Rote memorization- just practice

sketch a day- day 2

In the art video I watched today, the artist instructor demonstrated how to draw the human figure and understanding how the body works and what shapes it is generally made up from.  So, today's sketch is of a model dummy I have that interestingly enough is not comprised of the same shapes that he demonstrated in the video.

Something he said in the video caught me as very interesting. He said that an artist has two talents... the first is being able to remember what things look like and to draw them from memory. I am and have always been weak in that. The second is in being able to see in a way that most people cannot, to break down an item, a figure, etc, and draw it on paper in a realistic way. That is my strength.  I have always happily leaned on it.

I always thought that my talent was what it was and that I could not fix the missing part of my artistry and learn to draw from memory. But according to this instructor, I was wrong. It seems that the way to strengthen this missing part of my skills is through wrote memory.  To practice. To draw items (in this case he was talking about anatomy and the human figure) over and over again. Use anatomy books.  Draw bones, tendons, muscles, etc until I can draw them without looking at the item.

Sounds familiar doesn't it. Isn't this how we taught our kids the alphabet, to count, to multiply, and history and grammar facts when we homeschooled them?  And the homeschooler becomes the homeschooled!

Why wouldn't I treat practicing my art like my kids practiced piano, or like I have always insisted they practice math through doing a few problems a day?  Why should it be any easier..  And considering that my hand feels crampy after just a 15 minute sketch, I can tell you it won't... but I will be better for it. Likewise, kids will be better for daily practice of math, language, and whatever they are endeavoring to learn.

First her diploma, then her drivers license

She got her driver's license this morning.   Seems like the third time was the charm.  Her nerves got the best of her on the date of her original road-test, which is when this photo was from.  Then she went back for a re-test (as a walk-in) because she didn't want to wait a month to schedule a new one, but they sent us away... we didn't get there early enough.  We got there at 6:34.  AM.  So today, we get there at 6:27, and she made the cut.  It was a long wait, but we found a nervous young lady to entertain and it helped with everyone's nerves.  They both passed with over 90 points!

So why is my child who has already graduated just getting her drivers license?   I have 3 reasons....
1.  She graduated young.  You probably already know that info if you read my blog.

2.  We the parents decide when they get to drive, not the government.  Sure she was legally able to when she first turned 16, almost a full year ago, but while the state says you have to practice for a year, mom and dad required more time.  While she didn't like the fact that she was the only Sr. whose Mommy escorted her her to homeschool classes this past year, that fact didn't phase me one bit, not even when she pointed out that the Jrs. were also arriving solo.  I neither made judgment on those parents who let their kids drive young,  nor did I feel the need to put  fire under my butt to help her get her license.  I knew that I'd know when the right time had come.  ...And it came.

3.  Permission to drive must be earned in my home.  It is not a right.  I needed to see dedication, order, and a mature attitude before I would share my car with a child.  Not to mention buying them their own car.  Who knows when that is going to happen?  But I can tell you when I do buy her or my son a car, they will surely deserve it.... or they will buy their own.

(By the way, her older brother doesn't even have his license yet, but that is more of his decision than ours. )


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Oooops. Did I do that?

Best innocent face.  (From passenger seat!)

Me: (in passenger seat)  The curb.  THE CURB!
Daughter: (in drivers seat) What curb? (thump) Ohhhh, that curb (thump)



I think she was more focussed on pulling into McDonalds than anything.  She wanted Monopoly game pieces.  We ordered what we thought would get those pieces and got home to find out there were none.  Bummer.

I tend to vent a bit about my kid, but I love her to pieces.  She's funny, and talented, and I am glad to say that the ADD child (according to the school) that I had on my hands in Pre-k through 1st grade is now a mature-ish, beautiful, quirky, entertainer who has grown into her skin.

I'm not saying she doesn't have her faults, because she does.  There is still some mental hyperactivity going on, and a level of distractedness (see above).  But if you look at the kid the schools claimed I was going to end up with, she is a superstar in comparison.

So don't believe what they tell you.  Don't let negativity be spoken into your child's life.  You speak positivity into them instead. They might surprise you.



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Mark Twain Re-mixed

In popular music lingo, a remix is an alternative version of a song, made from an original version. With the sterilization of Mark Twain's books the term remix is clearly spilling over into the world of literature.

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed
that I am pretty slow to comment on social issues such as this.  The reason I don't jump on hot topics and give my opinion right away, is that it takes me time to come to a personal conclusion.  I really stop and think about these things.

Here's what I think about this censorship issue.

If you were to define me... who Andrea is, the word Artist, would be somewhere in that sentence.  I am an artist by nature and by training.  For that reason, censorship has never sat well with me.  Whether it comes from heart-led inspiration or a calculated desire to be provocative, no artist, whether visual or literal wants someone to tie their hands, thus stifling their creativity.  On those grounds I have an issue with the changes in Huckleberry Finn.

With that said, just because I have the right to create, does not mean I have the right to force what I have created onto others.  If I draw a nude image, do I really have a right to hang it in a preschool? I do not.  Likewise, just like Mark Twain had the right to use language with the calculated effect of making people think, does he have a right to decide that 5th graders should be the ones thinking about the effects of slavery if it means reading such a provocative word hundreds of times? No. 

Now, does that mean I think that the book should have been changed, altered, remixed.  NO.  What I think is that it should not be required reading in elementary schools.  It should probably be suggested reading, and for parents to decide if the child should read it or not.  Instead of changing it, an prefix should have been added explaining the provocative nature of the words in the book and the suspected meaning behind it. 

I pains me that I had my child read the entire Mark Twain catalog in middle school without first re-reviewing the content.  I remembered reading it fondly, and don't remember being stirred by it in any way.  I accepted it as a story in it's place and time, so my prayer is that my son took it the same way.  I also remember being drawn to read Roots, soon afterwards.  So maybe it affected me and I didn't realize it.



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It's about watching and guiding

 Even before we started homeschooling, I always felt that my job as a parent was to watch and guide my children to be who they wanted to be, not who I wanted them to be.  I have always said that I couldn't wait to see what they would be come, and I always hoped that while I wanted to influence who they are as good human beings, that I don't want to influence what they are to become.

There is an interesting blog post with thousands of comments at this point where the mom let her son dress up as Daphne (from Scooby Doo) for Halloween.  She wrote
the blog because there were mothers who were vehemently opposed to her decision and there are those who felt that she had a moral responsibility to influence his costume decision.  The blog name is Nerdy Apple Bottom and the name of the post is My Son I Gay (which is followed by "or he's not.  I don't care.")  I interpret her points in this blog post to say, that her job is to let him express himself creatively on a day when everyone is dressed up in silly costumes at his Christian Daycare school.  It made her angry that other mothers wanted to put caveats on her child's creativity).

Here's how I see it... It's halloween...  For those Christians who participate in it, if you are going to participate in it, then let their children choose their costumes.  I would have been much more disturbed with a choice that was dark and evil seeming than something a bit frilly.  My brother and I grew up swapping outfits for Halloween because we couldn't afford costumes.  He was a girl, and I was a boy for many years.  That didn't make either of us gay...  It was halloween and our goal was to be as convincing as possible and then surprise people with the fact that we weren't what we appeared to be.

In watching and guiding my kids there are thing that I will absolutely discourage.  Choice of costume is not one of them.  What I do want to influence is how they speak to others, how they encourage others, that they always include those who appear to be left out, that they are respectful to each other and their elders.  That they treat others as they would like to be treated.  You know, REAL godly stuff.

In homeschooling my kids to be educated adults, I hope to do the same.  I don't want to control their course of study, or their future careers, but I want to influence how they approach those careers, going after their goals whole-heartedly and being good, kind,  and thoughtful people along the journey.



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Teaching kids the importance of research

So this was an interesting week. My son had a recital where all of the kids in the Artios conservatory program demonstrated what they had learned this year... my son played a Mozart piece that he had only been practicing for two weeks, so he wasn't exactly happy with is performance, but it was a valiant attempt... He was also in his first Movie short that one of his friends produced.

But on the homefront, my kids learned about the importance of research. You see, my husband and I decided to replace out 12 year old sofa and ordered a sectional. Delivery was supposed to be Friday and I did not find out otherwise until I called for a delivery time... apparently there was a problem and I was livid because they did not have the courtesy to let me know in advance.

I my angry state I went online to see if the same furniture was on sale anywhere else... and guess what... it was. $200.00 saved! Take that!

So my kids have learned that proper research can save you $200.00.... I just hope they don't wait to get mad to do the research like me.


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