Delve into the Caverns: Freshman Year Speech

This was a speech that I delivered my freshman year of college.  I don't even remember what the prompt was.  But there is something to be said about looking back on a piece of writing and seeing if there has been any growth.  

In my humble opinion, there has been.  Even if ever so slightly.

Here is that speech in all of its corny glory.  (Note: this was a speech delivered specifically to my classmates.). 

(Also note: I have not touched this at all, I wanted to leave in all of the typos, terrible grammar, and lazy writing!) 

"Here we are.  At the end of our freshmen year.  Next term .. we won’t be a Freshman Fam anymore, but the Sophomore Squad.  As I wrote my speech, I struggled to put into words our freshmen year.  The words seemed to elude me just as the wind breeves over your head on a warm summer day.  Oh!  Summer, that’s a thing.  I think I can speak for almost every student ever when I say that I cannot wait for summer.  Now, before you raise the rare exception to this, like Harry Potter, let me qualify my statement.  I’m not exactly going to miss the late nights slaving over the footnotes, because Turabian sits on a throne made of freshman sweat and tears.  But I will miss that funny nervous feeling you get, when you first begin something you’ve dreamed about for so long.  That was the feeling I had when I first sat with you all during Convocation. I will miss the comradery that fills Bucers to bursting when we all take it over when we have a rough draft due the next morning.  I’ll miss the effect that my stare had.  First semester was quite amusing, because people actually thought that I was ticked off with them when I stared them down. But most of all I will miss you guys.  The Fam.  The A team.  I’m going to miss mass movie watching parties, staying up till midnight just to watch the cookoo clock strike twelve, and making fun of George’s unibrow.  It’s been a good year.  I’m ready for the next.  We like throwing surprise birthday parties."

There may be more content like this in the future, but if you would prefer to be spared this torture, let me know!

QOTD: Froebel Has Plenty to Say

This past Friday I turned my thesis in - more on that later! Although certainly a relief, I have a storehouse of quotations just waiting to be shared.

Friedrich Froebel has quite a few things to say about education, but here is a fascinating goal he had for his educational system:

“I desire to educate men whose feet shall stand on God’s earth, rooted fast in Nature, while their head towers up to heaven, and read its secrets with a steady gaze, whose heart shall embrace both heaven and earth, shall enjoy the life of earth and nature with all its wealth of forms, and at the same time shall recognize the purity and peace of heaven, that unites in its love God’s earth and God’s heaven.”

What a nose.

QOTD: A Good Def. of "Worldview"

"A view of the world is a perpetual stimulant to thought - always prompting one to reflect on the immediate fact or event before him, to discover its relation to the ultimate principle of the universe." 

- W. T. Hariss, Editor of "Education of Man"

Kindergarten & Liberal Arts | Connecting the Dots

My current working thesis statement is as follows: 

"Women’s growth in educational authority outside the home, permitted under the umbrella of “reproductive labor,” expanded through their work in establishing the kindergarten in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. That work in the kindergarten was an important precursor to the expansion of their authority, expanding from their domestic voice at home to civil voice through suffrage."

Now, if you have made it to this paragraph, you have my admiration.  Talk about throwing you into the deep end without even so much as a "How are you?"  But I felt it was necessary to rip off the band-aid as quickly as possible.  I'm sure that not everyone finds this to be an interesting field of study, but I do not fall into that group.  This is primarily a historical thesis, but it includes education, the women's movement, and politics in a post-civil war America, to name a few.

I am currently researching people such as Friedrich Froebel, Elizabeth Peabody, and Susan Blow, and cannot tell you how much I admire the thought and the energy they put into their work.  (Side note: it is my hope to imitate them in this course of study.) And the revolution of education that they began, really fanned a flame of change that Western Civilization was not ready for.  

These philosophers and teachers all had the same change in mind: stop trying to fit the student into a one-size-fits-all program.  Friedrich Froebel's common critique of child education was that it was too rigid, and didn't allow the child to actually discover, process, and eventually understand information or lessons.  Education often created within the child a passive observer instead of an active participant.  

Studying the history of kindergarten reminds me of the Liberal Arts Education that I received in high school and then continued in at New Saint Andrews College.  There is a need for more and more outside-the-box thinking (combined with stem skills) that a good Liberal Arts training ought to provide.  It makes sense, education should be tailored to the student, not vice-versa.

After all, we are in the business of developing human beings, not robots.

| The End of the Matter | 2020 Year in Review

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

   

Now all has been heard. . .

A good way to summarize 2020.  All the deeds have been done, all has been heard, and every hidden thing has been or will be revealed in its time.  All we can do is let go and let God ... to cliche?  How about this - fear God and keep His commandments.  Whatever you faced this year, there is sure to be more ahead.  Now is the time as we reflect on this last calendar year to take a deep breath and learn to fear the Lord and to keep His commandments.  

I'm still working on that myself, but here is an effort to remember some of the experiences that may turn into lessons learned from 2020:

Accidents Happen...

The year opened up with an adventure.  It involved a patch of ice, a telephone pole, a snowstorm, and a totaled car.  Thankfully, no one was injured!  But I can't say the same thing about our vehicle. 

It was a good camry

But we found a good replacement!

While the World Went Mad . . .

We still found things to celebrate.  Weddings, graduations, and new additions to the family!

Ruth graduates!

This year inconvenienced many, but the Lord guided us through it without much loss.  For that we are thankful!  Although Ruth finished out her career at New Saint Andrews College online, she was able to graduate in person at the beginning of this school year.  So very thankful for this intelligent woman and all that she accomplished throughout her college career!  Having been married to her during her senior year of school, I was a witness to the sleepless nights and mental gymnastics that resulted in her achieving her degree.  Well done, love!

Now we switch places as we enter the last semester of my degree.

We had two additions to the family!  Little Lucy Nyhus was born last winter, and Ezekiel Shaw was born later in the fall!  So excited to watch these two grow and experience the stories that the Lord has set before them.

Lucy Nyhus!

Ezekiel Shaw!

We were blessed to join in the celebration of multiple weddings!  A couple are pictured below:

Blessings on the White household this year!

Blessings on the Friedel household this year!

Plodding Away . . .

The Life Given News and Radio have grown to a combined team of eleven people; some working as writers, others as podcasters, and still others as our social media team.  It has been a project that has had it's slow times, but that is expected when everyone involved is doing it for free and are leading busy lives, but despite that it has continued to progress and grow!  So thankful to be working with such a talented group of people!

Just for kicks . . .

Some random photos from 2020!

Oregon!

The mountains around Lake Wallowa are just breathtaking

Big smile!

Teaching the younger sister how to make coffee.

I pray that you all have a blessed New Year!  Remember that no matter what, our King is enthroned and nothing can change that.