We just had our picture taken with the whole family.

We did it last year too, and I think they turned out nice--despite little ones who don't understand the concept of looking at a camera or smiling. Today, with two babies, was little different.

And even though I can't find all the links now, I know others have blogged about the experience that is a family photo. I certainly remember the days when I was younger and we had to stand for what felt like hours in unnatural clothes and smile. Smile because "we're a happy family, dangit!" And I know I've seen a few "this is what my kids looked like right before we snapped this perfect picture" comparisons out there.

And isn't that how life so often is? We're not really trying to lie about our lives, we're just trying to make ourselves presentable.

But there are things about all of us--unless you're one of those annoying perfect people--that really are less than ideal. And even in my very close, happy, love-being-together family, there's some drama now and again.

This reminds me of the "Family Portrait" song by Pink. I am so thankful that I have such a loving and close family, but I know there are many people who don't have such a thing; where holidays are terrible experiences fully of pain, anger, or reminders of loss.

May we all reach out with love to one another, both in our families and out, so that the next time we take a picture our smiles are even more genuine whether we're in an itchy turtleneck or not.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Sorry this post is so late today.

Throughout this busy/packed day, I have been thinking about a few ideas and beliefs that I do no agree with. The problem is that I don't have a particularly good way of disagreeing.

See, these purported truths are part of these people's internal... "doctrines"--personal beliefs?--that are founded on little more than the fact that others whom they trust have told them the idea is true.

And how do we challenge such a thing?

How should we?

With education.

And I don't mean: Let's educate them with the opposite bias.

That's for the "scientific" community, the religious cults, and totalitarian governments. That is not where we, as seekers of reality and truth, begin when we approach topics with which we disagree or find implausible.

Rather, we seek out as much information as possible. We try to see all sides. We ask for the best arguments, the most informed reasoning, and the clearest explanations. In essence we look for the truth by asking questions and trying to learn.

Because what is true should eventually surface.

And that is why Sonlight has long held a focus on trying to educate, not indoctrinate.

Not that doctrine, or a belief held because they are considered true by trustworthy people, is a bad thing. But doctrine should be accepted with a constant eye on the detractors. What do those who hold differently say?

They may never come up with anything convincing themselves, but the more educated we are about the arguments, the firmer we can be in our beliefs.

And that's one of the many reasons why Sonlight continues to encourage questions. You can read more about these kinds of thoughts in reasons 11, 12, and 15 in Sonlight's reasons not to buy from Sonlight.

I do my best to ask questions, especially when I disagree with someone, and not just write them off as stupid, deluded, or an &*$!@%# retard... all of which I have heard very "intelligent" people use as reasons for another's dissension.

May you be more winsome and wise in your rebuttals and remarks.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

My wife finds all sorts of interesting podcasts. One that is particularly fascinating (and educational) is RadioLab. This podcast/show covers questions like Why did the War of Worlds Work? and topics like the birth of the modern zoo. They are very fascinating, but sometimes cover topics that may not be appropriate for younger ears.

One of the most fascinating episodes is on sleep. I'm going to recommend you listen to it instead of tell you all about it. But at the end of the show they begin to speculate why our dreams are so vivid, so linear, so... story-like. One of the professors speculates that, for whatever reason, we remember, learn, and process things better if they are in a story form... even in our sleep.

Stories--not just ideas, facts, figures, or even concepts--stick in our minds, help us remember, and allow us to learn.

It is little wonder then why the arguably greatest teacher of all time used stories to teach His lessons, and didn't just tell us the bullet points we needed to remember.

The same is true of the lessons of Dr. Seuss, which I've heard most people can recall even in college.

Sonlight has utilized a literature-based approach to education from the very beginning. In fact, there are several articles on Sonlight's site about why literature is a great way to learn. And now, Radiolab gives us another reason to be confident in this educational model.

May all your proteins be properly folded. (Give it a listen to learn more.)

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

Vocab of the Day:
Nonplussed: definition here.
courtesy of Angela

I almost spilled the beans on some exciting news. Thankfully, I was notified that I shouldn't post about it until next month. <phew> That could have been less than ideal. Well, more like "premature," but still... it sounds more impressive if related to the end of the world rather than "leaked" information.

Today we had some downtime, so we watched a show on the Discovery channel about the Bermuda Triangle. In the show they demonstrated that a large release of methane could produce a bubble of water that could sink a ship. Also, if the atmosphere composition is made up of as little as %1 methane it can cause a combustion engine to stall out and more methane can seriously tweak with a plane's instruments and lift.

All fascinating stuff.

But rather than telling me all about it in ten minutes--as they easily could have--they spent an hour (42 minutes + commercials).

And that got me thinking about education philosophies and attention spans. I hear a lot of complaints that kids don't have long enough attention spans due to television. But if your programing is intentionally designed to keep people watching for an hour--irregardless of content--then kids are trained not to have short attention spans but to expect redundant information. In fact, I was surprised how little real information was dispensed each segment.

And that got me wondering if classroom education has been informed by this.

How much information is really shared each class period?

It does vary by class, but I've sat in plenty of classes and seminars where the teacher/presenter was more interested in passing time than passing on beneficial information. Honestly, I've been nonplussed by some educator's lack of interest in educating their charges.

May your homeschooling experience be nothing like that.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

I read an interesting article over on Get In, Hang On. Go ahead--give it a read.

...

Back?

What's interesting is that I started out my life online paranoid as the next guy. I had pseudonyms for my alter egos. I didn't post images, even sketches I had drawn. I tried to encrypt everything. And I turned off my modem at night.

...okay, all that is a tad of an exaggeration. I had pseudonym. Image hosting wasn't exactly viable. Encryption wasn't even a word yet. And we paid for the internet by the minute. But that's not the point.

The point is: I have since changed.

I used to worry about my identity being stolen. I was concerned that people would "find me" ...or something. But now I blog for a living. I spend quite a bit of time each day creating content so people will get to know my name. I post pictures of myself. I write articles and posts detailing my personal issues and struggles. I even give away my Social Security number and bank account information. ...not really.

What has changed in my mind? Why don't I worry about Facebook?

1. I do my best to be wise about what I post, but more than that, I do my best to live in such a way so as to be acceptable. So, since I don't go to parties and get drunk or shoot up, I have nothing to hide there. What things that others may hide I write about, and so "coming clean" makes it possible for me to talk about the subjects openly without fear of people smearing my reputation. I already threw it out there for the wolves to devour.

2. Everyone (especially employers) need to realize that there are many aspects of a person and their life. If they can't separate those and only address these issues when one area negatively bleeds into the other, they won't be as successful as they could be.

3. I'm actively trying to become a celebrity, of sorts. I want to be a "trusted voice" in the media and homeschooling communities. I don't mind being a public figure. I don't mind people knowing who I am or what I'm up to. ...that tune may change when paparazzi start snapping pictures of me cuddling my kids, but until that day...

I'd love to be your friend on Facebook.

And if something shifts in the future, I may be the first to go. But that will give you plenty of warning so you can get a new identity and run for the hills.

~Luke Holzmann
Celebrity, Star, Prolific Blogger

I got up at 3am this morning to get ready for our trip. Our plane was set to take off and 6:15, and the roads were likely to be slick on the way to the airport.

The car had some trouble getting started. After the dash finally illuminated, I understood why: It was -3° out. (This temperature decreased to a chilly -16°F out at DIA... record lows, from what I've been told.) My first thought was, "Ah, what an excellent introduction to negative numbers for kids!" But I read a post about the situation in Kyrgyzstan and, well, it's a tad disheartening.

We ended up missing our connecting flight because three of the four crew members were late to our 6:15 flight. ...really late. Thankfully we were able to get on another flight that only put us back two hours.

Only.

Even so, we made it in plenty of time for Brittany's little sister's senior art show. It was odd to walk the campus of our Alma Mater and see how things have change and what has not. This is where we met and fell in love, and yet it's a different place. I must be getting old because the college students seem so young.

And we started talking about how things--such as technology--have changed: There was no YouTube, JumpDrives didn't exist, and Instant Messaging was all the rage. DVDs were still coming onto the scene. Cell phones were not ubiquitous.

It wasn't even four years ago and yet... and yet it was so long ago.

It would be even longer if we had kids.

Nostalgia kicks in--a sweet sorrow of something we have lost; "The good old college days" before we were hit with adult responsibility; the lifestyle of spending time with people; and my stomach even knotted a bit as the pressure of finals saturated me once again.

And just as the cold kept creeping across the landscape this morning, so the cold of age drifts over me. But I'm not really all that old, no matter what feelings hanging around my peers of yesteryear inspires.

So today was all about feeling old. Tomorrow, I suspect, I may feel young as we go and visit Brittany's grandmother.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father

When Christ walked this earth He deliberately took on a rather obscure title. Instead of referring to Himself as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Son of David... He chose: Son of Man.

Why?

Well, the other titles had too much political baggage attached to them. The people of His day had expectations for the One to come, and Christ wasn't about to meet any of those. In fact, He was going to do much the opposite. So to help initiate this painful reality, He took on a different title. A title that had little meaning which He could then define for His followers.

Thirty second Biblical background to get us all on the same page. Any questions?

Good. Moving on.

Earlier this week I saw a post about "worldschooling" which I thought was fascinating. Here is another instance where a title--in this case: "homeschooling" and, in particular, "unschooling"--has developed rather unfortunate political baggage. So to counter this idea, Eli Gerzon has adopted his own title which he can help define.

What has really interested me is how broad this idea can get. I know it typically refers to "unschoolers" but as I read more about it, the more I felt at home with the concept. I'm a "worldschooler" now, and I was one while using Sonlight too. In fact, Sonlight is very much a "worldschooling" curriculum--oxymoron?--because of the global focus of its materials.

But then I came across a Worldschooler Facebook group with the following:

-School: "Do what you're told."
-Homeschool: "Do what you're told... by your mom."
-Unschool: "Do what you want."
-Worldschool: "Do whatchu gotta do..."

Interesting. There is certainly a lot of negative connotations with the more "traditional" approaches to education (including homeschooling). And while I agree with many of the more global aspects of worldschooling, I find the highly individualistic/self-focused bents odd and not exactly in line with my thinking.

But that's okay because, as Dana Hanley has so brilliantly pointed out, I'm part of the homeschool community, not a homeschool movement. I can disagree with them but feel no threat "because their actions do not define who I am, or what it means for me to be a homeschooler."

"Homeschooler" may be a loaded term, and so choosing another title may be useful, but who we are does not change just because of a new title. The titles are in place to help others understand us. We define the title, we are not defined by others' perceptions of it; and if we can grow into a community, all the better.

And really, that's a lot like what the Son of Man came to do.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father