Smrt Lernins

[Today's Secular Thursday post was guest-written by The Mama of Concordia Classical Academy. I really appreciate her insight into the Christian perspective(s) on the Harry Potter series and I think it provides a nice point of discussion for Secular Thursday. You can also read The Mama's previous guest post on a religious homeschooler's perspective of secular homeschoolers.]

Why I let my kids read Harry Potter

I suppose it’s inaccurate to say I let my kids read Harry Potter–only one is currently reading. I have let the preschooler watch it with her big sister, though.

The debate around Harry Potter isn’t new. The books have been out for quite a while and there is a ton of information available about the content and appropriateness. I’ve recently seen it crop back up and had to make the choice myself on whether or not to allow it for my kids. These are my thoughts and why I didn’t feel that Harry Potter was an issue to avoid despite our conservative Christian faith.

There are a LOT of people who really adamantly feel that reading Harry Potter’s adventures will damage the faith of their children. That it’s entertaining evil, or just that it’s a waste of time that could be spent reading something that will increase faith.

The main arguments against Harry Potter seem to be:
a) it’s magic and magic is of the Devil.
b) bad things happen in the books and it’s too dark for kids.
c) the magic is worse then magic in other books because it’s the protagonists using it.
d) the writing isn’t great.

I’ll address these as I thought through them and discussed them with my husband.

a) Yes, magic is present in all of the books. It’s even a central idea–Harry is different because of magic, he goes to a magical school, and he lost his parents because of a dark magician. The magic portrayed in the books isn’t really anything different then any fairy tale or fantasy; it has little to no relation to reality. I don’t know anyone who can transform objects with a wand and a short incantation. Nor would I ban all books with any magic–there goes the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Disney movies, Star Wars, and a myriad of other books, movies, and tales. It’d be a pretty narrow world if you took out all of the material with magic! I mean, it would never occur to me to worry about my kids watching Dora because they would start trying to converse with monkeys and foxes, even though Dora can. It’s make believe and I actually think it’s healthy to encourage pretend and fantasy in kids–as long as they know what is real.

b) Bad things do happen in the books. People died. They are betrayed by people they trust. The kids lie to adults and sneak around. Bad things happen in real life, too. That doesn’t mean you need to dwell on it, but it does mean that exposing kids to it through literature can actually be a good, healthy way to discuss these themes. Part of the appeal of Harry’s world is how realistic it is in the way life goes for the characters. They experience loss and disappointment. They get injured. I have found that it’s actually helped my daughter to read about someone having a problem similar to one she’s had, having, or will have, as long as we talk about it. Kids shouldn’t be set loose in a void to puzzle morality through on their own. These books provide great leaping-off points for discussion. The books also have huge examples of love, self-sacrificing devotion, loyalty, friendship, and courage. About accepting people who are different. About standing up for the little guy–and about coping with being the little guy. It shows how to stick with your convictions and how to treat people how you want to be treated. It’s not all bad by far, folks.

c) This argument seems to play in the same sandbox as the one that the Chronicles on Narnia and the Lord of the Rings were intended as Christian allegory, so it’s OK. I’ll reiterate first that I don’t think most kids read these books and expect to learn to fly or transform things as a result. Even so, is it confusing to see the good guys doing something that could be seen as bad? I suppose for some children it might be, but isn’t this a reason to sit and discuss, rather then avoid something? If faith is so uncertain and tenuous that reading a book where the good guy has unusual powers causes a significant shake up, perhaps there are other issues to address. Just because someone is a hero, doesn’t mean all aspects of him/her are good. Most heroes have flaws that are visible and a big part of them; think of Odysseus. Think of sports stars. Politicians. Isn’t childhood the proper place and time to talk about taking the good and sifting the bad (if fantasy magic is bad)? I’ll take all the chances I can get to help my kids learn discernment with me there to assist.

d) I heartily disagree. I like Harry Potter! I think it’s some sort of snobbishness that I’m in no hurry to leap into to call Harry Potter poorly written or immature. To be sure it’s not an old classic, but it’s incredibly widely read and loved. Just because something is popular doesn’t make it bad. It’s not inferior just because it’s not a century old. It’s appealing, has a cohesive and coherent storyline, and has inspired lots of people who aren’t readers to READ. Isn’t that a mark of great literature?

I can’t tell you to let your kids read Harry Potter. I can’t tell you that they will be deprived without it. The world is full of books. I can tell you that they aren’t some super stealth faith destroying series, though. It’s no different then allowing any fantasy into a child’s life.

To me, Harry Potter is somewhat akin to a sugary donut. It’s not all I want my kids to eat, but it sure is fun.

[Note from Smrt Mama: My dear friend The Mama from Concordia Classical Academy is doing me a very special Secular Thursday favor by guest blogging this wonderful post about how religious homeschoolers view secular homeschooling. I hope you'll appreciate her unique insight into the differences between our worlds as much as I do.]

Most of you regular Smrt Mama readers don’t know me, so let me first introduce myself. I’m the Mama, mother of three children: Sweet Pea, 6, Little Bird, almost 3, and Moose, 7 weeks. My elder two are girls and the baby is our first boy.

I live in the northern part of Minnesota in a little town that isn’t near very much. Except woods. Remember reading Little House in the Big Woods where Laura Ingalls Wilder talks about woods that go for days without end? It’s like that, only not in Wisconsin. Anyway, besides the children which quasi-qualify me to blather on about homeschooling, I am part of a family that fits neatly into the religious category: I’m married to a conservative pastor, we lead a pretty traditional family life, we dress modestly, and we teach religion as part of our day. I’m probably the stereotype that you now can picture in your mind! Smrt Mama told me that it’d be interesting to see how religious homeschoolers view the others–the seculars. I decided to take it upon myself to speak for a diverse, divergent community, so here it goes!*

Social graces

Since the most common question homeschoolers seem to get pounded with by others is about the s-word (socialization, or the lack thereof) I thought I’d start with how we religious folk view this. You may have noticed the plethora of religious homeschooling groups and co-ops, many of which require a member to sign a belief statement to get into the club. Why? Why keep out people who don’t agree? There’s some differing viewpoints here, and I’ll try to hit on those that come to mind:

Shelter! Yes, some groups really are trying to keep you out because they are worried that your lifestyle or liberal views will damage their offspring. They don’t want to see their children intermingling with unbelievers when they are little, because this could interfere with imparting religious ideas and choices, and when they are older, they don’t want there to be the temptation to date someone outside the group.

Fear! I know some homeschoolers who really fear the secular side of things. They don’t understand how morality can live out of the framework of religion. The worry about the kids being exposed to swearing, drugs, sex, violence, and dancing. Kidding! Kinda.

Anger! This’d be the groups that wanted faith taught in schools, that see America on a downward spiral, and know who they blame.

Peace! This is probably the most common — people who want commonality in lifestyles and goals and, to that aim, mostly want other religious folks to hang out and learn with. They don’t dislike the secular folks, but they don’t feel like there’s much common ground in regards to how lives are led.

Book Learning

When it comes to science, there are three main groups: Those who believe the world was created in about a week, roughly 6,000 years ago, those who believe evolution and creation co-exist in intelligent design, and those who believed this all evolved over a massive amount of time. There’s even debate, from all sides, if all of these views are science, so it’s no surprise that this is an area that there’s some big disagreements. Most religious homeschoolers kind of shake their heads at secular science and how prevalent it is. Some even have apologetics–defense of the faith–as a part of science class or its own subject.

Relaxation and rigor: it’s probably untrue, but there’s a big feeling that some seculars are way too loosey goosey with academics. And that eventually this’ll negatively impact homeschooling for everybody.

The Future

Goods news, though: despite the worries about your kids cohabiting and living free and easy, I do think most religious homeschoolers think secularly homeschooled kids will shake out better then their publically schooled peers.

I will say that most of my current homeschool chattering is with secular folks who’ve chosen a similar academic path for their schooling. By circumstance, most of my friends are of a reiligious bent similar to my own. I think both groups could have a lot to share…if we could all just play nice in the sand box. And, you know, do things my way.

*I know there are religious homeschoolers who share none of my viewpoints or are deeply offended by my sentiments here. To you: I am deeply, sincerely sorry!

The second in our Secular Thursday series of secular homeschooling mom archetypes, The Organized Mom, has been guest authored by my own favorite Organized Mom, Patchfire of A Little Rebellion:

When Smrt Mama was preparing for this, her first year of homeschooling, I probably overshared my own preparations. Needing to balance the needs of two students and a toddler too, I was even more organized than ever before. I think it was the color-coded schedules that finally did her in. The result was being used loosely as a model for the Organized Mom archetype. Now Smrt Mama’s asked me to pontificate for a bit on the strengths and weakness of Organized Mom.

Here’s a quick refresher on the Organized Mom archetype, pulled from Smrt Mama’s original post on the topic:

* The Organized Mom – She is better at this than you will ever be. If you’re comparing yourself to other homeschoolers, just go ahead and quit before you get around to comparing yourself to her. You might even consider flinging yourself on your sword. She has her days scheduled to the color-coded minute and her children obey them perfectly. She researched her curricula extensively and is most likely following a Classical model. She’s already finished planning her curriculum for next year. Her children are enrolled in enrichment programs and are now very enriched and can Appreciate (with a capital A) art and music. Her motto: “It’s never too early to start looking at colleges.”

Her strengths are many. Organizing, knowledge, vision, and confidence stand out amongst them. There are weakness there, too – overscheduling, trying to do too many books and too many curricula, and above all, the possibility of arrogance. Organized Mom doesn’t know how not to be organized, though, so the key is mitigating the weaknesses.

Strengths: The obvious is first: organization. Organized Mom has a system for computer files, pieces of paper, and everything in between. Often blessed with a good memory (or a good back-up system!), Organized Mom has a place for many things, even if it’s not immediately obvious. She extends this organization onto her time, with an almost eerie ability to coordinate errands, enrichment activities, exercise, and other time demands in order to maximize efficiency. The color-coded schedule? Merely a written diagram of what’s inside her brain.
Weakness: Kids need time to play freely. They need downtime, and some spontaneity, too.
Solution: Be sure that the color-coded schedule allows that time for free play and downtime. The kids will come to look forward to it, and will also know no screen time is allowed during it. Also, don’t extend the color-coded schedules too far. Scheduling the schoolwork: good. Scheduling your Saturday down to fifteen-minute intervals? Bad. Sometimes a block of time would be better served by a checklist than a schedule, and other times, the schedule kept 95% of the time should enable Organized Mom to break the schedule entirely.

Weakness: Armed with her knowledge of curriculum, Organized Mom wants to use the best resources. All of them.
Weakness: In an attempt to play to her personal subject strengths as well as shore up her personal weaknesses, Organized Mom can easily unbalance her children’s curriculum. Afraid of shortchanging them, their enrichment activities may end up concentrated in just one or two areas.
Strength: Organized Mom knows about lots of good resources, and can change course for various children, or offer suggestions for other homeschoolers.
Strength:Organized Mom knows where her homeschool is going. She may have a formal vision statement written, or a list detailing what a high school graduate should know. She’s looking into the future, and planning with the end in mind.
Solution: Use that vision statement! Organized Mom sometimes needs to step back and look at the big picture when she’s caught up in the minutiae. Often, simply picture where a certain program or curriculum fits (or doesn’t!) in the overall plan will help her make a good decision. Organized Mom is also a perfect choice for running (or at least attending religiously) a homeschool moms’ night out or curriculum sharing night. With her knowledge of various curricula, she may know just the program for Suzy Neighbor’s advanced ten year old, or Kelly NextTownOver’s budding reader. She’s also unafraid to change programs for the needs of her different students. One child may thrive with one approach, and the next another. Luckily, she knows the ins and outs of many, and can meet her children’s needs accordingly.

Strength/Weakness: Organized Mom is confident. She has a plan and a vision, and knows what to use to achieve it. If she were inclined to make comparisons with other homeschoolers in the beginning, she’s stopped after just a year or two, or maybe less. Even when there are doubters, she just tunes them out. Think Rachel Berry on Glee singing “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” There can be a fine line between confidence and arrogance, however, and one of her biggest strengths (confidence) can all too easily become a big weakness (arrogance).
Solution:The phrases “in my opinion” and “in my experience” can help mitigate the occasions when she steps close to the line. Organized Mom must still be careful to gauge people’s reactions, whether online or in person. If she’s not skilled in reading people, even more caution may be required. She shouldn’t let fear of alienation through arrogance keep her from sharing what she knows and has learned, however, which makes this strength/weakness duo by far the most difficult to navigate.

Organized Mom is the quintessential Girl Scout, living up to the motto of “Be prepared.” If her children don’t win college scholarships and go on to rule or change the world, she’ll have just one thing to say. In the immortal words of Han Solo, “It’s not my fault!”

[Note from Smrt Mama: Do you identify (even partially? somewhat humorously?) with any of the remaining homechooling archetypes? Would you like to guest author a future Secular Thursday blog post at Smrt Lernins? Email Smrt Mama with your ideas for the Secular Homeschool Archetypes series!]