The Liturgy of Education

This post is not about liturgical worship, except in this sense. Liturgy means "work of the people" and when I came to understand that I didn't have to come up with fresh words, fresh prayers, fresh thoughts EVERY single day in order to pray and participate in worship, it was incredibly freeing. And it allowed me to engage my body in worship. And I discovered that sometimes I had to do in order to feel and in order to understand. (And sometimes I don't feel anything but I can still choose to "do.")

So recently I watched this lecture given on the liturgical classroom. Not only did it solidify in concrete why we are following a classical education model but it made me think about the "doing" of education. Here a few disjointed thoughts:

• I was introduced to Shakespeare briefly in 8th grade when we read a play in class. I was mildly intrigued but didn't get it. I read more in 10th grade. Interesting. But still.... Fast forward a few years to England where I settled down to read The Taming of the Shrew in a huge lodge where Edward VI used to go to hunt. There was a roaring fire, it was a blustery night, and the brilliance of Shakespeare, the feeling, the language all came together. In order to do that, I need to set the stage for what I teach. 

• While I am a big believer in testing because life is full of tests, teaching involves creative testing. And in the day-in, day-out of learning, I'm less about quizzing and more about life-long learning. The classical model immerses us in a subject. We don't just read facts about history. We read stories about what we are studying. We often incorporate science and math.  A recent lesson on the early 20th century struggle for control of Persia included a math lesson where Ben had to work out how much fuel and manpower it took to power ships using wood/coal fuel vs. how much oil/manpower it took for oil-burning ships. With help, I interconnect all disciplines/subjects into a functional whole. 

• Learning is play and play is learning. My girls are currently using stickers and drawing to write about "dogs." Kyrie wanted to teach Evie some words today and together they found something Evie is interested in knowing more about. They are constructing a book at the moment; their own idea. Kyrie is running in and asking me for spelling help and she is watching what works in the instruction of a 4-year old. Ev knows how to spell "dog." Legos, dolls, art, and time on the playground are all learning. Formal learning is just a small part of what we do every day. And the formal time is far more productive when I remember it is just a piece of a whole.

•  We celebrate learning with fun. This week we will be studying the Russian Revolution (Communist Revolution). On the list of reading material is Animal Farm by George Orwell. However, there is a also a movie version. Friday night, the family will gather with popcorn to watch it. While it is hardly a fun topic, we can make it an enjoyable experience.  It will also be a memorable experience, visual as well as well auditory.

I face days when I'm not certain how much longer I can continue homeschooling. But when I focus on what we are learning vs. what form of learning we could expect if I sent the kids to traditional schooling, the choice is clear. Power through, power on.