The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections

Whenever the weather permits, I eat lunch outside on the patio in the edge of the woodland. At this time of year, there are spiderwebs everywhere. It doesn’t matter that I come out every day and sit in the same chair, I still have to brush away an accumulation of delicate webs each day.

I hadn’t been sitting there for more than a minute or two today when I noticed that one fine strand of web had already been spun from arm to arm on my chair, rather like an airy version of the festive ribbon that outlines special seating sections at a wedding. Inevitably, my thoughts turned to the gossamer threads that link ideas and subjects, and from there to the single greatest benefit of the classic core curriculum.

Although many students never suspect it while they are in school, knowledge is not naturally divided into separate subjects. Math walks hand in hand with science, and both affect the course of history. Literature and the arts both reflect and forecast trends in the culture from which they arise, creating an enduring portrait of what is, and sometimes, what is to come.

The core curriculum, defined as the organized exposure of students to the basics in and the links between each knowledge area- history, literature, the arts, science, mathematics, language; touches the young person’s palate with variety, and ideally, introduces great ideas. Like a healthy diet, the core curriculum offers a varied smörgåsbord of intellectual nourishment, resulting in a healthy, robust mind.

I first discovered the web of great ideas through books I read on my own, rather than through the dessicated textbooks and neatly segregated subjects I encountered in school, and I suspect that it’s the same for many of you. It’s been a joy to introduce these idea-connections to my children– to touch their palate with big ideas, and to share the excitement of seeing ideas spark, connect, and catch fire.

Homeschooling is ideally suited for teaching the core curriculum as an interconnected web. Many of our best mentors and books — Charlotte Mason, A Thomas Jefferson Education, unit studies, classical homeschooling– offer ways to bring knowledge to our students in a way that emphasizes the connections, rather than the differences.

Teaching the core curriculum helps avoid the dreaded ‘gap’ problem, because each core subject intersects with many others, allowing knowledge to steadily multiply and stick. If your student has basic pegs of knowledge in each of the core subjects, and each year sees the connections between them increasing, he or she will instinctively understand how to structure and analyze new information as it arrives.

Each student will inevitably find one or more of the core subjects to be more fascinating or comfortable than others, and it’s certainly logical for him to major in those subjects. I have done it throughout my own life with literature, history, and the arts, but I can see where these intersect with math and science, and it is useful to know the vocabulary of each.

As you begin to plan for the next school year, remember the core curriculum, and for your children’s sake, erase the artificial boundaries that are often placed between the disciplines. Use real, living books, including classic literature, rather than dry textbooks, to bring knowledge to life. Education is far more than job training– it’s nourishment for the mind, and necessary for the whole person. Institutional education may have brushed aside those delicate webs of connection, but once you understand their power, I think you’ll be happy to preserve them.

Limiting Negative Input Creates a Healthy Learning Atmosphere

Last week, I wrote about how turning off television can improve your quality of life. However, negative influences don’t come only from television– they can come from many sources. While some sources of negativity may be hard to avoid, such as family members who sport a perpetual bad attitude, there’s no reason to actively seek out and give attention to media personalities who thrive on creating fear and controversy.

Have you ever reproved your children for speaking rudely to a friend or sibling, or wondered where they learned to use ridicule in an effort to make someone else look or feel bad? You may find the answer in the rude rantings of radio talk-show hosts who use ad hominem attacks and ridicule, rather than serious, intelligent communication, to gain support from an unthinking audience. If your children hear these “adults” communicating with name-calling, insults, and mocking, you needn’t be surprised when they try these tactics at home.

If you don’t listen to talk radio, but have news on during the day, you’re likely to find that constant repetition of bad news– rising prices, falling wages, home foreclosures, murders, random crimes, natural disasters– leaves everyone stressed and on edge. Children don’t necessarily listen to what is said, but they definitely understand the tone of concern and alarm, and feel the stress.

There are many valid reasons for living a quiet and peaceable life, but it’s particularly important for homeschooling families. Fear and stress are emotions that short-circuit the learning process, and noise, all by itself, has been proven to dramatically increase stress and reduce the ability to think clearly (visit the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse for detailed information). If your goal is to create a home where learning happens, it’s a good idea to limit noise, particularly negative noise.

I have discovered that our home is more serene and happy when the only news source is the newspaper. It’s quiet, easily portable, and doesn’t assault us with excessive drama and repetition. We can read it at our leisure, and put it down when someone more important (such as one of our dear children) wants to talk with us. We don’t have shush them in order not to miss anything. Frankly, I’ve heard very few things in the news that would be worth ignoring my family to hear, and it seems a bit odd to think of placing a disembodied radio voice at a higher level of priority than people I love!

Is there a chance that you’ll miss something important? It’s highly unlikely. By the time the second plane struck the World Trade Center, I had already heard about it. Even if you’re not in on breaking news, anything of importance will show up in the newspaper, and is likely to have the virtue of being edited and placed into historic context. You won’t have to waste time listening to news people talking to one another, repeating the same facts and figures over and over while waiting for something new to happen.

If you’ve been in the habit of having something on all day, I suggest reading about the harmful effects of constant noise, and reconsidering your habit. If you must have something, or you want to substitute something positive for negative radio shows and news, choose something without words such as a CD or DVD of nature sounds (water sounds are particularly soothing and thought-friendly) or gentle classical music. These are easy to find and usually inexpensive. However, if you have any space at all around your home, you may enjoy planting bird-friendly shrubs and trees to encourage your very own nature sounds.

Your children will absorb what they hear. There’s absolutely no need to serve up dark messages of impending disaster or crude, rude ridicule as a substitute for warm, loving, intelligent conversation. Remember– what goes in is what comes out.

If you’ve unthinkingly permitted rude and negative voices to invade your home or car, you can expect to hear those thoughts and speech patterns reflected in your dear little ones. I recommend the better way found in Philippians 4:8- Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Announcements

The Ultimate Homeschool Expo is going strong this week! Join Cindy Rushton and her remarkable line-up of speakers for a huge dose of education and encouragement that you can enjoy from the comfort of home. There is at least a year’s worth of good listening and reading packed into the member website, and you’ll have a whole year to download and listen to your heart’s content– I encourage you to go right over and sign up!

Today’s Carnival of Homeschooling is hosted at the Homeschool Buzz site, with a theme of Visions of the Future. Be sure to visit!