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CourtneySue

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  1. CourtneySue
    I'm wondering if this can be as simple as this (for younger kids): 1. Chemistry--cooking 2. Physics-- Rockets 3. Biology-- Nature Study and Gardening (Meanwhile keeping a journal about each, etc.) I'm sure I'm way over simplifying, I'm just trying to understand how simple (or complicated) this needs to be.
  2. CourtneySue
    I have a Classics (meaning Greek and Latin) degree from a top university. I graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and was a member of the Classics honors society, Eta Sigma Phi. Yet, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. One of my professors once confessed that when he graduated from graduate school and was "told" he was now an expert in Greek and Latin that he really didn't feel like he had mastered either language. (Thankfully, he did tell us the secret of how he finally climbed that hill--and this came from his own passion and persistence, not another course.) I have seen several people self-teach themselves Greek and Latin. If you want a very obvious example of such a person, go check out the Visual Latin dude. He is a perfect example, and I'm pretty sure he is a lot better than I am with Latin. And now his goal is to do the same with Greek (my personal favorite.) While I am thankful for the "leg-up" my studies have given me, my understanding of these two languages has greatly increased since graduation and this is due to my independent studies more than anything else. These are just my two cents, but I thought I would throw them out there.
  3. CourtneySue
    I haven't read any of Berry. A friend of mine who is an amateur poet says she likes his poetry. This book looks cute: http://www.powells.com/biblio/9781582434322?&PID=31684
  4. CourtneySue
    I have listened to several of Kern's lectures and he puts math in a very high place. In fact his line has always stuck with me: "You don't hate math, what you hate is not understanding it. If you truly understood it, it would fill your soul with joy." How beautiful is that!!
  5. CourtneySue
    Can I just say how excited I am that I finally learned how to do a multi-post response!! First of all I want to thank all of you for your amazing insights this past week. I have learned a lot and I really needed some motivation about now! Thank for this list. I love how you simplified everything, and it does seem to match up with what Kern wrote in one of his posts. I have to be honest, I have been genuinely shocked by all the detractors. It actually just makes me very sad. This has been such an innocent and thoughtful conversation about classical education that I really can't see how anyone could have any problems with it, even if you are 100% classical. These books look beautiful and well written. Do you know what ages they are for? Thanks again! :grouphug:
  6. CourtneySue
    I don't even remember that part, but I'll listen to it again and see if I can find it. I remember something Andrew Pudewa says, in several of his talks, is that if you're in a state where you have to have your kids tested to go ahead and do it and when the results come in to put the envelope in a file folder and open it in 20 years and laugh! The point is that you as a homeschooling mom know how your child is doing, you know where she is struggling in math or grammar or whatever the subject is. A classroom teacher is not that in-tune with her students, and for her, these tests serve more of a purpose. I don't even know if this addresses your question at all, but it's something that has stuck with me.
  7. CourtneySue
    Thank you for writing this. I have been blessed by "the thread' and I simply don't get why some have the need to tear it down. I, too, have attended the Andrew Kern/Andrew Pudewa seminar and he is far from creepy. In fact, he's probably one of the most down to earth, humble people I have ever met.
  8. CourtneySue
    Oh Cool! I love Contemplation of Nature part 1. I'm going to have to check these out. I have to say how much fun this discussion has been. I hope I get to meet you all some day IRL!! Maybe at a Circe Conference? About the Circe Forum: I don't have any ideas for the categories, but I do think they should be clear and broad. I remember they had a forum on their old website and there were simply too many. I wasn't sure which ones to click on.
  9. CourtneySue
    Andrew Pudewa is awesome, too. I actually just attended The Two Andrews seminar in San Diego about a month ago. Pudewa has some good talks on his IEW website, too: http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/catalog/downloads (there's a section for complimentary downloads too). My faves are "The Four Language Arts" and "Freedomship" among others.
  10. CourtneySue
    Thank you so much! Interestingly enough, my son made a few of the "Rule Pages" with Phonics Road 1, but she calls them "Building Codes." But, they are pretty much identical. I'm telling you, this is how much the two programs are alike. That is why I think anyone switching from PR to WRTR should be able to do so with ease. Thanks again!!
  11. CourtneySue
    So you don't put them up before that? So I shouldn't make "Rule Pages" for my first grader? Does he just not need them yet? Thanks again.
  12. CourtneySue
    I have more than once sent Circe talks to my Charlotte Mason friends (and I'm talking women who have read all 6 volumes of Mason's treatise on education as well as attended ChildLight conferences) and they usually love them and find that they align nicely with Mason's thought.
  13. CourtneySue
    I have loved the whole thing. It really depends if discussing the philosophical side to Classical Education is your thing. I think for a lot of people it helped remind them why they are doing this thing: homeschooling and classical education. Sometimes we need reminders and motivation that it's all worth it. And there are some good practical tips throughout as well. It has also opened my eyes to what my role is as a teacher and being careful not to let the curriculum take over. I especially enjoyed Andrew Kern's comments. I like the fact that he doesn't think it's beneath him to post on this board.
  14. CourtneySue
    I think that the Andrew Kern posts are the most invaluable, IMHO. I've linked them all here. And I think "8FillstheHeart" posts are great, too. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359457&page=18 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359457&page=19 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359457&page=23 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359457&page=25 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359457&page=28
  15. CourtneySue
    Thank you for the tips. At what point do you start making the Rule Pages yourself? I know it says that "each rule is taught prior to dictation of the word to which it applies." So, if you see a rule is coming up, did you make an applicable rule page for it at that point? Before the word was dictated? I'm sure I'll have more questions. I really do appreciate your help!
  16. CourtneySue
    Think of it this way: it's better for children to first experience hardship on the pages of a book than in real life. Reading such books will prepare them for the struggles life will bring them. I often wish that my mother would have made me read books such as Little Women and Pride and Prejudice before I left the house. Maybe then I would have known better than to fall for the Mr. Wickhams of the world.
  17. CourtneySue
    Now that I think about it, I think you are right. It's a private "ning" site. Here's what she says:
  18. CourtneySue
    You're right. That highlighted portion is key. Have you listened to the Linda Dey- "Reading the Right Books" talk yet. I just listened to it last night and it totally resonates with what you posted here. And she spends most of the talk citing Lewis! Also, I wanted to let you know that I was asking you a lot of questions not because I was planning to go and recreate what you've done. You are right that it would be counter-productive, if that were the goal. I was actually very inspired by what you've done, and wanted to understand what you are doing so I can better understand how to create my own studies with similar principles. One thing I've learned so far as a homeschooler is that I spend a lot of time reading and listening to the ideas of others and glean "the good" as much as I can. In the end, I'm sure it looks quite different from each of those that have inspired me, even though the principles are the same. The most freeing part of this conversation for me has been that it is totally okay for me to design my own curriculum and I do not need to be a slave to someone else's plans. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
  19. CourtneySue
    I remember reading a conversation a while back where the woman who runs heritage-history.com said that Weston's version is the best. You can read her comments here (scroll down to the first comment, the one by Teresa Roth): http://charlottemasoneducation.ning.com/forum/topics/plutarch
  20. CourtneySue
    Ellie, I'm really curious what is in Chapter 6 that is so invaluable? I'm thinking about picking it up, if needed. They seem pretty easy to find used for not much $$. I feel like I have come full circle--I started out planning to do WRTR, then got caught up in the AAS bandwagon, then the PR bandwagon. I've been frustrated with the DVD aspect, and found myself wishing Mrs. Beers had just written an open and go manual for her program. I started perusing my WRTR manual (that I just couldn't give up for some reason) only to realize this is the manual!!! The thing you always say. And I can't figure out why I thought it was so confusing before. The spelling part seems simple enough. Here are a few questions I have: Have you always waited until third grade (as the manual states to do) to have the kids start making "rule pages"? Also, are there any other tips I should know? Thanks!!!!
  21. CourtneySue
    I'm actually thinking of making the switch from PR to WRTR. I think that after you've taught PR for a while you will find it's quite easy to make the switch. PR is basically WRTR put together for you.
  22. CourtneySue
    Thanks for these links. I didn't even know that these existed until now.
  23. CourtneySue
    So it was more like a rabbit trail you followed from your AGG studies. That's very cool, especially since it turned into so much more. It actually reminds me of something I heard SWB say in her lecture on Great Books (which is $3.00 in the PHP store) that the point of studying history and literature is not so much to "cover it all", but to let kids dive deeper into history and lit especially when there is a person, book, event that they are especially interested in. Thanks for the reminder that we all need to follow our own path. I think that'w what's been freeing about this conversation--the revelation that I don't have to follow someone else's curriculum, but that I can (and should) design my own and it will really be so much better. I often find myself in the trap of--should I follow this program or that program. Sometimes these decisions can be harder than I ever thought they would be. Now, I can rest (thank you Andrew Kern) in the idea that I can do what I want and I really don't have to worry about what this and that program say I should do. As for my Shakespeare studies this week (and you are right, my Shakespeare studies look very different from your Shakespeare studies--but at least I now know where these things can go as my kids get older--that's what's fun about reading your account of what you've done with your kids), we read "A Winter's Tale". This is an interesting story with lots of twists and turns and surprises, especially at the end. And it could easily be read for those reasons alone. I first read this book to get some background information for myself (a book I picked up at an used book store that has been invaluable). I then made a story board similar to how this woman describes down below where it says in "In Our Home"--nothing fancy I literally used stick figures. This story led us in discussing the causes and effects of jealousy. But more important than that, in this play, is the question of whether or not one should always obey someone in authority, if what they are asking you to do is clearly wrong. He initially said that someone should always do what a king tells him to do. Then, I asked: "if Mommy told you to go hit your friend should you do it?" "No." I presented other scenarios, too. Then, I brought it back to the story: "Should Camillo have obeyed King Leontes (of Sicily) when he was told to poison the King of Bohemia?" "No." Which Camillo didn't do. He is clearly the hero of this story. Anyway, it is amazing what could be done with this one play. Thank you so much for your insights!! You have really got me thinking.
  24. CourtneySue
    So what you're saying is that sometimes it can be almost essential to study literature in it's historical context, but just not with everything? Is there a book that you can think of that it would be a clear bad idea to do this with? I know initially you were saying you learned to drop all the historical fiction so as to not crowd out the literature, but clearly you still use literature if it fits into the period you are studying. Am I understanding this correctly? I'm actually thinking that Shakespeare is one where you wouldn't want to do this with all the time. I hope, or at least have the goal, to always be reading Shakespeare no matter what time period we're in. Right now we're just very slowly reading through Lambs' versions, but we're thoroughly enjoying it. I will probably post later about the most recent "play" we read and the amazing conversations it brought up.
  25. CourtneySue
    This is the rubric I use: 1. Are they written well? 2. Are they disneyed (KWIM) or sanitized in some way? If so, stay away. Disney has ruined so many fairy tales. I was shocked when I first learned that Hansel tells Gretel to "trust in God" in the originals. 3. If there are illustrations, then they must be beautiful (which it seems like you've mastered.) I should also mention, that if you can find them, try to get the older Lang versions that were published in hard back. The font is bigger, the illustrations are bigger and each page is even decorated with border art (I guess you would call it). This is what I mean. Isn't this way better than the paper back versions you see: Thanks for all of the recommendations on here. I haven't even heard of half of these versions. I'm going to have to check them out.
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