Great talk about TRUTH!

What is truth?

One of the central focuses of Vanguard is the earnest pursuit of truth.  I stumbled across this gem of a talk that covers it beautifully: 

Dieter Uchtdorf talks about TRUTH

(It says it is 55 or so minutes long, but, with the introduction and ending by others, the actual talk is only 30 minutes long...it was engaging enough that I listened to it twice with lots of distractions and still loved it!)
 
In it, Elder Uchtdorf says: "The thing about truth is that it exists beyond belief. It is true even if nobody believes it."

A few other tantalizing gems:

Part of the reason for poor judgment comes from the tendency of mankind to blur the line between belief and truth. We too often confuse belief with truth, thinking that because something makes sense or is convenient, it must be true. Conversely, we sometimes don’t believe truth or reject it—because it would require us to change or admit that we were wrong. Often, truth is rejected because it doesn’t appear to be consistent with previous experiences.

He then gives a couple of fantastic examples in history and in the scriptures where people rejected truth for the above reasons...examples that can really hit close to home!

Excellent and a must-read for those open-minded enough to pursue truth! :)

Scholar Phase and Class time: Validation from TJEd for Teens

Objective of scholar phase and importance of learning tools:
"The purpose of Scholar Phase isn't to complete your learning, but to so immerse yourself in the habits of great learning that you keep using them to solve problems, improve yourself and your conditions in life, and to help others do the same for the rest of your life.  That's Scholar Phase." (pg 80)

Developing the habits of great learning is difficult.  It is important to remind them of the tools that can help them in scholar phase: the 4-R's, sharing, accountability, mentoring, etc.  These are an essential part of Vanguard!  Sometimes it is the process that teaches almost more than what is actually being discussed, especially as the youth are younger.  When they are older, they are able to actually use the tools to better educate themselves and share what they are learning.

How wonderful to be discussing truths and things of lasting importance as they are learning, so they are able to get both at the same time, unlike "exercise books" that have meaningless examples for which them to practice the tools they are learning.

Purpose of Class time: Inspiration!
"The purpose of class time in great education is not study, but rather 1)inspiration, 2)answering questions, and 3)more inspiration." (pg 82)

Vanguard is such an ideal set-up for letting the youth use the scholarship they are learning in their private studies while at home to inspire their peers and be inspired back :)!

When is it good to be wrong as a mentor?

I think being real is so important as a mentor!  It not only makes you relate-able, but also allows you to be taught by those you are mentoring, among other things.

This article by Rachel DeMille I saw this morning gives more of those great reasons to be a humble mentor!

Of course, the biggest reason to be humble is because then God can more easily mentor you and those you are mentoring, and, as my dear friend Michele Smith said, He is the best and truest mentor you can have :).

Perry's BYU-I address about role of Religion and God in society

Amazing devotional about the principle of religion in good government. Great quotes and great foundational article to base a month's study upon!

The Church: Scaffolding for our lives by Elder Tom Perry

Here is a segment:
"Today, the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints is truly a world-wide church. Nevertheless, it is important for all of us to realize that the Church could never have become what it is today without the birth of a great nation, the United States of America. The Lord prepared a new land to attract the peoples of the world who sought liberty and religious freedoms. The new land was blessed with strong leaders who felt duty-bound to establish a government that allowed individuals to worship according to their own conscience. The Founding Fathers believed religious faith was fundamental to the establishment of strong government.

Many Americans have forgotten the central importance of religious beliefs in the formation of the policies, laws, and rules of government. Many of our fellow citizens do not understand that the Founders believed the role of religion would be as important in our day as it was in their day. The Founders did not consider “religion and morality” an intellectual exercise—they forcefully declared it an essential ingredient of "good government and the happiness of mankind.”

This position was set forth by President George Washington in his Farewell Address. He said:

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . . And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. . .reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle. It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government."^1"

The talk touches on the need for religion in government, the need of a moral foundation to create a nation that is truly "under God," and the need for personal conversion and determination to do what is right to provide "scaffolding" in our lives.

There are definitely different elements of this talk that can be used for other months, but it is a great resource to refer to to capture the meaning of this month/principle

Story behind old "oak tree" picture on Blog Header

Years ago, I went to a TJEd seminar, where someone told the story of a man during the depression, who was leaving his farm to find somewhere better to farm.  In my recollection, the story goes like this: He was busy out in the field, as his neighbors were are preparing to depart,... planting.  His neighbors scoffed.

"What is it that you are planting?"

"Oak trees," was his short reply.

"Are you crazy?  You'll never live to see the benefit of those trees!"

"No," the farmer calmly replied, "but my grandchildren will, and my great-grandchildren will.  I am planting it for them."

The presenter then asked, "what are you planting now for our future?"

I have thought about this many times since then.  What do I envision for our future?  I envision freedom, a society where the yearnings for liberty are matched by their ability to keep it.  When I saw this personal vision for what I wanted, I had the follow-up thought that education was the best way to do it, as any socialist, capitalist, and communist knows :): education of others, self, and especially our youth.

Hence, my passion for maintaining what I feel is an educational vision based upon true principles to create freedom-minded, liberty-preserving leaders for our future: Vanguard Youth.  Hence, my determination to make these principles and whatever resources I can find available to everyone I can, with no immediate personal gain.

I am planting oak trees of liberty.

For it is only in a free society that mankind can fully develop their unique potential as children of God...and that is something everyone must work towards to make it happen!

Different stages of absorbing and processing information in kids

I came across this great article by Susan Wise Bauer, that helps us understand why our 12 year olds in Vanguard don't reason or process information the same way our 15 year olds do :)...why when we ask them to reason and apply it is so challenging at a younger age, when they are just getting into using logic to reason about what they are learning.  I included the entire first part of the article, and give complete credit to her and her genius with no profit to myself, other than the betterment of the world around me, and therefore a benefit to myself :)...

What is Classical Education?

by Susan Wise Bauer

Classical education depends on a three-part process of training the mind. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts, systematically laying the foundations for advanced study. In the middle grades, students learn to think through arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves. This classical pattern is called the trivium.

The first years of schooling are called the “grammar stage” — not because you spend four years doing English, but because these are the years in which the building blocks for all other learning are laid, just as grammar is the foundation for language. In the elementary school years — what we commonly think of as grades one through four — the mind is ready to absorb information. Children at this age actually find memorization fun. So during this period, education involves not self-expression and self-discovery, but rather the learning of facts. Rules of phonics and spelling, rules of grammar, poems, the vocabulary of foreign languages, the stories of history and literature, descriptions of plants and animals and the human body, the facts of mathematics — the list goes on. This information makes up the “grammar,” or the basic building blocks, for the second stage of education.

By fifth grade, a child’s mind begins to think more analytically. Middle-school students are less interested in finding out facts than in asking “Why?” The second phase of the classical education, the “Logic Stage,” is a time when the child begins to pay attention to cause and effect, to the relationships between different fields of knowledge relate, to the way facts fit together into a logical framework.

A student is ready for the Logic Stage when the capacity for abstract thought begins to mature. During these years, the student begins algebra and the study of logic, and begins to apply logic to all academic subjects. The logic of writing, for example, includes paragraph construction and learning to support a thesis; the logic of reading involves the criticism and analysis of texts, not simple absorption of information; the logic of history demands that the student find out why the War of 1812 was fought, rather than simply reading its story; the logic of science requires that the child learn the scientific method.

The final phase of a classical education, the “Rhetoric Stage,” builds on the first two. At this point, the high school student learns to write and speak with force and originality. The student of rhetoric applies the rules of logic learned in middle school to the foundational information learned in the early grades and expresses his conclusions in clear, forceful, elegant language. Students also begin to specialize in whatever branch of knowledge attracts them; these are the years for art camps, college courses, foreign travel, apprenticeships, and other forms of specialized training.

Of course, there are kids that are more logical and more ready for "rhetoric" sooner than others, but it can explain the struggle (hence, blank stares) that younger scholars experience when asked to reason and apply what they are learning.

The power of Game night and Outdoor activities

I came across this talk while listening to the radio in my car.  It was a broadcast from BYU on July 17, given by Patti Freeman and titled "Intentional recreation and Things that Matter Most."

Here is a link where, for now, you can either listen to or watch it. (I believe the transcript will be up later.)  I only came in towards the end, but it was incredible...all about the many benefits we get with intentionally recreating as a family (or as mentors with our youth!). 

Intentional recreation and Things that Matter Most

When the transcripts are up, I will try and put in my favorite sections for those who don't have the time to listen to, watch, or read the whole thing.
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Here is the link to the talk I mentioned today.

http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2011_08_16_Wood.htm

Angie