Principles of Education

Don't you think so, too??????

1. Children are born persons.

2. They are not born either good or bad, but with possibilities for good and for evil. (*My personal note here--this is not in reference to sin nature which we are all born with, but rather capacity to choose good or evil. Complete conformity to Christ and submission to the Holy Spirit are our only hopes! And even then, we can only say hallelujah for His grace and mercy.)

3. The principles of authority on the one hand, and of obedience on the other, are natural, necessary and fundamental; but––

4. These principles are limited by the respect due to the personality of children, which must not be encroached upon whether by the direct use of fear or love, suggestion or influence, or by undue play upon any one natural desire.

5. Therefore, we are limited to three educational instruments––the atmosphere of environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas. The P.N.E.U. Motto is: "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life."

6. When we say that "education is an atmosphere," we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a 'child-environment' especially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifies a child to bring down his world to the child's' level.

7. By "education is a discipline," we mean the discipline of habits, formed definitely and thoughtfully, whether habits of mind or body. Physiologists tell us of the adaptation of brain structures to habitual lines of thought, i.e., to our habits.

8. In saying that "education is a life," the need of intellectual and moral as well as of physical sustenance is implied. The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum.

9. We hold that the child's mind is no mere sac to hold ideas; but is rather, if the figure may be allowed, a spiritual organism, with an appetite for all knowledge. This is its proper diet, with which it is prepared to deal; and which it can digest and assimilate as the body does foodstuffs.

10.Such a doctrine as e.g. the Herbartian, that the mind is a receptacle, lays the stress of education (the preparation of knowledge in enticing morsels duly ordered) upon the teacher. Children taught on this principle are in danger of receiving much teaching with little knowledge; and the teacher's axiom is,' what a child learns matters less than how he learns it."

11. But we, believing that the normal child has powers of mind which fit him to deal with all knowledge proper to him, give him a full and generous curriculum; taking care only that all knowledge offered him is vital, that is, that facts are not presented without their informing ideas. Out of this conception comes our principle that,––

12. "Education is the Science of Relations"; that is, that a child has natural relations with a vast number of things and thoughts: so we train him upon physical exercises, nature lore, handicrafts, science and art, and upon many living books, for we know that our business is not to teach him all about anything, but to help him to make valid as many as may be of––

• "Those first-born affinities
• "That fit our new existence to existing things."

13. In devising a SYLLABUS for a normal child, of whatever social class, three points must be considered:

• He requires much knowledge, for the mind needs sufficient food as much as does the body.
• The knowledge should be various, for sameness in mental diet does not create appetite (i.e., curiosity)
• Knowledge should be communicated in well-chosen language, because his attention responds naturally to what is conveyed in literary form.

14. As knowledge is not assimilated until it is reproduced, children should 'tell back' after a single reading or hearing: orshould write on some part of what they have read.

13. A single reading is insisted on, because children have naturally great power of attention; but this force is dissipated by the re-reading of passages, and also, by questioning, summarising. and the like.

• Acting upon these and some other points in the behaviour of mind, we find that the educability of children is enormously greater than has hitherto been supposed, and is but little dependent on such circumstances as heredity and environment.
• Nor is the accuracy of this statement limited to clever children or to children of the educated classes: thousands of children in Elementary Schools respond freely to this method, which is based on the behaviour of mind.

14. There are two guides to moral and intellectual self-management to offer to children, which we may call 'the way of the 'will' and 'the way of the reason.'

15. The way of the will: Children should be taught,

• To distinguish between 'I want' and 'I will.'
• That the way to will effectively is to turn our thoughts from that which we desire but do not will.
• That the best way to turn our thoughts is to think of or do some quite different thing, entertaining or interesting.
• That after a little rest in this way, the will returns to its work with new vigour.

18. The way of reason: We teach children, too, not to 'lean (too confidently) to their own understanding'; because the function of reason is to give logical demonstration

• of mathematical truth,
• of an initial idea, accepted by the will.

In the former case, reason is, practically, an infallible guide, but in the latter, it is not always a safe one; for, whether that idea be right or wrong, reason will confirm it by irrefragable proofs.

19. Therefore, children should be taught, as they become mature enough to understand such teaching, that the chief responsibility which rests on them as persons is the acceptance or rejection of ideas. To help them in this choice we give them principles of conduct, and a wide range of the knowledge fitted to them. These principles should save children from some of the loose thinking and heedless action which cause most of us to live at a lower level than we need.

20. We allow no separation to grow up between the intellectual and 'spiritual' life of children, but teach them that the Divine Spirit has constant access to their spirits, and is their Continual Helper in all the interests, duties and joys of life.

If you made it this far, congratulations! It is a lot to process. Especially in this 19th/18th century language. These are the principles of Charlotte Mason (can't believe I just linked you to wikipedia--ugh!)--a dynamic educator from the late 1800's who fought against the evils of passive education that was prevalent in schools even back then. Her work laid the foundation for much of our educational system today. But, without nourishing their spiritual life and giving education a sole purpose of making kids rich (seems anymore that college is only good to make us rich, not nourish our minds/mental capacity) her principles have been lost. I am grateful to Susan Schaeffer Macaulay for bringing this genius back into fashion.

Oh and you can read a more "modern" interpretation of these principles here.

Let's learn something new today. Simply because we can! And were created to do so.

Personally, I love this line: "the chief responsibility which rests on them (children/students) as persons is the acceptance or rejection of ideas." Have you seen TV lately? Or been to the mall? Doesn't it seem that we have lost the ability to reason, to weigh ideas and then make a choice? Do our children even know they have a choice?

Dating Dia

So my sweet baby has now become the most fun, hippest girl to be around. Rory and I really really like her. As in just like to be with her, be around her, you name it. And this week, we both took the chance to date her.

Thanks to a bout with the stomach flu, Dia and I quarantined ourselves from the world so as to not infect our friends. But by Tuesday, we had to get outta the house! So we spontaneously picked up and headed down to see the ducks at the park in Scottsdale--just the two of us! I am honestly surprised at how often our time together is given over to play dates, exercise, chores, etc. Tuesday was our chance to just hang out as mom and daughter. And she blew me away. We had so much fun at lunch and walking around Old Town Scottsdale, we never even made it to the park. I love my daughter. And Tuesday was kind of like our date!

Dia strolling Old Town...mostly just window shopping :)

We met a kitty-cat in that store and Dia kept wanting to check in on it. She does not know what to think of cats up close. We don't have any so she's always taken aback when she meets one.

Trying to get a better view of the kitty

She loved the wind chimes!

And with each chime, she put her hand to her ear and said, "Huh-ow?" (That's "Hello?") She thought it was a phone ring and is adamant about answering each call! I was laughing so hard. Even at lunch when the restaurant phone would ring she would frantically look about as if to say, "Somebody get that!"

She insisted on getting her bottom directly on top of the blue square. What? Doesn't everyone do that?

Bird-chasing in the grass. Such a beautiful day!



We finished our "date" with an apple juice and muffin at Sola coffee shop. D-O-L-L. I had a blast. Seriously one of the best days ever.

And although Rory has already been on dates with D before (Mom's Night Out for me, violin lessons, etc.), he "picked her up" on Wednesday and took her to their little hot spot--Sauce, it's become a tradition--and topped it off with a trip to the toy store. He is SO that kind of dad! (Pics are slightly blurry--he only had his cell with which to take pics)

At Sauce :) (She seems so grown up!)

Following the other restaurant patrons with her eyes...and arms. She loves people.

At the toy store...checking out a doll house.

Loving on a sweet stuffed animal

Ended up taking this sweet and very loved stuffed puppy home

And of course fed it dinner :)
(That would be shredded chicken from chicken soup in case you were wondering)

Christian Music

I grew up a Christian. Not necessarily "in church" per se, but knowing and hearing Jesus. It's part of my past and makes up so much of who I am.

When I was of elementary school age, my mom saw me drift towards cultural norms like pop music and MTV. And although I didn't realize it, she pulled a quick switch-a-roo and started taking me to the Christian bookstore all the time to buy tapes (can't believe those are outdated!) and cds (wait...these are too! Agh!) that spoke about real Love and a full Life. I remember being about seven or eight and dancing in my room for Jesus. Literally dancing, but also feeling the passion and movement of Light in my heart and His joyful presence. It is a sweet and very real memory that encourages me often. In my mind, I can still go to my old room and twirl around to the Christian music, pointing me back to Him.

My mom is smart. I know this.

And today when I hear some of the "old" Christian songs, I go right back to that place of vulnerability and passion that early love brings. I loved Jesus early and like a sweet marriage, old sounds and smells take me right back to that loving feeling. There is something about being young and in love!

Tonight the radio blared FFH "Lord Move or Move Me." Now this isn't old enough to be from my elementary days (those were the Kim Boyce days...even Michael W. Smith is kinda contemporary to me!), but I do remember this from my high school/college days. What was it about my pre-marriage days that had me in full surrender to Him? Constantly leaning, needing, listening, seeking. Oh yeah. That's right. "But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord." (1 Corinthians 7:34)

This makes it critical to have a husband who points us back to the Lord, don't you think? What a struggle. One I know well. But as the song says, "Lord move in a way, that I've never seen before/Cause there's a mountain in the way and a lock on the door...So Lord move, or move me." For some reason, the image that comes to mind is of me just on the other side of that mountain or locked door. And you know what that means, right? I am so close to being over or through it! I always think about how I should enjoy the struggle more (because it's that struggle that grows us, that shows us Him), so thanks to that good ol' Christian music I can clearly see that I am nearing the other side. And it won't be me getting me there. He can do it.

Somehow my heart is dancing for Him again.

The Way To A Man's Heart

Someone must have told Dia that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach...


Because she insists on sliding both dog food and water bowls over to Depot on a regular basis. She then sits between his paws and tries to open his mouth and shove some in.

What can I say? She loves her puppy!

The Dia I Know and Love

Can I just tell you that I laugh almost daily just watching this exquisite child? (We learned the word exquisite from Elmo and Eva Longoria on Sesame Street the other day when D had a tummy bug and wasn't feeling well. They defined it as "very beautiful" and "very special." All I could think was how fitting this is for Dia. My exquisite India!)

But I don't have to just tell you that, take a look for yourself...

Remember those flowers she used to wear? Well, she still likes them. She pulls them out and brings handfuls to me to stick in her hair and then pats her head to make sure they are all in there!

Using a gift bag as a purse--everything is a purse! She walks around the house putting it on her shoulder and putting all kinds of things in it. As Rory's sister said, it's like she has an extra girl gene!

She also now goes on walks by herself! Ok, well without a stroller. She loves walking up and down the street, waving at cars, neighbors and even front doors.

Showing Grammy the neighborhood

Pit stop

Such a cutie

Clothes optional. New birthday boots a must.


More neighborhood walking, this time wearing mommy's pearls and holding mommy's shoes (the ones I was wearing!)

"Um, is this important? I have work to do."
Getting to sit at Papa's desk

And her favorite pastime of late--swinging!

The Last Set of Pics (I'm pretty sure at least....)

It might be hard to tell from the other pics, but we did do more than just eat cupcakes...

Hi everyone!
(This shot is thanks to Lukas' super tall dad, Manfred. Pretty sure he stood on a chair, though for this one... :)

We played at the table Great-Opa made with friends--cutest little animal chairs!
(Our neighbor/friend wanted to get as much use out of her Halloween costume as possible :)

We played kitchen with our friends

Conspired to open/relocate the cooler with Lukas (We love Lukas!)

Showed Lukas the dogs locked outside (possibly conspired to let them in??? Hmmm....)

Made use of a Montessori tradition where we had Dia walk around the globe one time signifying her first trip around the sun, her first year.
(Yes, that does not make sense. I realized too late that I did it incorrectly! Dia was supposed to hold the globe and walk around a candle (thus, her trip around the sun). Oh well! It was still fun and symbolic--and got a great round of applause.)

Picked out Izzes with Papa

And even said goodbye (We love Yahm!)

All in all, it ended up being great fun (for us--I hope for everyone!). I was completely out of my element, though. I have never been the mom of the birthday girl. I was surprised sometimes at how unsure I felt. I had no idea what to wear (silly, I know, but as a girl those things matter!) or even how I wanted to decorate. Really this first year as Dia's mom has been a whole new re-examining of myself. Thanks to some fabulous and honest friends, I saw that I almost cocooned myself after Dia was born, hiding my true self from the world. In reality, I was hiding from Dia.

Here's the transparent part...my maternal grandmother and I have a lot of similarities. Besides the blonde, we are both fairly strong-willed and opinionated women. Growing up, my mom struggled with her relationship with her mom (my grandma) and voiced a lot of this struggle (and hurt) with her kids and husband. It was no secret. Well, a few comparisons between me and this grandma lodged themselves in my subconcious and I think that literally on the day Dia was born, I shut my mouth and closed down my spirit out of mortal and deathly fear that I would wound my precious girl as my grandmother unwittingly had my mom. This changed everything about me. My role as my husband's helpmeet (honesty is critical--PARAMOUNT--as a helpmeet and for any hope of respect) took a 180. Seeing my daughter and instantly understanding my role and power and influence in her life, I ran for the hills! Not physically, but emotionally. You just can't know how much you love someone until you have a child. I don't care how many people say it, it's true. This love overwhelmed me with such joy and fear, though, unfortunately. So now I am learning to be me, letting me be me but praying with all my might to be transparent and loving enough so that Dia and I can overcome any obstacle and hurt together--united. I need a lot of my husband's help--his praises about me and listening ear for me together have the power to keep me on solid ground. I so love her. But how can I possibly convey this in a way she could even begin to understand? How well the Lord knows this struggle. And knowing I will inevitably hurt her, I have to make sure she knows I am on her side, no matter what. I am amazed at God's faithfulness to continue to grow me, even as I raise my daughter. I think I assumed that once Dia was born, my life stopped. Boy was I wrong! It feels more like my life has just begun. Here's to another wonder-filled year of life raising India--can't wait to see where we are at for her second birthday.

And many, many thanks to the wonderful people of our life who helped us celebrate. Seeing each one of you blessed my mommy heart and as you know, thrilled Dia. Love to you all.

And more pics...

Apparently, Dia made cupcake eating (and photographing) look so fun, everyone had to join in!

Auntie Jess--my sister (the middle Cary girl)

Both of my sisters--Jess (left) and Alli (right)

Rory's youngest sister, Dia's Tante (aunt in Dutch, their mom grew up in Holland) Sheena

Rory's two sisters, Rachel (left) and Sheena

Grampy and Grammy (my parents)

Rory's dad, Opa

Rory's mom, Oma

Rory's opa, so Dia's Great-Opa

And finally, proof that every party girl eventually poops out!

Bday Pics!

As the hyper-vigilant mom that I am, I of course took not one picture of our sweet girl's first birthday celebration. So I have been waiting on the generosity of family and friends to send me pics of the big day so I can record my favorite day of the year. Without further adieu...

The Cupcake Montage

Cupcakes are vegan and gluten and sugar-free! And quite delicious if I do say so myself...

She must have felt like a celebrity--flashes going off, everyone smiling and waving.

...Foreign substance makes contact with digits...

We like it!

She absolutely loved having everyone's attention and making them laugh. I tell you, not a shy bone in her body!

Still enjoying la chocolate

Laughing with her papa (he's just out of shot)

A quick pose for her public
(I can't get over how much she looks like her friend Abby here)

Discovers it's much better without the cupcake holder

Priceless face!

More smiles for her people

And further proof that she is, in fact, her father's daughter
(She was hamming this audience up--she's just getting started!)

She loved every second of this party--friends, laughter, fun and cupcakes!

Lovebugs!

And laughing bugs!

And sharing bugs

A whole family of happy bugs...

And kissing bugs!

Who also like to dance :)


Still partying hard... (I told you it was only just beginning!)

And sharing with Mom :)


Sweet 1st Birthday Kisses