Aspirational Greatness

by Rebecca Berg Manor

There are few feelings like those experienced at the beginning of a great musical performance. Sitting in a grand opera hall, the velvet chairs clicking as well-dressed people take their seats. The gorgeous discordance of the orchestra tuning up. The hush that comes over the crowd as the curtain lifts. Anticipation. And then, the first notes of a great composition break through the hush and you are transported to another place. This is exposure to greatness. It inspires. It motivates. It allows you to experience beauty.

Seeing great art provides the same experience. I remember standing in front of Rembrandt's masterpiece Return of the Prodigal at the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg and being so moved I had tears running down my face. Not one for public displays of emotion, I was surprised at my response but knew that being able to see such greatness in person was one of those moments that would impact me for the rest of my life.

Witnessing greatness plants seeds of humility in our hearts. When we sit and watch an orchestra play a classic masterpiece we are struck not only by the talents of the composer, it is the painstakingly cultivated skills of the performing musicians that bring the piece to life. We are reminded that achieving such a proficiency in any area requires discipline, years of training and practice, and inspiring amounts of hard work. In an era that measures success in material terms, one can lose sight of what is truly great. While magazines give awards in categories of beauty, financial success, and fame, the arts and history provide a counterpoint to these surface-y accolades. And history provides an antidote to the entitlement that is so pervasive in our culture of instant gratification and 2-day shipping. As a culture we have settled for measuring greatness by shoddy standards and our history suffers for it. When textbooks either portray a historical figure as nothing more than an accomplishment (Columbus and his voyage to the "New World" or George Washington becoming the first president of the United States) we cheat ourselves and our children of the inspiring aspects of their stories. In the instance of Columbus, we fail to see the years he devoted to pursuing his dream. We fail to see George Washington as a man who did not want to be president and governed with humility and sought advise from those he respected. On the other hand, when history is reduced to hero-worship we forget Columbus' greed and the brutality his men showed to the native people they encountered. We forget or whitewash George Washington's punting on the issue of slavery. Full-colored history provides aspirational portraits of greatness along with warnings we would be wise to heed. The great stories of the past allow us to dive into them, to mull over their many-faceted details, to provide a model of growth. Great art inspires, gives us a glimpse of what is possible should we devote ourselves to hard work and discipline. Its countercultural today to admire the greatness that results from hard work and discipline, but it may be one of the antidotes to the entitlement and celebrity-seeking narcissism that seems to be increasing at an alarming pace.

I would love to hear about your encounters with greatness. Has a piece of music, a performance, a painting, an encounter with a personal hero provided you with a model by which you've grown and matured? Share in the comments!  

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BFB Essentials: Why Teach History?

Over the next few days we will be reposting a series on BFB Essentials for anyone new to this blog and BFB. This will answer some very foundational questions for those of you who are looking into our approach to history including things like why teach history in the first place, who was Charlotte Mason, what is a Charlotte Mason approach, why use literature instead of textbooks, and much much more! We hope you find it helpful and enlightening.

BFB Essentials: Why Teach History? By Rebecca Berg Manor

Hello! We are excited to introduce a new series on our blog called BFB Essentials. We will be answering questions like "Why teach history?" and "Is BFB classical?" and "What's the point of using literature to teach history when textbooks make it so easy?" We hope you find it useful and would love to hear from you so feel free to email us with questions (rebecca@bfbooks.com) and comments. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section. Let's get a conversation going! Without further ado, here we go!

Why Teach History?

For many who grew up and were educated in a traditional schoolroom setting the study of history may seem a bit pointless. How often have you been asked the date of the fall of Rome? Sure it was interesting to learn about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, but has that knowledge ever served you? And now you've decided to homeschool your children or are involved in teaching and history is a required subject. Or maybe your child is asking you, "Why do I need to know any of this anyway?" 

The fact that this question is now a common one points to an increasingly utilitarian view of education. In many ways the answer to the question of why to teach history comes down to one's educational philosophy. Is the purpose of education simply preparation for entering the workforce or is it something more? If you believe, as we do, that education goes beyond employee training, then like us, you probably believe in the importance of rich historical study. If you have a philosophy of education that includes training in critical thinking skills, reason, citizenship, and the formation of character, you probably have a great respect for the study of history. Unfortunately that educational philosophy, while ascribed to by many, is rarely held in conviction by educators and certainly not reflected in government mandates. Current statistics on student's knowledge of the basic facts of US history reveal a disturbing ignorance which belies any devotion to the study of history. Education is viewed as valuable in so far as it prepares young people to be good employees. And yes, education should prepare young people for adult lives, of which work is an important and valuable part, but it has a much deeper value in training young people to be compassionate, thoughtful, and engaged members of their communities. 

How did we get here? 

Over the past century the study of history has been increasingly isolated from the other disciplines. Beginning in the 19th century textbooks became the primary mode of teaching history. The drive towards standardization within classrooms drove the development of the textbook and it proved useful for subjects like math and science. Unfortunately for teaching a subject as vibrant as history, the adoption of textbooks stripped the subject of all its life. Where history was once the study of our human story and was filled with tales of adventure, heroic quests, stupefying failures, humorous dunces, and wicked villains, it became a collection of names and dates to be chanted over and over until they were firmly fixed in young minds. One can picture the one-room school houses with their strict schoolmarm, pointer in hand, drilling facts into the heads of students as they chant away the names of the presidents, dates of various battles, etc. Now, this approach, still employed by some educational approaches, is a great way to instill a knowledge of facts, but it's not so great for teaching students to engage with history, to form informed opinions, to discuss ideas. 

History as more than facts

From the beginning of time, we human beings have been storytellers. Long before people thought up the idea of "history" we were telling one another stories from the past, connecting our short lives with a long chain of others who came before us. Whether it was relating creation narratives or listing genealogies, whether it took place around a tribal circle or in the marble forums of ancient Greece, these stories were our first "histories". Often thought of as myths now, they provided ancient peoples with a context for the human story. Part of the human condition is the ability to question our place in this world and history provides part of the answer. In relating the human story and connecting ourselves with the vast pageant of people who came before us, we get to know ourselves a little better. We can see our lives within the context of something greater than ourselves. And history provides invaluable lessons in how to conduct ourselves. We can learn from the fascinating successes and failures of people who are not so different from us, but who lived in the centuries before us. This is the greater purpose of history–and it is lost when distilled down to basic names, dates, and "facts". 

But what about getting a job?

Now you may be thinking this is all great, but who is going to hire someone who isn't adequately prepared for a job? In our current economic climate the in vogue career paths are all about technology and medicine. Both of these career paths require specialized training and many education wonks are

advocating that we start teaching computer coding and advanced math in elementary school. This could be very short sighted. It is no longer a world where one can choose a career path and expect to work within that chosen field for the entirety of one's career. The average young person will change jobs/careers fifteen times in his or her lifetime. That's probably 12 times more than his parents and could be 14 times more than his grandparents. In a job market that is so fluid, the skills required are not necessarily highly specialized. Yes, it's a good idea to know how to write computer code, but it's more valuable to be able to think critically, to be creative and innovative, to understand human nature, make rational arguments, be an engaged reader, a thoughtful writer, and a thorough researcher. The study of history taught holistically provides these skills. And so you may find yourself asking, how do I teach history "properly"? That question will be answered in our next entry in this series. In the mean time, leave a comment below telling us about your experiences in learning and teaching history. 

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

Over the past couple of years I've been reading and hearing a lot about fixed versus growth mindsets and am fascinated by the topic. If this is the first time you've heard of this, I am so happy to be able to share the following 10 minute video from RSA Animate. It is the most straightforward introduction to the topic I have found and I think everyone (really!) can benefit from watching it:


Having grown up in the self-esteem boosting 1980s, my mindset was definitely influenced by praise that affirmed intelligence over effort and that worldview is definitely not something I want to pass on to my children. Therefore, I have been personally challenged by all my reading on the topic. Changing the language we use when praising the youngsters (and adults!) in our lives can be really challenging but I think that it is essential if we're going to help our kiddos become life-long learners. Of course, some people have cultivated a growth-mindset and some families are already great at encouraging effort and curiosity. In my interactions with thousands of families over the decades, I must say that I find growth-mindsets to be the exception rather than the rule. It is so easy to slip into praising naturally intelligent children for their smarts. Encouraging a child to work through a difficult math problem or diagraming a complex sentence takes a lot more time and patience. Even trying to get my two-year-old to not give up when his block towers fall over can be exacerbating. It's so much easier to just quickly build him another tower and restore his sunny spirits. Sitting out his tantrum, encouraging him to build the tower again, praising the fact that he hasn't given up, this takes more time. Yet, those 10-15 minutes of patience are more than rewarded when you see something "click" in his mind and he starts stacking those blocks, pride beaming in his face.

Children are all brilliant at seeing through empty praise. While trying to use growth-mindset language, it is important to not fall of the other side of the horse and praise every effort. Not all effort is praiseworthy and saying "Good try" at every turn will not encourage a child. Instead there should be an emphasis on future challenges. Angie Aker provides two great examples in her article on Upworthy:

FIXED MINDSET: "You finished that puzzle so quickly — what a smart kid!"GROWTH MINDSET: "I'm sorry I wasted your time with an easy puzzle — let me find another one that will give us a bigger challenge. I know we can do it!"FIXED MINDSET: "You got an 80% on your test." (And then moving on to the next chapter immediately.)GROWTH MINDSET: "You got an 80% on your test; that means you are well on your way to knowing this stuff! If you review the ones you missed and take the test again tomorrow, I bet you'll get closer to a 100%."

In choosing curriculum, I believe that it is important to look for programs that encourage this growth mindset. Charlotte Mason-style approaches naturally encourage inquisitiveness as does notebooking. When you get away from rigid standards that rely on simplistic answers and instead encourage reasoning, discussion, and the development of analytical skills, you will develop students who are much better equipped to succeed.

I would love to hear from you! Have you heard the terms growth mindset and fixed mindset? Have you implemented some of these practices in your homeschool? Did you grow up in an environment that encouraged the development of one type of mindset over another? Comment below!

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

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Friday Wisdom and Fun Links

I have been reading through the biographies of some amazing people as I select books for our updated History of Science program and I loved this quote from George Washington Carver. Isn't that what we're all wanting for our children–generous hearts backed up by a diligent character?

As it's summer and summer is for fun and reading, I wanted to share some links I found interesting. They're all related to reading and fun and summer. Enjoy!

How the United States became a nation of readers.

Useful Employment: Summer Reading

Dear Children: Let Me Explain This Thing Called Summer

Prioritizing the Arts over Test Prep

Can Reading Make You Happier?

A Cure for Hyper-Parenting

Enjoy! And have a great weekend.

Our new 2015-2016 catalog is now available! If you want to view it right now it's available online here. And if you would like to request a hardcopy, click here.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!

Friday Wisdom

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!

Friday Wisdom

And we're running a special offer starting today! For those looking to get their school shopping done early, beginning tomorrow and going to the 15th we're offering Free Shipping on all orders over $50! Use coupon code "FREESHIP" upon checkout! See details here.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!

Introducing Karyn!

Throughout this school year we have had the pleasure of introducing you to several homeschooling moms as they share their experiences in using literature to teach history. Today I'm excited to introduce Karyn Chung. She's been homeschooling her two boys for a couple of years now and shares her family's journey from public school to learning at home. I loved reading through her story and know that you will enjoy it too! Here she is:

"Our LOVE for Beautiful Feet Books began two years ago, when my husband (Will) and I first set out to homeschool our two fun-loving and creative boys – Nathan 11 and Shane 7 ½ years old. To give you a glimpse of our life before homeschooling, both boys attended a 'high' rated public school and academically did quite well. I was EXTREMELY active as a Room Parent, PTA Board Member, Carnival Co-chair and numerous other activities. I LOVED being part of our local school, building relationships with other great active parents, giving back through my time and providing aide to the teachers.

"However, despite both boys doing well academically, they lacked what my husband and I felt was most essential – a love for learning. Once we decided to homeschool, the task of deciding which materials to use was daunting! Viewing myself as the “non-academic” type, we initially considered a classical approach through a program that seemed to fit our need to navigate us through our first year. A month before we were scheduled to start, my spirit continually probed me to look in a different direction. Filled with anxiety, I had NO idea where to start. Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson became my guide. I became confident that whole books could bring to life what textbooks could not – story. A story is designed to interest, amuse and give knowledge to the reader. That’s what I wanted for my family and what boy does not love a good tale! As I came across the Clarkson’s recommendation for Beautiful Feet Books, I took to the internet to take a peak. After reviewing and comparing numerous other options, I continually felt myself gravitating back to BFB. I LOVED the idea of teaching history in a way that would come alive instead of the usual case of boredom (insert usual as my own personal experience). Teaching two boys, I knew history needed to capture their attention, and to be honest, mine too. History never appealed to me, or so I thought, and I would soon come to find my own LOVE for the past.

Ancient History Through Literature

"Our first year, we started with Beautiful Feet Book’s Ancient History, History of Classical Music and Teaching Character through Literature (Primary and Intermediate Grades). Of course, the process of mummification appealed to my boys and they LOVED knowing specific details of how it was performed but it was in Teaching Character through Literature that solidified the choice we made. Books like Munro Leaf’s The Watchbirds, How to Speak Politely and How to Behave (another glimpse of what we were working on) brought out bellowing laughter from simple stories with stick figure illustrations that made sense to my sons. We’ve loved The Boxcar Children, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, The Selfish Giant and many more. Characters and story-lines have become a part of our everyday life, giving teachable moments the

Teaching Character Through Literature, Intermediate

connection needed to take root in my sons’ hearts. I love the continual requests to extend free reading time to allow them to get through “the best part of the book” or “I’m almost finished with this page.” I’ve become known for taking an unexpected walk into a used bookstore, by myself or with the boys, to search for a book that might be added to our collection and it’s not uncommon for me to come home with several books found during an excursion with dear friends who love to do the same.

"Early American History for Intermediate has been the most exciting for us this year! Although our youngest is primary level, I just could not wrap my head around two history guides. I felt confident
that our youngest was mature enough to grasp information from the intermediate level and he has done extremely well, making observations that neither myself nor his older brother catch. Exploration, adventures, Vikings, Indians, Pilgrims, and inventors are drawing the boys into history without a sense of boredom. Elizabeth Janeway’s The Vikings, Bradford Smith’s William Bradford, Pilgrim Boy and the D’Aulaire’s Benjamin Franklin bring (what I now come to expect) pleas from my boys to continue reading past the several pages assigned for the day. In addition to notebooking, Nathan and Shane create their own trivia questions for their dad, who has come to be affectionately known as our personal walking encyclopedia. Now they find an incredible amount of enjoyment “stumping” their dad and being able to be the ones sharing their knowledge with him. There is so much history that I myself do not know, which amazes me as I have a private school education with a tremendous lack of the past. What a privilege it’s been for me to learn alongside two of my favorite people, my sons, and infuse our lives with well-written literature that brings life to who we are, builds our own personal character, invites laugher into our moments of learning, creates a bond between a mother, son and brothers, opens our hearts to compassion and awareness of the struggles of others, inspires us to live out good moral character and connects us to parts of who we are that might otherwise be ignored.

"This is the reason I now believe my spirit gravitated to Beautiful Feet Books 'whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is praise worthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received from me, or seen in me-put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you' (Phil 4:8-9 NIV)."

Thank you Karyn for sharing your heart and journey with us!

You may also enjoy these other entries written by homeschooling moms: 

Introducing Samantha!

Meet Lisa!

"Connection and Love" by Vanessa

Update from Samantha

Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages. And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!

Meet Lisa!

Good morning! I am excited to introduce you to another homeschooling mom who is going to be sharing her experience using Beautiful Feet Books. Lisa Sulewski, like Samantha and Vanessa, made a switch from a popular curriculum in the classical method to our literature based study guides. Here Lisa shares her experience and I think you will all find it encouraging and inspiring. Lisa has included a lot of photos of her children's notebooks and I am so glad that she did because I personally love seeing what people come up with for the notebooking assignments. Lisa does a great job of showing how these notebooks can be a creative outlet for your children. Be sure to click on the pictures of the notebook pages to enlarge so you don't miss out on any details. And now I'll turn it over to Lisa:

“I love history and literature!” my daughter said this for the FIRST TIME after this year with Beautiful Feet Books! I love love love Rea and Beautiful Feet Books. They have changed how and what we are reading this year­–beautiful books that will stay in the hearts of my children forever. She has taught me a philosophy of teaching that has grown in my heart and I am so grateful. She guided me on the path to good literature and I am never going back!

My name is Lisa Sulewski and I have the privilege and sometimes just plain hard labor of homeschooling my beautiful and artistic daughter, Chloe (11) and my energetic, singing, dancing, all around funny man Jack (7).  I have so much to share about what we are doing with BF Books and how we got to this amazing place but I don’t want to overwhelm you all so I will give you some now and some later! I have fallen in love with books and I love looking for them. Here I am on my birthday with some friends who, of course, took me to a used bookstore!

 I had pretty much been following a classical education method and had a desire to do more with literature. We had been going along and reading for three years, drawing pictures and putting them all in a binder. I know, I know, I will get to the journaling part but that is after I met Rea! Well, I had this thought that I needed to do more. Maybe journal? During a home school convention, I was invited to go to Rea’s class by some friends. Mind you, I have no idea who she is and I get in line afterwards (this should have been a clue) and ask her about taking my literature to another level. She kindly invites me to spend time with her at the Beautiful Feet Books booth. I get there and am captivated. After many questions, discussions, and laughs, I am sold. I buy a few curriculums and I go home and later on buy one more! I am so grateful for that time of transition into what I am teaching now. Rea has done extensive work in this field with her Masters Degree in Children’s Literature and it shows!

Fast forward six months and we have are being filled with knowledge from all our beautiful books. I want to share with you some of our journals that we have been working on to go with our books. This was a new concept for me and was hooked when Rea showed me her children’s journals at a Literature Soiree she hosted in her home.  At the end of the year to have these precious journals with my children's ideas is priceless to me. It is hard work with much more time invested since my children can spend quite a bit of time working on a picture for their journal but it's worth every moment.

Jack's notebook pages on Owl Moon, a book read in the Teaching Character Primary Study Guide. 

First, I want to show you a journal from Beautiful Feet's Teaching Character Primary Reading Pack that Jack has been working through. I have enjoyed reading all of these books and in curriculum gives so many more books than is pictured! She lists authors and other favorite books which is so helpful for me as I'm starting on this “only the best literature for my kids" journey. Thank you Rebecca! These are two of the almost 40 stories that Jack has worked so hard in putting together. These were below his reading level but I didn’t want him to miss out on anything and we are talking about character, something we can all relate too! I know I need to be reminded of “hope never fails you”.

Jack's notebook entry for The Pink Tulip by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, a story read in the Teaching Character Through Literature Study Guide. 

Chloe has read through the some of the books in the Early American History for Intermediate Grades and here are her journal pages on the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. Reading Abe Lincoln Grows Up by Carl Sandburg brought history alive. Spending that time listening to the details of his life, we learned so much more than we would have in a short text on the subject. I also added her pages on Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. Spending time reading, drawing/coloring, and writing has helped us to really absorb the subject. You get to know the person you spend time with.

Chloe's journal pages on Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman

Chloe's journal featuring a timeline of the Civil War and map of the United States

Chloe's journal entry on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Here is journal page from Jack’s Early American History books. We started with Leif the Lucky and are now learning about Benjamin Franklin. Here are two pages from Jack's work on The Matchlock Gun a story about a brave boy who obeys his mom. OK, so there's more than that but I like that part!

Jack's notebook pages for The Matchlock Gun

We love Beautiful Feet's Geography Through Literature study! I have a co-op of five kids and we spend our time reading, writing in our journals, and working on our maps. Here is Jack’s journal (below) from Seabird by Holling Clancy Holling. When we read the first book, Paddle to the Sea, I love that Jack noticed that the pictures were “amazing because they are very detailed. . . and look real and true.” I had him write that in his literature journal as well.

Jack's journal entry featuring the travels of Nate in Seabird from our Geography Through Literature Study Guide

Chloe is also part of an all girls book club where they are reading through the Teaching Character Intermediate books. The mom puts a spread of food and hot chocolate and the girls have a great time reading and learning together!

I have definitely put more hard work and thought into homeschooling this year but it is more rewarding! There is so much more I couldn’t share,  the best illustrators, timelines, summer reading lists, Christmas books, the influence is endless. Thank you for enriching us with good books and memories to last us a lifetime!

Thank you, Lisa for providing us with a window into your homeschooling experience and for letting us peek into your children's beautiful notebooks! I love the idea of your daughter's Teaching Character Through Literature book club. Does anyone else do that? Would people be interested in doing an online book club for their kids?

If anyone else is interested in their children's notebook pages being featured here, please send me a picture of them. I absolutely love seeing what sort of creative ideas you all come up with and know that other homeschooling families and educators would be inspired as well. Just email the pictures to rebecca@bfbooks.com and I'll let you know when they'll be posted. 

Thank you again, Lisa, for sharing your story with us. We look forward to hearing more in the future! 

You may also enjoy these other entries written by homeschooling moms:

Introducing Samantha

Update from Samantha

Connection and Love, an entry from Vanessa

"I love homeschooling!" an update from Samantha

Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages. And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!

You are what you read...

Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, one of the most admirable characters in literature

A study recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology confirms what parents and educators have know for centuries: you are deeply shaped by the books you read. The study does shed light on the psychological changes that happen when one is reading and being throughly immersed in the world of a fictional character. Turns out your behavior and thought process will mimic that of your favorite characters! The study also suggests that the more strongly you identify with a character, the more your behavior will change. One of the researches stated that the change may even be longterm:  “If you’ve got a deep connection with the characters, it can have a lasting impact, it can inspire you to re-read something. And then the impact can be strengthened over time.” 


In many ways I am sure that this is not surprising to anyone but I do think it can give one pause. Just as watching television can chip away at our contentment the books we read can be negative influences in our lives. As adults we should also be modeling good choices to the children in our lives. Our reading can reflect the baser aspects of our fallen nature, or it can serve to elevate our thoughts and turn us toward that which is good, true, and beautiful. 

As we have talked so much about raising readers, we also want to ensure that our children love reading those books that emulate the character traits we would like to see in their lives. It isn't enough to say "At least she's reading." We need to be aware of what she's reading. Now, as with all things, there is something to be said for moderation. I went through a stage in my tween years where I really enjoyed reading books from The Babysitter's Club. My mom could not understand the appeal but she didn't forbid me to read them. And I think that was a wise decision. She provided a compromise in which for each classic or historical title I read, I was allowed one Babysitter's Club. This was perfect for me. In my young mind there was nothing morally corrupting about The Babysitter's Club, but my mom knew that a steady diet of books about semi-discontented teen girls who were obsessed with clothing and babysitting jobs may lead to similar behavior in me. By ensuring that I was also exposed to books of a loftier morality, she not only mitigated the possible negative effects of my guilty pleasure, she saw to it that my forming literary tastes were not simply content to settle for mind candy. 

A broad exposure to great literature will also provide your children with a standard by which they can judge the characters they encounter in the books they read. The diversity of people I encountered in my reading made it more difficult to identify with any of the characters from The Babysitter's Club. After reading about the courageous Kit in The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Claudia's scrunchy and candy obsessions started to seem a little silly. As a teen, having encountered the great wisdom of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, Elinor Dashwood's selflessness in Sense and Sensibility, and the real and tragic Ann Frank, I was less liable to be sucked in to Holden Caulfield's self-indulgent world in Catcher in the Rye. 

There are so many wonderful characters, real and fictional, in the world of literature who are worthy of emulation. What characters have you deeply identified with? Who would you like to introduce your children to? Are there books you just cannot wait to give to your children but are waiting until they are old enough? I would love to hear from you!

And if you're looking for some direction, check out these resources:

Books that Build Character by William Kilpatrick and Gregory and Suzanne Wolfe

Books Children Love by Elizabeth Wilson

Teaching Character through Literature for Primary Grades

Teaching Character through Literature for Intermediate Grades

Cultivating Contentment

"As to that leisure evening of life, I must say that I do not want it. I can conceive of no contentment of which toil is not to be the immediate parent." 

Anthony Trollope 

A couple of weeks ago I was listening to an economics podcast that I enjoy when one of the commentators mentioned that people who do not watch TV tend to buy less stuff! That caught my attention and since then, I have not been able to get that little tidbit out of my head. The commentator went on to say that people who have gotten rid of their televisions are generally happier! Naturally I had to do some research! On the blog we've talked a lot about the importance of reading aloud, cultivating a desire in your children to read, and even the fact that boredom is good for youngsters. Watching television has come up in our discussion of boy's social development, and the natural conclusion that the more time is spent watching TV, the less time children have to read and play.

The soundbite from my podcast presented a new angle to me in that watching television can carve away at our contentment. While there have been many studies on the effect of watching television on the intellectual development of children, I only came across a few that related to measuring the effect on the child consumer's purchasing habits. One dealt almost exclusively with a child's exposure to advertisements. It's findings were that children are susceptible to the barrage of adverts seen while watching TV and their behavior could be affected and shaped by such exposure. Another study found that the more time children spent watching TV the more they asked for products they saw on TV. Boys seemed to be more persistent than girls in making repeated requests. Now, if having a child always pestering you to buy something doesn't reduce your contentment, I don't know what will!

All of this is very interesting and the research is developing as academics latch on to a phenomenon that, until about ten years ago, was researched almost entirely by marketers. What I find more interesting and thought provoking is the idea that watching television creates discontent. I think that Anthony Trollope puts a fine point on the foundation of contentment in the quote above. It is the product of work.

Television takes this idea and tries to confound it. Children are told that they will be happy if they just buy the latest toy, gizmo, snack. Having this message reinforced on a daily basis sets boys and girls up for a lifetime of discontent. The studies show that the more television a child watches the more persistent he or she is in their requests. It may be good for the economy to create people whose happiness depends on their latest purchase, but it does nothing for the soul of our culture.

The second way that television steals our contentment is in the way it laps up our time. No one feels a sense of accomplishment when they finish watching an hour or two of television. I know I often feel more restless than when I started that TV show.

Remember as a child the sense of wellbeing that followed a day of hard play, or the construction of a fort, or the capture of a lizard? How do you feel when you turn that last page on a great book? These are essential experiences for children and are so important in cultivating that sense of self-possession that will lead to contentment. I believe reading is also an essential part of that, in that if we feed our children a steady diet of great literature, their souls will be nourished and will be able to resist the consumeristic values of our time and culture.

I know that in many ways I am preaching to the choir in this post, but I have been struck recently with the importance of cultivating a sense of contentment, especially in the face of a world that is continually trying to tear it down. I'm not talking about taking on a lackadaisical "it's all cool" mentality but equipping your children to grow up with the understanding that a good and happy life is not the product of the things we buy, but the result of a good character and a generous life.

So, here's to long summer days full of running around, working together, playing and exploring, and, of course, reading! I am curious as to how you limit your child's exposure to advertising, television, etc. I do believe that there is a time and place for watching TV and seeing movies, but I am going to be increasingly on-guard in my own life, looking out for that insidious root of discontent that can so easily take hold.

Need some suggestions for summer reading? Check out our blog entries on reading aloud: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV.