A Fence or An Ambulance

Last week, a friend of mine shared with me a poem called A Fence or An Ambulance written in 1895 by Joseph Malins. This is a poetic case for the value of prevention, or in other words, the importance of character building. So I did a search for it and I was impressed with this video that came up. I am sharing it with you.
http://www.characterfirst.com/aboutus/video/Fence/

My first year of homeschooling, 10 families created a co-op where we met once a week. The class I was assigned to co-teach used the first book from the curriculum Character First. It was a fun, hands-on year for my sons' first year away from the public school system. I loved teaching Character First!

During this same year, I continued my life long learning so I could become a better educator for my children and others around me. I became familiar with Charlotte Mason, an educator in the 1800's. In her 6th volume, p. 147, she writes, "But the function of education is not to give technical skill but to develop a person; the more of a person, the better the work of whatever kind." 

This is what leadership education does. It develops character so that no matter what work an individual does, he or she is leading out and doing the best "work of that kind" whether it's being a doctor, a librarian, a tow truck drive, etc. work ethic is exemplary not due to compulsion but because it is instilled; it is second nature. An ambulance isn't needed because the fence was built around the cliff.

So let's go build a "fence" ...  because our character depends on it.

Leadership Education Forum in Rancho Cucamonga - March 3, 2012

Here comes a great local-to-me conference that I have attended for the last 4 years. It has been an inspiration and great training for what leadership education truly is. If you can attend, I cannot recommend it highly enough. I hope to see you there!  Please feel free to pass this information to anyone who would benefit. It would be great for public school teachers and business managers/owners as well.  ~ Maria 


The Fifth Annual Thomas Jefferson Education Forum (FATJEF) in Southern California is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, 2012, at the Goldy S. Lewis Community Center, 11200 Baseline Road, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739.

We are thrilled to have Andrew Pudewa returning as our keynote speaker.  He is a most entertaining and informative speaker and a strong advocate of Leadership Education. You can find out more about him at his website:  http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/andrew-pudewa.

There will be a concurrent youth symposium for your scholar-age youth, and the keynote speaker for the youth will be Dr. Shanon Brooks, president of Monticello College and co-author of the book, A Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens.  You can read more about Dr. Brooks at the Monticello College website: http://www.monticellocollege.org/ or you can follow his blog at http://shanonbrooks.com/

More details about the event -- other speakers, exhibitors, etc. -- will be sent over the next couple of weeks, and we will be updating the website as well so start checking it regularly for updates -- and typos, which I hope you will point out to me  :-)

The cost is $55 per adult or $90 for a couple (same family) and includes lunch.

The cost for the youth conference is $35 and includes lunch.

To register, download the registration form here:  http://fatjef.com/thomasjeffersoneducationincalifornia/images/2012fatjefApplication.pdf

Please mail your completed registration form and a check to:

Deena Ortiz

13727 Smokestone Street

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739

Feel free to call me with any questions at 909-899-9869 or email me at deena.ortiz@gmail.com .  Also feel free to pass this message on to others.

We look forward to seeing you in just seven weeks.

~Deena~

FATJEF Coordinator

The Animal School: A Fable by George Reavis

The Animal School was written by George Reavis when he was an Assistant Superintendent of the Cincinnati Public Schools in the 1940's. The book can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1884548318/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=9224151549&ref=pd_sl_464gr9mdhp_b

An amzing video to this impactful fable can also be found at: http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/ or YouTube with the words cut off at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs

The Animal School: A Fable

Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a "new world." So they organized a school. They had adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming, even better than the instructor.  But he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in or order to practice running.  This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He also developed a charlie horse from overexertion and then got a "C" in climbing and a "D" in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely, In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well and also run, climb, and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school.

And the moral of the story is ........?

In the last post, I shared my experience in kindergarten and how further schooling had a negative impact on my artistic ability. I know you have similar stories in your life. I would LOVE your feedback on your personal experiences and what you have done to overcome or maybe you never overcame!

Something WAS truly missing!

There will be times when I will be sharing with you from the depths of my soul because of my personal experiences. This is one of them. Today's post comes from a story found in the book A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the 21st Centurey by Oliver DeMille Chapter 2 and how it relates to my childhood education.

A young boy was so excited to be starting school! He ran past his mother into his classroom and eagerly waved goodbye to her. As his teacher pointed out his new desk, he couldn't stop smiling and thinking how he loved to learn new things. The teacher started an art lesson and handed out crayons and paper. She said they would be drawing. His creative mind had hundreds of ideas race past it ... landscapes, his family, his pets, inventions... He started to draw. But his teacher stopped him and said they would be drawing flowers. Oh, how marvelous! He thought of white daisies, yellow daffodils, red roses, pink carnations, purple violets and lilacs, gardens full of all the colors of the rainbow. So he started to draw. Again, the teacher interrupted him and said they would be drawing a specific kind of flower. On the chalkboard, she drew with colored chalk, a green stem with two leaves and four identical pink petals. Eager to please his teacher, the boy dutifully copied her drawing. After a few attempts, his looked identical to hers. She praised him for his good work.

He became a model student learning to listen, obey instructions, and get the correct answers on tests. His parents and teacher were so proud of him. As his continued in his schooling, he was enrolled in the gifted and talented program. One day, his next teacher handed out crayons and paper so they could draw a picture. He waited until she gave instructions. After a few minutes of him sitting there, she noticed he wasn't drawing and asked, "Don't you like to draw?" He said he loved to draw but was waiting for her to assign something. She replied by saying, "Draw whatever you like." The boy sat for a long time wondering what he should draw. Finally, with a burst of creative inspiration, he picked up two crayons to draw ... a green stem with with two leaves and four identical pink petals.    The End ... or is it?

In my kindergarten year, my teacher was amazed at the art talent I displayed even at such a young age. She would encourage me to paint even when other children were doing other things. She would bring in other teachers to show off my work. With pride in her voice, she spoke to my parents and encouraged them to sign a form allowing one of my paintings to be sent in to a local art contest. I remember earning a first place ribbon but not after judges spoke with my mother to verify that no adult including herself did help me with the art piece. She verified that it was my own  and that I received no adult help. I was ecstatic with my winning ribbon - 1st place!

Two years later of compulsory education: While in 2nd grade, my former kindergarten teacher asked me to return to her classroom so I could paint a picture for her students. I remember how difficult this task seemed and how crude my painting appeared. I remember looking into my former teacher's face and seeing a look of pain. I remember her speaking with other teachers also in the room and saying how only two years had passed and how far I had digressed in my artistic ability. And that is the first of many realizations in my compulsory education, my public schooling, that I realized that SOMETHING WAS TRULY MISSING!

In my next post, we will learn about the Animal School. I LOVE it! I know you will too!

The Object of Education

Robert Maynard Hutchins said, "The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." True leadership education inspires an individual to continue a life long pursuit of learning.

Robert Maynard Hutchins was someone who understood this. He was an educational philosopher who was a part of a controversial educational reform while president of the University of Chicago implementing the use of the Great Books along with Socratic discussion on campus. In 1953, he authored The University of Utopia. The following quote comes from it: "The object of the educational system, taken as a whole, is not to produce hands for industry or to teach the young how to make a living. It is to produce responsible citizens". And that is what is lacking in today's current educational system.  A second aspect of true leadership education creates greatness in an individual by coming in contact with greatness through the classics in all areas: literature, art, math, etc.

My goal is to get us on this journey of leadership education for ourselves and our posterity. Together we can carry out a plan to inspire greatnes in ourselves and in those around us by replacing the mediocre education we received.