Well-Educated Mind and History of the Ancient World

[Laughingmommy]

I am determined to put myself through some "homeschooling" too. I want to do Life of Fred (at least a few books ahead), Well-Educated Mind, and her History of the Ancient (and Medieval) World. And I want to learn Spanish and Latin along with the kids. Plus, I'm really excited to learn vocabulary and review grammar.

 

The only ones I feel confident doing are reviewing grammar and learning Spanish. Everything else seems terrifyingly difficult.

 

Is anyone else doing this? Has anyone else done this? Please tell me it's possible, and that it's really rewarding. I'm scared to start.

 

Thanks,

Pei

[regentrude]

Rewarding? definitely!

I have not set out with any plans for self education (as it is, working and homeschooling is enough on my plate), but I just happen to learn a lot by homeschooling my children. I study French with DD and Latin with DS and do not work ahead, but just work with them.

I am learning a lot about history just following what the kids are doing. We like listening to teaching company lectures, which is an easy way to get learning into a busy day ( we listen to them in the car).

 

If I am in the position to give any advice, I would recommend to start with small steps. Doing everything at once will be overwhelming. So, if you decide to teach yourself math, I'd focus on that and just do some reading on the side.

 

Good luck. Look at it as a loooong journey that just has to begin somewhere with a first step.

[Corraleno]

:iagree:

It's definitely rewarding, and it's really not difficult, but don't try to add everything in at once. Choose one or two things to start with, like History of the Ancient World. Is that where your kids would like to start history as well? That time period is usually very appealing to kids in that age range (my DS has been "stuck" in ancient times for 18 months now, lol). Add one thing at a time, and when that's working well, add in the next thing. If it starts to feel too crowded or hectic, drop something for a bit.

 

Check out the Teaching Company's "Great Courses" (ignore the "full" prices — all courses go on sale for 70% off several times/yr). Yes, they're as good as they look, and they really should come with an addiction warning. :tongue_smilie:

 

Jackie

[elegantlion]

:iagree: with everyone else, it is rewarding. I also second easing into it. It's very simple to get too many interests going and get overwhelmed, not like I know that from experience or anything. :001_huh:

 

I am basically re-educating myself and having much more fun than I ever did in high school.

 

I think it can also set a valuable precedent for your dc, that you enjoy learning and set aside time for it. It lends value to the purpose of education.

[Laughingmommy]

Thanks, everybody!

 

I am doing The Well-Educated Mind. It's kind of a cheat since I did lit for college and grad school, but honestly, I've always wanted to read this stuff better or again or something. So I have Don Quixote (first on the list) and started it today. I have been in love with the text since I first read it 20 years ago. It's about time for a second reading.

 

Otherwise, I'm just learning with the kids. I had a professor tell me once that whenever someone asks me to teach a course, in any discipline, I should automatically say "YES!" Then I only need to stay 6 weeks ahead of the students. I'm taking that advice with homeschooling. 6 weeks ahead is enough to prepare, design, and visualize. I hope.

 

Pei