Oct. 16, 2013

Do You Declare or Converse?

By Luke
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He's drawn a crowd. Ten people have stopped their Friday evening activities to listen to what he's yelling into a portable PA system. One girl, I think she had blue hair, good-naturedly yells back, challenging his proclamations of fire and brimstone. The rest of the throng are part of the street preacher's entourage or college kids also looking to minister to the lost.

I'm one of them, out for an evening of evangelizing, and "bullhorn guy" doesn't seem to be helping.

"What do you think of this guy?" A middle-aged man has appeared at my shoulder and is asking me questions.

I do a terrible job explaining my inner turmoil. I realize some people are cut to the quick and repent at these kinds of things. But I also know that it's one of those quintessential "turn offs" to Christianity because what they're selling isn't good news. It's, at best, the solution to the bad news of being a sinner. And the girl in the blue hair has decided to move on, playfully flipping off microphone man as she departs.

"I really hope there's a better way," I finish, wishing I knew what it was.

See, I had spent the previous four years in high school determined to save my friends from hell. [Read more about that here.] My perspective was shifting. I was beginning to recognize the human side to reaching people, something I should have seen clearly from all the missionary biographies I had grown up with in Sonlight.

The man may have chatted with me longer, or, perhaps, he had disappeared. Either way, his question stuck.

The guy on the podium was there on conquest. He had zero interest in conversation. He knew that he knew that he knew that he was right and so discussion was out of the question. He refused to entertain "nonsense." He told people what was what--namely, that they were sinners--and urged them to come to Jesus. Trouble was, no one found that inviting.

A similar problem echoes through various groups of homeschoolers. There is a directive to shield yourself from lies and boldly declare the Truth. Like political pundits unwilling to even consider another perspective, such an approach severs communication and entrenches combatants in a deaf yelling match. Both sides, then, end up setting up and burning straw men, and so miss every opportunity to understand the needs and concerns of the other.

Burning-Strawmen
Burning Straw Men

This happens frequently with the hot button issues in homeschooling. And those caught in the middle--our students--can be hindered or helped by how we respond.

If we mock every untruth as rubbish and proclaim discussion of the subject as somehow dishonoring to God, we cripple our children. When they one day encounter the arguments and evidence of the other side, they will be forced to reconsider, retrench, or reject. And too often I've seen such kids walk away from the dogmatic ideals of their family. But even if they hold fast to their beliefs, they are not likely to win anyone over to their side. A funny thing happens when you stop up your ears and reiterate again and again your position: The person you're talking to tends to respond in kind. And now, like the guys with the effigies above, we're not even close to talking about reality.

This brings us to the incredible opportunity you have: You can focus on seeking to understand the other points of view. You can tackle tough questions. You can address foolish ideas. You can discuss the uncomfortable realities of life with your kids. And through all that, they will be able to better understand and articulate what they believe and why. They will, one day, be able to have a conversation with someone who comes at the world from a completely different perspective... and share the reason for their hope.

But this requires a radical shift in perspective from conquest and defense to outreach and seed planting.

This is one of the unique aspects of Sonlight that is built into our homeschool curriculum. You will be equipped to empower your children to reach out into the world and bring Truth and Good News as they converse and connect with people from all walks of life. And it's one of my favorite parts of meeting other Sonlighters. You and I have a common curiosity and desire to learn so we can more effectively bless those around us, both in our homes and around the globe.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Guardian

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Oct. 15, 2013

Sonlight to me

By Jonelle
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Sonlight is to me something that has been steady my whole life — an outcropping of my mom and dad, people I respect, trust, and love.

Sonlight is my mom reading to us as we did school in our pjs. It's my mom sitting in her chair reading book after book, seeking the "best of the best," but looking up and setting the book down when she would see me sitting across from her wanting to talk. Sonlight is my dad reading to us, somehow reading ahead while still reading out loud, and getting so choked up he couldn't finish. And we'd be begging to know what happened. Or him falling asleep while reading out loud and taking a short nap only to wake up and say, "Now what just happened in the story?"

Sonlight is reading the Bible, and biographies, and good books. It's spelling tests with my brothers and perfect handwriting for the final verse each week. Sonlight is sitting next to my mom in the morning and curling up next to my dad in the evening.

Sonlight is my childhood. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

In high school and college, when asked about history, God, or people groups, my answers would almost always start with what I'd learned through Sonlight. Even now, the books I read call things to mind and I'm able to talk knowledgeably about history, and therefore, about what is happening in the world today.

Sonlight also established something in my family that helped me walk through trials. When things came up that were bigger than me, I had people, adults, whom I could trust. I had a brother as best friend and shoulders I could cry on. In college, when issues arose, I called my parents. They were people I could lean on. My sister sent me hand written cards every week.

Sonlight is my adolescence. A steadying influence.

As an adult, Sonlight (and my parents) helps define my passion for missions. It helps me see other people groups more clearly — to care for them. Sonlight draws a desire out of me to help others. Sonlight still makes me want to treat others with respect — to hear their side of the story. Sonlight helps me relate to others, while still having a rock I can stand on.

Sonlight for me now is the laughter of a daughter who can't get over the fact that "Tigger's don't like haycorns." The high-fives of her first read book. It's the confidence knowing that I can do this — that growing up, learning was easy. Sonlight is having things planned for me. It's flexibility. Sonlight is the small voice saying, "You've got this. You did it. You can do it. You can succeed."

Sonlight is my adulthood. And I'm thrilled with where I'm going.

May your journey with your children be blessed today,
Jonelle

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Oct. 14, 2013

Why Life-Long Learning is a Natural Part of Exploration

By Luke
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Every new task you do will require you to learn something. Even flushing a toilet. Years ago, as a young man, I spent a week in the UK. We were in a bed and breakfast and the toilet had an elevated tank. There was no handle. No chain. There was a little foot peddle that seemed for #1, but when I had to go #2, I was at a loss. There was no way to flush the thing! I carefully made a search for a button, lever, switch, or hidden knob. I found none.

I finally had to ask.

Turns out you had to grab the pipe going from the tank to the bowl and pull down. I never would have expected that. Years after being potty trained, I still had to be shown how to flush the foreign toilet. Granted, part of that problem was a design and signage issue, but it demonstrates how much learning we so often take for granted because we can figure it out so quickly.

As we encounter new things, we have opportunities to learn.

I'm working on learning how to help split test our website. I'd love to make the site better. And the idea of a split test is you can use visitor behavior to determine what is most helpful. But I've had a nagging suspicion that our results aren't as certain as they could be. So I started a new test: I'm currently seeing how a page performs against itself. I'm checking the results of showing different people the exact same page.

Thus far, the outcome is impressive.

Identical-Split-Test
A/A Split Test: A is preforming 118% better than A

Naturally, with so little data, I expect a regression toward the mean. Overtime, these two should drift closer together. [But we must not assume they will ever balance each other; such an assumption is based on the gambler's fallacy.] But I think there may be more going on here than is covered in the articles I've read about A/B Testing. It turns out, I learned today, that scientific studies tend to lose their ability to be proven over time.

What?

I'm so shocked, I tell my wife. "Oh, you mean that thing they talked about on RadioLab?" she asks, as if I'd just told her the sky appears blue. Once again, I'm late to the party of knowledge.

The good news is that I'm still learning.

It is natural to learn when we encounter new activities, ideas, or questions. But how do we ensure we keep bumping into new things?

  1. Read: Books are a great way to expand your world.
  2. Take a class: Online, at church, or as curriculum, it's easy to build on what others have created.
  3. Ask questions: I noticed 1 Kings 8:9 for the first time on Sunday and wondered why the Ark didn't have more stuff in it. I still don't know. But the question is pushing me to find an answer! Don't let pride rob you of learning.
  4. Try something new: Whether it's building a website, knitting a sweater, or baking something tasty, there's plenty out there to stretch you. (I hear Pinterest is a popular source of inspiration, if not discouragement.)
  5. Travel: I'm not just talking internationally where you'll encounter strange restrooms. When I visit a friend at their church, I often come away with a new appreciation for who God is in light of the difference in that congregation's worship.

How do you like learning new things?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Guardian

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Oct. 11, 2013

Maybe we can read another chapter tonight?

By Luke
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We've had "our German" for a month now. She's adjusting to life in America and with us. School continues to be in flux as we all try to figure out what will be best for her. This week, at our exhorting, she asked her History teacher if she could read a different book. They had been given an assignment to select from a list of historical fiction options, and my cousin had opted for the one with her mother's name in the title.

The book proved to be disappointingly terrible, despite being on a certain TV celebrity's book club list. We flipped through the Sonlight catalog and came up with three superior options. Her teacher agreed and I bought a second copy of By the Great Horn Spoon so my cousin could follow along while I read it aloud.

When we had tried to read the original work, we all dreaded the experience. It was a chore that we dutifully waded through. I would rather have read from the antiquated phone book that shows up now and again on our doorstep. And my cousin was miserable. She struggled to keep track of the shifting perspectives and timelines scattered about the pages. The story was dreadfully dull and pointlessly depressing.

Contrast that experience with the one involving our new book.

We read two chapters before youth group and, on the drive home, my cousin asked casually, "Maybe we can read another chapter tonight?"

Chapter 5 waits impatiently for when I get home from work today.

My wife, who has not yet had the pleasure of reading this particular book, is also loving it. She often bursts into giggles as each new character and event saunters into view.

And that, my friend, is what is so spectacularly brilliant about good literature: No matter if you're a German kid still unsure of your English, new to the tale, or revisiting an old favorite, great stories urge you to keep reading. And we happily oblige!

I think it's also important to remember that listening to a great book enables us to learn things we couldn't pick up on our own. This is my first time reading By the Great Horn Spoon because my mom read it to me as a kid. I did not yet have the ability to read well enough when I was twelve. Same with my cousin. I'm sure she reads just fine in German, but English is a different story. So I read, she listens, and we all talk about it as we go.

My cousin loves the book she's currently "reading" for school.


By the Great Horn Spoon

I wish more History and English classrooms were filled with the literature that spills off the bookcases of Sonlighters around the world.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

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Oct. 8, 2013

Why Are People Creative?

By Robert
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Starry NightWe appreciate creativity when we encounter it in music, art, literature, film, and other areas of life. But why are people creative? The answer from a Christian perspective is rooted in what theologians call the imago Dei--the image of God.

In short, biblically speaking human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1; James 3:9). This image includes, for instance, human creativity, intellect, and morality. Consequently, the creative impulse is inherent within human nature.

Even if we don't personally see ourselves as particularly creative individuals, the spark of creativity remains, perhaps only needing a nudge in the right direction or a matching of talents with a particular calling. This does not mean that everyone is called to manifest creativity in the fine arts as a way of life, but creativity can serve us in any subject area or career we pursue.

We may pause here and ask, "To what extent does God's image make itself known in human beings? Is the image of God in us destroyed as a result of the fall or is it merely impaired or marred and, if so, to what degree?" These are deep questions theologians grapple with, resulting in differing solutions.

Some are supportive of common grace, which holds that a certain measure of God's grace is extended to all of humanity. Given this viewpoint, the fact that we are all created in God's image, combined with a dose of common grace, results in the potential for creative greatness, beauty, and flourishing in human endeavors from art to literature to philosophy to science and more.

Applied to human creativity it also means that we can learn much from various sources. It does not mean that artistic endeavors or works override biblical revelation, but it does mean that they can contribute to human understanding and even to the glory of God.

How are these ideas practically relevant? They can help us to appreciate wonderful artistry, wherever it is found. Rather than retreating into our own Christian subculture, entrenching ourselves, we can instead intelligently engage and appreciate a variety of ideas, noting areas of great value, but also critiquing ideas that may be creative and intellectually rigorous, yet lacking overall coherence or soundness.

In addition, understanding the image of God and its relevance to life can help us better understand ourselves and, in the case of education, our children. For example, we can read great literature and glean insights from it without undue fear or paranoia. Finally, having an understanding of the image of God can help us better understand and engage the world around us.

A word of caution is in order, however. Although human beings are made in God's image, we are fallen beings, which means that there is also an element of rebelliousness within us--a twisting of our nature, so to speak. This can lead to warped forms of creativity, wherein goodness is spoiled or disfigured.

The broader point, though, is that the image of God in us results in great potential. We have the capacity to create, to reason, and, by God's grace, to flourish.

Robert Velarde
Author/Educator/Philosopher

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Oct. 7, 2013

You Feeling Totally Paralyzed?

By Luke
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I hear her bang her computer mouse repeatedly against the desk. My wife is usually an incredibly patient and relaxed person, but every now and again she'll snap. Not to worry, she still has nothing on me in the lose-it department. But as much as she loves computer/video games, they can frustrate her to the point of irrationality. "This stupid level!" she yells.

"Why don't you take a break?" I offer, because I'm all about fixing things.

"I can't," she wails at me as her eyes snap back to the computer screen and the source of her needless angst.

'Gaming is supposed to be fun,' I tell myself. I once made the mistake of reminding her of that fact.

It's so easy to see it in others. "Just take a break. Life will be so much better." And, for whatever the psychological reason, I can't seem to see the obvious in my own life. There was that time I refused to stop working on the shelf I was building. And all those times I did not to listen to my wife who gently tried to encourage me to stop beating my head against my film projects. Of course I've had my own needless repetitions in a game that long ago ceased to be enjoyable. Then there's the school work, the chores, and the arguments that I should have walked away from to come back to later. But I didn't.

Try-Again-Later
Try Again Later

Why do we get totally paralyzed with this kind of stuff? I'm pretty sure I do it because to "give up" would be to fail. And fail I must not.

Such thinking ignores the fact that often we need fresh perspective and a chance to look at things clearly again. My wife is all too familiar with the blind rage that seeps into the corners of my eyes when a task is paralyzing me.

Please, don't be like me.

If something has you stuck, walk away for a bit. Find something that will help relax you.

I appreciate Robin's post that provides a picture of chickens to help us recover from scary math equations. There are some things that bring us back to feeling paralyzed even years later. Such feelings run counter to a life-long love of learning. So purpose to step back for a while. Before you are unable to break away, decide to take a break.

Regaining perspective by cooling off and watching some chickens is not slacking.

It's a good thing. And something I should do more often than I'd like to admit.

Do you find yourself "pressing on" long after you should have? What helps you remember to come back to something that has you paralyzed with frustration? I'd sure appreciate your tips!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Guardian

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Oct. 4, 2013

Prioritize Learning Over Performance

By Luke
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The biggest flaw within the public education system, if I had to narrow it down to one thing, would be the natural focus on performance over learning. In school, how much you learn doesn't really matter. What matters is that you succeed in class. And you succeed by doing what is expected of you, regurgitating on a test what you've been told, and participating in discussions and projects. Your grade, and therefore ultimately, graduation, depends on what you can reproduce, not what you have learned.

This actually makes sense.

  1. If I to tell you that it is important to look both ways before your cross the street, I would expect you be able to demonstrate that you do, indeed, check for vehicles before putting your life on the line in a crosswalk. If you had not known about street safety--as most children initially do not--you would have learned something. Should you fail to act on what I had told you, I would reprimand you and reiterate the lesson. Learning a lesson should carry with it some kind of result.
  2. To graduate, you must meet certain proficiencies. If you are not yet able to perform certain tasks, what difference does it make how much you have learned? By age two, kids have learned an incredible amount... but I still wouldn't let them drive my car.
  3. The amount of learning, then, is a rather useless metric... even if it were possible to get such a measurement. When it comes to classwork, you just need to get it done. The kids who do best in school are those who already know the material. Those who are still learning fall behind.

Despite the logical foundation for this Achilles's Heel to mass education, there is considerable danger to this kind of thinking. In fact, it can hold us back from discovering new things:

Hat Tip
Daphne Gray-Grant

This makes so much sense. And it explains why some of the most brilliant people throughout history have been frustrated and bored in school.

A formal education is incredibly important, but it is best if it is built around learning. This means you have time to figure something out. It means you do things until you master them. It means the ultimate goal is understanding, not recall. And it means that a real education is not testable while it's happening. All you can do is sit back and see the results at the end. Indeed, testing while learning is a terrible idea because we don't know it yet.

With a classroom, if a student fails a test, that's it. The student has failed.

With homeschooling, if your student fails a test, that's just the beginning. The student has not yet learned. One of the amazing benefits of educating at home is that we are able to prioritize learning over performance.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Guardian

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