Opera Meets Science

Once again, Judy at Consent of the Governed has provided her readers with an online tidbit that I just can’t pass up. Being the parent of an opera enthusiast/teenage composer and a musician myself, I am always eager to examine learning tools that utilize music. In this case, opera (more specifically, the “Modern General” song from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan) is being used to teach the periodic table of elements. Get your kids/students to memorize this and they just may do better in chemistry. Memorize it yourself and you may just gain some neurons. "The Elements Song" was created by Tom Lehrer. Enjoy!

Unhooked Generation: Chapter 1

As part of a self-designed Health class, my daughter and I are reading a book by Jillian Straus, a senior associate producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show. The book, titled Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We’re Still Single, discusses the attitudes toward and the realities of sexuality, dating, and marriage amongst adults ages 18-35. Publishers Weekly has this to say about the publication:

Straus, a producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show, has lived an independent life typical of her Gen-X peers. But in this perceptive book, based on interviews with 100 heterosexual singles across the country, she concludes that the myriad choices enjoyed by 20- and 30-somethings have led to a sense of hopelessness and cynicism about relationships and a deep fear of commitment that’s often felt as a “fear of settling.” She lists cultural factors that place obstacles in the way of intimacy, among them an obsessive focus on independence and career, the aftereffects of feminism, and reliance on distancing new technologies such as instant messaging and online personals. Straus writes in a lively style replete with buzzwords, yet offers tough conclusions. While both men and women have impossible expectations, Straus observes that Gen-Xers prefer to “upgrade” rather than work on a relationship. And the compulsion to have lots of casual sex with attractive partners conflicts with the goal of finding a mate. The book ends with stories of couples who have succeeded in finding and keeping love. Straus argues convincingly that in order to open yourself to love, you cannot keep your options open --- you have to commit all the way.

I chose to add this book to the Health class reading list so that my daughter would be exposed to, and have the opportunity to discuss, the prevailing attitudes about sexuality, dating, and marriage amongst young people because these are the points of view she will, most likely, encounter when she enters the workforce and/or leaves home for college in a few years. I want her to be armed with as much information as possible before she walks out the door; and, as a parent, I want to be prepared for the challenges she will face, challenges that are (in some ways) much different from those I faced while at university.

I must admit, when I started Unhooked Generation, I was concerned that the overall message would be one of ethical relativity and advocacy for the “unhooked” mindset. Happily, after reading only the introduction, I think Ms. Straus is squarely on the side of commitment. Quoting from the text:

Certain commentators have made the point that an early adult experience of serial monogamy leads to a lot of heartbreak and cynicism, and that it can actually undermine faith in marriage and commitment. One of these is Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex. Rabbi Boteach argues that, by the time you have seriously dated a couple of people, slept with them, and left them or been left by them --- that is, before you ever make it to the altar --- there is “scar tissue” on your heart. Maggie Gallagher, who wrote The Abolition of Marriage, makes a similar case. These books defy the conventional wisdom of our generation...that a series of intimate relationships prior to marriage can strengthen the marital bond, much like training wheels strengthen the skill of bike-riding. The problem is --- as I began to feel after listening to my own heart and hearing the feelings of my male and female friends --- when you painfully experience your training wheels falling off a couple of times, it is hard to trust your bike.

I am also pleased by Ms. Straus’ admission that the birth cohort to which she belongs (Gen-X) yearns for deep emotional intimacy, yet seems so disconnected. Their definition of connection, for example, taken from the “Unhooked Dictionary” in the back of the book, sets an almost impossible standard:

An instant bond beyond physical attraction that we, as Gen-Xers, strive for but can’t always sustain. Can occur along with or separately from the buzz.

Buzz, of course, being:

The euphoria someone gives you when you are in love, usually associated with the early stages of romance.

According to Ms. Straus, Gen-Xers also do not accept marriage as an ideal nor as the singular feminine goal. In fact, they doubt whether love can even last. Sad.

Having been married for twenty-two years myself and being the child of parents who were married forty-six years when my father died, I doubt whether I will be able to relate completely to the paradigm studied in Unhooked Generation. Yet, for the sake of my daughter and her education, I will struggle through it. Rest assured, I plan to “balance” the information obtained from this book with some resources on the biblical view of sexuality, dating, and marriage, resources like Every Young Woman’s Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World by Shannon Ethridge & Stephen Arterburn or I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris.

I will keep you updated on our progress through these materials.

Electronic Field Trips Announced!

Colonial Williamsburg has released the list of Electronic Field Trips for the 2007-2008 academic year. I have reprinted the summary here. For more information on cost and sign up procedures, visit the Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trip page. My daughter is very excited about the episode entitled, “Emissaries of Peace,” because it deals with the Cherokee people prior to their march westward. Katherine the Great has discovered, of late, that my maternal family history contains a Cherokee woman named Zula who married a gentleman named Charles Edward Forsythe in Indian Springs, Maryland around 1732. But I digress…check out the listings and sign up today!

JAMESTOWN UNEARTHED
October 11, 2007
Take a look at how history is written and reevaluated as new methods of study are introduced. Explore the myths and misconceptions of Jamestown in 1607: revisit the documents, artifacts, and other evidence through archaeology. Learn how every generation sees the evidence in new ways, and how this affects our understanding of the past.

EMISSARIES OF PEACE (premiere)
November 8, 2007
During the turbulent era of the French and Indian War, the Cherokee people struggled to presere their independence. Follow Cherokee leader Ostenaco and Virginian Henry Timberlake on their 1762 journey from Chota (the capital of the Cherokee nation( to Williamsburg and London in search of lasting peace.

FOUNDERS OR TRAITORS? (premiere)
December 6, 2007
The months of late 1776 were “the times that try men’s souls.” Join Edward Rutledge, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams as they attend a conference with British admiral Lord Howe, hoping to end the American rebellion peacefully. Discover the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the risks they took.

FOR READY MONEY
January 10, 2008
Join a young merchant apprentice as he learns his lessons in money and accounts. Just as today, everyone in colonial America from gentleman to slave had access to coins, bill, notes, and credit. Discover how the colonial economy worked.

NO MASTER OVER ME
February 7, 2008
Ann Ashby tells the story of her life as a free black during the days of slavery. Discover how she and her husband, Matthew, made a life for their family: Matthew purchased his wife and children and had them freed. This is the story of balancing between slave and free communities in this poignant reminder of what our freedom is really worth.

TREASURE KEEPERS (premiere)
March 6, 2008
You’ve seen their work in every museum --- but what do conservators really do? Learn how conservators prevent or slow the damage caused by “agents of destruction.” Explore how and why preserving history is important for future generations.

THE INDUSTRIOUS TRADESMEN
April 10, 2008
Follow the lives of several journeymen fresh from their apprenticeships in trades and business as they learn how skill and opportunity will impact their careers. Discover which ones will achieve their dreams and become masters of their own shops.

Designing Health Class

In order to meet the graduation requirements for the state of Connecticut and the state of Maine (where our transcript service is located), my daughter must complete 40 instructional hours, or one-half credit, of health. As I could not/did not find an established curriculum that covered everything I wanted Katherine the Great to learn, I decided to design my own course. Most likely, it will be called Health, Sexuality, and Human Anatomy. This is what I came up with so far.

Course description
A survey course in human anatomy, growth and development, nutrition, immunology, fitness, safety, and first aid in order to better understand the human body, and determine what actions will help the student attain and maintain good health. Includes units on medical ethics and medical careers, as well as a comparison of biblical and secular attitudes toward sexuality, dating, and marriage.

Topics Covered
Major body systems
Fetal growth & development
Mental health & disorders
Immunology
Infectious & noninfectious diseases
Systemic diseases & disorders
Nutritional needs
Healthy food choices
Exercise & fitness
Personal health care & hygiene
Household hazards
Road safety
Environmental safety
Emergency preparedness
First-aid procedures
Drugs & medicines
Drug & substance abuse
Alcohol & tobacco
Suicide, euthanasia, & abortion
Organ donation
AIDS
Stem cell research
Medical careers
Sexuality, dating, & marriage
Biblical discernment

Course requirements
- Read Health in Christian Perspective. Complete all assignments in textbook. Take all associated unit exams.

- Color all assigned diagrams in The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit & Lawrence Elson.

- Read Sex, Love, and Romance: Sex Education from the Bible by Hugh F. Pyle.

- Read Unhooked Generation: The Truth About Why We’re Still Single by Jillian Straus.

- Attend a presentation on abstinence education.

- Write a paper comparing and contrasting the biblical and secular attitudes toward sexuality, dating, and marriage.

- Keep a food diary for one week. Write a short paper analyzing your nutritional habits with an emphasis on areas needing improvement.

- Perform a personal fitness assessment. Write a plan to improve areas of weakness. Keep the plan for use in a physical education class.

- Explain & demonstrate various first-aid techniques.

- Perform a safety assessment on your home. Write a plan to address any deficiencies.

- Interview a health care provider in your community. Write a short paper discussing what you learned.

- Examine the current state of medical research and discuss the associated ethics issues per abortion, euthanasia, organ donation, AIDS, stem cell research, and suicide. Write a position paper supporting your personal viewpoint on one of these issues.

Note: The curriculum will include educational videos where appropriate. I may also require my daughter to visit a pregnancy counseling/support center as part of the course; however, I am uncertain if this is necessary given the other course requirements already in place for sex education.

Graded work
- Individual assignments from Health in Christian Perspective
- Tests from Health in Christian Perspective
- Coloring assignments in The Anatomy Coloring Book
- Sexuality paper
- Food diary & analysis
- Fitness assessment and plan
- First-aid demonstration
- Home safety assessment & plan
- Health care provider interview evaluation
- Medical ethics position paper

NationStates

Today, Koalagirl15 and The Amazing Zacchini gave my daughter and me the address of a website that, as a political science major who is currently teaching American Government, I think is totally cool: www.nationstates.net. Based on the book Jennifer Government by Max Barry, the site allows visitors to create their own nation, complete with flag, motto, and national animal. That is where the simplicity seems to end, however. Once a newly birthed nation begins conducting business, the game requires the ruler to make decisions on issues such as the legalization of euthanasia or whether voting should be voluntary or compulsory. Talk about conversation starters! Katherine the Great created an inoffensive, centrist, democracy. Her friend, The Amazing Zacchini, designed a compulsory, consumerist state. The type of country adjusts constantly based on how issues are decided. A benevolent dictatorship, for example, could morph into a socialist state, could change into a democracy, could become a left-leaning college state, and so on, and so on. I find it all very intriguing, plus it gives the kids a very real-time, hands-on way to understand various forms of government and how social/political behavior affects the foundations of authority and culture.

Check it out and create your own personalized country.