In the Book of Proverbs, wisdom and understanding raise her voice to say,
"when he [God] assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman."
In this post-modern era, we tend to equate the breaking down of a barrier with the inclusive language of the day, but what if we were to apply the principals of “inclusion” to the world’s foundation? There is a place where the depth of the sea meets the depth of the sky and, without the limitation of gravity, there would be no shore line.
Without separation there is no variation.
concentric circle
and the dynamics at play between Center & Fringe
This Little Schoolhouse Review developed over the month of November as I prepared for a speaking event with United Parenting Coalition (Link to the event HERE). I had just finished publishing Four Governing Bodies when I tuned in to the final episode in EXODUS on Dailywire+ by Jordan B. Peterson. Episode 16 was titled, Authority from Above and Within, which miraculously answered the very question of concentric circles that had been ruminating around in my mind for months.
I knew this was the missing piece to the puzzle, and the solution to my study, but it would take the entire month of December before I was able to grasp the genius of what Wisdom had to offer. From the limits of my finite mind, I still cannot comprehend the whole of what it all means, but this one small piece of revelation has been a great ray of truth and light!!!
In searching for WHAT IS REAL.
The Holy Spirit places before us exactly what we seek, and He does this in direct proportion to the depth of our desire.
Any master of form must first acknowledge the objective truth about concentric circles as a framework for all things REAL. Intellectually, I knew there was a connection to the gospels in Peterson’s EXODUS Episode 16, but I couldn’t figure out how to connect the dots, despite my exhaustive study of Scripture in trying to do so. This is exactly how the Lord humbles me in my flesh though, because it finally occurred to me, “Of course you cannot solve a spiritual problem with a physical organ, Jaime.” Of course! I cannot ask my brain to speak for my Spirit … but I CAN ask my Spirit to speak for itself.
So, how does one ask her Spirit to speak?
She prays
and she waits
in the silence of her mind,
and she listens for the answer to her question.
Structure of a STORY
LETTERS make WORDS make SENTENCES make PARAGRAPHS make SCENES make CHAPTERS make ACTS.
In Episode 16 of the EXODUS podcast, Jonathan Pageau begins by explaining the fascinating literary structure of time between the Fall of man and the Flood. He describes the united center as a “known” core that radiates out into a stranger and more bizarre unknown land with unknown people until you get to the edge of the world with monsters, giants, a great wide ocean and the end of the world.
Mr. Pageau describes this as the universal structure of stories, and it is a FORM we see repeated in the Jewish tabernacle, the Jewish temple, the Christian church, the placement of gargoyles and the medieval design of manuscripts.
Dr. James Orr goes on to say, “It is described so beautifully at the mythological level and recapitulated at the political level and at the anthropological level ultimately in that we have affections for that which is closest to us…”
"We have affections for that which is closest to us."
Mother, Father, Sister, Brother.
Spouse, Daughter, Son.
Neighbor, Church, Friend, Community.
State, Nation, World.
Even our VISUAL PERCEPTION structures itself in the same way as the universal structure of story. With a united center and outer fringe, this is the natural way of all creation.
Jordan B. Peterson says, “You use the highest resolution part of your eye to direct the most intense part of your vision. This area is the fovea. Concentric rings shade into each other around the center until out at the periphery you don’t see color or shapes any more … things fade into blackness or non-being.” (Peterson)
HOUSE + SCHOOL
=
This little SCHOOL+HOUSE
The Chosen Pathway Survey compares and contrasts four models of learning – PRIVATE, CHARTER, HOME and PUBLIC – and out of this study flows This Little SCHOOL+HOUSE. The following is a list of my initial critique of WHAT IS A SCHOOL as it relates to a HOUSE.
1. To Inspire motivation you must first limit distractions. What are the biggest offenders? How does each school handle this ratio differently? What happens to a child’s mental health when the rules of your chosen school contradict the rules of your home? Why are some schools able to motivate better than others? Is it true that a school’s failure to discipline is directly proportionate to their failure to motivate?
2. The continued use of Abraham Maslow’s 1943 Hierarchy of Needs among academic types and scholars today will make it the perfect visual by which I am to study the cultivation of motivation. Did Maslow get it right when he tiered the needs of humanity? Did he rightly account for every need known to mankind? I do believe Maslow was on to something, but he was also missing the point.
3. The members of a SCHOOL, like the members of a HOUSE, should protect the student from harm and provide them the time and space for fulfilling basic human needs. Food, shelter, health, sex, safety – these are all basic needs fundamental for the survival of a species, so why do these things become so polarized? (free lunch, free healthcare, free abortion, free school, free sex, free speech) The answer is hidden in the fundamental truth missing from Maslow’s theory.
4. Just as each person has an inner identity (core) that they communicate on the outer surface (crust) through speech, behavior, clothing, etc, so too does an apple … so too does a HOUSE … so too does a SCHOOL … so too does a PLANET. Each shows their internal self through their external shell, which ultimately functions to protect the heart of who they are.
5. The word “Success” must be recognized as a matter of interpretation in modern day language because of how it now differs between the “feeling of success” vs. the “earning of success”. It appears that the success-earned models of learning (meaning success which is earned) tend to be the least expensive while the success-felt models of learning (meaning success which is felt) are the most expensive. My question is, “Which is REAL?” It’s time to look at the ism’s of cultural inclusion for this one (racism, sexist, etc) and how MDE is changing the language.
6. Where REAL parents nurture their children, surrogate parents of the state nurture their assets. After all, “We have affections for that which is closest to us.” says Dr. James Orr. How does this truth change our answer to, “What is education, actually? Can we even call the success-felt learning models “education”?
7. When did school become a place for our youngest to be schooled by the barrage of bells and segregated by age? Why did parents give up their children to the government institution where they were tucked away and hidden out of sight from the institution of their rightful family? How do the environmentalists square their loud decry of “greenhouse gas emissions = bad” and “climate action = good” with one of the worst offenders: the little yellow American school bus?
Doesn’t it seem ironic to you? Doesn’t it seem more about convenience, pleasure and comfort than it does about right and wrong? While we lock our youngest generation behind group SCHOOL institutions during the day, we also lock our oldest generation behind group HOME institutions, day and night? In this current age of ism’s, doesn’t that seem quite ageist? Doesn’t that seem quite anti-family? Doesn’t that seem quite not right? To me, that seems plain wrong.
What happened to the multi-generational community? What was wrong with the one room schoolhouse that forced America to embrace mass schooling, mass busing, and mass consumption of the easy way?
Request your copy of the Chosen Pathways Survey by filling out the contact form.
The Mission and Vision of JAiME for SCHOOLS is to return education back into the hands of the family by inspiring childhood and parenthood curiosity, observation, and discovery that will open doors to a love and enthusiasm for learning. As more and more patterns emerge in the harmful bureaucracy of modern academia, Jaime explores visually what it means to be Real vs Fake through a biblical foundation of truth.
PROCESS in 2025
and Jaime's use of Social Media
Every article published to the Illustrated Journal goes through a lengthy process of discovery before reaching a final end. This process has been private up until now, but I don’t know that it needs to be. I interact on a personal level with many PEOPLE through interviews, meetings, tours, and volunteerism. I have visited many PLACES such as Great Britain, Whales, Scotland, and Germany. I am inspired by many THINGS such as books, sermons, events, non-profits, elections, officials, radio channels,and Scripture.
Every morning I wake up with exciting revelations and solutions to problems. It seems like a shame to leave all those thoughts hidden in the dark folds of my journal. Therefore, I have made the intentional decision to use social media for GOOD in 2025 – as a tool to share the many PEOPLE, PLACES and THINGS that give me such joy, hope and peace. Each one leads me to every finished article. Link to JAiME for SCHOOLS on Facebook HERE, Follow and Like.
Up Next
Two scholarly Round table discussions frame the introduction to This Little School+house. The first round table has been introduced as Canadian psychologist and author, Jordan B Peterson and his EXODUS series, 2022. The second round table will be introduced next as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his education roundtable, 2020.
If you watch MDE’s video, Successful Learner Equation, you might be surprised to learn that “readiness” is now considered racist (when applied to the child) by the enlightened elites, such as Walz. Under this governor, language must change to affirm every child FEELS successful. In a world where “success” is felt and not earned though, it appears to no longer be a goal to reach or a fact to become, but a measure of ones own opinion.
This will be a nice entry point into how the Chosen Pathways survey was written, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and an interpretation of the survey’s results up to this point. I also want to unpack the insinuous nature of how the affirmation, “All Are Welcome Here” might be interpreted as more than just physiological.
Works Cited (in addition to links in-line):
The united center and a fringe was inspired by
- Peterson, Jordan B. Authority from Above and Within. Dailywire+ podcast, EXODUS Episode 16, Aired April 26 2023, accessed November 6, 2024. https://images.app.goo.gl/BmRJHzLCgPLeSP667
- Minnesota Department of Education. The Successful Learner Equation. Video by MDE – Early Learning Services Division. Recorded November 2022, accessed January 2025. https://education.mn.gov/MDE/VideoNew/?group=Educ&id=PROD070510
Like this article?
This Little SCHOOL+HOUSE
In 2020, the Governor’s Education Roundtable put together A Roadmap for Transformational Change in Minnesota Education that says, “We need to mobilize all of us – not just teachers and students – to nurture assets and DISMANTLE BARRIERS so every student and their family has all Minnesotans supporting their academic and personal growth.”
On the other hand, Kelly Smith, Founder of Prenda, says his micro-schools are “BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS that will make it easier for people to start their own schools.” Meanwhile, One Stone, a school with no teachers, no tests and no grades, says they are “BREAKING DOWN the one-size-fits-all nature of a conventional classroom.”
As you can see, there are a lot of proverbial BARRIERS BEING BROKEN DOWN these days, and they appear to be at war with one another. G.K. Chesterton said, “Whenever you remove any fence, always pause long enough to ask why it was put there in the first place.” Wise advice from a wise man.
My question is, which SCHOOL+HOUSE is able to BUILD UP? Anyone can break down in a world ruled by the laws of gravity. Whether good or evil , real or fake – anyone can destroy – but only REAL things grow while under this sun … only REAL is granted authority to build upward … only REAL has the soft heart needed for love … only REAL is able to truly hear His story (history) spoken … and only REAL is able to truly see the Word written into the fabric of creation.
This Little School+House will pair with the “Borders and Boundaries” series of 2025 in exploring the question, “What is education, actually?”