What is the LEMI method?

[dori123]

Does anyone know anything about the LEMI method and LEMI classes / groups? 

 

There are LEMI co-ops in my area and it's hard to read through the gobbeldy-gook on the websites and figure out what the group really is. 

 

So far, I've looked into a lot of different homeschool approaches, and they all seem to have an agenda other than simple education. We have the core covered and are just looking for interesting ways to pass the down-time with other tweens / teens. 

 

So what is LEMI?

 

TIA. 

[frogleymom]

LEMI stands for Leadership Education Mentoring Institute. 

It is a collection of semester long projects for students. They follow the Thomas Jefferson Education philosophy. The courses are for children ages 12 and up, and different classes teach history, Shakespeare, math/science, and world views. They incorporate classics, and the higher the course, the more rigorous it is.

 

The first class, for 12-13 year olds, is called Key of Liberty. It is a two semester course. The first semester discusses the Revolutionary War and the kids memorize the Declaration of Independence along with several reading and writing assignments. The second semester covers the Constitutional Convention and the kids are encouraged to memorize the Preamble along with more reading and writing assignments.

 

In the Shakespeare class the first semester is spent reading/viewing/listening to as many Shakespeare plays as possible. The kids participate in a "race to royalty" receiving higher rankings for reading/viewing more plays, until they finally become "Kings/Queens" after at least 17 plays. Then the second semester they put together a production where they perform one of the plays, complete with costumes, sets, lighting, props, and often done with a modern interpretation as far as costumes (I've seen one set in the 50s, and one set in the 20s) but still with full Shakespeare language.

 

Hope that helps some!

[Targhee]

We are at a co-op that uses LEMI classes, but after three years we are leaving.

 

LEMI (or lemming, as I like to call it) has an interesting philosophy based on very little real evidence or models, though they claim otherwise. It uses TJED philosophy and puts in its own extra stuff, so if you like TJED you may like LEMI.

 

They have managed to produce a few good courses (my oldest has done Shakespeare Conquest twice and thoroughly loved it - just finished this year's play and it was wonderful, she loves Shakespeare now, and it has helped her grow in many ways).

 

What I take issue with is the philosophy. My independent, objective-minded self could not stomach it. The training (granted I've only done the LEMI philosophy class) consisted of a lot of appeal to emotion, requests for you to "submit" to the presenter while they took you through a journey to greatness, and some schematics (ladders and cycles and what not) representing the ed phil. i have dear friends who claim LEMI philosophy changed their lives (wrt homeschooling and parenting), and I still respect these women so perhaps it's just me. It tends to produce some passionate devotees (that's why I call it lemming philosophy).

 

We participated at our co-op (commonwealth school) as long as we could - the practice scholar classes (Shakespeare, Key of Liberty, Sword of Freedom, Hero Project) were good and we loved the strong community and people who were in it. I have seen several of the kids who have used LEMI classes and philosophy go on to great things. But on the whole it lacks rigor and reason, and was no longer simpatico with our classical-ish approach.

 

To learn more about LEMI I suggest learning about TJED, attending a spring Shajespeare production, and if possible sitting in on the LEMI philosophy training. Be warned, the full training (to be a mentor for a course) is expensive. It smacks of a money-motivated organization IMO.