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Wednesday, June 22, 2011
We've Moved!
Thanks for visiting!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Head Over to LeighBortins.com


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Friday, June 17, 2011
Classical Dads
My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.Proverbs 3:11-12
"Fathers ... go to work for eight to ten hours a day and find that mother does a superb job of caring for the home and raising up godly children. That mothers do this is to be commended and celebrated. Indeed, it is not my intention to undo or change this. Rather, it is, my intention to call fathers to a deeper awareness of the awesomeness of this task and to call attention to their part in it." (...Keep Reading...)
"My wife plugged in as a Challenge tutor and tapped into her passion for learning and teaching. Gradually I have come along, too. I am learning that the education of my children is not just my wife's responsibility - it's mine, too. In fact, it's mine primarily. God gives dads the role of spiritual leadership. He commands us to teach our children. That's a key concept of Deuteronomy 6 and in many other places through the Scriptures." (...Keep Reading...)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Dad at Home (2)
There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.Deuteronomy 1:31
We forget the size of the shadow we cast, and who it falls on. As fathers, our actions affect so much more than just ourselves. It ripples down to our children and our grandchildren. It’s not just a single act for good or ill. It’s a series, a pattern we imbue on our children. We can’t just show up at graduation and say, "I’m here. Good job, son." It’s being there, day after long and weary day, for each of our children. Fatherhood is less quality time and more quantity time with quality thrown it from time to time. Friendships, hobbies, and career goals die a quiet death as fathers decide that they will make time for their children. It is a noble calling to be a father, and it is worth everything you put in. (Read More...)
...God does things in me so he can do things in my son. Relationships run in two ways. When setting out to train a son, you begin with a very imperfect little boy. But that’s not the only problem. You also have a very imperfect little daddy in the equation. In this discipleing relationship, I have on many an occasion come face to face with a challenging question, “Do you really love this boy?. . . How much do you love him?” (Read More...)
In late August of 2008 I became the 2nd full time teacher in the history of the Izola Becker Home School. I have never felt more suited for a job in my life. I love the commute. My students are like members of my own family. I am far from perfect. I yelled at my children last semester more than I ever yelled at them in their entire lifetime before. Sometimes just getting through the day with the three of them is all I can handle. But with all that said, this is the best job I have ever had! (Read More...)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Dad at Home (1)
He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...(Read the first post in the 1 Smart Mama father's day series.)Malachi 4:6
Welcome to Dad’s Homeschool Blog. Yes, Dad’s Homeschool Blog and that does in fact mean that I, Dad will be the home schooling parent. I have been the stay at home Dad since the boys, now 7 and 8 were born. So how did I come to be the stay at home Dad and now the homeschool parent? (Read More...)
Japanese-American Dad who's home educating (and trying to avoid schooling) 2 boys with his beloved Japanese wife. Self-educating -- the essence of home education -- since 1980 starting with calculus and computer programming in my 10th grade. (Read More...)
While home schooling seems to be atypical as compared to public and private schooling, home schooling with the father as principle teacher is certainly atypical to the mom-as-teacher approach. When my wife tells people at her work that we home school our kids, many of them envision her leaving them unsupervised at home with assignments, before they are told that I am the one staying at home teaching them. The home school support group at our church has monthly mom meetings for the teachers. Suffice it to say I have never attended. (Read More...)
Monday, June 13, 2011
1 Smart...Dad?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Celebrity and the Home School
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
CiRCE Conference: Coming in July!
According to C.S. Lewis, we live in “the world of post-humanity which, some knowingly, and some unknowingly, nearly all men in all nations are at present laboring to produce.” If he is right, then we must each face the disheartening fact that we could be helping construct this “post-human” world.
If this was the case more than fifty years ago, when Mr. Lewis wrote, how much more true is it today? And if Mr. Lewis is right, we must each face the troubling possibility that we could each be helping construct this “post-human” world.Modern pedagogy builds its educational structures on the patterns of the modern age, in a way that removes the chests of our children. In fact, modern pedagogy does not believe there is such a thing as human nature and it teaches like it. Do you?
Or do you teach like you believe your students are made in the Image of God? Do we?
Friday, June 3, 2011

- National Spelling Bee Results
Congratulations to homeschoolers Veronica Penny, for her 6th place finish, and Samuel Estep, for his 13th place finish! - Home-schooling: Mom-and-me instills volunteer spirit
Read about a Tennessee mom's volunteer group for 8- to 12-year-old girls. - Home school, Private School or Public School: Touchy Subject
Jen@Balancing Beauty & Bedlam shares her approach to talking about it. - How to Read a Great Book (Gorgias as Type)
Andrew Kern talks about the structure and signposts of reading. - Homeschooling and the clueless Miss Marple
WND: What do the statistics say about homeschooling in West Virginia? - The Vital Place of the Sciences in the Classical Curriculum
"...philosophy and religion begin, in terms of inquiry, where empiricism reaches its natural or practical end...." - Homeschool Mom Interviews: Molly Balint
Re-posted from The Pioneer Woman.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Spell F-r-e-e-d-o-m
I was once given the word S-I-L-I-C-I-F-E-R-O-U-S in a spelling bee. I’d never heard the word before. I asked for the definition. Containing silicon. I asked for the etymology. Latin. I asked for the part of speech. Adjective. With this information, I was able to construct the word in its entirety. I knew about silicon, and thus had the S-I-L-I-C-I beginning. The Latin root told me that the middle part of the word would be F-E-R rather than P-H-O-R and the fact that it was an adjective, not a noun, told me that the word ended in O-U-S rather than U-S. Siliciferous. One word can encapsulate an entire education.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Essentially Yours
Hi Friends,
Monday, May 30, 2011
Who Do You Remember?
Today, May 30, 2011, is Memorial Day.
Who do you remember and honor today?
American poet Walt Whitman wrote a poem called "Dirge for Two Veterans," which was published in 1900 in Leaves of Grass. As you read his words, think about how you can say thank you to those among your family and friends who have served or are serving in the U.S. military.
"Dirge for Two Veterans"
The last sunbeam
Lightly falls from the finish'd Sabbath,
On the pavement here, and there beyond it is looking,
Down a new-made double grave.
Lo, the moon ascending,
Up from the east the silvery round moon,
Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon,
Immense and silent moon.
I see a sad procession,
And I hear the sound of coming full-key'd bugles,
All the channels of the city streets they're flooding,
As with voices and with tears.
I hear the great drums pounding,
And the small drums steady whirring,
And every blow of the great convulsive drums,
Strikes me through and through.
For the son is brought with the father,
(In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell,
Two veterans son and father dropt together,
And the double grave awaits them.)
Now nearer blow the bugles,
And the drums strike more convulsive,
And the daylight o'er the pavement quite has faded,
And the strong dead-march enwraps me.
In the eastern sky up-buoying,
The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumin'd,
('Tis some mother's large transparent face,
In heaven brighter growing.)
O strong dead-march you please me!
O moon immense with your silvery face you soothe me!
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans passing to burial!
What I have I also give you.
The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Weekend Reading
It's the end of the month, and some folks have an extended weekend ahead. In addition to enjoying the sunshine and spending time with your family, it's the perfect time for you smart moms and dads to catch up on your reading, reflect, and renew your minds.
Why not start with some of this month's articles from the CC Writers Circle?
The articles in this series reflect on the reasons we homeschool, how to homeschool more effectively, how to homeschool classically, creation and science, Latin, classical education, homeschool sports, and getting into college. The writers are alumni, directors, state managers, and individuals outside Classical Conversations.
Here's a list of articles from the month of May. You can find a complete archive on the Classical Conversations website under "Articles."
- Toward the Quadrivium: Event Review - Matt Bianco
- Book Review: How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One, by Stanley Fish - Matt Bianco
- What Should Homeschoolers Read During the Summer?
- Understanding Stories to Understand the City of God - Matt Bianco
- Rigorous Academics: Preparation for Christian Service? - Jennifer Courtney
- Getting Our Bearings: Setting in Literature - Andrew Adams
- Spirituality in Physics - Jonathan Bartlett
- Is Your Writing Organic or Rational? - Andrew Kern
- The Beauty of Homeschooling - Andrea Newitt
- Classical Conversations Social Media: Link to a Group Near You
- Lessons from Vacation: The World Classroom - Jennifer Courtney
- A Day in the Life of the Bianco Homeschool - Patty Bianco
- The Eternal Pursuit of the Knowledge of God (and the liberal artist's head start) - Aaron Hebbard, Ph.D.
- Late Bloomers - David Bailey
- How Latin Helps You Make Friends and Influence People - Kathy Sheppard
- Time to Reflect, Renew, Refresh - Jennifer Courtney
- Instead Of - A Homeschool Mother's Day Poem
- National Day of Prayer
- Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder - Tobin Duby
- Beautiful Treasures: The Core of Fine Arts - Jennifer Courtney
Thursday, May 26, 2011
How Do You Remember?
How do you remember?
For many Americans, Memorial Day weekend is about grilling out, going to the beach, and having picnics and get-togethers. While there's nothing wrong -- and a lot right -- with celebrating community, on Memorial Day (Monday) Americans are called to remember the men and women who have died serving their country.
In 1867, Mrs. Nella L. Sweet dedicated a hymn to southern women who decorated their husbands' graves after the Civil War. Her lyrics describe one version of remembrance. Read them closely, and take time to really think about what she's saying. Do you agree?
"Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping"
Kneel where our loves are sleeping,
Dear ones loved in days gone by,
Here we bow in holy rev'rence,
Our bosoms heave the heartfelt sigh.
They fell as brave men, true as steel,
And pour'd their blood like rain--
We feel we owe them all we have,
And can but kneel and weep again.
Kneel where are loves are sleeping,
They lost, but still were good and true,
Our fathers, brothers fell still fighting,
We weep, 'tis all that we can do.
These are the big questions we're invited to ask ourselves and our families this weekend.
Visit www.usmemorialday.org for more about the history and purpose of this national holiday.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
We're Moving!
As part of changes designed to make it easier for you to access information and get connected with other like-minded families and individuals, I'm excited to announce that the 1SmartMama blog will soon be moving over to Wordpress!
You can still visit 1smartmama.blogspot.com, but starting in June, you'll be re-directed to www.leighbortins.com/blogger. Stay tuned for notifications about exactly when the change will take place.
Don't forget to update your subscriptions when it happens!
If you have suggestions or recommendations for the new site, email TellUs@classicalconversations.com or 1smartmama@gmail.com. I welcome your feedback.
Thanks for being a part of our online community!
Monday, May 23, 2011
What Do You Remember?
This week, as we approach Memorial Day, Americans are invited to think carefully about what it means to be free.
In a 1983 address, President Reagan spoke about what a day of remembrance means. This is what he said:
...Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of need. In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free.
I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.
This Memorial Day of 1983, we honor those brave Americans who died in the service of their country. I think an ancient scholar put it well when he wrote: 'Let us now praise famous men...All these were honored in their generation, and were the glory of their times. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.' As a tribute to their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote lasting peace throughout the world.
This year at Classical Conversations, one of our driving questions has been, "What does it mean to be free?"
Our goal as parents is to give our families a liberating -- freeing -- education. That means training our brains through the study of history, philosophy, science, mathematics, literature, and art. But it also means asking hard questions about what we remember and why, so we can evaluate each new idea in light of truth.
It can be a daunting task, can't it? Yet, it's also an exciting and fulfilling one. This week, I want to take advantage of the chance to talk about memory, freedom, and sacrifice.
Won't you join me?
Friday, May 20, 2011
What Do You See?
This summer at our Parent Practicums, we're talking about improving our vision in two ways--both in terms of the big picture and in terms of the details: our ability to see. (Listen to our conversation about these topics on the CC Parent Practicum Podcast.)
We learn phonics by looking at the building blocks of words; we learn grammar by looking at the building blocks of sentences; we learn Algebra by looking at the building blocks of arithmetic.
Why, then, do we assume that we can understand and respond to complex ideas and arguments about freedom, education, and beauty without looking at the building blocks of ideas?
Let me ask you again: how's your vision?
If you look at a poem or a math problem--they're not as different as you might think--what do you notice? Do you pay attention to the details? Let's try it out.
One of the most-read poems in America is Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." The funny thing is that a lot of people call it "The Road Less Traveled." Think about those two titles for a minute. They're pretty different, aren't they? That just goes to show how blurry our vision can be.
Now look at the poem. Remember, don't stop at the end of the line; read to the punctuation marks. How does that change your reading?
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Ask, where are the nouns? Where are the verbs? What does a semicolon tell us as readers? How many sentences are there? Are they imperative, interrogative, or a declarative sentences? Who is speaking? To whom is he/she speaking?
These are the building blocks not only of being a good reader, but also a good thinker.
When you encounter a new idea, you should ask similar questions: what does this argument assume to be true about the world (nouns)? What would happen if we applied the logic of this argument to other situations (verbs)? How does this argument get from point A to point B (punctuation)? If we accepted this argument, what would it push us to believe or do (purpose)? Do we trust the person making this argument (speaker)?
It's amazing how many basic questions modern readers gloss over and yet still "know" a poem, memorize a math equation, or support a political position.
In order to have a grand vision, sometimes we have to visit the eye doctor first. Come join us as a bunch of smart moms and dads diagnose our vision at Parent Practicums this summer!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Improving Your Vision
I don't just mean your eyesight. It's the end of another school year, and if you're like the rest of us, your inspiration and vision for your home school may be running on empty.

Just this week, 3-day practicums are taking place in Ohio, Colorado, and Virginia. Click here to find one in your state!
When your heart and mind need to be renewed, the fellowship of other like-minded (and like-wearied!) individuals is a great encouragement. You're not tackling this alone.
Read Jen @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's response to a 3-day practicum she attended: Brain Power: How Deeply Do You Think?. Listen in to the CC Parent Practicum Podcast (say that three times fast!) with Matt Bianco, Tobin Duby, and Heather Shirley. Then watch the video:
Saturday, May 14, 2011

- Brain Power: How Deeply Do You Think?
Read Jen's thoughtful response to a 3-day Classical Conversations Parent Practicum. - Fair Trade: Are Good Intentions Good Enough? (Acton)
Are you interested in economics and aid? Read commentary on this popular solution. - Film Spanks U.N. Treaty on the Rights of the Child
Find out more about a recent documentary produced by Generation Joshua. - Recent Brain Research Offers Insight into Math Anxiety
"No one walks around bragging that they can't read, but it's perfectly socially acceptable to say you don't like math..." - Disappearing Words, Part IV: What do we do about it?
The final piece in Susan Wise Bauer's series on the decline of the word. - Report: U.S. college freshmen less prepared nowadays, presidents say
It's more important than ever to ask hard questions about what it means to be truly educated. For example, see... - What is a Love of Learning? (CiRCE)
Andrew Kern works through a model for inspiring lifelong learning. Also... - The Mother of Learning (CiRCE)
Read more about the historical importance of memory as the foundation of learning.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Understanding Civitas
This week has seen another of the rash of articles decrying American students' lack of knowledge about civics and government.
The Washington Post says only a quarter of high school seniors are "proficient" in civics knowledge and skills, even though many are now old enough to vote (Many students lack civics knowledge, study shows).
"Knowledge of our system of government is not handed down through the gene pool," retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said in a statement. "The habits of citizenship must be learned. ... But we have neglected civic education for the past several decades, and the results are predictably dismal"... (Read more)
An article in EdWeek (Is Your Civics Knowledge a) Advanced, b) Proficient, c) Basic, or d) Below Basic) gives a sample of the questions from the latest NAEP exam. They include:
How did you do? Did this exercise make you feel anxious?8th grade:
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution of the United States to:
a) Ensure that the federal government would be run by a system of checks and balances
b) Set up two parties that would share control of the federal government
c) Establish and protect various civil liberties
d) Guarantee that large states would not overpower smaller ones
46% answered correctly (__)The First Amendment guarantees people in the United States the right to:
a) Own property
b) Own firearms
c) Speak freely
d) A fair trial
74% answered correctly (__)
If so, you're not alone.
At Classical Conversations, we study history and civics in more than one way. We memorize a time line of world events.We learn sentences about major eras in history. We read a lot of stories about history. We copy and write paragraphs from histories. We read original documents from the foundations of American government. We debate topics in current events.
We do all of these things because we know it's by returning to the same information from different angles that we keep our knowledge limber and readily available to us.
We do all of these things because we want our children to grow into their rights and responsibilities as citizens, just as we're growing into ours.
Finally, we do all of these things because we want our children to be eager -- not afraid or apathetic -- to participate in our system of governance, so they can change it for the better.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Unapologetic Parents
This week, Jay Mathews wrote in The Washington Post about his experiences as a public school dad (Who says I'm an over involved dad?). Mathews shares his frustration with the current paradigm for parental involvement in education:
I think our schools, and our culture, have the wrong attitude about mothers and fathers who have skills and knowledge to share.If I were a former college pitcher and spent much time helping my daughter perfect her rhythm on the mound, would anyone object? No. I might even get an award from the local Little League if she got us to the finals.
But if my wife and I, both journalists, edited our children’s school essays, or if our Paris-born neighbors corrected all the errors in their children’s French homework, or if my cousin the trial lawyer prepped his daughter for her graded classroom debate in U.S. government, many people, including some well-meaning teachers, would say we were going over the line.
Mathews identifies a core problem of schooling (at home or in a classroom) when it stops being a relationship between committed learners -- some further along the road, others just starting out.
Whether it's a parent proofreading without stopping to teach the child the difference between a passive and an active verb or a teacher providing just enough information to pass the End-of-Grade test, we've lost something. We've given over to the factory; we've lost sight of the human.
Every parent has knowledge and skills to share, but more than that, every parent has a relationship to build with their children. Mathews concludes,
In 2007 the National Survey of Student Engagement found that college students whose parents frequently intervened on their behalf “reported higher levels of engagement and more frequent use of deep learning experiences.” Helping your child learn should not be something shameful. Let’s say out loud that we are going to pass on what we know, no matter what anyone else thinks about it. (Read more)
Let's say more than that. Let's say we are going to give our children the chance to watch us struggle with learning, so they can copy our perseverance and character. Let's say we are going to give our children consistent, ongoing guidance that recognizes them to be whole human beings in need of nurture, not just programming.
Let's say we aren't afraid to be parents.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Happy Mothers Day!
Today we honor all the mothers, mothers-to-be, and surrogate mothers who dedicate time, energy, and enthusiasm to training their children to be life-long learners.
Thank you for all that you do!!
"Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it."
Friday, May 6, 2011

- Is a Gap-Year the Right Thing for Your Christian Student?
Information from CiRCE on the Center for Western Studies, a college-level gap year program that provides training in Christian worldview and the historical foundations of Western civilization. - The Royal Wedding - Using it as a Homeschool Lesson
One Canadian mom talks about her wedding-based "teachable moment." - Doctrine of Lord's Supper: Recommended Readings
Ligonier Ministries shares some of their favorite readings on this theological issue. - Disappearing Words: Part I, Part II, Part III - Part IV to come!
A thoughtful new series by Susan Wise Bauer about the decline of the print book. - Beyond the Walls of the World (CiRCE)
An interview with Jeffrey Overstreet on the value of fairy tales & fantasy. - Review: Author Tells of Reading Jane Austen
Check out this review of William Deresiewicz's A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer Task Force reminds us:
Prayer has always been used in this country for guidance, protection and strength-even before we were a nation or a handful of colonies. The Pilgrims at Plymouth relied on prayer during their first and darkest winter. Our founding fathers also called for prayer during the Constitutional Convention. In their eyes, our recently created nation and freedoms were a direct gift from God. And being a gift from God, there was only one way to insure protection-through prayer.President Abraham Lincoln knew this well. It was his belief that, “it is the duty of nations as well as men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God.” When it came to the fate of the nation, he practiced what he preached. Before the battle of Gettysburg, he turned to God in prayer. “I went to my room one day and I locked the door and got down on my knees before Almighty God and prayed to him mightily for victory at Gettysburg.” Won by the Union, Gettysburg was one of the turning points in the war that ended slavery and kept the states united. Today the need for prayer is as great as ever. Our nation again faces battlefields, along with an epidemic of broken homes, violence, sexual immorality and social strife. As the heroes of our nation did in the past, we must again bow our heads in prayer. We must ask the Lord to bless our leaders with wisdom and protection, and that we will have the fortitude to overcome the challenges at hand. If Roosevelt, the Pilgrims and Lincoln never underestimated the power of prayer, neither should we. (Read more...)
For more information on this event, please visit the National Day of Prayer website. You can also listen to the archive of my interview with Executive Director John Bornschein.
To read more of what Scripture says about prayer, you can start with 1 Thessalonians 5.17-18, Hosea 10.12, Colossians 3.2, and Philippians 4.6-7.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Leigh! at Lunch Cancelled
Please keep Leigh's mother and family in your prayers, the Lord knows their needs. Leigh! at Lunch will resume in the fall.
Stanley Fish on Leigh! at Lunch

Mr. Fish is the author of 10 books, including How Milton Works, The Trouble With Principle, Professional Correctness: Literary Studies and Political Change, and There's No Such Thing as Free Speech, and It's a Good Thing, Too. His essays and articles have appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Harper's Magazine, Esquire, The Atlantic, and The New York Times.
Join us at noon on Blog Talk Radio and call or chat in with your questions for Dr. Fish!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Toward the Quadrivium - Thank You!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Missed it? Read Matt Bianco's Event Review.
Are you excited to learn more? Start with these articles...
- Circe Institute Defines the Quadrivium
- Doug Wilson on the Quadrivium
- Leigh Bortins' Thoughts on the Quadrivium
What are your thoughts on the quadrivium or on this weekend's event? We'd love to hear them! Email TellUs@classicalconversations.com.
Friday, April 29, 2011

- Kids Train for Triathlons (TN)
Read about some of the amazing challenges home school families are taking together. - There is Hope for the Organizationally Challenged (Patch)
One mom shares her journey toward a workable schedule for her home school. - Today's lesson: Home-school the kids in financial literacy (Canada)
Children learn their most valuable lessons about budgeting and relating wisely to money at home. - Christian Ministries and Southern Tornadoes (Acton)
See how the Church is stepping up to help in the aftermath of this week's devastating storms. - 150 Years Later: Primary Sources, Technology Bring the Civil War to Life (EdWeek)
Check out these resources to help your students to first-hand accounts of the Civil War. - How will state pay for home schooling? (WA)
ALE (alternative learning experiences) give the government authority over families' home school choices: "'We are concerned that these programs are redefining ‘home schooling’ as something now offered through the public school,' Scott Brannan, president of the Christian Homeschool Network, wrote in a letter to the superintendent’s office." - Embracing a Classical Education (Washington Post)
One Catholic school turns to the classical model to train students in the good, the true, and the beautiful. - New Museum Will Strive to 'Reveal the Wonders' of Math (EdWeek)
Start planning your visit to the new Math museum in NYC! Opens in 2012. Visit MoMath.org for more information.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
FYI from Leigh! at Lunch 4/27/11

Had a question for today's show you didn't get to ask? Email 1smartmama@gmail.com or comment on this post for an answer!
Ongoing events
Notes from today's show
Thomas Woods on Leigh! at Lunch

This Wednesday, April 27 at 12 noon on Leigh! at Lunch, I'll be talking to New York Times bestselling author Thomas Woods.

Join us at noon on Blog Talk Radio, and call or chat in with your questions!
Book Sales and Savings
Thurs., April 28-May 1, St. Louis, MO, Greater St. Louis Book Fair
April 28-30, Winston-Salem, NC: Shepherd's Center Book Sale
Fri., April 29, Alpharetta, GA: Homeschool Used Book/Curriculum Sale
April 29-May 1, Greenville, SC, Greenville Friends of the Library Book Sale
May 5-7, Burke, VA, King's Park Library Book Sale
May 18-22, Centreville, VA, Friends of Centreville Library Book Sale
July 15-17, Reading, PA, Book Bonanza 2011
Don't miss the April and closeout sales at the CC Bookstore! Also, check out BookSaleFinder.com to find sales in your area!
Monday, April 25, 2011
What's Your Story?
Until recently, home schooling was considered a fringe phenomenon—something done by religious families seeking to oversee their children’s spiritual and moral education.
But from hip urban communities in Brooklyn to small towns in the rural south, more and more parents are pulling their children out of public schools and assuming the role of full-time teacher...
Why are so many parents opting for home schooling? And what’s it like to become your child’s teacher? TakePart spoke with three home-schooling moms to find out.
(Read More...)
Each of these moms has a unique story about her route to home schooling, and the journey on which it's taken her and her family. Well, guess what? So does each one of the thousands of moms and dads who participate in Classical Conversations - including you! Click here to read some of their stories.
Have you told your story?
Remember, each of our stories, and those of our family and friends, are part of a larger story. Not only that, but our experiences of joy, forgiveness, and grace echo back His story: His joy over us (Zephaniah 3:17); His mercy (Isaiah 30:18); and His gift of grace (Romans 5:7-8).
So go ahead--tell your story, and echo in celebration as a family today!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Door of the Sepulchre
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag'dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salo'me, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.-Mark 16:1-8
Friday, April 22, 2011
From the Sixth Hour...

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.Readings on Easter
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, E'lo-i, E'lo-i, lama sabach'thani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [Ps. 22.1]
And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Eli'jah.
And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, [Ps. 69.21] saying, Let alone; let us see whether Eli'jah will come to take him down.
And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
And the veil [Ex. 26.31-33] of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.-Mark 15: 33-39, KJV
Cal Thomas: Commentary
R.C. Sproul: The Passion of Christ
Peter J. Leithart: Tomb and Tomb
Classic Easter Poetry
John Updike: Seven Stanzas at Easter
Edmund Spenser: Easter
George Herbert: Easter Wings
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
FYI from Leigh! at Lunch 4/20/11

Had a question for today's show that you didn't get to ask? Email it to 1smartmama@gmail.com or comment on this post for an answer!
Ongoing events
Notes from today's show
Monday, April 18, 2011
Plans for Toward the Quadrivium

We have all asked and answered many questions about the Trivium. I find as the classical education movement, I, and my family mature, my questions must also mature. And so, I want to begin a new conversation as many of us move toward the Quadrivium. Answers about the Quadrivium will come too late for my own children's childhood education, as that is ending soon, but I believe the knowledge will arrive at the perfect time for their journey as life-long learners.
Our ancestors tell us the Quadrivium is significant. I want to know how and why. How do I teach it? How will it help me be more human? What do I do with it? What is the Quadrivium?
My current understanding is that it is the study of harmony or music, arithmetic or algebra, geometry, and astronomy. When do we study the Quadrivium? If you were an ancient Roman or Greek, you would have studied it before the Trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. But since medieval times, it was studied after the Trivium. When should we as post-moderns study the Quadrivium? I think that the answer currently lacks consensus among those who think about it, and that is the main reason for this seminar: to engage in the dialectic as we work toward answers.
A headmaster of a classical school told me the reason Classical Conversations is so successful. He said, "When Christians learn to think, they want to think with the Body. We are created for relationship and reconciliation." I don't want to think about the Quadrivium alone. I have all of you and your wealth of thoughts to guide me. I need to be influenced by the body of Christ. Since 1997, I've been asking you to talk with me about the Trivium. Now it is time to talk about the Quadrivium. So once again, I invite you to share in a classical conversation, a conversation new to me and many reading this blog, but old to the world. To be unable to study history and learn from it is to be always a child. I'd like to be able to grow up.
So, here is the schedule for April 30. Should the conversation prove successful, I'd like to schedule additional conversations as we move Toward the Quadrivium.
We have many special guests.
First, Nancy Pearcey will speak on her book Total Truth, a book that is significant to our free summer Parent Practicums where 14,000 parents will spend 3 days in hundreds of locations across the country discussing the Trivium. We need to summarize what we've learned so far and establish the Christian context that embodies the seven liberal arts.
Next, Nancy and I will have a conversation related to another of her books, The Soul of Science, which CC has used since 1998, and which was significant in developing the philosophies of Classical Conversations. I expect more classicalists will read this book over and over again as they gain a better understanding of the importance of the Quadrivium.
Then, a panel of our students will talk with me about their experience as their families try to recover a classical education through the Trivium. We will discuss how the Trivium has prepared them for the Quadrivium.
After lunch, Nancy will speak about the arts and her new book, Saving Leonardo. The heart hungers for beauty, and the seven liberal arts equip us to pursue excellence in all things. We live in a material world - a world of atoms and machines and processes. We need to honor the created world. We can do so by teaching our children how to imitate its magnificence.
Next, Charles Carpenter will speak to us about the university accreditation process. He will give us an honest assessment of the goals of modern universities so that we will be informed as we develop expectations from advanced education for the classically educated student.
When these folks are finished leading the conversation, I will end with some summary points and ideas on the direction we may want to take as we move Toward the Quadrivium.
Remember, this is a classical conversation, not a monologue, so we will make time for questions and participation from the audience.
I can't wait to hear your part of the conversation.