Absolutely amazing. Love it. This is the way it should be. All those people who must rely on abuse to ride horses and get something done, are incompetent “horsemen.” They should not be around horses. They deny identity and causality; they are to students what modern Pragmatist, Platonic theory is to education; they are to horses what dictators are to a country. The guy in the video is to students what Montessori is to education; he is to horses what President Thomas Jefferson was to the US population.
May 23, 2012
May 16, 2012
Description of a Horse in Max Brand
From The Untamed by Max Brand:
“It required some study to guess at these qualities of the rider, for they were such things as a child feels more readily than a grown man; but it needed no expert to admire the horse he bestrode. It was a statue in black marble, a steed fit for a Shah of Persia! The stallion stood barely fifteen hands, but to see him was to forget his size. His flanks shimmered like satin in the sun. What promise of power in the smooth, broad hips! Only an Arab poet could run his hand over that shoulder and then speak properly of the matchless curve. Only an Arab could appreciate legs like thin and carefully drawn steel below the knees; or that flow of tail and windy mane; that generous breast with promise of the mighty heart within; that arched neck; that proud head with the pricking ears, wide forehead, and muzzle, as the Sheik said, which might drink from a pint-pot.”
Love a good, appreciative description of horses; could be better, though. Would be nice if he described the horse’s consciousness and the will to live; would have made it stronger for me. But, that is Max Brand for you.
Sounded better on audio than it did in writing. Maybe, also, the surprise in hearing it the first time added value; when I went back and read the passage, I knew it was there, and what it was about.
May 14, 2012
May 11, 2012
“Chronic Stress, Cortisol Resistance, and Modern Disease”
Awesome. Chris Kresser delivers another great podcast: Chronic Stress, Cortisol Resistance, and Modern Disease.
He discusses:
1. Cortisol resistance is the problem, not high cortisol;
2. Probiotics work, not by changing your gut flora, but because they are “antibacterial [and] antiviral, [and] increas[e] mucus production. They can alter stool and gas formation, which in turn can reduce constipation and diarrhea. They have anti-inflammatory effects;”
3. We should not reject epidemiological studies just as we should not accept all double-blind clinical trials. Seems Chris Kresser is using on better standards of reasoning and induction than some other people do. (Though not perfect.) Now if he would just read David Harriman‘s The Logical Leap, he could be even better.
May 8, 2012
Vaquera Ranch
Vaquera Ranch, a natural horsemanship ranch, is running in Bastrop, TX!! We need more like this!! This is how it should be done!!
They say: “There is an awful lot of information out there about how to keep your horse(s). At Vaquera Ranch we believe, that it is best to keep them as natural as possible. Therefore, all of our horses are kept as mini herds on pasture all year round, with a shelter to protect them from harsh weather conditions. We also try and keep our stallions together with other horses instead of isolating them, so they can learn social behavior from the professionals, which are horses themselves. We do this to avoid having to deal with unnecessary stallion aggression or other vices commonly encountered when handling stallions.
Our own experiences have shown, that horses tend to be a lot calmer and laid back when they are kept this way as opposed to stabling all year round. Also, many horsemanship experts seem to agree with this philosophy. In addition to socializing extensively with their fellow herd members, they tend to be less spooky on trail rides, and can also be ridden rather safely on windy and rainy days, because they are naturally exposed to a lot more during the day than stabled horses are.”
As for training: “We train all our horses using Natural Horsemanship methods. There are a lot of excellent horsemen out there to learn from. We have chosen to stick to Clinton Anderson’s method of horse training, because we feel, that he has an amazing ability as a teacher. His numerous clinics, DVD’s and books are an excellent resource for all horse owners, and demonstrate clearly how the horse thinks, and how to teach him respect without introducing fear – the most important aspect of horse training.”
Other good trainers are Buck Brannaman, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Monty Roberts, GaWaNi PonyBoy, Klaus Hempfling — and more.
A horse should be treated like a horse; we should treat it and provide for it according to its identity, not according to some old, conventional practice from barbaric days. Most people who have horses ignore identity, cause and effect, reason, and logic; they act too much on authority, blind belief, and emotion. Vaquera is being scientific in dealing with horses. As it should be.
May 2, 2012
On Francis Bacon
From History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science by John William Draper:
“[Lord] Bacon was not only ignorant of mathematics, but depreciated its application to physical inquiries. He contemptuously rejected the Copernican system, alleging absurd objections to it. While Galileo was on the brink of his great telescopic discoveries, Bacon was publishing doubts as to the utility of instruments in scientific investigations. To ascribe the inductive method to him is to ignore history. His fanciful philosophical suggestions have never been of the slightest practical use. No one has ever thought of employing them. Except among English readers, his name is almost unknown. ”
I stumbled on a reference to Draper’s quote while listening to Pioneers of Science by Sir Oliver Lodge.
Pretty Good
One student I tutor received a 690 on the math section of the SAT, a 650 on the writing, and a 590 on the reading, and another a 610 on the math, a 590 on the writing, and a 690 on the reading. Pretty good, but not as good as they can do! They, as do most of us, need to do more practice and take the test a little more seriously.
Congrats!!
A student I tutor earned a 710 on the math section of the SAT, a 690 on the reading, and a 700 on the writing!! Good job!! The test was harsh: he missed only a few in each section. In the nation, he was top 6% or higher, I think it was, for all his scores!! (The percentages were compared to all seniors who took the test last year.)
April 1, 2012
“My Creed” by Edgar Guest
To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill
And cling to faith and honor still;
To do my best, and let that stand
The record of my brain and hand;
And then, should failure come to me,
Still work and hope for victory.
(more…)
March 16, 2012
Homeschool Classes, 2012-2013
True Excellence in Education
Using WebEx, we can enjoy live, online classes, but there is the option of taking the classes by watching the videos, if you so desire or if your schedule demands. Those who take the class live will also be able to watch the videos to review class material after class or at a later date. Classes start in mid-September 2012, but you are welcome to drop in for the second semester, starting in January 2013.
Classes will be on Tuesday and Thursdays, for an hour and a half, more or less, each session, totaling more than 80 hours of instruction for the school year. Algebra, Algebra 2, and Geometry will be offered. With interest, we will also hold classes in Arithmetic, Precalculus, Calculus, Probability and Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, or SAT/ACT Prep.
Geometry will be offered TuTh from 9:00 AM till 10:30 AM, CST; Algebra 1 will be TuTh from 11:00 AM till 12:30 PM, CST; Algebra 2 will be TuTh from 1:00 till 2:30 PM, CST. Other classes will be later in the day on TuTh, or be on MW. Note that times given are CST; make adjustments for your time zone as necessary.
What you get: personalized attention and small classes; step-by-step, logical methods; focus on how and why, not just the what (not just content); confidence and subject mastery; a solid education in reasoning and thinking skills; an expert instructor who knows more than just the math, who brings in science, history, law, literature, and logic.
Arithmetic
Course description: we will cover the concepts of arithmetic in each sequence with stress on practical application, deriving concepts, as much as possible, from real-life examples, and reasoning things out. We will make sure students know how and why something is true. This is critical for higher mathematics, science, finance, accounting, household calculations, and more. We will cover addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and more, as appropriate for the age group.
Possible texts:
1. Ray’s Arithmetic by Joseph Ray, available online through various sources such as Mott Media, or free on sites such as Google Books
Algebra 1 Buy now.
Course description: we will cover the concepts of algebra with stress on how we know things and on practical application, which are the more important things to get out of algebra. Learning derivations and explanations of algebraic concepts teaches us how to reason and gives us confidence in our ability to understand; not learning the derivations and explanations short-circuits the mind, keeps students from developing the ability to think critically, intelligently, and imaginatively, and stifles their self-confidence. We will cover the real numbers, algebraic expressions, linear equations in one and two variables, systems of equations, inequalities, polynomials, functions, exponents, powers, roots, quadratic equations, rational expressions/equations, radical expressions/equations, and graphing. Time permitting, maybe also other topics like the conic sections, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, probability and statistics.
Possible texts:
1. Introductory Algebra By Keedy & Bittinger, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, (c) Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.
2. Elementary Algebra by Larson & Hostetler, Houghton Mifflin Company, (c) Houghton Mifflin Company
3. Algebra: Structure and Method by Dolciani, Brown, Ebos & Cole, Houghton Mifflin Company, (c) Houghton Mifflin Company
