Registration for the Face to Face With Greatness seminar in Temecula, CA, April 9-10, needs to be in to Erika Lundquist by tomorrow! She can be reached at evlundquist@gmail.com. I encourage you to attend, either for the first time, or as a refresher. You’ll be so glad you did! ~Teri
Wow! There has been so much going on over here at TommyMom, that we’ve not revisited the “Perky Paradox” in quite awhile; which is a profile in CORE and Love of Learning years based on my own upbringing. Visiting CORE frequently is vital to a strong and stable Leadership Education as you will see…We’re now well into the high school years. I’ve honestly spared you grim details in between…trust me.
I confess that there could be other possible subliminal reasons for “not coming here” in awhile.
And for me, they are scary.
Because I’m such a shallow individual now in certain areas of my life…
Some people, in spite of Leadership Education tend to digress…
Or they’re heavily influenced by their CORE and Love Of Learning friends.
I say this tongue in cheek…
but not really.
SEVERAL of you posted comments and concerns about the “upstairs bedroom” photo…
And whether or not our friendship was immediately null and void because of this disclosure.
The answer is…N-O.
But while DeDe was “racey” and quite a “looker”…
I, on the other hand, at this point in my life, was…
“The Amish Cheerleader.”
I’m the one on the far right…
You didn’t know that the Amish sent their young to secular institutions so that they could experience “getting out more”, did you?
My boys HOWL at this picture.
I actually think it secretly frightens them.
My youngest once brought it to me and wanted to know why, if I was a cheerleader, they didn’t take my picture with these nice girls, too?!
At this point in time, driving an hour to work daily had taken its toll on my dad…
( remember this is Washington, not California, folks!)…
and we had finally moved to the community where the church was located.
And lived next door…
In this house.
It was quite an adjustment.
Nearly Gilligan’s Island…
“No phones, no lights, no motor cars, not a singly luxury!”
I would’ve felt like Robinson Crusoe, except for one thing…
By this time, I was hooked on country life and its benefits!
There were many weekends, on a Friday night…
when we still lived “in town”…
that my dad would make the drive for me to “stay the night with DeDe.”
His infinite wisdom had paid off.
The city slicker was STILL quite inept at farm life…
but I LOVED to be there!
I can only recall one time, in all of our 11 year tenure at this church..
when DeDe came to stay the night with ME.
She had a standing commitment…
to this milk cow that was the “love of her life” for many many years.
And she had to milk…
Faithfully…
At 5 and 5.
A.M. …and P.M.
but the P.M. wasn’t quite as traumatic or inconceivable.
Or she had to pay her dad to do it.
And she wasn’t about to commit to that!
She had 4-H duties…
and bills to pay.
Pretty much by the time she was 10!
Her dad was one of the smart ones, too.
Now the reason that DeDe…
And her mother…
And three sisters…
were a paradox, was because of this…
Trust me when I say…
Manure pile by day…
Prom Queen over and over and over again by night!
The gowns were profuse!
By this time, the English Tudor palace house had been constructed “across the street”…
On the “other 80 acres.”
This girl, to the Amish cheerleader was a “woman of the world!’
She could muck barns by day…
milking twice in there as referenced…
jug the milk, sell it to locals, and be in the shower and ready for a date…
faster than you could say “Green Acres.”
And date she did.
Constantly.
Miss Social Butterfly.
She was attending the local high school…
While I was in a private church school that resembled a military academy!
The school district was one of the first nationally, trying out year round education in our area…
it was a new concept with no track record.
After much debate and contemplation…
My dad, along with input from my brother and I, decided that it would be best for us to attend a private school.
For two years.
They were long years, believe me.
At this point, I would like to highlight yet some more of the seeming “quirks’ in this relationship…
We were being educated in two totally different methodologies…
Wouldn’t that tend to cramp the friendship?
It brought us closer together.
We shared a common worldview…
and tons of time together, going about daily business…
minus a television and equally mindless activities.
And we didn’t know the difference…
or feel especially “deprived.”
All involving a tremendous work ethic and consistency.
Well, DeDe’s incredible work ethic…
and my “nose-in-yet-another-book” consistency.
But make no mistake…
it was making indelible impressions and lasting habits.
Watch CORE closely..
for “out of it spring the issues of life.”
to be continued…
Just a quick reminder that if you have not yet attended a Face to Face with Greatness Series, there is a tremendous opportunity coming up in Temecula, CA, April 9-10. Registration can be made through Erika Lundquist at evlundquist@gmail.com through Tuesday, March 9th. Face to Face with Greatness is life changing and opens up many avenues for understanding where Leadership Education and the tenants of Liberty and Freedom are concerned. It is a not-to-be missed opportunity!
Kay Emerson is one of the most gracious, delightful people that I have had the pleasure of meeting. She has invented a math manipulative that will blow your socks off! Today, we are going to talk with her about why the Zillio is revolutionary, how it can not only benefit your children but you as well, and take a sneak peek into her presentation for the FATJEF, April 24, 2010 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
I so encourage you to go over to www.zilliogames.com, where you can see the zillio in action, “test drive” a game for yourself, and download tutorials, games and suggestions for interactive use. The support system for this product is nothing short of amazing, and it was MADE for Leadership Education!
Hello, Kay! I’m so sorry that I’m late today for our appointment! I was counting citrus for a wedding that I’m attending this weekend with my 8-year-old and lost track of the time. He was counting by twos today!
It’s not a problem, Teri. Let’s just dive right in together, okay?
You are always so gracious, and again, I apologize. Can we begin with you explaining why you developed this math manipulative?
I’d be delighted! When I was in school, I did well in math. I took Calculus in high school and went on to even more advanced math in college, but there was always this nagging feeling that I knew I wasn’t comprehending the “what” and the “why” of what I was doing.
When I was working in classrooms, it occurred to me that both students and many of their teachers didn’t know how math concepts related to one another. Many of the 3rd and 4th graders could perform the math, but there was no meaning behind it. I wanted to come up with something that would be fun, challenging and help to develop a numbers sense. While I was taking upper level math courses in college, at times I wanted to raise my hand and request that they show me the concept in clay! Of course, I fully understood that with many math concepts this wouldn’t even be possible. I also knew that I could DO the math, but I wanted to get my mind around it with a concrete illustration.
I also wanted to design with the goal in mind that I could come up with something that would address the whole child; not just as a student, but as an emotional, learning being. I wanted to encourage the development of risk taking skills, acknowledge the pleasure of accomplishment and reinforce the teaching of critical thinking and reasoning skills as well as computational skills.
Consequently, the games are designed for a wide range of skills. Youngsters that can barely add, can play games at the same time as kids that are factoring and have mastery of multiplication.
Alright, Kay, I can feel myself beginning to sweat already! What if you were a person that had horrible experiences with math and crummy teachers?
Teri, I would like to address several things here for a couple of minutes, okay?
The Zillio can be a little intimidating initially because it can do a lot. It’s a lot like a Cuisinart, really. A Cuisinart can chop carrots and other vegetables or it can build a gourmet meal.
I recommend that you let children take the lead and you act as the resource. Starting with games is a great way to begin. Children accept information as a given and begin playing without having to “have it all figured out” in advance. There is a game that we play often that seems very simple. In fact, when kids begin to play “Sunken Treasure” they often say, “This is really dumb.” However, about halfway through the game, the adults that are always cast as the “Pirates” in this particular scenario, start to win everything! The kids immediately switch to “Hey, this isn’t fair!” The adults always respond, “Of course it isn’t! We’re PIRATES!” We always play it multiple times, and the kids begin to pick up on the patterns of intentional misdirection in the game and begin naturally using very advanced critical thinking skills.
Contrast that with 15 teachers in a problem solving workshop. They tried to think the entire game through before they made a move, so it actually took them longer to solve any of the problems, because they weren’t experiencing it as they went along!
It’s funny, because when you play Monopoly, you don’t troubleshoot why houses are green and hotels are red! You just play the game! I heard a great illustration about the digital age. It was stated that children are digital natives, while most adults are digital immigrants. I think that the same can be true for math concepts that the Zillio teaches. Children “just do it”, while adults do mental translations based on earlier educational experiences.
A major university in Chicago just did a study and the highest level of math anxiety is within elementary education.
Are you serious?
Very. They have now shown that because children pattern on gender during the K-2 grade experience, they tend to pick up the anxiety of the teacher where math is concerned as well. This is, unfortunately, very prevalent in young girls. They follow the teacher.
Some of the testimonials and endorsements on your website are simply amazing where the success of the Zillio is concerned.
Games are one of the most successful ways to teach math and math patterns. When we go through and work adding and then fractions, we can move fluidly into algebraic notation, because they can see the patterning. Use once, use many. Once you learn how to apply something to integers, it’s a small thing to have them move into fractions and have that same success.
You are coming to the FATJEF in April. Would you care to share with us some of the concepts that you will be covering there?
Well, I would like to start off by playing a game that fits a 6-11 yr-old age range, and then will segue way into a game that would be appropriate for 15 yr olds. As we play the game, we’re going to talk about how different children at different stages of development play games, how to observe where they are and how to gently direct them next.
The workshop will also include discussion of how to make the games work collaboratively as well as competitively; along with how to modify them for your specific learners needs.
From games, we will move into a lesson on fractions and how we can look at meaning; equivalency and operations with concrete examples.
One of the strengths of middle school age students that have Zillio experience, is the ability to understand the strengths, power and fluidity of algebraic types of equations, because we’ve done our job by laying the foundation early on.
I am starting to relax, Kay, and am looking forward to this workshop! Can you address the people that can’t attend and what can be done for folks wanting “long distance” support?
Tutorials are included with each Zillio, but we offer tremendous telephone support, so if you hit a snag in any scenario, with any child or learning environment, we are here and would love to help you. We can go “mountain to mountain” by helping you to step through exercises over the phone with us on one Zillio, and you on yours. We also show you where you can go on the website for our tailored support materials. We can’t always anticipate people’s needs, and acknowledge that we don’t always hit the mark, but we are willing to adjust and rework where necessary so that your needs are met.
For example. we were working with a Professor at the University of Florida in a seminar that she was teaching highlighting a Special Education Curriculum. All of the teachers were humming along in their workbooks, but came to equivalent fractions and hit a snag. None of them were confident in the directions and how to implement them. We spent 10 minutes on the phone, and they all went out and taught it with great success!
Sixty percent of our people have an initial “what do I do with this thing?!” reaction, but once we play and interact, it all turns out!
Well, I have one that I purchased from you at the CHN, and I can honestly say that my kids have figured out some things so intuitively that I am amazed! I think that my own math stigma will be greatly helped by attending your workshop at the FATJEF. I can honestly say that you have such a calm, reassuring presence about you, it makes me WANT to tackle some of the things that scare me.
Teri, you make people feel so good about what they do. There are days when you wonder why you’re doing what you’re doing, but today, I’m feeling pretty good about it! Anyone can use the Zillio along with their children and recover what they’ve lost in translation or the classroom. It’s all about experiencing and understanding.
Awww! Thank you, Kay! I can’t wait for you to come and I AM attending your workshop.
I am always excited to be a part of anything that helps people to feel comfortable with what they can offer and bring to the “party!’
The pleasure is honestly all mine, Miss Kay. I sincerely thank you for your time and look forward to seeing you.
this week on Tommymom, there will be not one, but T-W-O giveaways….why? because I love you!
you, the readers,” rock my world”, “float my boat”, “ring my bell”, whatever cutsie little saying you’d like to apply…i’m game, babycakes! so in the spirit of Valentine’s Day and all, I want you to “feel the love!”
i have noticed that there is a serious lag in conversation…and…it means one of three things, or possibly all of them.
1. you’ve all come down with a near-fatal case of laryngitis that causes paralysis of the fingers as well
2. i’m standing in an empty “auditorium”, tapping the microphone loudly (THUMP, THUMP, THUMP) trying to see if it’s really “on”
3. you’re all dying to say something, but need to be bribed.
I’m personally going with number three, knowing the caliber of the readers here, so feel free to chime in and see what the TWO FABULOUS MYSTERY PRIZES will be!
Winners will be announced next Monday right here on Tommymom.com. so stay tuned! and keep those comments coming for your chance(s) to win!…there will be plenty to talk about this week!
now, a word from our sponsor.
this post is continued from February 3, 2010…
I would like to be able to tell you that the “she was going down” reference in my prior “PK/PP” post…
eluded to my driving need to defend my little brother.
That would be a shameful lie.
I was out to protect the most valued individual in my mind in this particular situation.
Myself.
I was not going to mingle with duck droppings.
On any level.
And besides…”she was going down” is merely a historical reference.
Because she was.
The bucket as mentioned, was a 5 gallon beauty that was filled to the top at the scene of the crime.
DeDe was no wimp.
She was farm bred stock through and through.
She hoisted that baby up and out of that pond faster than you could run for the highest hill.
Well, almost…
That’s where I had happened to relocate when I saw my brother’s need.
And did nothing.
I’m “there” for him like that from time to time in life.
It’s what older sister’s do that have appearance issues…
Sacrifice the weaker link for the greater good.
The force from the dump, caused DeDe to take a step backwards…
and she was standing on some very slippery “ground”.
The rapid shift in the weight of the bucket threw her off balance right along with my brother.
Down they went…
into the pond…
the contents of which, to this day, I’d rather not contemplate.
And just in case you’re wondering…
Tim’s pants were no longer white.
They began to laugh…
and laugh…
and laugh.
I was still in shock.
DeDe looked up, smiled and said very cheerfully…
“Oh, come on!…this is so much better!”
We’re having fun and we’re on equal ground now!
I’m still not certain that this defined the reality of the moment,
but it definitely defined the beginning of a friendship.
That has lasted 40 years.
Right about here, I’m feeling somewhat obligated to define the “perky paradox” piece.
If you’ve ever seen “Green Acres”…
you’ll be able to go with this…
we’ll begin with this post and elaborate more later.
You see…
I had pretty much ONE IMPRESSION of “Life on a Farm” in those days…
It was most certainly coming out loud and clear in my interaction with our newfound community as well.
Looking back…
I was the one that deserved the “duck dropping bomb.”
I was in desperate need of an attitude adjustment.
I thank God every time I think about that incident…
that I DID get the attitude adjustment…
and my brother got the bomb!
My dad came out of the house to load up for evening service…
saw the condition of my brother,
tipped back his head and howled…
and got a towel for him to sit on during church!
He was totally unfazed.
See, my dad saw the influence that the “uber-city chicks” were having on his daughter.
He didn’t care for it one bit.
In fact, I found out later, he was quite concerned.
He didn’t choose to resond by just totally cutting those girls off…
he chose to redirect me to new pursuits, friendships and interests.
Contrast that with so many people’s parenting style today…
they feel “trapped”, “unvalidated” in their pursuits at parenting, so the focus is on themselves…
“they need a break”…so many times this results in play dates and liasions that aren’t closely monitored for
content…
worldview…
overall influence.
Parents wanting a strong foundational basis for Leadership Education and it’s ultimate goal…
see things from a totally different perspective…
CORE is the most critical phase…
it influences who you will become.
CORE is static…
as you will see later on in this story through example,
you are forced to draw upon it throughout your life.
It is paramount to choices…
actions…
decisions.
Influence.
Are you keeping a solid pulse on your CORE?
What about the CORE phase of your children?
Part of the mission of Tommymom is to keep it real, folks.
Yessirree…
No “slappin’ a happy face on it” over here for the sake of community.
We’re gettin’ down and dirty…
Honest.
Humble.
Which is why I’m going to show you how farm life really looked back then.
Here’s DeDe in 1972…upstairs in the bedroom of the “old house”…
where, if you look at the slant on the right hand “wall”…
which is really a ceiling…
you’ll know why, when we sat upright too quickly from the beds…
we were rarely in our right minds!
may I just say here how much I love her?
She about had a coronary when I said that I was using this photo…
to illustrate the level of “farm chic” that was flowing freely in that decade, and upon which I’m going to elaborate further…
and then let me use it anyway!
more on the paradox piece next week…stay tuned!
Continued from the post on January 22, 2010.
Perhaps, looking back today, wanting me DEAD is a slight bit of an exaggeration on how high emotions were running.
But it certainly didn’t seem like it at the time.
Each and every week was a stand off in class, and it wasn’t promising to get better any time soon.
It was the usual display of grade school/ junior high maturity…
whispering as you “circled your wagons”…
dirty looks…
fill-in-the-blank note passing…
and on and on.
I’m almost certain that payback has reared its ugly head 10 times over with my own children as well as others,
because of what we put that poor Sunday School teacher through!
This went on literally for months.
I “hated” that girl…
And I wasn’t even allowed to use the “h” word!
I have failed to mention, that for the first 9 years of my father’s tenure at said church…
we commuted.
From the Seattle area.
One hour.
Each way.
We didn’t move to the Graham area until 2 years before we were called to leave.
Or rather my father was…
But I’m getting ahead of myself here.
Because we commuted back and forth, and there was an evening service,
the good people of this fellowship took it upon themselves to have our family to dinner after the morning service.
Home-style cooking…
by farm families…
followed by an afternoon of fellowship and most likely some scrumptious home-made dessert.
So far, so good.
Until that fateful day…
when “her family” was the scheduled after-church-meal home.
Talk about the Last Supper brought to life!
This could be it.
I tried every possible way to make it my personal “Passover“,
but to no avail.
I couldn’t feign illness…
there was no one to watch me.
I contemplated an impromptu personal fast…
too obvious.
Darn it!
As we were heading to the car, my dad decided to have a word with me.
“May I see you a minute, honey?”
Oh brother here we go…pep talk 101.
“I’ve noticed that you and DeDe seem to have an issue with one another.”
Rats.
“You know, these great people have all worked together to make sure that we’re fed, rested, and housed for the afternoon on Sundays…”
“I’d like you to be decent, cordial and gracious for the opportunity to get to know some new folks.”
Surely he jests.
” I know that I can count on you to uphold our family standards, regardless of what anyone else may choose to do.”
I’m a goner.
You see, my dad had this Leadership Education thing pretty much down.
Still does, by the way.
In retrospect, he modeled some very foundational principles for successful CORE and Love of Learning phases.
1. He knew where we were and what we were doing at all times. Even when he looked absent. I can assure you that I never once saw him enter that Sunday School class. Ever. Yet, he was keeping a handle on everything my brother and I were doing. Scratch that. My brother was in kindergarten. At that age he was innocent.
2. When disaster was about to strike in the form of my personal pettiness and self centeredness, he stepped in and not only took control as the parent, but he appealed to my sense of family identity and responsibility.
My brother, Tim, brought up a great point when he was speaking at an event a few years ago.
With the rise of rebellion on the 1960’s in our country,
one of the catch phrases that became a practiced philosophy was to question authority.
Fast forward to the day when those questioning became the authority.
Many of them were at a total loss when it came to the knowledge of how to parent.
Our dad wasn’t one of those people.
If you are, this is a great place to begin you not them.
Are you secure in your core, and are you valuing it’s necessity to a strong Leadership Education?
Confident in your parenting?
If not, what do you need to do?
Only you can answer, discern, evaluate.
There’s a lot at stake.
to be continued…
I’m quite confident that many people have their togas in a real twist over the seemingly derogatory comment about Scholar phase on Wednesday.
Let me clarify.
Scholar phase is, indeed, a noble goal for all pursuing a Leadership or Liberal Arts Education.
However, it is not an end all.
I think that people have a glorified position, possibly even an infatuation for Scholar phase…
because there is finally something tangible…
something you can measure.
We, in our wonderful American culture, tend to default to what is measurable much of the time, don’t we?
Faith is definitely tough.
Core and Love of Learning take a lot of it.
Faith, that is.
I hope that you can read between the lines in my own “riveting” story here…
(Hey, who’s that coughing?!)
And see some principles that will help and encourage you…
both with your children and yourself.
p.s. In case it’s been rough lately, or you’re up nights…
I’ll provide a running commentary in italized, colored print when patterns and principles appear…
because the running commentary piece seems to be part of what I do best.
(Is anyone else REALLY still out there?…or am I speaking to an “empty room”?)
As I began my descent into Seattle last week, and looked out the airplane window…
I was filled with nostalgia for this area that I had grown up in…
and at the same time saddened.
It had been too long since I’d been home…
and the current circumstances were less than desirable.
Inevitable, but still undesirable.
As I made my way through the once all-too-familiar-but-you’ve-stayed-away-too-long-and-we’ve-expanded terminal…
I was thoughtful about the current state of events.
This wouldn’t be easy…
but it is always good to come home.
To reflect on what was…
what has shaped and molded you into who you are…
what has changed.
And to look at where you and everyone else are going…
so that you can evaluate some things…
which allows you to stay the course with greater effectiveness.
It was pouring down rain.
Not an uncommon ambiance this time of year in the Pacific Northwest.
I greeted DeDe with a huge hug.
Once we were on the freeway, heading towards home, the tears began to flow freely…
coupled with heavy sobs.
“I’m so glad you came.”
“I couldn’t do this without you.”
“I get so much strength from your presence.”
I reached across the seat and took her hand.
I commented quietly, ” For heaven’s sake, where else would I be?”
Her tears seemed to mingle with the pounding of the rain on the windshield…
and the methodical sound of the wipers going back and forth, back and forth…
When I was in the middle of the third grade…
my father was asked to take the pastorate in Graham, Washington.
In my always outspoken, rather vocal opinion… ( yes, even then)
this was a nearly catastrophic turn of events.
You see, I was really something.
I was a part of what C.S. Lewis refers to as the Inner Ring.
I was an uber-urban, “high society”, city loving, pastor’s child, that had definitely arrived.
At least in the privacy of my own mind…
where all truth formulates when you’re between 5-10, right?
I was chic, “cultured”…
and “too good” to be relegated against my will to a glorified cow pasture.
I mean, pleeaasse.
I shared these thoughts again and again with my city slicker friends…
every chance I had…
back at our old, large, more cultured “city church…”
which I actually visited often at first….
to help “ease the transition.”
Now, others may have seen things just a tad bit differently from their perspective…
my own father included.
He himself had grown up on a farm…
and thought that farm life was a most respectable perspective from which to see and formulate life.
To give you a solid, no-holds-barred perspective on the level of my chic, sophistication…
take a look at this picture.
I’m warning you, it’s a real reality check.
I’m the one on the right.
Ready?
I knew you weren’t…
but there is absolutely no adequate preparation for a sight such as this.
In the history of the world, has there ever been another time...
when some brilliant equally dim-witted individual has combined battleship grey with brown plaid…
and white knee high sox…
And lived to blog about it?
Oh, I was something else alright!
And I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was one eternal overriding truth…
And this was it…
THIS girl…this nasty, mean, snotty, aloof, muck- boot- wearin’…
cow-lovin’,farm-hand little chickadee…
in my new Sunday School class…
in MY DAD’S new church…
was out to get me.
No…
it was worse.
She wanted me dead….
D-E-A-D.
I just knew it.
So there.
to be continued…
“The Foundational and Learning Phases are the most basic of Leadership Education. Each is vital and they must come in the right order- Core, the Love of Learning, Scholar then Depth. …Each of the phases is important; but the Foundational Phases do come first, and they continue to animate the whole process and set the tone for later successes or failures.” Leadership Education, Oliver and Rachel DeMille, page 32, emphasis mine.
As I stated previously, I spent Thursday to Sunday of this past week in the Seattle area.
I haven’t been “home” in five years.
I spent all of my childhood from the ages of 6 to 21 living in the Pacific Northwest.
And what a great childhood it was.
I would like to tell you that it was perfect…
without pain, conflict or controversy of any kind…
but that would be the most dishonest of deceptions.
I think that people seeking a true leadership education tend to struggle already…
The bar is set so high, and the expectation level is fraught with Pollyanna-type illusions.
I needn’t fuel a fire that is often self-started…
and successfully maintained at a smoldering level in many over achieving individuals.
What my childhood entailed,
definitely falls into an unusually high, above- average category.
I am, and always will be eternally grateful for this.
It defined, and continues to define, the individual that I am today.
You hear a tremendous amount about the Scholar phase in Leadership Education…
as if it is a rite of passage of sorts.
A destination.
An end result.
And yet, the true foundation and point of reference for who you are and what you become
is defined in the Core phase of your life.
At times, this truth can seem backwards.
Like a mistake.
Puzzling.
It is my hope that every individual reading this
will come to welcome and embrace the realization
that one of the greatest paradoxes of Leadership Education is this…
The phase that gets the least accolades, attention and recognition most of the time
is undoubtedly the most meaningful and important.
I hope that this infuses every tired parent and mentor with energy…
Fortitude.
Courage.
The time that you are putting in…
that goes seemingly unnoticed…
day after day, week after week and year after year…
MATTERS MOST.
These realities were physically reinforced when I received the text on December 29th from my closest childhood friend…
my dearest cohort in Core and Love of Learning Phases…
that her father was minutes from passing away.
There was never even a question on my end of this news,
as to whether or not I would need to be there on January 16, 2010.
Family and friends would gather together to pay their respects to this man…
an individual who was a stellar representation of faithfulness and steadfast devotion to God and family…
to principles and ethics that this country was founded and made great upon.
I entered this sleepy little community 40 years ago…
as a “Snot-nosed, city loving, superior-to-farm-life-feeling pastor’s kid.”
I returned last week as a “Gratitude-filled, mother-of-five, peace-brought-by-rural-living-loving, best friend.”
What brings about this kind of transformation?
Life.
It’s celebrations…
Tragedies…
Seemingly mundane daily events…
and the personal influence of people that are woven throughout.
In the midst of it all…
are the principles, foundations, and reinforced messages that we call “Core.”
They are delivered most powerfully by associations with family and friends.
Insignificant?…
Hardly.
Life changing?
Always.
I hope you’re watching and guarding this phase of education and ultimately, life…
very closely.
It’s vital.
Important.
Sacred.
Hopefully, as I continue this story, through sharing
and ordinary personal example…
You’ll be challenged to revisit and reevaluate the profound influence of one of Core phases most
influential components…
the association with
and influence of others.
Tune in Friday for: “The Pastor’s Kid” Meets the “Perky Paradox”…
How 11 Years in a Country Church Shaped and Continues to Enhance My Life.
I have been out of town since Thursday of last week in Seattle,
revisiting a huge portion of my childhood…
And honoring the life and legacy
of the father of my closest childhood friend.
He passed away December 29th.
I just returned this evening.
While I have a lot to share,
I am tired.
Tired, but both happy and grateful.
Happy to have seen people,
some of whom I haven’t been with in 20 years…
happy to have had some time to renew relationships and ponder childhood memories…
Grateful to have had people…
solid, stable, hard-working people
affirm my family legacy and express thankfulness yet again…
for my father’s own legacy of faithfulness.
I’ll be back Wednesday with more…
when we begin a journey revisiting our core.
For those of you wanting to take people to hear Dr. Shanon Brooks, he will be in Temecula,
Friday, January 22, 2010 from 7-9 p.m. at
The Reserve
42586 Musilek
Temecula, CA 92592
Please e-mail Erika Lundquist for further information at evlundquist@gmail.com or phone
(951) 722-0105.
Post comments for this week’s prize on Monday, December 7th’s Tommymom. You have until tomorrow at noon PST. If you do so, you are entered to win a couple’s registration to the FATJEF. Good luck!
“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is in full swing.
The following is another simple, great addition to your holiday wish list…
I hope it finds its way into your home.
You’re about to see what a cutthroat dynamic addition it’s been to ours…
Please remember, if you will, that I live in a house full of men…
Even the pets are male.
Go figure.
Aside from my own mother, God bless her very existence, there is nary another female in sight…
The competition at times is stifling.
There is no such thing as a “friendly” game of anything…
Please don’t misunderstand…
For the most part, Sons #1-#5 are great sports…
But there is only so much you can do with an environment that is constantly dominated by males.
May I draw your attention to an addition to our continuous and constant educational pursuits that is a tremendous asset?…
Behold… “Potty Points”…
It has a nice ring to it, does it not?
I must give full credit for this idea to two individuals…
my friend, Jeanne Bradley, and Bill Gates…
I’ll explain another time about Bill…I promise.
The concept is a fabulous one…
You post a simple white board in a space that is susceptible to “useless down time”…
or “potentially productive time” that is otherwise “wasted.”
I don’t think that I need to elaborate any further for you where ours is located…
On this board, you converse with family and friends…
or in our case, anyone that happens by, in need of a restroom.
I post photos and memorabilia…
topics related to what we are currently studying…
“Love notes” to Sons #1-#5…
(I’m quick to admit that they don’t necessarily see them that way)…
It is great for ongoing conversations…
Educational reinforcement…
Encouragement…
Slipping pop cultural references into our studies…
Poor, poor “Office” obsessed child…I’m praying for you.
( I actually found it quite clever and hysterically funny…don’t tell Son #1.)
In keeping with the spirit of the season…
I decided that we would engage in simple word derivatives/word formulation activities,
so I posted this…
The question was:
How many different words can you make out of Merry Christmas!
For the remainder of this post,
my personal thoughts are italicized for the sake of ease and clarification for the reader…
I’m just reporting this as it happened…
and continues to happen.
I started the game with several words…
Others chimed right in…
“Hmm, this is fun…a nice respite to the often heady nature of this board.”
Day #2: I came in to this message about a third of the way down row #2
“Nice try, Madre…you thief! Please ‘thank God for the effort to be polite here‘ see #15 and delete #38.”
Later that evening, my husband comes to me where I am deeply engrossed in reading.
“May I speak to you?” “Uh oh…what’s Son ( fill in a number here) done?” “Is it bad?” “Are stitches needed?”
“It seems that you have overlooked a rule in the word formation game.” That’s it?!?!
Good grief!
“You can’t use a letter more than once if it’s only in the word(s) once, you know.
I think that word #32 is your writing.
Can you change that asap?”
“Good Lord, you’ve got to be kidding…this was supposed to be a FUN activity!”
Enter Son #5 who doesn’t yet read beyond simple words…
“Can you come to the bathroom with me?”
He points to the board and says, ” I would like to add the word myrrh to the list. And please put an initial behind it for my name. I want people to know I did it.”
“Myrrh?!?” Hmm…am I spelling this correctly? Can it be that Dr. Raymond Moore and Dr.Oliver DeMille are indeed, correct??!?…that if I “leave a child to learn naturally, they are fully capable through a third grade education?!” That if I “inspire don’t require” it all works out in the end?!?!?
Son #2’s initial contribution?: Cher.
He, along with #1, needs serious intervention measures.
This morning at 1:00 a.m. …
It’s “hero hubby” again…
“Do you know who is using double letters that don’t exist in the phrase?!?” Word #s 75,76,and 77 are all infractions.”
“For the love of everything moral and decent! Do you know what TIME IT IS?!?!”
Followed by…
Son #2: “Psst…Mom!” ( urgent whisper)
“Do you think we could move to a holiday phrase or song title next?”
“That’s IT! Where’s the eraser?!…
Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating!..
do Driedle games ever resort to this?!
Postscript: Son #5 has contributed 5 words as of this post…the last of which was “mime.” I’m seriously following up on the reading claim..
I mean it.
Four years ago this coming spring, Deena Ortiz realized a dream.
She had wanted to host a forum where people could come be rejuvenated and inspired on a deeper level; in their quest to practice Leadership Education.
It was a tremendous success.
I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for that first forum, and haven’t missed one since.
I have been asked by more than one individual what FATJEF stands for.
First Annual Thomas Jefferson Education Forum.
This is my creative license...Deena uses another photo for FATJEF
Because that’s what it was…
And the acrostic stuck….
This happens…
Even though we all know that the first “F’ will only apply for First, Fourth,( we’re in an on- a- roll year, folks),
Fifth, Fifteenth, Fiftieth, Five Hundredth…you get the picture.
This event has taken on a life of its own.
People from all walks of life, all educational forms, and all levels of knowledge regarding Leadership Education, enjoy attending.
And lunch is included for this day long event.
This means that it’s pretty much a one stop gig for enlightenment, educational methodologies, epiphany and eating.
My kind of function!
A day for intellectual stimulus, adult “fun”, frivolity and fellowship… sans kids.
Unless you’re in scholar phase at your house…
Then it’s a semi sans kids situation, since your cherubs are in the same building with Dan Ralphs.
Who happens to be one of the best youth presenters ever to walk this planet.
I know this, not because I myself am youthful…(Lordy!)
But rather, because Sons #1-#3 have attended multiple events with this man…
the”Ghandi-of-all-youth negotiatiors”…
They would pretty much walk over hot coals for the guy.
Therefore, it unashamedly “works for me” to have them bask in his presence…
whenever it is humanly possible.
It is with confidence that I announce that this year of the FATJEF promises to be the best ever.
This is not a marketing ploy.
Let me remind you that I must return to this website and face you three times a week…
I have seen the roster of speakers.
And since I maintain pretty much an “open book’ policy on this blog,
I have decided to feature speakers in upcoming posts…
I will also be spotlighting individuals, who for the sake of God and country,
have agreed to assist us with the FATJEF, so you are afforded a great experience.
Right now, if you go to Monday’s post and leave a comment, you will be eligible to win a couple’s admission
to the FATJEF on April 24, 2010!
That’s currently a $75.00 value.
It never hurts to put tickets to FATJEF on your holiday list…
Or safer still…just flat out ask!
You can download the registration form and mail it in by December 31, 2009…
And you will attend at last year’s prices!
$45.00, person
$75.00, couple
$30.00, per scholar age youth
Jan 1, 2010 pricing: $55.00, person; $90.00, couple; $35.00, youth.
So, print your form, enter to win by leaving me a comment on the link above…
If you’ve been…
What did you enjoy most?
If you haven’t…
Tell me why you think you’ll go!
We did it! Southern California ROCKS!
For the past ten days, Dr. Shanon Brooks has been taking Southern California by storm, with the powerful message of the first ever TJEd 1,000,000 “tour”.
Yesterday was the conclusion, and here are the results:
The message of TJEd 1,000,000 was presented to 888 people…
Over 100 libraries were placed in homes…
Hundreds of individual books were purchased…
By the time Dr. Brooks arrives at home, 2800 miles will have been traveled…
The response was overwhelming!…
People have consistently asked “when we will do this again”…
January 201o, is looking to be the answer!…
More details will follow soon…
But now, we would like to thank the following people, whose combined efforts and vision made this such a huge success!
Tami Clinger and Gale da Rosa
Alysa Whitlock and Stephanie Howells-Scoville
Pamela Duvall
Matt and Diana Sanders
Deena Ortiz and Angela Ward
Dana Palmer and Jean Arnott
Willard and Amber Snow
Joelle Mancuso and Shawn Crane
Emily Beeli
Randy and Ruth Lawrence
Sheila Edmonds
Cydne Norris
Mikki Cabrera
Colleen Willard and Heidi Christianson
Joana Johnson
DaNell Friebe
Without you, we couldn’t have achieved these amazing results!
We thank you, we appreciate and applaud you for moving the cause of liberty!…
We would love to hear from those of you that attended in the comments section of this post.
Just a reminder that starting next week…
we will be using a random generator
to give out weekly “fabulous prizes”…
to those individuals that choose to leave comments under the Monday, Wednesday, Friday posts!
Why not begin practicing now?
Hope you win!
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