Janine and I have been blogging about homeschooling for almost eight years. If you missed some of our early posts, you have missed some of our best thoughts. Here are some highlights from
August 2008:
An unusual reason for homeschooling - To avoid air pollution.
Janine and I shared Sorta kinda the first day of school and Ramping up for the new school year.
I wrote about how David McCullough got me to read Anna Karenina.
This was one of my favorite videos from August 2008 - I Will Survive- Homeschool Version:
Showing posts sorted by date for query mccullough. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query mccullough. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Saturday, June 09, 2012
David McCullough Jr: You are not that special
I greatly enjoy David McCullough's books like John Adams and The Path Between the Seas. I've mentioned him or written about him several times.
His son also seems like a sharp guy:
Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs
His son also seems like a sharp guy:
Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Book review: The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough
Quick summary: Bad management. Bad politicians. Good engineers.
David McCullough, author of the famous biography on John Adams, is an amazing writer. He does a fantastic job of researching his subject and then tells the story in a mesmerizing way.
In The Path Between the Seas, Mr. McCullough breaks the story of the building of the Panama Canal into three stages. He starts with the first attempt, by the French. This ended in disaster. In the second stage of the story, America helped the Panamanians revolt against Columbia. Then McCullough concludes with the details of how the canal was finally built.
Reading about the French attempt reminded me of the manager from the Dilbert comic strip. So many decisions were made by people who had little expertise or knowledge. Estimates for the cost were almost pulled out of the air. Then sometimes these estimates would be divided in half, just because.
In 1879, a vote was taken to authorize the expenditures of funds to build a sea level canal, which would prove nearly impossible. Of the 74 who voted yes, only 19 were engineers and only one of them had been to Panama. It was not surprising that the French spent so much money and accomplished so little.
After the French fiasco, the project was dropped for a while. Then the Americans took up the challenge. I was surprised to learn that it was backing the Panamanian revolt that turned much of Latin America against the United States. Since the founding of the United States of America in the late 1700s, people to the south had looked to the US as an example in their struggles against European powers.
But President Theodore Roosevelt wanted a canal. He was upset that the Columbian government was slow to give him what he wanted. So this rough rider hinted to the Panamanians that they would be protected if they revolted. They revolted and President Roosevelt sent in the troops. Latin America came to distrust the big power to the north that would more and more would push its nose into their affairs.
In 1904, the US started building their attempt at a sea level canal. The design included a canal with a series of locks and a lake in the middle. This would save a huge amount of effort. John Stevens was put in charge. As a long time railroad man, he recognized the problem wasn’t so much digging a ditch problem, but a transportation problem of moving all the dirt. He spent time laying the foundation for moving the dirt. He put down heavier rails and placed orders for over a hundred locomotives with thousands of cars. Once this system was in place, the sea level canal become a reality.
This is a great book to read. I was fascinated to learn more about life in Panama and the world a hundred years ago. David McCullough makes the story of the canal a real page turner.
David McCullough, author of the famous biography on John Adams, is an amazing writer. He does a fantastic job of researching his subject and then tells the story in a mesmerizing way.
In The Path Between the Seas, Mr. McCullough breaks the story of the building of the Panama Canal into three stages. He starts with the first attempt, by the French. This ended in disaster. In the second stage of the story, America helped the Panamanians revolt against Columbia. Then McCullough concludes with the details of how the canal was finally built.
Reading about the French attempt reminded me of the manager from the Dilbert comic strip. So many decisions were made by people who had little expertise or knowledge. Estimates for the cost were almost pulled out of the air. Then sometimes these estimates would be divided in half, just because.
In 1879, a vote was taken to authorize the expenditures of funds to build a sea level canal, which would prove nearly impossible. Of the 74 who voted yes, only 19 were engineers and only one of them had been to Panama. It was not surprising that the French spent so much money and accomplished so little.
After the French fiasco, the project was dropped for a while. Then the Americans took up the challenge. I was surprised to learn that it was backing the Panamanian revolt that turned much of Latin America against the United States. Since the founding of the United States of America in the late 1700s, people to the south had looked to the US as an example in their struggles against European powers.
But President Theodore Roosevelt wanted a canal. He was upset that the Columbian government was slow to give him what he wanted. So this rough rider hinted to the Panamanians that they would be protected if they revolted. They revolted and President Roosevelt sent in the troops. Latin America came to distrust the big power to the north that would more and more would push its nose into their affairs.
In 1904, the US started building their attempt at a sea level canal. The design included a canal with a series of locks and a lake in the middle. This would save a huge amount of effort. John Stevens was put in charge. As a long time railroad man, he recognized the problem wasn’t so much digging a ditch problem, but a transportation problem of moving all the dirt. He spent time laying the foundation for moving the dirt. He put down heavier rails and placed orders for over a hundred locomotives with thousands of cars. Once this system was in place, the sea level canal become a reality.
This is a great book to read. I was fascinated to learn more about life in Panama and the world a hundred years ago. David McCullough makes the story of the canal a real page turner.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Brief update on our Christmas vacation
The company I work at had a site shut down for almost two weeks. I'm starting back to work tomorrow. I have enjoyed being around the family full time and will miss them.
It has been a pretty relaxing time. We've gone to see Tangled and The Voyage of the Dawn Trader. We enjoyed both of them.
One of our Christmas traditions is to load up into the van, go buy some french fries, and the drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. Afterwards we'll return home and read the Christmas story from Luke and Matthew.
Christmas day was very kick back. We opened presents in the morning and watched a movie and some TV shows during the rest of the day. A couple weeks ago my father gave us a projector, the type you connect to a laptop. Janine found a good deal for a large screen. Christmas day we watched What's Up Doc, a couple episodes of the A-Team, Remington Steel and Hawaii Five-O.
We took a quick trip to the Monterey Aquarium.
We've been working on our Christmas letter. I think it will go out in a week or two. (This is an improvement over last year, which went out at the end of January.)
We've visited a lot with family.
I've finished read David McCullough's Path Between the Seas. Fascinating book. I'll write up a review later some time.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and wish you all the best in 2011.
It has been a pretty relaxing time. We've gone to see Tangled and The Voyage of the Dawn Trader. We enjoyed both of them.
One of our Christmas traditions is to load up into the van, go buy some french fries, and the drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. Afterwards we'll return home and read the Christmas story from Luke and Matthew.
Christmas day was very kick back. We opened presents in the morning and watched a movie and some TV shows during the rest of the day. A couple weeks ago my father gave us a projector, the type you connect to a laptop. Janine found a good deal for a large screen. Christmas day we watched What's Up Doc, a couple episodes of the A-Team, Remington Steel and Hawaii Five-O.
We took a quick trip to the Monterey Aquarium.
We've been working on our Christmas letter. I think it will go out in a week or two. (This is an improvement over last year, which went out at the end of January.)
We've visited a lot with family.
I've finished read David McCullough's Path Between the Seas. Fascinating book. I'll write up a review later some time.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and wish you all the best in 2011.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Update: Family History and Homeschooling
In my Family History and Homeschooling post, I briefly describe an event I attended recently. Portions are now available on line (though I am waiting anxiously to buy the DVD of the entire event when it becomes available.)
So, here's the opening segment, A Celebration of Family History "Woven Generations".
They have a few other segments available on line, but this is my favorite one.
--------------------------
Tags : homeschool , home education , public school , family history , parenting , education , David McCullough
So, here's the opening segment, A Celebration of Family History "Woven Generations".
They have a few other segments available on line, but this is my favorite one.
--------------------------
Tags : homeschool , home education , public school , family history , parenting , education , David McCullough
Friday, April 30, 2010
Family History and homeschooling
My sister is quite into genealogical research. I tagged along with her at a recent presentation on Family History expecting to be mildly bored. It ending up being one of the most amazing events I've ever attended. The music brought me to tears. The keynote speaker, author David McCullough who wrote the biography of John Adams, was fabulous.
Because of security issues, we were not allowed to bring bags into the conference center. The whole time I was thinking, "I wish I had a notebook to write this down, I hope they are taping this, I want my kids to see this."
Here's some quotes by David McCullough in the local newspaper.
This presentation has got me thinking about how we study history in our homeschool. We are doing a lot of things right, like personally visiting historical places. But, there is more we could do to make it personal for our children.
For example, Henry was born in Alaska in 1961. I'm thinking about doing a unit study on Alaska history and then on what it was like in the years 1961-1964 (the years Henry lived in Alaska.)
Henry's parents and grandparents homesteaded in Alaska and our family could focus on that time frame too.
We could work our way down the family tree, state by state and year by year, country by country. We could put a name and even sometimes a face with our studies. [My mother's family has quite an extensive collection of family portraits going back to the 1850's.]
I'm excited to get home and get to work.
Update:
Here's a link to the opening segment of the event I attened.
--------------------------
Tags : homeschool , home education , public school , family history , parenting , education , David McCullough
Because of security issues, we were not allowed to bring bags into the conference center. The whole time I was thinking, "I wish I had a notebook to write this down, I hope they are taping this, I want my kids to see this."
Here's some quotes by David McCullough in the local newspaper.
"I've never known much about the subjects I've written about when I started. Each book was a journey, a hunt, a detective story. That has been the joy of it, the compulsion of it," he said, noting that everyone can share in that joy.
"Curiosity is a wonderful thing. It is accelerative. The more you know, the more you want to know. It's what separates us from the cabbages."
McCullough talked of phrases that should be excised from our vocabulary, such as "self-made man" — "we are all shaped by other people," he said; "foreseeable future" — "there's no such thing. People back then had no more idea how things would turn out than we do." And, "living in the past" — no one lived in the past; they lived in their present and to understand them we have to understand their times."
And, he added, "we should never say 'gone, but not forgotten.' If they are not forgotten, they are not gone. They created the society, the values, the experiences we all live by. We must not lose sight of them."
McCullough talked of visiting Normandy with a Jewish couple, who placed pebbles on the grave of a Jewish soldier. "They said it was their way of staying in touch. That's what we all should be doing. History — whether you call it history or local history or family history — transcends time, transcends nationality, transcends geography. It reminds us that we are all part of the human family. We must stay in touch."
This presentation has got me thinking about how we study history in our homeschool. We are doing a lot of things right, like personally visiting historical places. But, there is more we could do to make it personal for our children.
For example, Henry was born in Alaska in 1961. I'm thinking about doing a unit study on Alaska history and then on what it was like in the years 1961-1964 (the years Henry lived in Alaska.)
Henry's parents and grandparents homesteaded in Alaska and our family could focus on that time frame too.
We could work our way down the family tree, state by state and year by year, country by country. We could put a name and even sometimes a face with our studies. [My mother's family has quite an extensive collection of family portraits going back to the 1850's.]
I'm excited to get home and get to work.
Update:
Here's a link to the opening segment of the event I attened.
--------------------------
Tags : homeschool , home education , public school , family history , parenting , education , David McCullough
Monday, August 11, 2008
Anna Karenina - a long, long book
I love the account about Teddy Roosevelt that David McCullough gave at a commencement speech:
----------
. . . Once upon a time in the dead of winter in Dakota territory, with the temperature well below zero, young Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat, accompanied by two of his ranch hands, down-stream on the Little Missouri River in chase of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized row boat. After days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then, after finding a man with a team and a wagon, Roosevelt set off again to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. He left the ranch hands behind to tend to the boat, and walked alone behind the wagon, his rifle at the ready. They were headed across the snow covered wastes of the Bad Lands to the rail head at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in that eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina."
----------
Then David said: "I often think of that when I hear people say they haven't time to read."
Well I did it. I finally read Anna Karenina. It has taken about nine months. I've been reading it in snippets via DailyLit.
The story displays life in Russia in the 1870s. There are broad strokes taking place in at a variety of places, with a wide range of characters. One of the main characters is Anna Karenina. Anna falls in love for Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky. Vronsky falls in love for Anna. Anna leaves her husband and runs away with Vronsky.
While reading this I often thought that so many problems would be avoided if people just did the right thing. Anna ended up destroying so many lives.
I can't say I enjoyed the book. I found it interesting. I'm glad I finally read it. But it wasn't a fun book. It wasn't uplifting. It was a classic Russian novel and most everyone suffers.
I've decided to go for something a little smaller. My next book via DailyLit will be 100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money by Tom Peters.
If there is a book you've been putting off for awhile, check to see if it is in DailyLit. Having snippets pop up in my email helps me to read some books.
----------
Technorati tags: reading, classic, books
----------
. . . Once upon a time in the dead of winter in Dakota territory, with the temperature well below zero, young Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat, accompanied by two of his ranch hands, down-stream on the Little Missouri River in chase of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized row boat. After days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then, after finding a man with a team and a wagon, Roosevelt set off again to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. He left the ranch hands behind to tend to the boat, and walked alone behind the wagon, his rifle at the ready. They were headed across the snow covered wastes of the Bad Lands to the rail head at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in that eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina."
----------
Then David said: "I often think of that when I hear people say they haven't time to read."
Well I did it. I finally read Anna Karenina. It has taken about nine months. I've been reading it in snippets via DailyLit.
The story displays life in Russia in the 1870s. There are broad strokes taking place in at a variety of places, with a wide range of characters. One of the main characters is Anna Karenina. Anna falls in love for Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky. Vronsky falls in love for Anna. Anna leaves her husband and runs away with Vronsky.
While reading this I often thought that so many problems would be avoided if people just did the right thing. Anna ended up destroying so many lives.
I can't say I enjoyed the book. I found it interesting. I'm glad I finally read it. But it wasn't a fun book. It wasn't uplifting. It was a classic Russian novel and most everyone suffers.
I've decided to go for something a little smaller. My next book via DailyLit will be 100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money by Tom Peters.
If there is a book you've been putting off for awhile, check to see if it is in DailyLit. Having snippets pop up in my email helps me to read some books.
----------
Technorati tags: reading, classic, books
Friday, January 25, 2008
Book review: Our First Revolution by Michael Barone.
I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the Founding Fathers. They led a set of separate colonies to form The United States of America. The original 13 colonies were individual states or nations which initially agreed on very little. It was not an easy job to form a republic which has provided a foundation for great changes in the world, mostly good I believe.
One of my favorite books about this period is David McCullough's biography of John Adams. We hear so much of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. I knew of John Adams, but didn’t know much about him. Several years ago a friend at church recommended the book and so I picked it up. It was hard to put down.
“Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America's Founding Fathers” by Michael Barone goes back to 90 years before the American Revolution. The author argues that the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was critical in how the founding fathers thought about the rights of Englishmen, and thus the Glorious Revolution was really our first revolution.
The book starts off with broad strokes of history, covering major events in the early 1600s in central and northern Europe. This was a time of the Catholic counter revolution. In 1590 about half of Europe was Protestant. By 1690 only about a fifth of Europe was Protestant. Many nations were led by dominating kings, for example Louis XIV. As King of France he ruled the richest country in Europe with 20 million people. William of Orange wanted to keep the United Provinces Protestant. He dedicated much of his life to thwarting the attempts of Louis XIV to extent the power of the Catholic Church and of France.
Michael Barone explores in detail the leaders of England and the Netherlands. In the 1640s England had killed Charles I, and then grudgingly brought his son Charles II back as king. Charles II was a relaxed king who didn’t want to rock the boat.
His brother James II took over after Charles died. James was Catholic in a 98% Protestant England. He wanted to convert the nation. The nation didn’t want to be converted. He tried to manipulate the government organizations by determining who voted. He put in Catholics as officers in the army and as judges. Finally several people asked William of Orange, whose wife was next in line, to come take over. William jumped at the chance and invaded, but a war never happened. The majority of Englishman sat back to see what would happen. Most of the rest joined William’s side and James II quickly realized he was history, and escaped to the continent.
“Our First Revolution” is well written. I read the book in just a couple hours. I learned a lot. The book was hard to put down. If you enjoy early American history, then check out this book. I strongly recommend it.
----------
Technorati tags: book, review, Michael Barone, Glorious Revolution
One of my favorite books about this period is David McCullough's biography of John Adams. We hear so much of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. I knew of John Adams, but didn’t know much about him. Several years ago a friend at church recommended the book and so I picked it up. It was hard to put down.
“Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America's Founding Fathers” by Michael Barone goes back to 90 years before the American Revolution. The author argues that the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was critical in how the founding fathers thought about the rights of Englishmen, and thus the Glorious Revolution was really our first revolution.
The book starts off with broad strokes of history, covering major events in the early 1600s in central and northern Europe. This was a time of the Catholic counter revolution. In 1590 about half of Europe was Protestant. By 1690 only about a fifth of Europe was Protestant. Many nations were led by dominating kings, for example Louis XIV. As King of France he ruled the richest country in Europe with 20 million people. William of Orange wanted to keep the United Provinces Protestant. He dedicated much of his life to thwarting the attempts of Louis XIV to extent the power of the Catholic Church and of France.
Michael Barone explores in detail the leaders of England and the Netherlands. In the 1640s England had killed Charles I, and then grudgingly brought his son Charles II back as king. Charles II was a relaxed king who didn’t want to rock the boat.
His brother James II took over after Charles died. James was Catholic in a 98% Protestant England. He wanted to convert the nation. The nation didn’t want to be converted. He tried to manipulate the government organizations by determining who voted. He put in Catholics as officers in the army and as judges. Finally several people asked William of Orange, whose wife was next in line, to come take over. William jumped at the chance and invaded, but a war never happened. The majority of Englishman sat back to see what would happen. Most of the rest joined William’s side and James II quickly realized he was history, and escaped to the continent.
“Our First Revolution” is well written. I read the book in just a couple hours. I learned a lot. The book was hard to put down. If you enjoy early American history, then check out this book. I strongly recommend it.
----------
Technorati tags: book, review, Michael Barone, Glorious Revolution
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
I finished "From the Earth to the Moon" by Jules Verne
Again I'll mention that I like DailyLit. They provide an amazing service. They deliver books via email in manageable chunks.
I just finished From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne. It was pleasant, not great, but a fun read. The basic story is about a group of Americans who after the Civil War build a huge cannon to blast a rocket to the moon. Jules Verne goes into great detail about how long the cannon is, how much gun powder is needed, and so on. He gets some of the physics wrong, but he also gets some of it right.
Several times I've posted about David McCullough's account of Teddy Roosevelt reading Anna Karenina. I've decided that for my next DailyLit book I'll try "Anna Karenina."
If you haven't checked out DailyLit, give it a try.
----------
Technorati tags: reading, classic, books
I just finished From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne. It was pleasant, not great, but a fun read. The basic story is about a group of Americans who after the Civil War build a huge cannon to blast a rocket to the moon. Jules Verne goes into great detail about how long the cannon is, how much gun powder is needed, and so on. He gets some of the physics wrong, but he also gets some of it right.
Several times I've posted about David McCullough's account of Teddy Roosevelt reading Anna Karenina. I've decided that for my next DailyLit book I'll try "Anna Karenina."
If you haven't checked out DailyLit, give it a try.
----------
Technorati tags: reading, classic, books
Monday, June 11, 2007
Reading the classics via email - a little more structure
Often in modern life it is easy to be distracted from good intentions by interesting things not of much worth. Reading is one of the activities I try to do more. The Common Room posted this morning Reading on the Installment Plan.
"Daily Lit sends books in installments via e-mail. DailyLit currently offers over 250 classic public domain titles that can be subscribed to and read in their entirety for free. Popular titles include 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu and 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen Readers can choose how often and at what time they want the e-mails sent to them (e.g. every weekday at 6:30am). Books on DailyLit can be read any place that a reader receives e-mail, including on a PDA, Blackberry, Trio, etc. Each installment of a book can be read in under 5 minutes, and if a reader is done with a particular installment, a reader can receive the next installment immediately in his/her e-mail Inbox. DailyLit has recently added forums where readers can discuss their favorite books and authors."
By getting a small selection of a classic book via email it is easier for some people to read a book they have been meaing to read for a long time. You can do this on your lunch break, between commercials, or some other odd moment.
They have Anna Karenina. This reminded me of an account about Teddy Roosevelt that David McCullough gave at a commencement speech:
". . . Once upon a time in the dead of winter in Dakota territory, with the temperature well below zero, young Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat, accompanied by two of his ranch hands, down-stream on the Little Missouri River in chase of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized row boat. After days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then, after finding a man with a team and a wagon, Roosevelt set off again to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. He left the ranch hands behind to tend to the boat, and walked alone behind the wagon, his rifle at the ready. They were headed across the snow covered wastes of the Bad Lands to the rail head at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in that eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina."
Then David said: "I often think of that when I hear people say they haven't time to read."
It is important that we make time to read good books. Good books have a postive effect on our minds. I've been meaning to read The Art of War by Sun Tzu for a long time. I'll try out Daily Lit by first reading it.
----------
Technorati tags: reading, classic, books
"Daily Lit sends books in installments via e-mail. DailyLit currently offers over 250 classic public domain titles that can be subscribed to and read in their entirety for free. Popular titles include 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu and 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen Readers can choose how often and at what time they want the e-mails sent to them (e.g. every weekday at 6:30am). Books on DailyLit can be read any place that a reader receives e-mail, including on a PDA, Blackberry, Trio, etc. Each installment of a book can be read in under 5 minutes, and if a reader is done with a particular installment, a reader can receive the next installment immediately in his/her e-mail Inbox. DailyLit has recently added forums where readers can discuss their favorite books and authors."
By getting a small selection of a classic book via email it is easier for some people to read a book they have been meaing to read for a long time. You can do this on your lunch break, between commercials, or some other odd moment.
They have Anna Karenina. This reminded me of an account about Teddy Roosevelt that David McCullough gave at a commencement speech:
". . . Once upon a time in the dead of winter in Dakota territory, with the temperature well below zero, young Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat, accompanied by two of his ranch hands, down-stream on the Little Missouri River in chase of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized row boat. After days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then, after finding a man with a team and a wagon, Roosevelt set off again to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. He left the ranch hands behind to tend to the boat, and walked alone behind the wagon, his rifle at the ready. They were headed across the snow covered wastes of the Bad Lands to the rail head at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in that eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina."
Then David said: "I often think of that when I hear people say they haven't time to read."
It is important that we make time to read good books. Good books have a postive effect on our minds. I've been meaning to read The Art of War by Sun Tzu for a long time. I'll try out Daily Lit by first reading it.
----------
Technorati tags: reading, classic, books
Thursday, May 24, 2007
A few thoughts on the Founding Fathers and Monticello
We’ve been in Virginia two weeks now. During our time at Colonial Williamsburg, and now being up in the Shenandoah Valley I am frequently reminded just how much the Founding Fathers sacrificed and what a good job they did.
I have great respect for George Washington. The Founding Fathers created the Constitution in an effort to have a more perfect government, and I think they did a remarkably good job. Even with all the efforts to turn the colonies into a republic, I think George Washington could have turned being the first president into being a king. The colonists had fought against the tyranny of a bad king, but many of them were still comfortable with the monocracy form of government.
A few years ago I read John Adams by David McCullough. I was greatly impressed by John Adams. Up until this book John Adams had been someone I knew little about. After reading about John Adams I felt he was in same league as George Washington.
In reading the book I was sad to learn that Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 campaign introduced dirty politics to the presidential campaign. Thomas Jefferson had his supporters spread lies about John Adams.
The means we use to accomplish an end are as important as the goal, and in many ways will determine the true success of a goal. Using evils means to try to accomplish a good goal will often corrupt the end goal. I lost a lot of respect for Thomas Jefferson.
Last Friday as we would be driving Charlottesville we thought about stopping to see Monticello. My first response was I didn’t want to go, and then I decided to go, largely because it was a good place to stop and let our daughters run around, and it might be interesting.
Monticello is interesting. It is worth a stop. It gave me a little insight into Thomas Jefferson. I still don’t have a good sense as to the overall character of the man, but from Monticello I learned that he was organized and was trying to do some good things.
Monticello is a scaled down colonial version of Hearst Castle. There was a garden, places for guests to stay, things for guests to do, a library, and many works of art.
We enjoyed the garden. Thomas Jefferson recorded in great detail many aspects of Monticello. As Monticello was being rebuilt the journals told where the fish pond was, where certain flowers had been planted, where the garden was, where the fruit trees had been, and so on. We had a better understanding of life in Virginia two hundred years ago.
The tour through the house was also enlightening. I liked the library, thousands of old books. I’m always amazed at how small the beds were back then. I would have trouble getting a good night’s sleep in those small beds.
I enjoyed Monticello. It was educational, but I don’t feel I got to know the character of Thomas Jefferson any better.
Update I - 21 Mar 08
A reader pointed out that my comparison to Hearst Castle was misleading. My wording implied that Monticello was patterned after Hearst Castle. Which would be hard to do since Hearst Castle was created over a hundred years after Monticello.
I was trying to say that Monticello was like an East Coast Hearst Castle, a large elaborate building for a wealthy man.
----------
Technorati tags: Founding Fathers, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
I have great respect for George Washington. The Founding Fathers created the Constitution in an effort to have a more perfect government, and I think they did a remarkably good job. Even with all the efforts to turn the colonies into a republic, I think George Washington could have turned being the first president into being a king. The colonists had fought against the tyranny of a bad king, but many of them were still comfortable with the monocracy form of government.
A few years ago I read John Adams by David McCullough. I was greatly impressed by John Adams. Up until this book John Adams had been someone I knew little about. After reading about John Adams I felt he was in same league as George Washington.
In reading the book I was sad to learn that Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 campaign introduced dirty politics to the presidential campaign. Thomas Jefferson had his supporters spread lies about John Adams.
The means we use to accomplish an end are as important as the goal, and in many ways will determine the true success of a goal. Using evils means to try to accomplish a good goal will often corrupt the end goal. I lost a lot of respect for Thomas Jefferson.
Last Friday as we would be driving Charlottesville we thought about stopping to see Monticello. My first response was I didn’t want to go, and then I decided to go, largely because it was a good place to stop and let our daughters run around, and it might be interesting.
Monticello is interesting. It is worth a stop. It gave me a little insight into Thomas Jefferson. I still don’t have a good sense as to the overall character of the man, but from Monticello I learned that he was organized and was trying to do some good things.
Monticello is a scaled down colonial version of Hearst Castle. There was a garden, places for guests to stay, things for guests to do, a library, and many works of art.
We enjoyed the garden. Thomas Jefferson recorded in great detail many aspects of Monticello. As Monticello was being rebuilt the journals told where the fish pond was, where certain flowers had been planted, where the garden was, where the fruit trees had been, and so on. We had a better understanding of life in Virginia two hundred years ago.
The tour through the house was also enlightening. I liked the library, thousands of old books. I’m always amazed at how small the beds were back then. I would have trouble getting a good night’s sleep in those small beds.
I enjoyed Monticello. It was educational, but I don’t feel I got to know the character of Thomas Jefferson any better.
Update I - 21 Mar 08
A reader pointed out that my comparison to Hearst Castle was misleading. My wording implied that Monticello was patterned after Hearst Castle. Which would be hard to do since Hearst Castle was created over a hundred years after Monticello.
I was trying to say that Monticello was like an East Coast Hearst Castle, a large elaborate building for a wealthy man.
----------
Technorati tags: Founding Fathers, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I have introduced my daughter to "The Forgotten Man"
Last month I mentioned that my daughter had started reading The Law by Frederic Bastiat. It is now a month later and we have only gotten about half way through it. She found the writing difficult to understand, and she really is not interested in politics. At some point I expect she'll start to have more interest in politics. There is a saying that even if you don't pay attention to politicians, politicians will be paying attention to you. One of our goals is to raise our daughters so they understand politics and can be effective in influencing politics.
I try to have a monthly "daddy-daughter date" with each of my daughters. There are several things I am trying to accomplish. One is to strengthen my relationship with each child. Another goal is to give them a chance to talk about what is on their mind.
The very first reason I had for starting these dates was to have a regular forum for praising our daughters. I think it is easy and normal to be critical of children. On our dates I'll review some of the specific things I've noticed. I also gather input from my wife and ask each daughter for things they are aware they are doing well.
Here are the items I had for my youngest daughter last month:
From me: You were well behaved when we spent the night at my parents. You are learning to play a new piece of music. You can now play Uno.
From my wife: You are reading new books for school and doing math worksheets. You have progressed on the violin and practice the piano without fussing. You were reverent at church.
From my daughter: I can tell time better. I like playing the violin. I can eat cookies at church and not be messy.
I write all of these down in my planner. My plan is when the girls turn 18 I will give them the complete history of our daddy-daughter dates.
This morning as I was getting ready to take my oldest to Marie Calendars I decided it was time to move on from The Law. One of the points Mortimer J. Adler makes in How to Read a Book is that you don't have to read every book. With books I tend to be a perfectionist. If I start a book I feel a compulsion to finish it. Today I told my oldest that we'd put The Law for a year or two and then pick it up. But I did want to talk a bit about politics.
I had printed off The Forgotten Man by William Graham Sumner written back in 1883, which was recently posted on LewRockwell.com. This is a short essay on politics, government and philanthropy. There are a number of good points and through provoking ideas. The opening paragraph starts with
"The type and formula of most schemes of philanthropy or humanitarianism is this: A and B put their heads together to decide what C shall be made to do for D. The radical vice of all these schemes, from a sociological point of view, is that C is not allowed a voice in the matter, and his position, character, and interests, as well as the ultimate effects on society through C's interests, are entirely overlooked. I call C the Forgotten Man."
The essay talks about the morality of helping people out. Sumner is strongly opposed to government getting involved with helping out people, and to some extent even individuals helping out the poor. There are a few things I disagree with, for example I do think there are times when it makes sense to help people out, on an individual basis. Sumner seems almost detached and might be willing to let people die from their folly. I thought Nancy Kress made an insightful point in a Science Fiction novel called Beggars in Spain. Often we can spend a little effort to help out a person in need, making a huge difference in their lives. Then later we may be the beggar, and someone else can help us out in our time of need.
One the way to Marie Calendars my daughter read most of the first page of The Forgotten Man. We then ordered breakfast, and we read almost another third. We finished it on up the way home. We had some good discussions. We talked about how most (all?) government programs are designed to help person D, and rarely take into account the impact the new program will have on person C.
Now my daughter has meet "The Forgotten Man."
The next book my daughter is going to read and mark up is John Adams by David McCullough. I am expecting that she'll go through this one a lot faster.
Second daddy-daughter date. Third daddy-daughter date.
----------
Technorati tags: education, parenting, The Forgotten Man, William Graham Sumner, politics
I try to have a monthly "daddy-daughter date" with each of my daughters. There are several things I am trying to accomplish. One is to strengthen my relationship with each child. Another goal is to give them a chance to talk about what is on their mind.
The very first reason I had for starting these dates was to have a regular forum for praising our daughters. I think it is easy and normal to be critical of children. On our dates I'll review some of the specific things I've noticed. I also gather input from my wife and ask each daughter for things they are aware they are doing well.
Here are the items I had for my youngest daughter last month:
From me: You were well behaved when we spent the night at my parents. You are learning to play a new piece of music. You can now play Uno.
From my wife: You are reading new books for school and doing math worksheets. You have progressed on the violin and practice the piano without fussing. You were reverent at church.
From my daughter: I can tell time better. I like playing the violin. I can eat cookies at church and not be messy.
I write all of these down in my planner. My plan is when the girls turn 18 I will give them the complete history of our daddy-daughter dates.
This morning as I was getting ready to take my oldest to Marie Calendars I decided it was time to move on from The Law. One of the points Mortimer J. Adler makes in How to Read a Book is that you don't have to read every book. With books I tend to be a perfectionist. If I start a book I feel a compulsion to finish it. Today I told my oldest that we'd put The Law for a year or two and then pick it up. But I did want to talk a bit about politics.
I had printed off The Forgotten Man by William Graham Sumner written back in 1883, which was recently posted on LewRockwell.com. This is a short essay on politics, government and philanthropy. There are a number of good points and through provoking ideas. The opening paragraph starts with
"The type and formula of most schemes of philanthropy or humanitarianism is this: A and B put their heads together to decide what C shall be made to do for D. The radical vice of all these schemes, from a sociological point of view, is that C is not allowed a voice in the matter, and his position, character, and interests, as well as the ultimate effects on society through C's interests, are entirely overlooked. I call C the Forgotten Man."
The essay talks about the morality of helping people out. Sumner is strongly opposed to government getting involved with helping out people, and to some extent even individuals helping out the poor. There are a few things I disagree with, for example I do think there are times when it makes sense to help people out, on an individual basis. Sumner seems almost detached and might be willing to let people die from their folly. I thought Nancy Kress made an insightful point in a Science Fiction novel called Beggars in Spain. Often we can spend a little effort to help out a person in need, making a huge difference in their lives. Then later we may be the beggar, and someone else can help us out in our time of need.
One the way to Marie Calendars my daughter read most of the first page of The Forgotten Man. We then ordered breakfast, and we read almost another third. We finished it on up the way home. We had some good discussions. We talked about how most (all?) government programs are designed to help person D, and rarely take into account the impact the new program will have on person C.
Now my daughter has meet "The Forgotten Man."
The next book my daughter is going to read and mark up is John Adams by David McCullough. I am expecting that she'll go through this one a lot faster.
Second daddy-daughter date. Third daddy-daughter date.
----------
Technorati tags: education, parenting, The Forgotten Man, William Graham Sumner, politics
Monday, January 29, 2007
One of the things I love about homeschooling
This morning my oldest daughter and I read several pages from The Law by Frederic Bastiat. The Law was published in 1849. Frederic Bastiat puts forth several arguments for small governments, and why citizens have to watch their government. After reading a couple paragraphs I would talk with my daughter to make sure she understand the main points.
One of my goals from this exercise is to teach her to mark up books. As I mentioned almost a year ago, one of the important parts of really mastering a book is to mark it up, to make the book yours. The brain processes the information deeper when you stop and think about the main points of a book, and add your notes. Just adding a few comments on a page makes the reading much more active.
About ten years ago I was reading The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. One of the references mentioned in the book was How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler. I had never heard of the book before. I bought the book. I read the book. I read it again. There was a little light bulb which went off in my mind. It was OK to mark up books! In fact, it was a good thing. Marking up a book helps with the processing and mastery of the book. I wish I had been taught this sooner.
One of the things I love about homeschooling is teaching ideas and skills to my children. From both nature and nurture I have always been distrustful of large government. The Law helps articulate why we need to be careful. But I was pass 30 before I learned to mark up a book. My oldest daughter is learning this important lesson at twelve.
The next books on the schedule are John Adams by David McCullough and The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias. I'll buy these books for her. She'll add them to her personal library. Some times we'll read parts of them together. We always discuss the books. And I encourage her to mark up the books. If she goes light, I'll go back through the book with her and tell her about some of the points I thought were important.
If you haven't taught your children to mark up a book, check out How to Read a Book from the library, or buy it, and read it yourself, with a pen in hand. Then you can work with your children to help them learn how to mark books up.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, book, books, reading
One of my goals from this exercise is to teach her to mark up books. As I mentioned almost a year ago, one of the important parts of really mastering a book is to mark it up, to make the book yours. The brain processes the information deeper when you stop and think about the main points of a book, and add your notes. Just adding a few comments on a page makes the reading much more active.
About ten years ago I was reading The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. One of the references mentioned in the book was How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler. I had never heard of the book before. I bought the book. I read the book. I read it again. There was a little light bulb which went off in my mind. It was OK to mark up books! In fact, it was a good thing. Marking up a book helps with the processing and mastery of the book. I wish I had been taught this sooner.
One of the things I love about homeschooling is teaching ideas and skills to my children. From both nature and nurture I have always been distrustful of large government. The Law helps articulate why we need to be careful. But I was pass 30 before I learned to mark up a book. My oldest daughter is learning this important lesson at twelve.
The next books on the schedule are John Adams by David McCullough and The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias. I'll buy these books for her. She'll add them to her personal library. Some times we'll read parts of them together. We always discuss the books. And I encourage her to mark up the books. If she goes light, I'll go back through the book with her and tell her about some of the points I thought were important.
If you haven't taught your children to mark up a book, check out How to Read a Book from the library, or buy it, and read it yourself, with a pen in hand. Then you can work with your children to help them learn how to mark books up.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, book, books, reading
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Information about books and reading
Chris O'Donnell had some interesting (or scary - depends on your point of view) statistics about reading from a huge collection of statistics about reading and publishing by Dan Poynter. (Hat tip: Atypical Homeschool.net)
These statistics reminded me of an account about Teddy Roosevelt that David McCullough gave at a commencement speech:
". . . Once upon a time in the dead of winter in Dakota territory, with the temperature well below zero, young Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat, accompanied by two of his ranch hands, down-stream on the Little Missouri River in chase of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized row boat. After days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then, after finding a man with a team and a wagon, Roosevelt set off again to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. He left the ranch hands behind to tend to the boat, and walked alone behind the wagon, his rifle at the ready. They were headed across the snow covered wastes of the Bad Lands to the rail head at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in that eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina."
Then David says:
"I often think of that when I hear people say they haven't time to read."
Here are some of the statistics from Dan Poynter's list that I found interesting:
4,986 was the average first press run; second printings averaged 4,776.
--Publishers weekly, April 7, 2003.
Amazon.com sells 5% of all books for $3 billion.
--Newsweek. April 9, 2001.
Most readers do not get past page 18 in a book they have purchased.
--Bookselling This Week, November 10, 1997.
Here are some of the scary statistics:
58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
42% of college graduates never read another book.
80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
--Jerrold Jenkins.
Update I (10 July):
Chris O'Donnell found that some of the above statistics may be wrong, but that reading in general is declining in the United States. (Check out Reading At Risk by the National Edownment for the Arts)
----------
Technorati tags: book, reading, publishing, statistics, Dan Poynter, no time to read, time to read, Teddy Roosevelt, David McCullough
These statistics reminded me of an account about Teddy Roosevelt that David McCullough gave at a commencement speech:
". . . Once upon a time in the dead of winter in Dakota territory, with the temperature well below zero, young Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat, accompanied by two of his ranch hands, down-stream on the Little Missouri River in chase of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized row boat. After days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then, after finding a man with a team and a wagon, Roosevelt set off again to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. He left the ranch hands behind to tend to the boat, and walked alone behind the wagon, his rifle at the ready. They were headed across the snow covered wastes of the Bad Lands to the rail head at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in that eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina."
Then David says:
"I often think of that when I hear people say they haven't time to read."
Here are some of the statistics from Dan Poynter's list that I found interesting:
4,986 was the average first press run; second printings averaged 4,776.
--Publishers weekly, April 7, 2003.
Amazon.com sells 5% of all books for $3 billion.
--Newsweek. April 9, 2001.
Most readers do not get past page 18 in a book they have purchased.
--Bookselling This Week, November 10, 1997.
Here are some of the scary statistics:
58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
42% of college graduates never read another book.
80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
--Jerrold Jenkins.
Update I (10 July):
Chris O'Donnell found that some of the above statistics may be wrong, but that reading in general is declining in the United States. (Check out Reading At Risk by the National Edownment for the Arts)
----------
Technorati tags: book, reading, publishing, statistics, Dan Poynter, no time to read, time to read, Teddy Roosevelt, David McCullough
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Education related columns on Townhall.com
There are a number of columns on Townhall.com today dealing with education:
Marvin Olasky has a column with recommendations for United States history books. He mentions David McCullough's "1776" which is on my stack to read. I did read David McCullough's "John Adams" which I greatly enjoyed.
George Will looks at how Utah is rebelling against the "No Child Left Behind" law.
Larry Elder's column is about how the Los Angeles Unified School District used school buses to take 800 children from ten high schools to an anti-war, anti-Bush rally. He wonders if the school district would ever also use funds to bus students to a pro-war, pro-Bush rally.
Emmett Tyrrell revisits vouchers. In principle vouchers seem like a good idea. The problem I have with vouchers is there is still great government involvement, and everywhere they have been tried they seem to get watered down. The movement has been going on for thirty years and hasn't gotten very far. Homeschooling has done much better.
Townhall.com is a fairly conservative group. Are there equivalent liberal columnists who sometimes talk about education?
Marvin Olasky has a column with recommendations for United States history books. He mentions David McCullough's "1776" which is on my stack to read. I did read David McCullough's "John Adams" which I greatly enjoyed.
George Will looks at how Utah is rebelling against the "No Child Left Behind" law.
Larry Elder's column is about how the Los Angeles Unified School District used school buses to take 800 children from ten high schools to an anti-war, anti-Bush rally. He wonders if the school district would ever also use funds to bus students to a pro-war, pro-Bush rally.
Emmett Tyrrell revisits vouchers. In principle vouchers seem like a good idea. The problem I have with vouchers is there is still great government involvement, and everywhere they have been tried they seem to get watered down. The movement has been going on for thirty years and hasn't gotten very far. Homeschooling has done much better.
Townhall.com is a fairly conservative group. Are there equivalent liberal columnists who sometimes talk about education?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)