Last Saturday I attended FATJEF and was lucky enough to get to hear Oliver DeMille speak again. I owe a lot to this man and his books, let me tell you. He's an amazing speaker and, as usual, I was impressed with his thoughts that day.
He first began to talk to us about really listening at workshops and conventions. Listening for what the speaker is actually saying, not just what you want to hear. Really hearing people is a skill many do not have. From waitresses to government workers, problem solving begins with actually hearing the words someone is saying and using that information to find solutions. He didn't mean listen to him today (and other speakers) and do all that he said to do. He meant for us to really listen, to understand the points people were trying to make, and the apply the information to our situations. You can throw away that which you cannot use, but if you were only listening to hear what you wanted to hear or already knew to be true, you can't hear what might be new and very helpful. I hope that I do that every day and I believe I did that day thanks to the reminder.
The first big "ah-ha" was the Latin word educere.
From WikiAnswers
'Education' is known to have several root words. It is popularly known to be derived from the Latin root 'educo' meaning to 'educe'- to draw out. It also has root words, 'educare' and 'educere'. "educare' means to 'rear or to bring up' and it refers to child rearing, whereas, 'educere' which is derived from two roots 'e' and 'ducere' means to 'draw out from within' or to 'lead forth'.
That's what we want to do, "draw out from within" the particular genius that is in all of us, like a sculptor that pulls the form from the stone or clay. Pretty powerful.
Dr. DeMille also talked about his mission to "liberate the captive". I LOVE that line. It's so true. We are all captive to these ideas that we have grown up with. "I can't change anything, I'm insignificant, My vote doesn't matter, I'm not smart like that guy, I couldn't homeschool, I'm not a "reader", etc." I hear people talk like this and more every day, especially through Facebook. If I could just turn around and tell them, "Don't you realize you are being held captive by your own thoughts?!" and they could understand me. But I know that being "liberated" is a long process of personal growth and revelation. Dr. DeMille started that growth in me with a speech seven years ago and I'm thrilled with where that path has lead me. I so desperately want others to find their path as well, instead of wandering aimlessly in the woods.
And the last thing (for this post anyway) that really hit home was something Shannon Brooks said. In TJEd, there are phases of learning, much like many other education philosophies. The first two are Core and Love of Learning. In the past, these phases lasted (typically but give or take 80 years) from 0-8 years and then 8-12 years. But recently, the trend in our society showed that most people go through both these phases from 0-16 years old. Many people in the room were dismayed and confused, but for some reason a light turned on for me. We, in our home, may treat our children as autonomous humans with intellect, but they get that treatment from very few outside our home. This slows down their maturing and there is nothing we can do about it. Children are not expected to do, or understand things, they were 100 years ago. They are treated as second class and inferior in every aspect. When the boys buy something at the grocery store, the cashier looks to me for the money instead of the boy in front of her with the wallet. The karate instructor or baseball coach go directly to the parent to tell them game times or schedules. So, naturally, kids pick up on that or don't get the practice of being an adult half as much as they used to in the past. It makes sense to me, but to many in the room I could sense the aura of dismay. They were trying to fit what they already knew and understood into what Dr. Brooks was saying instead of really listening and seeing if that information was usable in their situation.
He first began to talk to us about really listening at workshops and conventions. Listening for what the speaker is actually saying, not just what you want to hear. Really hearing people is a skill many do not have. From waitresses to government workers, problem solving begins with actually hearing the words someone is saying and using that information to find solutions. He didn't mean listen to him today (and other speakers) and do all that he said to do. He meant for us to really listen, to understand the points people were trying to make, and the apply the information to our situations. You can throw away that which you cannot use, but if you were only listening to hear what you wanted to hear or already knew to be true, you can't hear what might be new and very helpful. I hope that I do that every day and I believe I did that day thanks to the reminder.
The first big "ah-ha" was the Latin word educere.
From WikiAnswers
'Education' is known to have several root words. It is popularly known to be derived from the Latin root 'educo' meaning to 'educe'- to draw out. It also has root words, 'educare' and 'educere'. "educare' means to 'rear or to bring up' and it refers to child rearing, whereas, 'educere' which is derived from two roots 'e' and 'ducere' means to 'draw out from within' or to 'lead forth'.
That's what we want to do, "draw out from within" the particular genius that is in all of us, like a sculptor that pulls the form from the stone or clay. Pretty powerful.
Dr. DeMille also talked about his mission to "liberate the captive". I LOVE that line. It's so true. We are all captive to these ideas that we have grown up with. "I can't change anything, I'm insignificant, My vote doesn't matter, I'm not smart like that guy, I couldn't homeschool, I'm not a "reader", etc." I hear people talk like this and more every day, especially through Facebook. If I could just turn around and tell them, "Don't you realize you are being held captive by your own thoughts?!" and they could understand me. But I know that being "liberated" is a long process of personal growth and revelation. Dr. DeMille started that growth in me with a speech seven years ago and I'm thrilled with where that path has lead me. I so desperately want others to find their path as well, instead of wandering aimlessly in the woods.
And the last thing (for this post anyway) that really hit home was something Shannon Brooks said. In TJEd, there are phases of learning, much like many other education philosophies. The first two are Core and Love of Learning. In the past, these phases lasted (typically but give or take 80 years) from 0-8 years and then 8-12 years. But recently, the trend in our society showed that most people go through both these phases from 0-16 years old. Many people in the room were dismayed and confused, but for some reason a light turned on for me. We, in our home, may treat our children as autonomous humans with intellect, but they get that treatment from very few outside our home. This slows down their maturing and there is nothing we can do about it. Children are not expected to do, or understand things, they were 100 years ago. They are treated as second class and inferior in every aspect. When the boys buy something at the grocery store, the cashier looks to me for the money instead of the boy in front of her with the wallet. The karate instructor or baseball coach go directly to the parent to tell them game times or schedules. So, naturally, kids pick up on that or don't get the practice of being an adult half as much as they used to in the past. It makes sense to me, but to many in the room I could sense the aura of dismay. They were trying to fit what they already knew and understood into what Dr. Brooks was saying instead of really listening and seeing if that information was usable in their situation.
