What a great session with Huan the philosopher!  And SO EXCITING to
have it on film!  You are right Huong, Huan does really start showing
off at about the 14 minute mark.  I do structure my lessons this way
so that we move from shorter, very factual questions and answers to
more open ended questions. The earlier, structured questions provide
time to warm up a bit - get the motor movements going and improve
fluency.  You will notice that I generally give significantly less
prompting as we go along in the session.  Also, Huan's speed tends to
pick up a bit too.  I like to finish the lessons with a little
creative writing or open ended communication.  It is SO thrilling to
watch my kiddos open up and communicate freely instead of from rigid
scripts!  I never get tired of this!!!

Here is the transcript from our lesson!

Confucianism

Confucius was born around 551 BCE in Lu province in the Chou era. His
parents were nobility, but had become poor when the empire
disintegrated into feudal states.

Tell me one thing you just learned about Confucius.  CONFUCIUS WAS FROM CHINA

When Confucius was about 15 years old, he became quite interested in
learning. In those days, only the nobility and royals were allowed
education. All the teachers were government officials. It was hard for
Confucius to find a way to learn, so he went to work for a nobleman.
This gave him the opportunity to learn and to travel to the imperial
capital.

What made it difficult for Confucius to pursue and education? ONLY
NOBILITY WAS PERMITTED TO LEARN (Love the word choice of permitted!)

What was his solution? WORKED FOR A NOBLEMAN

Confucius studied and learned until he probably was the most learned
man of his day. People heard of his knowledge and sent their sons to
study with him. He was the first private teacher in China. Confucius
taught anyone who was eager to learn. His ideas, called Confucianism,
stress the need to develop responsibility and moral character through
rigid rules of behavior.

How was Confucius different as an educator?  TAUGHT WHO WANTED TO LEARN

What were the principles of Confucianism? RIGID RULES OF CONDUCT

I wanted to make sure that Huan understood what these words meant, so
I asked him, "What does rigid mean?"  FIRM; "what does conduct mean?"
BEHAVIOR

Confucianism is not, properly speaking, a religion; it's a way of
behaving, so you'll do the right things.

What is the difference between s a philosophy vs. a religion?
RELIGION IS LOVE GOD.  PHILOSOPHY IS LOVE THINKING.  (wow!!!)

The most important things to Confucius were peace and order. He felt
that everyone had a proper role in society, and that if people were
willing to accept their role and fulfill it, that peace and harmony
would abound.

What is your role in society?  TO BE A GOOD PERSON

In order to help people accept their roles in society and establish
order, Confucius laid out what he called ethics. These ethics outlined
how individuals should treat one another. The most important of these
ethics outlined the responsibilities of children to respect and listen
to their parents and other elders. He also laid out ethics for how
subjects should follow rulers, for how rulers should treat subjects,
how husbands and wives should treat one another, and how friends
should treat each other.

Name one of Confucius' ethics.  RESPECT YOUR PARENTS

What ethical principles guide your life?  I TRY TO MIND
MYSELF...."what does this mean?"....I LISTEN TO MY THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT
I SHOULD DO.

During his own lifetime, Confucius' teachings were not widely
accepted. However, within a hundred years they were being used by the
emperor to help him rule, and eventually became a widely followed
religion. Confucianism would remain a powerful force in Chinese
history.


"Would you like to talk about some quotes or do some creative
writing?"  (verbally....QUOTES)

Here are some quotes by Confucius.  Tell me what they mean to you.

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."
PEOPLE MAKE LIFE MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT NEEDS TO BE.

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is
noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by
experience, which is the bitterest."  IT IS EASY TO IMITATE BEING
SMART BUT REAL WISDOM HAPPENS THROUGH THINKING.  (Holy cow! So
profound!  There is no way I could make this stuff up!!!)

*Such a fun session today!!!  Have a great week and bundle up for the
upcoming nasty weather!  Looking forward to seeing you next week!!!
Elizabeth