Apiphobic Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Does anybody still have that wonderful post from MFS at Mental Multivitamin called "Be a Sun"? I can't find it here or on her blog anymore, and I loved that post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 I don't know that post, but didn't she archive all her old posts with a note saying to contact her for requests? I thought I saw that in a blurb on the right-hand side of her site... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Muchas gracias! Yes, I emailed her but haven't heard anything back yet. :sad: I was looking for a little inspiration and remembered how much I loved that article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Well, you certainly have me curious. :-) I was sad, because I enjoyed poking around and finding tidbits. Now the stacks are closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Does anybody still have that wonderful post from MFS at Mental Multivitamin called "Be a Sun"? I can't find it here or on her blog anymore, and I loved that post! Sorry I can't be of help.... but... Stacey!!!! How you doing? :willy_nilly: (me doing a happy dance... or a crazy, happy dance... or taking leave of my senses) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Where the heck you been? Missed you! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Does this link work for you? http://web.archive.org/web/20120120033248/http://mentalmultivitamin.blogspot.com/2005/05/be-sun.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Well, you certainly have me curious. :-) I was sad, because I enjoyed poking around and finding tidbits. Now the stacks are closed. Nice analogy! :thumbup: Sorry I can't be of help.... but... Stacey!!!! How you doing? :willy_nilly: (me doing a happy dance... or a crazy, happy dance... or taking leave of my senses) Moira! I've missed you! I just never use google+ anymore. Let me know when you're accepting applications for facebook friends again. :rofl: Dh retired after 30 years in the air force, got a job at a race car company in Michigan, and we moved here last year. I love it! Oldest is still going to college in Wyoming, twins are seniors at International Academy, and youngest is still homeschooling. How are you?? Where the heck you been? Missed you! Bill Very well, I thank you. How are you? I know I hardly ever visit the boards anymore. I wonder how many people from back in 2001-2003 still visit? Does this link work for you? http://web.archive.org/web/20120120033248/http://mentalmultivitamin.blogspot.com/2005/05/be-sun.html Wow, thanks! You're awesome! Now I feel like an idiot though, because I don't think it's the one I remembered. Maybe it was the "Feed a cold; starve a (spring) fever?" post (4-22-05). I just have a friend whose posts are worrying me because she seems to be having more bad days than good, and I remembered MFS posting something about it starting with you and your attitude. Or maybe my memory is so far gone I thought it was MFS but it was somebody else's. Anyhoo, thank you so much for finding it. I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Or maybe it was the one titled "It all begins with me." Help, I've fixated, and I can't move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Good to see you here! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 Good to see you here! :) Thank you! Sorry for the delay in my response. :sad: I meant to come back and let you know that she posted it at Mental Multivitamin. http://mentalmultivitamin.com/2013/10/12/dear-home-educating-parent-be-a-sun-to-their-planets/ And now I feel like a dunce because it wasn't the one I'd been trying to find. So, do I bug her again or just let it go? :confused1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Gosh, this is from way back. I hope it helps. ETA: The material below was originally framed as a reply to a homeschooling parent who had pretty specific concerns about "me time," difficult students, failed expectations, etc. It all begins with me. Most of the time when things "break bad" here (and they do; not often, but they do), it's more about me than about anyone else. When the work is taking forever to complete, when the quality is less than expected, when enthusiasm has waned, etc., I don't need to look much further than the example I've been setting. Have I been on-task? Have I been doing my job(s) with attention to detail? Have I conveyed my love of the subject and of the family-centered learning project? Or have I been dealing with our accountant in a series of longwinded telephone calls? Spending twenty extra minutes on the treadmill? Checking email or blogging? Planning activities for next week, month, or year when we haven't completed the activities for this week, month, or year? (Actually, I gave up that last bit during year one of this adventure. One of the first hard lessons I learned about home education is that my time is best spent not on elaborate lesson plans (no matter how ingenious, inventive, or inspiring to other hs-ing mothers), thumbing through catalogues, drafting curriculum wishlists, or bouncing from one resource to another but on the simple task of focusing on the moment we're in. It has saved me years of angst and wasted time, talent, and treasure, that lesson has.) Don't misunderstand. I think that it's important that we parent-educators tend to our needs, but I also think it's critical that we do it on our own time. (For me, that's in the wee, small hours of the morn' or the late evening hours after they head to bed or, sometimes, during the day on "free" days (one benefit of year-round studies).) When I forget this self-mandate (e.g., when I take a call during lesson time or blog while the kids are laboring over math sheets), I send the following mixed message: Leading the family-centered learning project is my first and most important job -- except when I want to do something else. Make that mistake too many times, and it's really no wonder when the youngest dallies over a sheet she previously needed only thirty minutes to complete for three, four times longer than that; no wonder that they're feeling recalcitrant, unmotivated; no wonder our interactions are laced with discontent. Lest you or someone else click away in anger, note that this is not a criticism of any sort. I don't know how you approach your work. You asked how to reach your child's heart, though; I can only tell you how I reach my own children's hearts and minds: With as much consistency as possible, I model the behavior and standards I want the kids to maintain. And I've been doing that since we began this adventure. By necessity, this means I haven't adopted then abandoned multiple approaches to parenting or learning. It means that I decided on a fairly certain course early on, a course chosen to match my personality and goals well. And I've stuck with it. There is an unmistakable rhythm to our days, a dance of daily routines and rituals that guide this family's life, and everyone, from the generally happy-no-matter-what youngest to the uber-sensitive-artist-type middle to the man-boy oldest sways to the silent music ...because it has been playing since they they arrived. Sure, there's spontaneity. And fun. Lots of it. Surprise. Humor. Laughter. But that's the harmony. The melody is one of clearly stated goals and plenty of examples of how to achieve them. We parent-educators love to point out that the benefit of homeschooling is that we can tailor the curriculum and our approach to our students' needs. As I wrote in "Be a sun," I suspect there is a point at which this becomes too much of a good thing. Clearly, when an elementary school student fails to understand that his or her job is to play and learn and study and grow (and to do so without a big fuss), he or she needs less "heart talk" and more "stern talk" -- mixed with a healthy dose of the teacher modeling the same level of commitment to task. What is "stern talk"? It might look something like this: Quite simply, education is the law here; as in, parents must provide their children with an education. If my child isn't learning (barring some sort of organic issue), we are not complying with the law. If I am doing my part (check), that leaves you, the child. You must do your part. In this house, that means that the following activities must be completed on a daily (weekly, monthly, annual) basis. Until we're in compliance, we will skip the following activities: [insert favorite programs, extracurriculars here]. I'm going to circle back to my original premise: It all begins with the parent-educator. Anger and sadness are one response to a recalcitrant student. Humor is another approach. But, in the end, unwavering purposefulness may be the best choice, and that's hard to achieve if we haven't done the hard work of laying out our own courses. As I said, this is not a criticism but an observation based on my teaching and parenting experiences: Things work best when I work best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Thank you, MFS, for re-posting that here. I miss seeing you here and hearing your take on things. It was good to hop over to your blog and still see so much life and purpose in your home! Not that I didn't expect that; I did. Just good to see it. Many blessings, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Thank you, MFS, for re-posting that here. I miss seeing you here and hearing your take on things. It was good to hop over to your blog and still see so much life and purpose in your home! Not that I didn't expect that; I did. Just good to see it. Many blessings, Lisa Thank you, Lisa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Gosh, this is from way back. I hope it helps. Yes! This is the very one. Thank you very much! *happy dance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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