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What is Off The Conveyor Belt?

I have been emailing back and forth with a young friend of mine. The last email I sent her got me to thinking a bit about the all cursed and dreaded conveyor belt.
Now in the Tjed world the conveyor belt can and usually means the public school system. Dr. Demille choose a conveyor belt analogy because it shows everyone going along getting the same thing at the same time regardless of talents, interests, or personality.
I have also discovered that our current public school system is based on the Prussian Factory model.
Alvin Toffler said in his book the Third Wave,
"Built on the factory model, mass education taught basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, a bit of history and other subjects. This was the 'overt curriculum.' But beneath it lay an invisible or 'covert curriculum' that was far more basic. It consisted - and still does in most industrial nations - of three courses: one in punctuality, one in obedience, and one in rote, repetitive work. Factory labor demanded workers who showed up on time, especially assembly-line hands. It demanded workers who would take orders from a management hierarchy without questioning. And it demanded men and women prepared to slave away at machines or in offices, performing brutally repetitious operations."
I have only found this quote, I have not read the book but plan to in the near future. Actually I think its on my book shelf right now. Great I can it start today.

So that all being said, is Public school a bad thing? In my opinion...No, its not.
If we know what educational program we are putting our children into and studied it out, like any method of educating our children should be studied out, we can at home overcome the deficiencies of any educational program.
Dr. Demille encourages us to get off the conveyor belt. I know of and have been one of those people who when I first heard this concept thought "Ok, I'm off that conveyor belt, but it feels so comfortable to be on one that I will now get on this Tjed conveyor belt." But guess what that's not right either. If our end goal is to have a superb liber education, or as the Demilles say on their new website www.tjedonline.com, an education to match our mission, then we need to be off all conveyor belts. Including the Tjed conveyor belt.
A friend of mine has defined off the conveyor belt and I think I will stick with it.

"To me on the conveyor belt is when I am going with the flow of society, friends,
family or whoever instead of prayerfully seeking out what is best for
each individual child and their needs and then following that path for
that child. I am off the conveyor belt when that individuals
spiritual, educational, emotional and social needs are being met in
the way I'm being inspired to fulfill them, no matter what form that
may look like or take. I know I'm on the 'conveyor belt' when I don't
feel comfortable with the way things are progressing and off when I
know deep inside that what I'm doing is right no matter what other
outside voices may say.
To me conveyor belt is not some taboo system, or formal education
but more of doing what others are doing without really questioning it
and studying it out in my mind and asking God if it is best for me and
my family in our circumstances. Thus public school may or may not be
conveyor belt as well as TJED or any other system of education."

I have also come to the conclusion that you can be in public school and off the conveyor belt.
This is not an announcement that I am putting my kids back in public school. No I still feel they are doing better, for what they need, at home.
Thank you for listening to my ramblings on the Conveyor belt.

My mission your mission

O.K. so we know that I dabble in the way of believing that all people were sent to earth to fulfill a mission. I believe that every single person born was sent here to complete a work of some sort or another. I also believe that everyone has a different one or a different way to go about it. A trap we can sometimes find ourselves in is coveting the mission of another person just as we covet another persons talent. I had a hard experience in this a few weeks ago and almost lost a friend. She is forgiving and things are better now.
If you follow the principles of Leadership Education as outlined in "Thomas Jefferson Education" by Dr. Oliver Demille. He outlines 7 or so missions (not in the book) and a dear friend of mine as added a few more to the list.
They are as follows
-Feed the Hungry
-Heal the sick
-Comfort the Lonely
-Create Beauty
-Preach the gospel/ Spread Truth
-Liberate the Captive
-Educate the ignorant

-Protect the innocent
-Ad Minister

I think some of the wording could be reworked but I hope you get the general idea. The last 2 my friend and mentor has added to the list so I keep them with my list.
Educate the ignorant could be taken as bad form so I would like to call it "educate the unlearned". (this is not my epiphany it came from a dear friend, but is one I agree with)
Some go hand in hand, Like spread truth, Liberate the captive, and educate the unlearned. They can be taken as interchangeable and the same thing, at least for me.
For example my mission is to liberate the captive. I am going to fulfill that mission by educating the unlearned and spreading truth.
I am really looking into Earl Shorris' project of the Clement course. I feel a real pull to it. He has created a program that helps to get people living in poverty out of poverty by teaching the humanity's. He created a free course, provides bus tokens for transportation, childcare, and a meal. The books are covered and he gets actual University professors to teach the courses. They study philosophy, poetry, literature, and American history.
There are a few classes in Canada at this time. There is one in Calgary, Vancouver, Halifax. I think they change the curriculum slightly to make it more adaptable to Canadians. They have one course in the Yukon and it is taught in the native Inuit language. There area few in Mexico that are taught in Spanish and other Native languages.
The whole thing is absolutely genius and I cry every time I read about it. That's what I want to do. I want to liberate the captive by teaching them how to think.
Here is the real kicker. I have to get the education first.

What I learned from The discussion on Core phase.

I learned:
1. I am not alone in my trials
2. Not all people necessarily see Core phase the same way I do.
3. I have really great and spectacular kids.
4. That it is possible to not like someone but to love them anyway. (very strange)
5. I have found and am living my mission and it is so exciting.


I want to have another discussion on core phase and see how different people view it. I want to hear peoples obstacles, and successes.
Did I strengthen and uplift? I really don't know. I felt much better when I left so I was uplifted.
If you read my blog and understand what Core phase as Tjed explains it is, will you please respond and tell me what you think of it....? Please...?

My First Core Phase for moms day

Well, I have asked a very kind lady to host a project for me. Its not a hard one. I want to host what I call "Time Out for Core phase moms". I am stealing the title a bit from Time Out for Women that Deseret books put on. If I am infringing on rites I can change the name. Besides I doubt it will get that popular.
It is a group of moms getting together having a colloquium on and about Core Phase. What we have learned from it, what it looks like in our homes, where we feel we are going with it. Life experiences they may want to share. The main idea I want to give people from it is that they can do it. It is possible amid the chaos or the lack there of, that core phase is possible, natural and necessary. I am hoping to strengthen them in their resolve.
I am going to write an outline of what I hope is discussed but I will also honour the natural flow of how it happens.
I am excited and nervous at the same time.
I am also planning, with their permission, to take their wisdom nuggets and put it in the paper I am going to write on Core Phase.
I will report how it went tomorrow.

Crazy times

We have been pretty busy around here. I have taken one 3 ton truck load to the dump and there is still more. I feel lighter already.

We took the kids to the Zoo and had a blast.
Megan started what she called the Entrepreneurship club. She invited a few friends and they worked together all summer raising money. They had a car wash, a bake sale, a bottle drive and we sold goodies at the local fair in July. They made almost $150 and they wanted to spend the money by going to the Zoo.
We has a good time 2 other families came a long with us. Some of the kids didn't make it out of the parking lot awake.





De cluttering, Going to the Zoo, Girl Guides. It has been busy.

I read some great books. The Ugly American, Reading Lolita in Tehran, trying to get through Walden, but just to show my literal ignorance, I think I would rather gnaw off my leg. Some people say it changed their lives and they have reevaluated everything. I am wondering when that happens?

Organization

As I am focusing on Core phase this year I feel I need to organize my house. But the kicker is as I look around I realize how unorganized it truly is, I get overwhelmed and want to give up.
This me announcing here and now I will get my house organized by Christmas 2008.
I shall be focusing on my Core,


C - Cleaning
O - Organization
R - Relationships
E - Example

Core Phase as the foundation

In Thomas Jefferson Education people talk about Core phase all the time. It is the time of life we learn our values, our virtues, our morality and core beliefs. The lessons of core are Good vs. bad, right vs. wrong, True Vs. False. It is in essence the foundational phase of a superb leadership education.
Here is a quote I found on foundations and I think it applies to our Leadership Education.

"Foundations do not typically contribute to the architectural aesthetics of a building. Yet, without suitable foundations, a building will not function effectively, will be unsafe and its architectural merits will rapidly fade"

Core phase is the ultimate foundation.

This one makes me laugh....

Theodore Roosevelt Quote

A great quote I just read and had to share.
Theodore Roosevelt said "It is not the critic that counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again-because there is not effort without error and shortcomings-but he who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause. Who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat"
I am in tears.

Core Phase... Relax

Just to tell all 4 people who read my blog, I am going to write a paper on what Core Phase is to me. I have also decided that as I go along and come up with ideas I will post them here for your feed back.
I wrote an email to a Yahoo! group I belong to about core phase and a friend of mine wrote in saying you need to RELAX. The fact that she capitalized the words caught my attention so I came up with an acronym. What can I say I'm a sucker for acronyms.
We need to RELAX in core phase
R - Read to your kids in all phases, Core, Love of Learning, and Scholar
E - Example we need to behave the way we want our kids to behave
L - Laugh with your kids. There is a ton of studies on how laughing and having fun can reduce stress and lessen a stressful situation so better learning can happen.
A - Attitude have a good attitude about how you are being have an attitude of Joy
X - Explain things, explain what is good, true, and right. Be the sounding board of explanation.

I would honestly like to know what you think. If you have a comment please leave one.

Where do you want to go?

"Cheshire Cat, would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don't much care where----" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"---so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

This year I have decided to focus on our Core Phase (look on the Right hand side of page). We will be structuring time not content and will be inspiring not requiring this year. I really think we have neglected this side of development and I am going to honour the natural phases of leadership education this year.
I feel like I know where I am going. I have a direction and it feels good.
I am not going to go back to school. Part of my mission is to be a mother and after the incredibly stressful year we just came through I have decided to focus mainly on my family and being a mom, we need to heal.
I have given myself some assignments though. I am going to look very deeply into Core phase and write on my findings and share them hear. If you are interested. If not that is fine to.
It will be the year of honouring senses, and following my intuition regardless of others thoughts of uncomfortableness. (is that a word.) (Thats why this is Redneck Liber).
I am feeling confident in a humble out of the box way.

Laziness Gene

I knew it wasn't my fault.....

The Call

I am going to take a plunge. I am feeling the call. Has anyone here heard of the Hero cycle. Joseph Cambell has studied mythology and has drawn the diagram as above he calls the Hero Cycle. Its not quite as I learned it but its close. He has written a book called the hero of a thousand faces.
I am about to embark on an adventure of my own. I am feeling the call to go back to school. How very exciting. I will be taking distance study classes, one at a time because keep in mind I still have 6 children that I home school. I am on the 10 year plan to a bachelors degree. It will probably take that long but I feel it needs to be done. The thought keeps me up at night. I want to study the humanities, Philosophy, History, Literature, Art, Music, and yes I guess Math. I guess because math is truth math is beautiful. I need to search more to find the beauty in Math.
I will be starting this fall, and away I go.
Dr Demille of George Wythe College teaches the hero cycle slightly differently, but the call and roadblocks are still the same. Needing a mentor, knowing your Tests, Traps, and trials. This can be the path to success.
But the Call is coming in loud and clear. I will answer or I will stay on the path to mediocrity.


Just an update on August 18 I have decided not to go back this year. It is a right thing for me to do but not a right now thing... Odd but true...

Warming of the Heart

Somethings just warm my heart. I saw this today and got emotional about it. I am getting emotional about a lot of things lately. But this will be my research project for the day.
In the Lift organization that I am a part of my Friend Stacy Nicol talks about See a Need Fill a Need, and to me this is a great example. 77% of people involved turn their lives around.
I will be learning more on this.

Update
I love Wikipedia, it can answer so many questions.

How great for the world to unite on this. This is a good thing happening in the world.
Canada is having a championship game in Calgary to see who represents Canada in Melbourne in December. Do you think TSN will air it?

Service is love

In Joshua 14 Joshua says he has strength yet for another mountain. I hear this and it makes me tired.

I understand Valleys are a natural part of taking on a mountain and maybe I should realize I am in a metaphorical valley at the moment. It seems to me that a way out of my Valley is to serve others and to love them.






My kids are angels because even thought I am not a picnic to live with right now they are still really really great kids.

We are going to learn to serve each other this week. I have decided that when there is a fight or quarrel we will work together. So we will either learn to love work or learn to love each other.

There are days when I feel completely at ease that I am creating the village I want my children raised in, I am planting the Oaks to shade them. Then there are days when the Laundry isn't done in 5 loads and I think I am drowning in house work and realize that I have neglected the home front a little to long. Where is the balance?
I have a mission yes that I know, but some days I feel that my mission is doing laundry. H.G. wells said that "Men who think in lifetimes are of no use to statesmanship." Meaning, and I agree with this, that we need to think Generational. What kind of mothers am I raising? Another scary question.
To many rhetorical questions going through my head today.

So much on the go

I have been busy planning and writing and organizing the Second Annual Thomas Jefferson Education Forum. It is going very well. I have 85 people signed up and who knows how many people will come to the door.
We have a great line up this year and I am so excite for it to happen. Anyway thats why I have been busy.
Thanks,
Peggy

Guilty

I am guilty of this one.

They were seperated

Due to the miracle of adoption my youngest 2 are 7 1/2 months apart in age. People always ask if they are twins, I say no, they ask how far apart are they I tell them 7.5 months and then I get looks of great wonder. I have actually thought of carrying around a camera to take pictures. I usually say well I am wonder woman,... no one was adopted.
Any way I digress. Yesterday Birth dad came for a visit. Fred, Haley, Kirsten and birthdad all went into town yesterday. Poor Hunter stood at the door in total and complete shock that Haley was leaving without him. Then it hit me this is probably one of the first times they haven't gone out together. They do everything together. He couldn't believe it. All day he kept asking to go in the van. "I go in van mom". He kept opening the door to see if they were home yet. I finally talked Megan into taking him to the park across the street from our house.
It was kind of interesting. I never realized how much they were together until yesterday.
Should they do more separate things? Should we take them out one at a time?

A great day

I want to talk about a great day I had the other day. It was on Friday. It was a defining day. One that says you are a Homeschooling Scholar Mom.
My 7 year old Daughter was bouncing on the exercise ball reading Harry Potter to me, I was changing a poopy diaper and between wipes I was writing out math equations on the white board for my 5 and 6 year old daughters.
For some people this may seem quite hectic and really it is but I remember thinking at that moment that this is who I am, I home school my children and this is what it looks like. I felt a great surge of happiness well over me and it was a great day. I was in the company of the greatest souls who ever lived and I was humbled and inspired because of them.
We read many books that day. I was inspiring as the mother mentor, and some of my reluctant readers went on to start books on their own, HURRAY!! That to me is a good sign of great inspiration.
I am happy to be in the mind set I am in. I am a mother and an educator. At this moment I wouldn't change that for anything.

Its Forum Time again

So I either like planning big crazy events or I am a glutton for punishment. I am planning the Second Annual Canadian Thomas Jefferson Education Forum. The date is set for May 10 and we are hosting it at the Lethbridge College Campus again.
It is getting a lot more buzz this year. My friend Heather Burton and I have an interview with Mark Campbell booked, to be on his show Scene and Heard. I am a bit nervous about that.
We have 13 great speakers lined up to speak and tell us their words of wisdom. I am trying not to speak this year because I feel I did a horrible job last year. I will just stick to planning this year. But I have one spot left to fill.
It is getting exciting.
I have been wanting to write essays lately. Perhaps I'll try to write one a month or so and just post them on here for the whole 2 people that read this blog.
hmmm great idea. So all 2 of you look out...

Dixie Chix

I love it when someone expresses how your feeling through song. I have been feeling like this towards certain members of my extended family, and when I heard this song I felt validated and then got over it... for now.

Happy St. Patricks Day

I am White

Thank you Paul for introducing me to this Blog. I find it Hilarious.

I'm it

I was tagged by Kathleen, Hey can we tag the butcher?? Here are the rules
RULES

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Random facts about me hmmm

1. When I was 12 I licked a slug on a dare

2.I have a tattoo on my back

3.My middle name is Ethel.

4.I Love Country music (sorry Kathleen)

5. I was born in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan

6.My favorite vehicle is a 1983 Dodge Ram truck

7. When I was in grade 10 I accidentally died my hair green and my Uncle John would sing "Beauty School Drop Out" from Grease every time he would look at me.

I shall tag Stacy, Karina, Beth,

Fun with the Camera again

If you follow this post you will know I LOVE hoar frost. so here are some more pics I took the other day.


Yes the Christmas Lights are still up. I am guessing they will never come down...

Taiko Drumming

I took some of my kids to a Nature In Mind Arts Festival today. There was one very neat number with Taiko Drums. It was a great experience to sit and listen to them play. There were probably 10 or so drummers and the sound was great. The drums are big and as my 6 year old pointed out as she covered her ears, very loud.
I did a quick Google on the internet to find out more about Taiko drum and found out they were used in Japan in war and in royal court and became a symbol of religion. Thank you Wikipedia.
What was interesting is that as I sat listening to these great and awesome drums, I was moved to tears. I welled up with emotion and cried, not a sad cry, but a hey there are things greater than you, and time to get to work on being better cry. It was humbling and inspiring at the same time. I greatly enjoyed the Taiko Drums.

I feel like writing

Well I have come to the self diagnosis that I have SAD. Seasonal Affect disorder or whatever its called. The sun is shining today and it looks like spring and it makes me so very happy. I feel confident and light. But being this is Alberta you know that when the sun shines in February it won't last for long. So make Hay while the sun shines.
The kids played outside today for 2 hours which for them is quite a feat. I can barely get them to go outside for 30 minutes.
The thermometer from my window says 12 C How great is that?
I also got the flyer done for my big Forum in May. On the 10th. For those of you Tjeders I organize a big forum like the one Dianne Jeppson does in Salt Lake city. It should be good and exciting this year.

The Weather

The weather here today is fantastic. I have sent the kids out to play and to see if there is enough Snow left to make a snowman. Heres hoping.

Propaganda

I just watched a video on you tube that killed a Mickey Mouse look alike then blamed it on the jews.............




How do you fight propaganda like this? I can not believe they are teaching their children this......
I am speechless....

Kids fun

The kids wanted to build a fort out of blankets. This is their masterpiece.

Hard knock life

Well I have been learning a few lessons from the book of Hard Knox. Man am I tired. I think I am failing the test because it seems that things are not easing up. Its moment like this I think Of the Song from Annie Its a hard knock life. Although I do have warm blankets and hot food.....
Maybe I should Hire a choreographer to help make life a little better, or maybe I'll just try a hands free cart wheel. That should make everything better.





I am aware that it is a lesson I am to be learning and not just pain that I should be feeling. I feel happy today.
I am working on personal acceptance meaning that when the house is a mess and The kids are running around screaming that it is that way because it is a home filled with love and its OK for me to sit and read. I have taken a lot of pressure Off myself that I was putting on myself. Its that constant pressure for perfection that I was no where near attaining anyway so I gave it up. Guess what happened? Life got happier, the kids are more co operative and I feel better. Just by letting go of that perfection that was always just out of my reach. One step at a time. One small step. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
I am the Vice president of a newly formed organization called Leadership Education Association of Family and Friends, LEAFF. In the meeting over the phone this morning the president said that last quote by small and simple things are great things come to pass and we that she was a simple thing and I will add my part, I too am a simple thing.

Interesting thoughts

I am sad



This picture makes me happy.

question... Does life get easier or do we get tougher??????

a few pictures

My kids

kids

Why is it when we want to go out Kids find it he right time to go crazy?
I was getting ready to go visiting teaching, and thanks to Girl Guides I only had to take 3 kids. My companion called and said we were canceled for one appointment but still had one other appointment. This left me with 15 minutes to flat iron my hair. I got a sexy new hair cut that requires a bit of flat ironing. I thought I'd never say this but my hair just isn't straight enough.
So I left myself 3 minutes to drive 3 blocks with 3 kids. I come out of the bathroom and Hunter is completely naked and just did some business in the potty. That boy has impeccable timing.
We were only 6 minutes late however.

At a cross roads

I feel like I am at a cross road in my life. I can change paths if I choose, but here's the kicker, I don't have a map and I don't know where I want to end up. Is it possible to feel lost if you don't know where you are going?

Food Fight

If we have bad hair days are we allowed to have bad Mom days? The only difference being your hair may not not need hours of therapy to be able to cope with life after it moves out. I mean really you don't hear bad Freudian accents asking "Tell me about your hair".
So since we have established being a mother is more important than hair.
So this is my evening. Supper goes along really well, (of course Fred was home). Then the after dinner clean up. The 4 older girls were supposed to be clearing the table. An hour later it was not done yet so I redirected them yet again and sent them on their merry way when the dryer buzzer rang. (oh dreaded dryer buzzer) So I went happily to fold the clothes in the dryer.
When I finished the clothes we were now into 88 minutes of supposed table clearing, with 4 girls it should not be taking this long. Then I looked around, (bad idea). There is food all over the floor, apparently one of them thought throwing peas might be a good idea, then bread. Water puddles here and there, another thought it might be good fun to get the one throwing peas and bread with water. The other 2 joined in by quickly throwing the dishes into the dishwasher un-scraped, and put the salad on the counter. Needless to say I lost it but good.
Can I still be a good mother tomorrow? Of course I can. Would a good mother have gotten mad at her kids for having a food fight instead of clearing the table? I would like to think so. I feel bad about my reaction to it. It was as immature as the food fight and I am the mother.
When I calmed down enough to be coherent, I had the girls tell me the steps to clearing a table and they knew them quite well. So now perhaps I should think and write down how to be a good mother.
I hope they have a good memory of it. Some of my best memories were playing to hard then getting in trouble at the end. I think it was worth it to them because they went to bed giggling, but grounded.