Léo's Insights
A place where issues related to the Christian walk and its application to home education is discussed.
Topics are meant to challenge you to think differently, to make a difference in this world, starting with the children you have been blessed with.
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Building a Library
Last week I told the story of the late-blooming boy who demonstrated no interest in learning academic subjects, particularly reading, until much older than the “industry standard” of reading by age six. Once puberty hit and this young fellow began reading, he quickly excelled and became a power reader.
His dad was a successful investment specialist. He had an agreement with his son that he would purchase any book the son wanted (parental reason prevailing), on condition that it would be read cover to cover. The dad then purchased a bookcase that would only house books after they had been fully read and the contents discussed with dad to ensure the son was understanding what he was reading.
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Learning to Read
He was certainly an energetic boy. As he zoomed past his mother and me, I realized this fellow now registered for home education through us was not ready for formal education.
I asked his mother if she thought he was ready and her answer somewhat baffled me. She did not think the lad was ready but she was convinced she should proceed with “schooling” anyway. When I asked her to explain, she said the authorities expected a child to start formal training by age six.
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Don’t Judge
Every family has its quirks and its outstanding features; its strengths and weaknesses; how it shows up in public and its secrets. Every family is weird in some way. Most children want something different from the family in which they grew up regardless of whether their family was good, bad or ugly.
My dad was a World War Two veteran. The things he was exposed to as a teenaged volunteer marred him for life. His marriage was less than stellar, partially because of his issues and partially because of my mother’s. In retrospect, I believe my father suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nobody considered just how violently damaged the WW II vets were at the time. As a consequence of his psychological damage, my father was distant even when he was at home. So even though I believe my father loved me, my maternal grandfather played a big role in my upbringing.
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Fifty Years of Teaching
I must admit this is hard to believe. If I count my first lab assistant job at the University of Saskatchewan, this year marks my fiftieth year as a teacher. So, in celebration of this milestone, I decided to finally record some of the multitude of stories I’ve accumulated over the last half century as my vlog series for the year.
To copy an oft-heard disclaimer on some TV series, these stories are all true, only names have been changed to protect the innocent. Actually, not all these stories involve the innocent. In fact, they almost all involve students guilty of being young human beings learning how to navigate an increasingly complex world. Some of these stories also involve adults, parents in particular.
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Burnout: Back to the Basics (Part 39)
I want to end this year’s vlog series by sharing a bit of ridiculousness that was prevalent when we began our home education journey, oh so many years ago.
I was one of very few certificated teachers home educating his children in the late 1980s. In fact, what made me a real unique creature was that I may have been the only one teaching in a public high school while doing so. This provided me with many opportunities to practice my debating skills on the one hand and to address home education groups, gatherings and conferences on the other.
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The Bomb! Back to the Basics (Part 38)
Although ministry is very rewarding when seeing people healed from what ails them, it is also painful as we tend to suffer with those who are suffering. We see a lot of pain every year during our facilitation travels.
Maybe it is because we have friendly faces. Perhaps it is because we are older and people assume we have wisdom. Hopefully, it is because people see the Spirit within. Likely, it is because we are not officially part of the family, nor gossips, so secrets are safe with us. Who knows, but Faye and I seem to be sounding boards for parents in need of sharing family issues, and we have heard plenty of them.
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Facilitation – History Pt. 8: Back to the Basics (Part 37)
With over thirty years of facilitation under our belt, my wife, Faye, and I have witnessed pretty well everything, both good and bad. We were the very first to visit our assigned families as a couple. This sure turned a lot of heads as it set a new trend. There are still a few couples facilitating today, some working through Education Unlimited.
We have seen a large part of the Province of Alberta and been involved with a number of families of different cultures and religious affiliations.
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Facilitation – History Pt. 7: Back to the Basics (Part 36)
Now that we have reviewed the definition and history of facilitation in Alberta, there remains one more thing to discuss. Do you have the right facilitator to help you through your home education journey? Here are a few general considerations to keep in mind.
First and foremost, you are the boss. I know I have said this ad nauseam, but if you miss this point, you will find yourself being directed rather than directing your home education program. Exercising this authority will help qualify your potential or existing facilitator.
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Facilitation – History Pt. 6: Back to the Basics (Part 35)
Many years ago, when I first started facilitating professionally, which means when I started getting paid for facilitating after years of pro bono service to our local school division, my wife and I were assigned a family in Viking, Alberta. When we arrived, we found a lady so nervous her hands were shaking and her complexion was very pale. At first I thought she was being abused by someone, but only she and the children were home. I then began to think she had just finished a very serious phone call or had just left some kind of confrontational meeting.
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Facilitation – History Pt. 5: Back to the Basics (Part 34)
Now that you know how the term “facilitator” came into being and why it is largely a made-in-Alberta phenomenon, we will proceed to describe what facilitation entails. But first, let me explain why facilitation is necessary.
Government does not “usually” dole out money without strings attached. While Alberta’s funding of home education is unique and appreciated, there are some provisions that must be met. Although there is the option to simply notify the government and home educate without school supervision and funding, the majority of home educators accept funding and, correspondingly, the obligations that come with it.
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