s/o Self-Ed Wannabees

[Georgiana Daniels]

For those of you attempting to self-educate, where do you find the time? Do you work alongside your kids or while they're in sports, or maybe after they go to bed? Do you have a dedicated time?

 

Also, do you have a goal in mind or do you self-educate for the fun of it? (I'm mixed on this one, depending on the topic. As a writer, I find nearly all information somewhat useful :) )

[Rosie_0801]

Uh, well. That's why my thread is a Wannabe thread. Guess I don't belong here in a thread for those Really Doing Stuff. :p

 

:lurk5: (I can study popcorn alongside my kids. :D)

[Georgiana Daniels]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I totally busted up! Well....I guess I'm not REALLY doing stuff either. Not with any regularity. Thus, my question.

[meggie]

Like any goal, it gets done when I'm being held accountable to someone else. So friends and I have a Charlotte Mason discussion group going on FB. That helps me actually read the words of Charlotte Mason. Another friend challenged us to read three books that would have been feats of strength. I got partway through one.

 

Last year, I did buy LOF Fractions and Decimals and Percents books to work through. That was fun, though I only got part way through one. I gave up on actually earning a certificate through Coursera, but right now when the boys do quiet time while Chuck takes a nap, I watch some of the videos. My art one is really cool, the demonstrations more than the history lectures. I wish I were artistic, but I am one who gets scared of doing weird stuff, so I just stay inside the box.

[Georgiana Daniels]

I stay inside the box too!

 

What are books that would have been feats of strength? Are they the classics?

[meggie]

They were any book that we'd tried reading before but couldn't get through. Didn't necessarily have to be a classic. I started out with Wuthering Heights, but that made me ill so I purposefully gave up and switched to Jane Eyre. That one was boring so I skipped to the "big secret" and just kind of flipped through the rest. I believe there were some Moby Dick, Les Mis, and Don Quixote in there. Oh, and an Atlas Shrugged.

[Rosie_0801]

Dd often sits on me while I watch Coursera vids. She has square eyes and will watch anything. These days I have to watch them while ds is in time out for running away, so I don't have to jump up every two minutes to check on him. Once he is over this phase and can be trusted to play around the house, I should be able to fit more of them in.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Self-ed probably gets much easier as the kidlets get older. I really need to check out this Coursera that everyone talks about!

[Rosie_0801]

It's addictive. Don't even look at the site if you are feeling enthusiastic about anything. Before you know it, you'll have signed up to 6 science courses and one on gastronomy.

 

 

My bro is finally installing the mp3 player he said he was giving me for Christmas last year, next Tuesday. We live in the middle of nowhere so car trips are long. That'll help with our exposure to the literary goodies Librivox has to offer. :)

[meggie]

It's addictive. Don't even look at the site if you are feeling enthusiastic about anything. Before you know it, you'll have signed up to 6 science courses and one on gastronomy.

 

 

My bro is finally installing the mp3 player he said he was giving me for Christmas last year, next Tuesday. We live in the middle of nowhere so car trips are long. That'll help with our exposure to the literary goodies Librivox has to offer. :)

 

I think I have about 20 on my Coursera list *sigh* You can download the videos, but that sounds like it would almost be as much work to organize as it would be to just watch the dang things.

[dangermom]

I've honed my reading-while-moving skills--I can read a book one paragraph at a time, or while brushing my teeth, or while the kids have a class. I'll read while I cook if I can. In our house it's not rude to read at the table over breakfast or lunch, just dinner. (I should probably teach them they can't do that elsewhere...) I'm not so good at watching things; that is very hard for me.

[Georgiana Daniels]

I've honed my reading-while-moving skills--I can read a book one paragraph at a time, or while brushing my teeth, or while the kids have a class. I'll read while I cook if I can. In our house it's not rude to read at the table over breakfast or lunch, just dinner. (I should probably teach them they can't do that elsewhere...) I'm not so good at watching things; that is very hard for me.

 

That is an amazing skill! I really need to learn the one paragraph at a time trick.

[lewelma]

I listen to classic lit while doing housework - so at least 1 hour per day and often longer. I get them free from librivox.org

We have silent-sustained-reading for 1 hour 3 days per week- which I use education myself on rhetoric and writing skills

I do 2 hours of math while younger is at drama back-to-back with gymnastics.

I study for 3 hours on Sat and 3 hours on Sun when my kids are at music lessons and chamber group or playing outside. I do math! Currently number theory and proof writing.

 

I love learning, but I definitely have to set time aside or it does not get done. So probably 7-10 hours of lit audios and 11 hours of book study per week.

 

Ruth in NZ

[regentrude]

We listen to TC lectures when we drive.

I find that I somehow have plenty of time on my hands, despite working and homeschooling. If I were to put all the time I waste on the computer into self-education, I could easily have another degree right now.

I do not have any specific goal, just love learning.

[regentrude]

Self-ed probably gets much easier as the kidlets get older.

 

 

Absolutely! For one thing, they don't need constant supervision anymore and pretty much do their own thing outside of school, and they work more independently for school.

All things have a season; when mine were younger, I had way less time than now.

[Tress]

 

 

That is an amazing skill! I really need to learn the one paragraph at a time trick.

 

It really is a very useful skill. It took me years to learn how to do it, but now I can get through quiet difficult books, one paragraph at a time.

 

It is also a useful skill translated to other things. Doing one page a day of a Latin or Math or whatever curriculum looks like nothing, but you can get much further than you think if you keep doing it year after year. I got myself through Latin grammar&syntax in 18months, doing 1-1.5 page a day, I can now finally start reading texts. Yeah!

 

I haven't found a solution for listening to lectures. I can't do that during the day, if I plug in my headphones I can't hear what my 2yo might be doing behind my back :D, and I can't listen to it at night...because I fall asleep within minutes :D.

[elegantlion]

To turn it back, when you find time to write? Like writing, self-education is a multi-step process. And yes, I do think it's easier when the kiddoes are older. I can tell ds to work on his own or just go away for a period of time (hopefully during non-school hours, although he'd gladly leave the classroom during school hours). I like the Coursera format, but most of the "live" classes have deadlines. If you need something more open ended, there are many other open course options such as MIT or Yale. Even Khan Academy, or TED talks can be energizing when time is short. Great Courses lectures can be purchased on audio (most courses) and 30 minutes a day of simply listening is worth it.

 

It's like exercise and writing a novel, sometimes you make the time, sometimes it a higher priority than others. For the last few years I've spent time on subjects to stay ahead of ds, refreshing, relearning, etc. It's made a difference. I consider myself a student of our school as well. I've also tried to budget self-ed item as necessary. I also think it's important that our children see us improving ourselves, it creates a mindset that learning isn't just what you do in school. That was something I needed to model.

 

I imagine as a writer you already have a lot of the skills and disciplines in place for self-education. It's just a matter of deciding where to start.

[Mnemosyne]

Right now, I read and study while my (almost) 2 year old is asleep, I chase him around way too much to be able to effectively concentrate on my studies when he's awake.

 

When he's awake, I'll often watch Youtube videos or documentaries on my PS3/XBox, or read an article here or there while he's playing independently.

[Beth in Mint Hill]

For those of you attempting to self-educate, where do you find the time? Do you work alongside your kids or while they're in sports, or maybe after they go to bed? Do you have a dedicated time?

...

 

"The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavourable. Favourable conditions never come." ~ from an essay in The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis

 

I like this quote so much, that I put it on my website! I remember being very frustrated, trying to find a little space to read and study on my own! But I realized that it wasn't going to happen unless I dreamed up creative ways to force myself to study.

 

The first thing I needed was friends to meet with--there is no better motivation to getting a book read, than to know that on such and such day you will be able to give *your* reactions to the great work to a group of friends. Even if its just an answer to someone's question, or a knowing nod in response to what someone else is saying! So once a month a group of us parents met to discuss the "great books." This group is still going many years later.

 

And another trick I used, which I think helped me the most: I traded in my "shopping time" for reading time. You know how every housewife is willingly given an hour or so to go grocery shopping! (And I understand if you don't even get that much time away from your kids--I went through many periods like that, too. :sad: I pray for you every time I pass you in the market.) Well, what I found myself doing is going to the grocery stores which had a coffee shop attached. Then I'd bring out the book and sit down a few minutes to read! After lingering over the coffee, I'd fly through the store picking up the bare minimum of items we needed. Because I realized that sometimes I was luxuriating in the store, spending time reading labels on food, dreaming about all the dark chocolate I might buy, or browse the magazines. In other words, turning the grocery shopping into a "getaway." Well, instead of spending the time that way, I thought "I know what I'll do!" :001_rolleyes: I'd just substitute reading a few pages in a classic for browsing more items to buy.

[justamouse]

I learned to be a morning person and we have a strict no TV policy. I get up about an hour before they do and read. Then, they get up and they read for an hour (mandatory (I also allow them coffee so they enjoy the coffee/book thing in the morning)). So that's 2 hours of silence in the mornings where you can sit with coffee and read. Then, we have breakfast at 10 am.

 

Before bed I read novels. In the morning I read non fiction.

[Georgiana Daniels]

I learned to be a morning person and we have a strict no TV policy. I get up about an hour before they do and read. Then, they get up and they read for an hour (mandatory (I also allow them coffee so they enjoy the coffee/book thing in the morning)). So that's 2 hours of silence in the mornings where you can sit with coffee and read. Then, we have breakfast at 10 am.

 

Before bed I read novels. In the morning I read non fiction.

 

 

I really should institute the no TV policy. Sometimes in the summer it's easier not to fight it, especially with my little one who doesn't seem to like to read anything. Our middle daughter is a reading machine, and the biggest problem with her will be keeping her surrounded with enough books.

 

 

LOVE seeing how you ladies make the self-education a priority!

[Tress]

I learned to be a morning person and we have a strict no TV policy. I get up about an hour before they do and read. Then, they get up and they read for an hour (mandatory (I also allow them coffee so they enjoy the coffee/book thing in the morning)). So that's 2 hours of silence in the mornings where you can sit with coffee and read. Then, we have breakfast at 10 am.

 

Before bed I read novels. In the morning I read non fiction.

 

 

I was nodding my head, thinking I really should start doing something like that...but then you completely lost me with the 'breakfast at 10am' thing :D. You mean, you wake up at 8am, kids wake up at 9am and you have breakfast at 10am?

 

If I were to get up before the kids, and wanted to have an hour of uninterupted reading, I would have to wake up at about 4:30. I *am* a morning person, but 4:30 is a bit too early.....

I'm guessing this is one of those things that also gets easier when you have older children.

[justamouse]

I was nodding my head, thinking I really should start doing something like that...but then you completely lost me with the 'breakfast at 10am' thing :D. You mean, you wake up at 8am, kids wake up at 9am and you have breakfast at 10am?

 

If I were to get up before the kids, and wanted to have an hour of uninterupted reading, I would have to wake up at about 4:30. I *am* a morning person, but 4:30 is a bit too early.....

I'm guessing this is one of those things that also gets easier when you have older children.

 

No, actually, I'm up at 7, they're up at 8, then we have those two hours of reading. Then, they start schoolwork, and we'll do some of that, then break at 10 for breakfast.

 

Yes, this was only possible as the kids got older. BUT, I read *many* a book while nursing. Matter of fact, I loved nursing so I could be MADE to read.

[Arcadia]

For german, I revise while my kids are learning. For math, physics and chemistry, I revise while they are reading story books at the library for hours. I do a quick revision for math and science while my kids play after they are done with "school". For biology, it is more of a re-study as I have forgotten most of it. I'm thinking of re-learning the flute or horn, I'll have to convince hubby to add more musical instruments to our home :p

[Georgiana Daniels]

Today instead of playing online while the kids did their math, I buckled down and read a few chapters of Don Q. Then we worked on Latin together. That might be the best way for me to roll for now.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I watch Coursera classes while cooking, processing food (we have a big garden and do a lot of freezing & canning) and cleaning. That's usually an hour a day, and several hours on Sunday afternoon when the harvest comes in. When I only have a few Coursera things, I fill the rest of the time with TC lectures.

 

For reading, I have a stack - well, okay, 5 or 6 stacks, but one I'm actively reading from! - by the bed, so whenever I have a chance I grab one and work on it. During lunch we all read independently. During swimming lessons, waiting and the doctor's, waiting at the library, while they play at the park, etc. That's mostly when I do my nonfiction reading, a chapter at a time.

 

I have been working on math while dd10 worked on math or other things independently. Now that I'll be teaching dd7 too, I'm not sure how & when I'll be able to do math, b/c now I'll be teaching her while dd10 works independently. Got to figure that out.

 

Before bed is for fiction reading - usually I have one "denser" book going (like for my Great Books discussion group) that I'll read first, then something for fun after that. I can get in an hour of reading at night. Dh likes to relax and watch sports at night after the kids are in bed, but we don't watch any other TV, that is really what gives me this evening time to read - I used to veg in front of a Netflix series for an hour after the girls were in bed, but giving that up has really increased my reading time.

[Candid]

I listen to teaching company course while walking the dog and here is a little tip: on itunes and some other podcast apps out there you can listen to podcasts at a faster rate (itunes the max is 2x). They are still completely understandable, don't sound like the Chipmunks but you can listen to twice as much in any given time.

 

For big works, like theology, I read a set amount each day. Supposedly it is best to do this early in the day and I know some people who get up early to do this. But I read after dinner. I usually read ten pages a day which generally takes about a half hour for the most difficult of works.

[Georgiana Daniels]

I listen to teaching company course while walking the dog and here is a little tip: on itunes and some other podcast apps out there you can listen to podcasts at a faster rate (itunes the max is 2x). They are still completely understandable, don't sound like the Chipmunks but you can listen to twice as much in any given time.

 

For big works, like theology, I read a set amount each day. Supposedly it is best to do this early in the day and I know some people who get up early to do this. But I read after dinner. I usually read ten pages a day which generally takes about a half hour for the most difficult of works.

 

I've never heard about the podcasts at a faster rate. What a great idea!

[Tress]

I listen to teaching company course while walking the dog and here is a little tip: on itunes and some other podcast apps out there you can listen to podcasts at a faster rate (itunes the max is 2x). They are still completely understandable, don't sound like the Chipmunks but you can listen to twice as much in any given time.

 

That is a great idea. I always have difficulties listening to audio lectures, because it's so sloooooow. Speeding it up might be the trick! I'm going to ask my dh to see if my old mp3-player can do this.

 

Thanks!

[Candid]

That is a great idea. I always have difficulties listening to audio lectures, because it's so sloooooow. Speeding it up might be the trick! I'm going to ask my dh to see if my old mp3-player can do this.

 

Thanks!

 

If you have a phone with apps, it is possible you might be able to get an app that does it. There might be some charge but probably under $10.

[Tress]

If you have a phone with apps, it is possible you might be able to get an app that does it. There might be some charge but probably under $10.

 

I don't have a phone, but I do have an iPad. Now I know that this is possible, I'm sure my computer-engineer-hubby can figure somethig out :D.