Essential, Efficient, and Encouraging Education

2007
Essential, Efficient, and Encouraging Education
Jessie WiseI. Stories
1. My education
2. Educating my children

II. Essential Education

The Method of Classical Education
• First, the child works to master basic skills
• Next, the child learns to reason
• Then, he learns to express himself and pursue a special interest

Early grades should focus on these skills:
1. Read what is printed on a page
2. Comprehend what is read
3. Speak Standard English clearly and correctly
4. Communicate in writing using proper syntax, spelling, and word meaning
5. Learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
These are the tools to communicate creativity.

Repetition for mastery of skills lays the foundation for understanding and expression as the child matures.

Middle grades should focus on
1. Acquiring more content and basic skills
2. Reasoning about content—thinking through an argument
3. Doing critical thinking exercises and taking a logic course

Upper grades (high school) should focus on self-expression
1. Thinking through his/her own ideas
2. Expressing ideas verbally
3. Writing about ideas

III. Efficient Education

Education that is not Efficient
• teaches concepts to young children for which they are not ready
• spends too much time re-teaching skills the older child should have mastered earlier
• promotes critical thinking for children who are too immature to do it
• pushes creativity too early—taking time from learning basic skills

Efficient means “highly effective and productive.”

Efficient Education…
• gives the child tools for gaining information himself—this prepares him for a lifetime of self-education.

• returns to structured reading instruction based on the sounds that letters represent.

• incorporates repetition to teach young children the necessary basic skills.

• provides structure in both content and time management.

• sets reasonable goals and requires the child to meet them.

• gives the child correct models from which to work.

• does not value creativity over accuracy.

• corrects work so the child forms correct habits.

• believes mature adults should make many decisions for the immature child.

Teach the middle school child critical thinking and logic.
This helps him understand cause and effect.
Critical thinking and logic helps the child’s writing.

Teach the high school student to express himself persuasively with WORDS.


IV. Encouraging Education

A. Encouragement

• consists of more than just saying words

• raises a child’s confidence to do what is difficult

• needs an external agent (you)

• leads the child to real achievement

• is doing what is best for the child, even if he is not happy or excited about it. “Feeling good” at the moment is a poor substitute for the lasting satisfaction of truly learning.

B. Correction

1. Correction is positive when it affirms that the child can correct his mistakes and successfully complete a task.

2. Instructor should be sensitive to frustration.

3. Instructor should offer patient, frequent, and
consistent help.

C. Discouragement can come
• when the child is pushed to quickly
• when the child is pushed beyond his ability
• when the child is belittled
• when you speak sarcastically to the child


D. Success

1. Assume an expectation of the child’s success.

2. Work to train habits that lead to success.

3. Encourage the child on the way to success.

4. Praise effort and diligence and attitude and
progress—no matter how small!


V. Conclusion

Our goal is to provide our children with essential, efficient, and encouraging education.

We train children in the essential skills.

We require children to use their growing abilities efficiently.

We patiently encourage them to maturity and excellence.