Headgate Last: Real and Reminders

Part of this section fit well with my most recent post on another book I'm reading called Poetic Knowledge. I want to reiterate some of that other post in this one.

Tibbets states, "I am trying to make their lives so real that they can actually recognize and appreciate things of real value when they find them. I want to refine their tastes..."

From my other blog post: "So much of our socially accepted norms of our day work to separate us from this well of knowledge [granted by the spirit] by either telling us it is not important, "only science and math is" or by distracting us from the whisperings of wisdom with constant "noise" from TV, video games, twitter, radio, etc. “The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” Jacob 4:13

I know that closing wrong headgates is a quick and productive way to guide our children without coercion. I've seen it work in my own home. It provides a way to help our children learn truth and see the world as it really is. Sometimes it's a challenge to figure out what headgate needs closed or be willing to close it but when you do the blessing will come. For example: My children love, love, love to play outside. They will do it all day coming in only to go to the bathroom, eat and get a drink. They will go all over the neighborhood looking for playmates. When I close that headgate they are "bored" for awhile but then they will start pulling out books to learn from (I've already gotten rid of many of the toys, which they are glad of because they don't have to clean them up and our house is cleaner more consistently). I see a refinement within them and a calming when I release them from the almost chaos of unrestrained play time. It has been a blessing to us.

Another quote from Tibbets I like:

The initial purpose of determining right and wrong headgates is that the right ones lead to love of learning, and the wrong ones lead to love of play. Love of play is a wonderful and necessary part of childhood, but children already have a love of play. We do not need to purposely provide activities for them that help keep them in perpetual childhood any longer then necessary. We're not trying to make adults out of our little children. We are trying to let them be little children while they are little children, in such a way, that they can stop being little children when they become big children. The right kind of play lands them into Love of Learning when they become old enough.

I was glad to read this again and be reminded of the chart Tibbets created to help determine where our children are in their progression, gauge their improvement, and better guide them to move on when the time is right. I had forgotten about that assistant and will be implementing it again; in fact, I will print up some copies of it to put in my common place book, scriptures, etc. I'm so glad I was able to re-read this e-book, write about, and discuss it. It's been a great refresher, definitely something I should try to re-read every six months or so!

What was something you gained from this reading and is it valuable to you as a classic?

The Headgate: Close Wrong Headgates

Tibbets open this section by relating a story of a farmer who opens and closes headgates to various fields to water them. This simple action of opening and closing headgates and allowing the water to freely flow within those bounds demonstrates how our children are. The are like the water, seeking progression and fulfillment. When we manage the headgates they will naturally flow to where they need to go to produce the best results.

A right headgate is defined as any activity you would want your children to voluntarily engage in, that would help develop their mind and direct their motivation towards wanting to read. A right headgate is determined by asking the following five questions:

1. Does the fun or the thrill of the play come from the child's own brain, muscles, or voice box?

• If it has batteries then the answer is generally No.



• Examples of lifeless toys that are great for the imagination: dolls, blankets, ropes, planes, cars.



• "This environment is much like the environment our children experience when they attempt to read: substantial effort yielding subtle rewards. Children reared in this natural environment will not think that reading is too hard for what pleasure it yields them."

2. Who was the creative one, the toymaker or the child?

• 
  "...the more creative the toy, the less creative the child will be for having played with it. The less creative the toy, the more creative the child will be for having played with it--the child will have to be creative in order to get any enjoyment out of it."

3. Is the activity using resources, or wasting resources?

• An example of wasting resources is allowing the child to draw, cut, glue, and create all sorts of things that usually end up in the trash a few weeks later. This happens because they have a seemingly unlimited supply of paper, crayons, markers, glue, fancy scissors, etc.



• An example of using resources is having one notebook for drawing and a limited amount of crayons or colored pencils to draw with. It is stored in one area and is only used when the child really wants to be artistic - it also is already bound and kept in a neat unit for the future.



• "When a child is allowed to consume resources there is a false sense of progression beyond the natural thrill the activity should provide." This reminded me that John Taylor Gatto often speaks about how we are trained by the public school system to be consumers. I say we need to work on being producers more than consumers.

4. If the child is creating something, what is the end result or product, should this activity continue? Is it something useful?

• I like the idea of having purpose for our creations that are useful. Not only will these be useful for the family but doing these things will refine skills for greater self-sufficiency. Brings to mind the idea of mini-factories that Oliver DeMille talks about in The Coming Aristocracy.

5. What has become of the child after the activity is finished?

• Is he/she improved in more areas then just trivial knowledge? Trivial knowledge can be gained by viewing TV or a movie but will not improve reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation, etc.

The Headgate: Understand Lessons and Daily Application Charlotte Mason is Key

Okay, in this section I saw a lot of Charlotte Mason ideas ie: short lessons and narration.

Tibbets says, "I actually require them to obey what I tell them in the lesson. Remember, they are not required to attend the lesson in the first place." This is the perfect place to strive for obedience and perfection. Like chess, "If your going to play the game you have to play by the rules." The rules are simple and few allowing for endless variation. Honestly I don't know enough about the game but what I do know fits here, I think. *grin*

The idea to use journal writing as a method of teaching writing is good. I need to model this more if I want my children to want to do it. I'm not sure that I agree with Tibbets application of the writing/journal method with her son. But that is for her to discern. Sometimes I think if we seek after perfection before starting something then we won't ever start. For example my son often want to write something perfectly (like his letters) yet he doesn't want to practice. He's in a catch 22.

Now for some Charlotte Mason Quotes

"Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there, in every child's mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the result of any process of disciplinary education. A creative fiat calls it forth, 'let him narrate'; and the child narrates, fluently, copiously, in ordered sequence, with fit and graphic details, with a just choice of words, without verbosity or tautology, so soon as he can speak with ease. This amazing gift with which normal children are born is allowed to lie fallow in their education. Bobbie will come home with a heroic narrative of a fight he has seen between 'Duke' and a dog in the street. It is wonderful! He has seen everything, and he tells everything with splendid vigour in the true epic vein; but so ingrained is our contempt for children that we see nothing in this but Bobbie's foolish childish way! Whereas here, if we have eyes to see and grace to build, is the ground-plan of his education."

Also, "In every case the reading should be consecutive from a well-chosen book...this sort of narration lesson should not occupy more than a quarter of an hour."

The Headgate: Require Work and Inspire Daily

I think, for this post, I will do it bullet point style: Require Work

1. I want to refocus on REAL work and not create a bunch of busy work for my family. To me real work includes:

• daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal chores




• Skill training such as: sewing, making needed items from scratch, knitting, wood gathering, fire starting, etc.




• Busy work is much of the type of "school" work children get in the public school system. I don't want to focus on this.

2. I knew this from the first reading but still need to work on it: My 2 oldest (8 and 9) should be able to do more work independently.

Which brings me to referencing another book: There is a free ebook on http://simplycharlottemason.com/ called Smooth and Easy Days. In it is a quote by Charlotte Mason, "What we must guard against in the training of children is the danger of their getting into the habit of being prodded to every duty and every effort." This is from Vol. 3, p. 39, I need to read that section as I know part of my problem with my two eldest is we have fallen into that very danger. If I am not by their side every second making sure they are doing what they should be they go off on tangents. I'll have to do a bit more studying, pondering, and praying about this issue! Suggestions welcome.

Inspire Daily

1. Tibbets says, "It is essential in this system that I choose the story, and they choose whether or not to attend." I think I need to refocus and start with this. We do not have a daily time where I read aloud to them. Our read aloud time is sporadic and I have not been choosing the best books. Honestly, the oldest are still in core (based on Tibbet's assessment chart) as they always want to play outside, then they then want me to read at inoportune times (like bedtime at 10pm). So, and this just hit me as I was writing this, I'm going to set a consistant time (during the day), announce it, and if they are playing they can decide to come in or not. We'll see how that goes!




2. Tibbets mentioned reading aloud from journals. We do this, not daily mind you but when they request it. Some years ago I got little notebooks to write in for each child things they say or do that I wanted to remember. They just love it when we read from them, I keep them handy so I can jot quick things down. If I find I must write something for one of them I try to search my recent memory to see if there is something to write in the others as well. I should try to write in them on a more frequent basis though.




3. "All of the core values can be easily learned simply by hearing great stories." Once again, I have to throw in some ideas from the book Poetic Knowledge I talked about last post.
   
   
   

   ...an example of poetic learning...the child...left alone,undistracted by methods and systems, so that the senses and emotions come naturally into play when being read to, where wonder and delight gradually lead the child's imagination and memory toward the imitative act of reading...the same approach can be used for the child learning to write, that is, by first simply listening to stories. Poetic experience and knowledge is essentially passive, and listening is above all the gateway, along with looking, to the poetic mode...we don't just learn about something...we simultaneously learn how we feel as we learn."





4. In relation to the types of stories we share with our children. Sunday, in Stake Conference a speaker related a story in which he shared the restoration story with a friend. When he asked his friend what he thought about that story the friend responded by saying, "that's the wildest story!" The speaker then stated that the world wants us to think it (the story of the restoration of the gospel) a wild story. I think by wild meaning: crazy and unbelieavable. Here are my notes on that:
   
   
   

   "If we, as a society as a whole, were more familiar with classic stories we would be more apt to believe in such stories/miracles and not think them "wild". All the modern stories of such a nature are recognized fiction. If our children grew up on scripture stories and Plutarch's Lives miracles and visions would be more accepted."

And...that's all for now folks!

Poetic Knowledge: Foundation for Science example 2

Example 2 (this won't be as long, I promise!)

Again, Taylor emphasizes, "One of the ...main reasons for using the term poetic was that it is a sensory experience and, at the same time, a passionate one, where we are moved." He then quotes St. Thomas, "For we see that the senses are for the sake of the intellect, and not the other way about. The sense, moreover, is a certain deficient participation of the intellect."


Afterthoughts pointed out this article (which she got from Dawn): Dr. Jeff Myers' antidote to the brain damage caused by excessive media use in children"

This article says the,

"The brain was designed in such a way that work and accomplishment stimulate the executive center of the brain..., which...stimulates the pleasure center of the brain...Work brings satisfaction, and the desire for life satisfaction motivates people to work."

One study in relation to video games and the influence they have on 7-14 yr. old boys found that, "playing video games lights up the pleasure center of the brain while simultaneously shutting off blood flow to the executive center of the brain. In effect, these games offered boys the sense that they had accomplished something without actually having done so.”


Sorry I’m quoting so much, but this is good stuff,

“Consider the shocking implications. The games children play are designed to bring effortless pleasure (movies and music have the same effect). Over time, this slickly produced entertainment ‘tricks’ the brain into by-passing the executive center, making it more rewarding to pursue entertainment and less rewarding to accomplish anything of value.

How to fix this? According to the article, “…to rescue teens from the cultural addiction: engage them in conversation in the context of doing real things.”

How easy is that? The answer is explained more but essentially you “close the Headgates” (there will be a withdrawal period), do meaningful and real work together, and have significant conversations (passive listening to talk will not do the trick).


Here is the conversation science:

“Language lights up the brain…in order to trigger the use of language, both motivation (from the executive center) and arousal (from the pleasure center) are required…Language seems to be a bridge that reconnects the broken-down relationship between the executive and pleasure centers of the brain.”

Satan is so cleaver isn’t he? The very things that are best for us (like work and meaningful conversation) he has tricked us by inspiring men to create things that trick us into entertaining our lives away while forsaking the best. These entertainments dull the senses and trick the mind into weak passion, both essential traits of poetic knowledge…and I venture to say spiritual knowledge.


Did you know that Booker T. Washington’s history is very interesting in relation to this topic? My friend was telling me about his history…he was learned, he taught others who thought to be learned was to not have to work, he was an example to them that work is still for the learned. True education and work are essential parts of God’s plan for us. I see evidence of it in the Poetic Knowledge book, many other classic works, science studies, and a good life in general.

The Headgate and Poetic Knowledge

So...right now I am reading more than one book for a blogging book club. It just so happens that, unbeknownst to me, both books compliment each other quite well, so far. Last year, during my ever expanding quest for knowledge I discovered a gem of a blog whilst searching for more information on Charlotte Mason. This blog is called Afterthoughts and she and her followers just started studying a book called Poetic Knowledge: The Recovery of Education by James S. Taylor. (Hosted by Mystie) Can I just say: wonderfully enlightening!?! "But, how does this all relate to The Headgate?" you ask. In the introduction Tibbets says of a classical education, "The most beautiful part of this is that the mother of the classically educated child is no longer part-time teacher, part-time motivator, or part-time nag...In this environment, everybody wins. The children feel free to pursue whatever they wish." A few paragraphs later she speaks of the idea of scheduling "school" time.

"If we were to schedule school time, that would suggest to them that we have in mind some things that they ought to do before they can go do what they want to do; this would hinder the falling in love process...a child knows that their boring 'school work' is something they are 'supposed' to do, they treat it like work, and they get in 'get it done' mode...Now they look at learning with a 'minimum requirement' paradigm, instead of a 'the sky is the limit' paradigm."

Okay, now for the tie in, ooooh! I'm so excited by truth connections! First of all, a quick definition. "Poetic knowledge is not necessarily a knowledge of poetry but rather a poetic (a sensory-emotional) experience of reality...it is not strictly speaking a knowledge of poems, but a spontaneous act of the external and internal senses ..it is...knowledge from the inside out, radically different in this regard from a knowledge about things. In other words, it is the opposite of scientific knowledge." The headgate system depends on the childrens "play turning into learning." Taylor states that all poetic knowledge requires a condition of leisure. Oh, yeah, did you know that, "the Greek word for leisure is skole and, in Latin, scola, which as can easily be seen, becomes school in English"? Something was definitely "lost in translation" with both the words school and leisure! Education is an atmosphere (Charlotte Mason). Free time vs. school time (The Headgate). Love of learning (TJ Ed). Wholesome recreation (Family Proclamation). All these phrases come to mind. Many of the ancients used leisure time to nurture poetic knowledge, to them it was free time and school time. I think we need to revive ancient understanding of certain terms, don't you? A love of learning was there because the atmosphere was there. I know that the principle of, "Wholesome recreation" is given as one ingredient to family happiness and success. That phrase was most likely used because most Americans no longer understand "leisure" as the rejuvenating and carefully guarded time it once was. To me there is something more noble, refreshing, and good about the ancient definition of leisure then todays idea of it. Taylor put it this way, "To be placed at a 45^ angle in a reclining chair, drink in one hand, remote control in the other, in front of the television, is not leisure but something closer to sloth of mind and body." What better way to wisely spend our properly defined leisure time then by learning via poetic knowledge? I know, for most of us, the atmosphere is not up to par but thankfully there will be more of how to go about that as we continue our study of The Headgate. Now, I wanted to keep this post brief so I tried to focus on just one area. I hope you were all able to follow me. Sheepish grin.

Other parts of this section of The Headgate that stood out to me were:

• Our children are like a seed analogy


• "No forcing on the parents part or compliance by the children will aid in their phase progression."


• "worrying...manifests itself in the form of slowed progression."


• Tibbets touched on the roles of males and females, I know that by design each has a vital role and we should nurture those roles rather then try to mix them or subvert them.

Tibbets pointed out that we need "order in the schedule." Although it does not need to be strictly adhered to or perfect it should be "productive and reliable". She goes on to say, "when a family is in survival mode, their schedule is not productive. They exist day to day, but they do not produce much of anything beyond primal needs. " As I read this the second time through I wondered: is this why Satan inspired employers with crazy work hour schedules? Now adays many out there will work a closing shift only to open the next day. My own hubbie works 12 hour shifts bouncing back and forth between night and day. There is NO consistency from week to week, although he is on a 4 wk rotation it is very hard for us to be consistant. This is an area where we could see vast improvement if he could obtain a job with a steady schedule. That may need to wait a few years though. Sigh....