Current Events

With all the financial problems our country is going through right now, I feel it is even more important to teach kids how to be financially independent. DeMille, in his book A Thomas Jefferson Education, quotes Alexander Ketler:

". . . the world's greatest civilizations. . . have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again to bondage."

Some people feel we are in the dependency stage. I feel, especially in light of current events, we are already in bondage, especially financially. As a country we are dependent on foreign oil, foreign imports, foreign investors. As a people we are held in bondage by our inability to live within our means. Our government is in a stalemate caused by their inability to work together - in my eyes, another form of bondage, but the people of our nation are the captives.

If we are to fight our way out of this bondage (we have done it before and we can do it again) we need to recognize where our true abundance comes from. We need to feel God's inspiration and, even though it may seem contrary to what is being preached all around us, we must follow that inspiration.

I see this natural evolution as an opportunity for our nation and individuals to re-evaluate who we are and what our purpose is. We have some really big problems but I know that we are up for the challenge.

Well, I got some positive results!

I just got back from my class and quite a few of the students were really getting excited about business ideas. I leave about 5 min. of the class time for the kids to play monopoly (they have an additional half hour to kill after my class is over) and several of them were more interested in talking about their business ideas than playing a game!

I'm excited!

So far so good...

I have J, A & M in a personal finance class that I am teaching for our charter school. I love teaching this class! I have a ten other kids in the class and it is a challenge. The kids don't always listen to me. They push me to find ways to inspire them. Hopefully they are learning a fraction of what I am learning by teaching them.

I think that things are going OK though. One of J's friends is in the class too. The other day the two of them were on the phone and computer talking and trying to think up ways to earn money. I don't know if it is from the money class or not but...

I've decided to help them along a little. My next class is going to start out with talking about starting your own business. I found a great resource... Boy Scouts. The Merit Badge books are wonderful for ideas and resources. I figure my kids can earn about 4 different Merit Badges with all the stuff I'm incorporating into my class! I'm pulling from a bunch of different sources but I'm most excited about these right now.

The Entrepreneurship Merit Badge has the scout go through and really analyze different businesses and find three different ideas that they think might work. They takes the three ideas and do further research and narrow it down to one. The requirements then have the scout work up advertising and start their business! I'm looking forward to having my class work through some ideas and see if I can get them inspired to start their own businesses. I'll let you know how it goes!

Kids and their Phases

Every kid goes through phases. You know, the "terrible twos", puberty, etc. In Thomas Jefferson Education "phases" means a little more. The learning phases that my kids are in are "core", "love of learning", and "scholar".

My two year old (T) is very much in "core". He is testing every limit I set. Just today he was standing on a chair and trying to touch a piece of embroidery that I have hanging on the wall. I told him no and it was as if his arm didn't want to obey him. And then, once he got the one arm under control, the other arm had to be told "no". He finally got it and then went on to another test. I remember when I had four little boys under 5 and how frustrating this constant testing of limits could be. I did a lot more yelling then. Now I look at it a different way. I am helping build their core foundation. T is learning to listen and obey but also control and self-discipline. The core phase is very important because all of life will be built upon it. It definitely does not make it less fun. Right now my 14 year old (J) is running around the house with T's riding toy. Both of them are laughing so hard! It is so much fun to listen to! They are both building on their core foundation. Life is fun! What a good lesson to learn, no matter what the age.

My 9 yo, D, is just starting into the "Love of Learning" (LOL) phase. As I mentioned before, he is the main reason I got into TJed. He was not doing well with the classical approach and I needed to find something that fit his needs better. For the last couple of years I didn't even think of him as in "core" and tried to fit him in LOL. It wasn't until last year when I was talking to him about the different phases that he just spit out, "I'm in core" and I realized what I had been doing. He is constantly trying to keep up with his big brothers and I needed to let him know he could grow at his own pace. I gave him that freedom and he is now able to move into LOL phase. Some days he still needs to regress into core. I doesn't bother me. I know he'll get there in his own time.

A & M are 12 yo and just starting to try out the "Scholar" phase. J is right in the midst of it. With scholar phase, I am finding my role changing. I'm no longer their only mentor and teacher. I am more of a educational facilitator. I figure out what they need and help them find it. We participate in a co-op with other families that follow the TJed philosophy and the co-op classes have really inspired the boys. They are each taking two classes and each class assigned a paper. They had the papers done with days to spare. They love to learn and are now building on it by taking direction from a mentor and learning more.

There is a lot more to the phases. I've reviewed some of the books on TJed in our book review blog. I'm sure I'll elaborate more on the phases as I go.

The rest of the "keys"

The last three keys to Thomas Jefferson Education for me to cover are: structure time, not content; quality, not conformity; and simplicity, not complexity.

How does one "structure time, not content" you may ask? Well, the way we do it at our house is probably different than at others. When I first started trying to implement TJed I would just say to the boys that it was "structure time, not content" time. When they gave me the glazed look I told them they could study whatever they wanted, they just had to learn something. If they could prove to me that they learned something they could do it, so Legos sometimes worked. Watching videos sometimes worked. Playing video games, maybe. We don't do it that formally anymore. My three older ones are moving out of the "Love of Learning" Phase and into the "Scholar" phase (more on that later) so we do it in different ways. For example, I love history and feel it is really important that the boys learn it chronologically. Last year we finished one rotation of history so we are back on Ancient History again. This week we have been talking about Egyptian Gods. With all the information out there on this subject I just asked my 12 year olds to find something that interested them about the subject and write about it. Now, technically, yes, I did structure some of the content, but it was a very broad structure and within that structure I gave them a lot of freedom. My 9 year old decided to do a family tree of the gods using a computer program he has been wanting to learn to use. I had to sit with him and teach him how to use it but he was able to get a really neat family tree and learn a ton in the process. He also was so excited about learning the new program that the next day he thought up a project for himself to do using it. This is how it is working for us.

The "quality, not conformity" key goes back to core values that I want to instill in my kids, not just in their school work, but in their daily lives. I try to apply this to everything... even washing dishes! The boys occasionally try to get out of washing some of the dishes on their nights. They might try to say that there wasn't room in the drainer, or their brother didn't do some of it the night before. Doing the best you can and taking responsibility for your individual actions is the absolute most important lessons a child must learn.

In looking for a business that my kids could participate in and that followed the keys I found it hard to keep things simple. I bought a bunch of kits thinking the boys could help me bead and make ornaments to sell. Too complex. I finally sat down with them and asked them what they love to do. They all love to read. We came up with the idea of starting a blog that reviews boys' books. I then hooked up with Amazon and found that we could get a "commission" if we send people to their site and they buy things. Now, I know that this is not going to make the boys rich, but it is simple, features quality opinions, and I give them the time but they can review any book they have read. It is a start. We are all excited about it. Check it out! Home Boys' Book Reviews

You, Not Them

As a homeschooling mother, one of the hardest keys to follow is "You, not them." It means that instead of focusing on your kids' education you HAVE to focus on your own. By focusing on your own, you give your kids such a good example! But finding the time...

When I decided to focus on building a business with my kids I did several things. First of all, I started educating myself. I have read so many books, listened to several programs on CD. I got myself educated and excited about a subject before I started sharing with my kids. I also decided, since I want to have my kids start their own business, I should too. And I have.

I LOVE sewing. I got my degrees in college so that I could teach others about fabric. Within a few years of graduating I was able to teach at a community college but I haven't taught since then. I've decided to get back into teaching! In June I started by teaching a two week "Sewing Camp." I had 4 girls come over for 3 hours a day for 2 weeks and I taught them how to sew. They made at least 4 projects and we all had so much fun. I'm already planning on a "Holiday Sewing Camp."

I also decided that I really need to get rid of some fabric. I have so much fabric... some of it from over 20 years ago when I worked in a fabric store! This is an asset that I have right in front of me and I haven't paid attention to it for years. I have been sewing for family and friends for years... mostly baby things. One of my specialties is knit fabric receiving blankets. I now have several that are for sale. You need one? Let me know! They are two layers of cotton knit. I started making them for my twins over 12 years ago. Gymboree sells some but they are really expensive. Mine are $20. I've also made some bibs. I have so many really cute fabrics for both boys and girls but some of the fabric pieces are pretty small. Bibs are perfect for these. I also have some knit terry cloth that is perfect for backing. I found that they weren't thick enough to absorb what I know kids can throw at a bib so I've added a layer of thermal fabric. It makes it really absorbent and really comfortable. I'm selling these for $6 each or three for $15. As soon as I figure out how to add pictures to this blog I'll put them up.

With all the researching I've been doing I've also become passionate about teaching kids about money. With the economy the way it is, it is so important that kids have the tools to make decisions about their future. If they know what they have to do to be successful they are more likely to be successful! If they know that credit cards can suck the life out of you if you let them, they might be more careful about using them. I've signed up to teach a class for the charter school that we homeschool through. I am so excited about teaching this class! It is slightly terrifying too, but in a good way.

Next time, I'll write about the last three keys. I promise it will be in the next couple of days!

Inspire, not Require

I have found that one of the most confusing keys in TJed is "Inspire, not Require." Some people get thrown with the idea of not requiring. In our family we do require things of our children. We require that they are courteous and kind to others. We require follow through. We require our children to respect others' time and property. I believe these are value that need to be instilled at the "Core" level and applied as the children get older. When it comes to school work for the children in the "Love of Learning" and "Scholar" phases, I work on the inspiring. I have two kids that LOVE music and I have no problem inspiring them to practice. They are dream music students. Their math, well, let's just say that a little peer pressure can be very inspiring! I have another child that is naturally gifted in math but gets turned off to it with any kind of workbook or drill sheet. I am teaching him fractions in the kitchen. He loves to cook so this is a natural way to inspire him.

My four older kids are at an age where they are VERY inspired by money and what it can buy. But, at the same time, they have many distractions that compete for their time. What I am doing to inspire my kids about our business adventure is to share my enthusiasm. I am excited about my plans! I have so much to tell them and do with them! And my enthusiasm and excitement is because I have been following another key - "You, not Them."

The 2nd Key - Mentors, not Professors

What is a mentor? Within the TJed community I have heard mentoring described as helping someone find and accomplish their mission.

What I really like about this key is the focus on the student. I taught at a university (as a graduate student) and at a community college. The difference between the teaching styles at the two types of schools is very similar to the difference between a professor and a mentor. At the university level, the emphasis is on the professor. The student is force fed information and if they get it, great. If they don't, it is their fault and they need to figure out how to get it. I actually got reprimanded for giving too many "A's" out the year I taught as a grad student! The lecture professor's bell curve got thrown out of wack. The individual students didn't seem to make any difference, especially at the under graduate level. At the community college level it was very different. I was required to attend workshops that focused on teaching to students' different learning styles. I was evaluated based on how well my students learned the material. Which students got a better education? In my opinion, the community college students. This experience definitely influenced my receptivity to TJed.

How can I use this key as we learn about business? I have been thinking about this one a lot because it dictates how I teach. Or, do I even really teach? I really need to act more like a detective and then a facilitator. First I have to figure out what my students want to learn and then I have to help them find out about it. My older boys want to learn how to make money when they are too young to get real jobs. One of the first things I am going to talk to them about is different ways of making money. They can make things and then sell them, they can sell things other people have made, and they can provide a service. But how to get this information through to them in a way that will help them accomplish their mission?

As a mentor, I really need the 3rd Key -- Inspire, not require. More on this tomorrow!

Classics - The first key

Classics in TJed aren't defined as narrowly as some might define them. Oliver and Rachel DeMille define classics in their Leadership Education: the Phases of Learning book as "a work worth studying over and over again, because the student learns more each time." In preparation for this endeavor I have been reading some wonderful books that I would define as classics. The one I'm most excited about I actually was first introduced to a couple years ago in the form of the movie The Secret.

The premise of the Secret is that everything is determined on your thought. I have grown up believing this so it seeing it described in The Secret movie and then in the book was inspiring. I've watched the movie probably 15 times and listened to the book (CD) about 5 times. I still get something new out of it. But even more it has led me to other books that I consider classics.

A TJed forum workshop by Janine Bolon (Smart Cents) led me to a book that is tied into The Secret. In her workshop Janine mentioned several books and I tried to read all of them. The one that really stood out to me was The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can by Leslie Householder. This is a book that I couldn't get at the local or county libraries so I ended up purchasing it. It was the only one I couldn't just check out and I really wanted to read it and didn't want to wait so I decided to look up Leslie Householder and find out more about her. I found her site and she offers Jackrabbit Factor free on her website as an ebook. Even though I had just purchased it, I ended up staying up much later than I should have reading it off my computer. As soon as I was done I wanted to read it again! I'm reading it to my kids. I emailed it to friends and relatives (it says you can). I made my mom read it as soon as I got the physical book. It is a fictional story that shows the Secret in action... and more. I have since purchased other products from her site and I highly recommend everything. She is a mother of 7 and I just really relate to what she says and how she says it. She and her husband, through applying what they learned from Bob Proctor (the older man that kisses himself in the Secret Movie), tripled their income in just a few months.

After reading and listening to Leslie's products I then felt led to look at other products. One that just plopped in my lap was Harmonic Wealth by James Ray. I was staying with family and they happened to have this on their shelf. I couldn't put it down. I read it, did the activities in it, outlined it, and want to read it again and again.

All of these books... The Secret, Jackrabbit Factor, and Harmonic Wealth... reinforced what I already knew about money. Money is an idea. It is only limited by my thought. As I am opening my thought up and trying to apply this knowledge I at times feel overwhelmed by the money ideas that I am getting! I keep telling myself to take one step at a time. It is exciting figuring out how to share these ideas with the kids and inspire them to learn more too.

Our Homeschool Style

There are many ways to homeschool. My family started out classically, following the suggestions in the book The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. While I still look to their book and website for ideas, I have been following the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed)homeschool philosophy for the last several years. The change has been gradual but has grown out of the necessity of meeting the needs of my 4th son. My three older sons thrived on the rigorous drills, memorization, and reading that The Well Trained Mind suggests. The are all avid readers and writers. My oldest is already working on his first novel!

My 4th son is different though. He didn't like reading. He still doesn't like writing. He is very intelligent but learns in his own way. He and I were constantly butting heads with the old way of doing things. I started looking for something that might help and was able to go to a "Face to Face with Greatness" seminar that George Wythe College put on. I was hooked.

TJed has 7 keys to great teaching: classics, not textbooks; mentors, not professors; inspire, not require; structure time, not content; quality, not conformity; simplicity, not complexity; and YOU, not them.

All four of my older sons have blossomed with this new approach. My 4th son is now reading at an 8th grade level (he is only 9). My 12 yo twins are focused and spend their free time learning new skills. Both are accomplished musicians who love to share their talent with others. And my oldest (14 yo) is self-confident and a leader amoung his peers.

I can't wait to apply these keys to great teaching to our Business Adventure! I know that we will all learn so much!

Welcome!

Welcome! I will be sharing our adventure as my five sons and I create our own home businesses. I have found many resources and information that I hope can be of help to others as well. We look forward to your comments!