and results over time. Also, the goal is to have lasting results. Continue reading
Akira Mizubayashi is a Japanese man who fell in love with French. He learned it so well, he obtained scholarships to study in France – twice. After getting his doctorate degree in French, he returned to Japan and taught French for the rest of his life. In his own words, this meant happiness. Mizubayashi wrote a memoir in French about how he learned French and how it changed his life – “Une langue venue d’ailleurs.” (affiliate link)
Une langue venue d’ailleurs – my own copy
I bought this book in 2014, read 70% of it, and never finished it. Life happened. When I embarked on this journey of reading 50 books in one year in 2023, I knew this would be one of the books I absolutely had to finish. Continue reading
Our co-op (Blount Home Education Association or BHEA) had the annual Spelling Bee today. It was a wonderful learning experience for all. I took it upon myself to coordinate the BHEA Spelling Bee about three years ago because I love spelling bees.
The spellers and judges
Everything went smoothly and I was not as nervous as in prior years. Our three judges were Angela Montoya (main judge, who has done it for a decade now), Preston Zoder (pronouncer, 9th grade, runner up last year, my son), and Lydia Griffin (buzzer manager, daughter of the first homeschooler of Sevier County, who is now homeschooling her own children). Continue reading
Last week, our children and their Science Olympiad team competed in the Friendship Invitational, on the campus of Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, TN. This year, there were 24 teams competing, from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and maybe even North Carolina – very strong competition.
Cedar Springs Homeschool Teams A and B
Invitationals are the not-so-secret weapon of strong teams to prepare for Regionals – the event that qualifies a team to State, which is followed by Nationals, if you win State. Continue reading