Thursday, July 30, 2009
"Why did you do that?"
The most ordinary thing coming from Zoe's mouth can sound like the cutest thing on earth. Case in point: yesterday, I walked into the new Learning Tower (it is still new and I still haven't learned its various protuberances). I yelped. Dennis said all concerned, "why did you do that?" Zoe hearing it, repeated after Dennis, "Mama, why did you do that?? Why did you do that?" But of course, she didn't just say those words. Her whole body leaned forward as if she expected a good explanation.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thinking about Education
As I have mentioned previously, I think about Zoe's education a lot. It is not just about researching schools and school districts we may end up with or desire (that, I do), but about the education of Zoe as a person. And it is not just about things like learning the alphabets and math, things in the realm of knowledge that is usually learned in the classroom context. Rather, I think about how we would help Zoe fulfill her potential, how we would cultivate her to become a "whole" person, how we would impart knowledge without tedium, how we would let her curiosity lead the way. Taking her outdoors, spending time in silly play, my plan to learn vegetable gardening and then imparting that to Zoe... all of it somehow fits my idea of creating for Zoe an idyllic childhood, where her moral compass is set, and ways of thinking and knowledge seeking is established.
The nice thing about the proliferation of blogs is that one does not have to think alone. I found other like minded parents who are walking the same path or who have walked the path. Here, tonight, I found through a blog Ron Miller's writings. Apparently, Ron Miller is a leading figure in "holistic education." I quote at length his explanation of holistic education here because I agree with it completely.
"Simply stated, holistic education is an effort to cultivate the development of the whole human being. Where conventional schooling views the child as a passive receiver of information and rules, or at most as a computer-like processor of information, a holistic approach recognizes that to become full person, a growing child needs to develop—in addition to intellectual skills—physical, psychological, emotional, interpersonal, moral and spiritual potentials. The child is not merely a future citizen or employee in training, but an intricate and delicate web of vital forces and environmental influences.
Ultimately, holistic education reflects a spiritual rather than a mechanistic worldview; it recognizes that in the growth of every child, some mysterious life force is unfolding and seeking expression. This force might be understood in religious or quasi-religious terms, as in Waldorf education, or it can be seen in a more naturalistic sense, as a biological urge—a worldview that makes sense to many progressive and democratic educators. In any case, a holistic approach to education respects this life force and seeks to nourish it. Clearly this worldview is very closely aligned with the impulse behind organic agriculture, natural medicine, ecological awareness, and other areas of the emerging “green” society.
A holistic education is usually characterized by several core qualities. First, it encourages experiential learning. There is more discussion, questioning, experimentation, and active engagement in a holistic learning environment, and a noticeable absence of grading, testing, labeling, and comparing. Learning is more meaningful and relevant to students—it matters to their lives. Second, personal relationships are considered to be as important as academic subject matter. These learning environments strive to cultivate a sense of community and belonging, and qualities of safety, respect, caring, and even love. Third, there is concern for the interior life, for the feelings, aspirations, ideas and questions that each student brings to the learning process. Education is no longer viewed as the transmission of information; instead it is a journey inward as well as outward into the world. Fourth, holistic education expresses an ecological consciousness; it recognizes that everything in the world exists in context, in relationship to inclusive communities. This involves a deep respect for the integrity of the biosphere, if not a sense of reverence for nature. It is a worldview that embraces diversity, both natural and cultural. Holistic education shuns ideology, categorization, and fixed answers, and instead appreciates the flowing interrelatedness of all life."
http://www.pathsoflearning.org/holistic_New_Culture_New_Education.php
The nice thing about the proliferation of blogs is that one does not have to think alone. I found other like minded parents who are walking the same path or who have walked the path. Here, tonight, I found through a blog Ron Miller's writings. Apparently, Ron Miller is a leading figure in "holistic education." I quote at length his explanation of holistic education here because I agree with it completely.
"Simply stated, holistic education is an effort to cultivate the development of the whole human being. Where conventional schooling views the child as a passive receiver of information and rules, or at most as a computer-like processor of information, a holistic approach recognizes that to become full person, a growing child needs to develop—in addition to intellectual skills—physical, psychological, emotional, interpersonal, moral and spiritual potentials. The child is not merely a future citizen or employee in training, but an intricate and delicate web of vital forces and environmental influences.
Ultimately, holistic education reflects a spiritual rather than a mechanistic worldview; it recognizes that in the growth of every child, some mysterious life force is unfolding and seeking expression. This force might be understood in religious or quasi-religious terms, as in Waldorf education, or it can be seen in a more naturalistic sense, as a biological urge—a worldview that makes sense to many progressive and democratic educators. In any case, a holistic approach to education respects this life force and seeks to nourish it. Clearly this worldview is very closely aligned with the impulse behind organic agriculture, natural medicine, ecological awareness, and other areas of the emerging “green” society.
A holistic education is usually characterized by several core qualities. First, it encourages experiential learning. There is more discussion, questioning, experimentation, and active engagement in a holistic learning environment, and a noticeable absence of grading, testing, labeling, and comparing. Learning is more meaningful and relevant to students—it matters to their lives. Second, personal relationships are considered to be as important as academic subject matter. These learning environments strive to cultivate a sense of community and belonging, and qualities of safety, respect, caring, and even love. Third, there is concern for the interior life, for the feelings, aspirations, ideas and questions that each student brings to the learning process. Education is no longer viewed as the transmission of information; instead it is a journey inward as well as outward into the world. Fourth, holistic education expresses an ecological consciousness; it recognizes that everything in the world exists in context, in relationship to inclusive communities. This involves a deep respect for the integrity of the biosphere, if not a sense of reverence for nature. It is a worldview that embraces diversity, both natural and cultural. Holistic education shuns ideology, categorization, and fixed answers, and instead appreciates the flowing interrelatedness of all life."
http://www.pathsoflearning.org/holistic_New_Culture_New_Education.php
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Busy Days
Somehow it doesn't feel like there is enough time in a day to do all that I want to do and need to do. What do I want to do, need to do?
1. Keep house tidy and generally clean (i.e. clean dishes, keep up with laundry, organize Zoe's toys, make the bed if I get around to it, sort through and discard mail - that is a real battle, I tell you).
2. Find a job I would enjoy. This is sometimes very time consuming and sometimes not. Mostly, it involves my trawling through the internet for job postings, checking out the companies, see if it is worth sending out an application. Most days, job searching means learning about skills I need or need to update and taking steps to do so.
3. Work on the garden outside. Grow a vegetable garden. This has thus far been more a mental than physical task, a wish along the lines of wishful thinking because my soul is greener than my thumb. But I'm resolved to start somewhere soon (or start again since I did start a compost), which means I am again doing a lot of reading about gardening and will soon be running to the nurseries for supplies.
4. House hunting. This is sometimes all consuming. I reckon that on average this takes up two hours of my day. I look at the property listings everyday. I study the maps. I study school districts.... then on some days, we spend hours schlepping from house to house.
5. Reading and thinking about how we would like raise Zoe. Sure, we don't have to and I don't do this everyday. Hardly. And parents before us have raised their kids without help of books or too much conscious examination. But I like to understand what Zoe is going through developmentally. Sometimes books I read "for Zoe" is really "inspired by Zoe." For example, I picked up Handbook of Nature so that I may be able to observe and learn more about nature with Zoe.
6. Be in the now with Zoe and Dennis. That is, spend time together playing, talking, reading, doing things of interest to one another.
7. Plan and cook three meals.
8. Be more active in our financial planning. This, alas, is something we know we ought to do but never seem to do.
So you see, there is not a whole lot of time in the day for all that. What I really would like to do now is take a long, afternoon nap.
1. Keep house tidy and generally clean (i.e. clean dishes, keep up with laundry, organize Zoe's toys, make the bed if I get around to it, sort through and discard mail - that is a real battle, I tell you).
2. Find a job I would enjoy. This is sometimes very time consuming and sometimes not. Mostly, it involves my trawling through the internet for job postings, checking out the companies, see if it is worth sending out an application. Most days, job searching means learning about skills I need or need to update and taking steps to do so.
3. Work on the garden outside. Grow a vegetable garden. This has thus far been more a mental than physical task, a wish along the lines of wishful thinking because my soul is greener than my thumb. But I'm resolved to start somewhere soon (or start again since I did start a compost), which means I am again doing a lot of reading about gardening and will soon be running to the nurseries for supplies.
4. House hunting. This is sometimes all consuming. I reckon that on average this takes up two hours of my day. I look at the property listings everyday. I study the maps. I study school districts.... then on some days, we spend hours schlepping from house to house.
5. Reading and thinking about how we would like raise Zoe. Sure, we don't have to and I don't do this everyday. Hardly. And parents before us have raised their kids without help of books or too much conscious examination. But I like to understand what Zoe is going through developmentally. Sometimes books I read "for Zoe" is really "inspired by Zoe." For example, I picked up Handbook of Nature so that I may be able to observe and learn more about nature with Zoe.
6. Be in the now with Zoe and Dennis. That is, spend time together playing, talking, reading, doing things of interest to one another.
7. Plan and cook three meals.
8. Be more active in our financial planning. This, alas, is something we know we ought to do but never seem to do.
So you see, there is not a whole lot of time in the day for all that. What I really would like to do now is take a long, afternoon nap.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Busy Bee
It's been a busy weekend for Zoe.
On Saturday morning, we hosted her playgroup. We had a huge inflatable bouncy castle set up in the backyard. Zoe and the kids loved it.
Zoe talking! I don't know what she's saying, but it sounds really important and profound.
Zoe down at the beach in La Jolla:
Zoe says hi to a dog ("woah-woah") at Starbucks in La Jolla Village.
Zoe shows off her piano skills.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Crafty
I've come to the realization that my daughter is shockingly crafty, and that I need to watch her very closely, as her nascent cunning seems to know no bounds.
Case in point: this evening during storytime, Zoe abruptly got up from my lap and proclaimed loudly that she was "all done read." She then proceeded to toddle toward the door. When I asked her where she was going, Zoe froze in her tracks, then turned slowly to me, emitting a barely audible whine. When she was once again facing me, she had a comically pained expression on her face as she reiterated that she was "all done read" and then declared in Mandarin that she wanted to play outside.
Struggling to suppress a laugh, I told her very patiently that playtime was over and that it was time for bed.
Zoe whined a bit louder.
What was especially funny was that during this whole battle of wills, Zoe was actually slowly backing her way to the door. I was too amused to give chase, so as I sat there on the floor with the forgotten storybook in my lap, she kept creeping, creeping, creeping, never taking her gaze off me, until finally she was just an unruly mop of hair and two little eyes peeking at me from around the doorframe.
Case in point: this evening during storytime, Zoe abruptly got up from my lap and proclaimed loudly that she was "all done read." She then proceeded to toddle toward the door. When I asked her where she was going, Zoe froze in her tracks, then turned slowly to me, emitting a barely audible whine. When she was once again facing me, she had a comically pained expression on her face as she reiterated that she was "all done read" and then declared in Mandarin that she wanted to play outside.
Struggling to suppress a laugh, I told her very patiently that playtime was over and that it was time for bed.
Zoe whined a bit louder.
What was especially funny was that during this whole battle of wills, Zoe was actually slowly backing her way to the door. I was too amused to give chase, so as I sat there on the floor with the forgotten storybook in my lap, she kept creeping, creeping, creeping, never taking her gaze off me, until finally she was just an unruly mop of hair and two little eyes peeking at me from around the doorframe.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Children's Museum
Once a month, the Children's Museum in downtown San Diego has a "Free Sunday." We dropped by this morning to give Zoe a dose of arts, crafts, and lots of other kids and their parents.
Here's a video of Zoe at the clay table. Zoe seemed a bit confounded by clay, so most of the objects that you see were fashioned by me and Jackie. Zoe did, however, seem to have clear ideas of what she wanted us to make for her ("house!" "snowman!").
Zoe at the chalk station. I love it when she does her little duck pout.
Zoe at the bubble station. She loves bubbles, but was having a hard time making them herself (to be fair, even I wasn't doing too well with the materials they had on hand). Zoe mostly succeeded in getting detergent on her hands and lips ("UH-oh!!!").
Here's a video of Zoe at the clay table. Zoe seemed a bit confounded by clay, so most of the objects that you see were fashioned by me and Jackie. Zoe did, however, seem to have clear ideas of what she wanted us to make for her ("house!" "snowman!").
Zoe at the chalk station. I love it when she does her little duck pout.
Zoe at the bubble station. She loves bubbles, but was having a hard time making them herself (to be fair, even I wasn't doing too well with the materials they had on hand). Zoe mostly succeeded in getting detergent on her hands and lips ("UH-oh!!!").
Saturday, July 4, 2009
"I'll sit right here!"
Well here it is, Zoe has finally picked up enough linguistically to arrive at that age where all parents look forward to. I'm talking of course about that age where they say the cutest thing. Yesterday, midway through our usual bedtime ritual of book reading, Zoe decided she would not sit at her usual position (on our laps). She got up and moved a few feet away. We said, "hey Zoe, where are you going to? Don't you want to read this book?" Guess what the little rascal said? She said, "I'll sit right here!"
I think she was very proud of herself, of the little independence she exhibited and the fact that she managed to express herself so well.
I think she was very proud of herself, of the little independence she exhibited and the fact that she managed to express herself so well.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Dancing and Painting
Last week we took a Hornblower cruise on San Diego harbor -- it's basically Happy Hour on a boat. Zoe and I enjoyed a father-daughter dance on the lower deck.
Jackie got Zoe started on watercolors. Here you can see the artist hard at work.
Jackie got Zoe started on watercolors. Here you can see the artist hard at work.
Discovery
So... we decided to play the Sound of Music. And we skipped forward to the Lonely Goatherd. Zoe was scarily focused on it. Then, came the declaration, "Muppet!" She figured it out. She lonely goatherd and characters are all puppets!
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