Who is this Fat Jeff guy and why do we visit him?! Fatjef is a acronym for the Thomas Jefferson Education Forum that Nikki and I got the chance (last minute) to attend this past Saturday. I learned about TJed years ago at the California Homeschool Network Expo. I was blessed with hearing Dr. Oliver DeMille himself. He is an awesome speaker that really inspired me to continue my own education. If you want to know more about the concept visit the websites and read up. It is fascinating. This post is mostly about my experiences and epiphanies from Saturday's lectures and discussions.
Dr. Shannon Brooks talked to the whole assembly first, explaining the youths role in our future and why it is so important that we educate ourselves and our children to be leaders.
The age/phase my boys are at, we still need to be focusing on their core skills, and Nikki too, since she missed that when she was little. We need to be working on chores together, getting a more regular schedule, and reading together again. We also need to budget our time and money better so that we can go to events, museums, and parks more often. Ever since we moved out here these things have been lost. We have to factor in the gas and time it takes to do things now. The boys have lost the habit of working around the house. And I never had the time to teach Nikki household chores when she was in public school. I also need my daily study time. My studies have been completely forgotten this past year.
This morning we had our first weekly planning meeting. Lately we've been just letting our lives happen to us, it's a very passive lifestyle. You can't achieve anything if you don't have a goal and a plan. This week we are working on a list of things each of us want to do, no matter how small or crazy. Then we can start working on a plan.
At our house we should be making an environment where leadership can develop. That involves a loving, peaceful, and confident home. Our relationships are so much more important that passing on academics. We, as parents, need to be strong in our own culture, principles, and mission. We need to exemplify what a love of learning or scholar phase looks like. We need to show our love and ideals daily and talk about them.
The one thing that kept jumping out to me throughout the sessions is that is seems we have lost the art of living by principles. The principles are what we all have in common. Our homes, families, style, and education may all look different but the principles are the same. Many people hear these principles and then ask for specifics on how to implement them. All anyone can give is their experience, but that doesn't make it how you have to do it. So many want a book or a box of stuff that gives their children an education at the end. It doesn't work that way. You have to understand the principles and then apply them to your family. If what you are doing doesn't abide by the principles then ditch it.
This forum was so helpful and inspiring in so many ways. I hope that it continues in the same vein as it was started. It isn't a homeschool convention. It is a place for adults and youth to learn many of the skills that have been lost over the past couple of generations!
