Rev to Rev - American Testimony DVD

[Tiffini]

I'd love to hear from anyone who has used the Extension Package for Rev to Rev and has watched the American Testimony DVD as scheduled. I always trust Carrie's choices and know how intentional she is with everything she schedules, so we are using this believing it will be really beneficial. However, we are finding the narrator to be extremely boring and my daughter is having a hard time getting into this. I'm wondering if someone could encourage her about the long-term benefit of using this DVD. Granted, she's only been using it the first 3 weeks and only watched it a couple of times. But I have to agree when watching it, that it is rather boring. If you used this for the whole year with Rev to Rev, will you please encourage us as to the benefits of watching the whole thing? Thank you!!

[Carrie]

Tiffini,

Oh dear! I always shudder at the word "boring", because it is such a broad word that to me is kind of a catch-all for anything that a child may not immediately find engaging or vastly entertaining. For us, the American Testimony was a supplement to provide further visuals and auditory commentary on the various historical time periods. When paired with the history readings, it furthered the study of history for an older student, while still presenting history from a conservative viewpoint.

Often I think that our expectations make all of the difference as to how successful watching history commentary-type programs feel. If the child is expecting a movie-like presentation, he/she will be terribly disappointed. However, this wasn't our intent in selecting this resource.

My older son happens to love history and chooses nonfiction documentary type history books for his readings, and my husband does as well, so the American Testimony is right up their alley. They actually prefer things with less hype and more facts!

Girls often tend to be different in this area and really want the emotion and feeling to shine through rather than the facts. So, this will also make a difference in how much a child likes the American Testimony. In truth, without the American Testimony, the material in Rev2Rev will not be comprehensive enough for a child in the Extension range, so at our house it was required watching. Over time it is surprising how much you can remember from the visuals that were shown in the DVD's and how those spring to mind whenever a particular topic from history comes up.

So, my advice would be to reset your thinking that this is an optional resource and realize that its purpose is to provide further historical content for an older student. It is needed to round out the guide. I would make the watching as enjoyable as possible with popcorn or movie snacks and a discussion of something that was interesting when the session is over. I would refrain from having your child comment on the negatives and instead seek the positives. It is true that each resource may have a varying impact on different types of kiddos, so while this may not be your daughter's favorite, it still has its place among the resources that prepare a child for higher level learning.

High school learning is a step up in rigor and is more facts and less fun and fluff. It can be a transition to realize this! As we've settled into high school, we've found this in many areas. Everything isn't entertainment at that level but rather is focused on a broader scope of learning. If you can watch the American Testimony with that in mind, you'll learn more from it and appreciate the perspective it adds to the readings!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Tiffini]

Carrie, thank you for your most excellent and helpful reply! As I said, I truly do trust (after 4 years of using HOD) that each one of your choices is very purposeful and wouldn't be there if it wasn't important! I, too, really do not like the word "boring" at all and won't let my kids use it usually. I do wish the narrator had more emotion in his voice as he spoke which would be helpful, but I do believe the content is valuable! I agree that we are finding that high school is much more "work" and not as much of the "fluff" - although I don't find anything in HOD to be fluff. I love having your words to pass on to my daughter. She really respects your point of view and will appreciate what you have to say about this. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Each year, I'm amazed at how much I love the content and Rev to Rev has been no exception!

We are continuing to pray for your dad and all of your family and especially you as you finish up M2MM. You are a blessing!