Change of Seasons Part 3: Five Lessons I've Learned Using Tapestry of Grace

Has it really been four years since we started this journey? 

We are now well into our fourth year of the Tapestry of Grace curriculum. We started when my son was ten and is now 13. We are now finishing our last units in the dialectic level. We are beginning to get our feet wet with some of the rhetoric level work, just to see what it's like. My daughter was six when we started and is now 9. She is now in the upper grammar level work and will do a full year in that level next year. Depending on her reading level, we may even dip our toes into some of the dialectic material.

It just so happened for us that we began TOG in year three, which is the Early Modern history cycle. It was a great place to start, because we covered all the familiar U.S. history, and the literature and discussions were very accessible. We started out with an ambitious attempt at doing a co-op with several other families, which, for a while was very fun. Then burn-out set in. That said, I'll share with you the lessons I've learned using Tapestry so far, but as you read this, know that I have never communicated with Tapestry of Grace on any level about promoting their product. Ever. I am simply a satisfied customer, and I get emails from readers. I thought this might help.

Lesson #1: Don't try to be this guy on the first go-around.

 

There is so much in a week of Tapestry--so many books, so many cool craft ideas, so many discussion points, literature pages, writing ideas--the list goes on, and you cannot possibly do all of the things in one week. It is difficult when you start out at first to pare down the material. You paid for this whole big thing and you're only going to use the core history reading and the literature that week? Yup--that's right. BECAUSE you will come back around to it again. If you don't control your need to be super-mom, you won't come back to TOG because burn out will set in.

Lesson #2: Tapestry is a bit addicting.

I said in this post when we had first started that it appeared to me that TOG had longevity for its users. The initial cost outlay seems a little steep in the moment. However, since I purchased the digital edition, I own the rights to all the updates that they make until my grandchildren and great-grandchildren graduate from school, if for some reason I decided to homeschool them for my kids. Something tells me I won't sign up for that, though. Even so, I have now purchased every year plan and will not have to pay for any more TOG curriculum for the next 8 years, which I expect is how much longer I will be using the program. That means I will have ultimately paid once for curriculum that took me through 12 years of schooling two children, from elementary through high school. Now that we have nearly completed all four years of the cycle, I feel excited to get back to the first cycle that we did and, with more experience and knowledge under our belts, tackle the material again and from different angles. It will be interesting to see how much my younger one remembers (who will be 10) and how much more critically my older (who will be 14) will handle the content. Looking ahead, the content for high school is plenty rigorous and will be more than enough to cover all the history, geography, English literature / language arts, government, philosophy, and worldview, and art / music appreciation. Unless the Lord directs me otherwise, I plan to stay with Tapestry of Grace for the duration. It does not feel repetitive, and continues to challenge a student at an appropriate level as he or she develops.

Lesson #3: Tapestry is best done with a few friends or a co-op.

We have worked both ways--with a co-op and without. For the first year we were the guy above and we did a full co-op that met in our church, packed lunches and did sewing projects. Did you hear me? Sewing projects! With many kids and moms who hauled sewing machines in and wow. I was tired at the end. Since I was the overly ambitious coordinator of that group, I had to step back and evaluate for my family what was best. My little one was pretty overwhelmed in the group, as was I. My son loved it, and so I had to balance both of their needs with my stamina level and my ability to sustain a reasonable work load for a whole school year. The following year we met with just a couple of families every other week and added Apologia science to the mix. It was lovely. But not. quite. enough. So the following year we went back to every week with the same smaller group. Also lovely. Last spring our little group underwent major changes. One of our families had another baby, one family decided to put their older girl in Christian prep school, and we had a death in the family. This lead to major changes for the co-op this school year (2014-15), and our little group went their separate ways. We have been doing a tiny co-op with my daughter's sweet little friend for science, but have not really been tackling TOG in the same way, and I cannot deny that I miss it, even for her at the lower level. My older son has been keeping up with the Tapestry work, but without friends to meet with and have discussions, it has not been as rich or challenging. Good, no doubt, but just not the same. In January we made the decision to meet again, with just one of the girls from the former group, and once again, the content is richer and better and both students are really enjoying Tapestry once again. 

Lesson #4: If the Shoe Fits, Wear It.

I get emails from readers asking if I think TOG is a good fit for a particular family. First of all, that is a very personal decision, so I don't know. I have heard people say that Tapestry is overwhelming or too much work for them and they couldn't possibly slog through it all. See Lesson #1 of this post. I can't really imagine not recommending Tapestry. My daughter started when she was six. It was a good fit. She learned a ton, and had fun doing it. My son started when he was 10. He learned a ton and had fun doing it. Four years later we're still using the curriculum, learning a ton and having fun. I suppose it all depends on what you're looking for. TOG isn't an all-in-one curriculum, but it's a lot-in-one. Here is what it won't do for you:

• math
• science (though science could easily be scheduled to cover topics that correspond to the particular period in history that you are covering)
• spelling
• foreign language
• grammar (though if you use Writing Aids, some grammar is covered)
• for myself I supplemented writing in the early years, as I didn't find the Writing Aids to my liking. I find it very useful in the dialectic / rhetoric years.

Also, if you feel like you need scripted lessons, it does not provide that, but it does provide excellent discussion guides and teacher notes so that you can confidently lead your students in socratic discussions. So if you are wondering if this is a good fit for your family, I can't see why not, but ultimately you will be the judge of that. Check out their free downloads and give it a test run.

It might not be a fit if:

• you are not interested in Christian content. It's loaded with it. It's called Tapestry of Grace, folks. That means that the focus of the whole curriculum is how God's hand has been working in and throughout all of human history. There will be Bible.
• you need a scripted curriculum. Some moms who are not yet comfortable in their roles as educators desire a curriculum that tells them exactly what to do. That is fine, but TOG is not that. Now, please don't email me for a recommendation because I do not know what curriculum will do that. I only know what I use.
• you are mostly focused on STEM or really hate learning history. This program is very geared toward the humanities and demands a significant amount of time toward that end. If you desire to weight your child's education toward a STEM-heavy program, TOG may not be the right tree.
• you do not wish to teach from a Reformation perspective. I could understand where a Catholic Christian might need to supplement the curriculum, especially in year 2. Our family is Anglican and it was very nice to spend an afternoon with one of our priests, dialoguing about how our church and doctrines fit into the Reformation and church history. It doesn't mean that it would be inappropriate for Catholics, but some supplementation would likely be desirable because of the Reformation-heavy perspective.

It may be a fit if (and these would be true for our family):

• discipleship is foundational to your educational philosophy.
• you have read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and agree with it, but have trouble implementing its concepts.
• you desire a classical base to your child's education.
• you think the concept of using history and / or literature is a good foundation for a lifetime of learning.
• you would like suggestions and reading lists for the scope of history that needs to be covered.
• you have no idea what to do for crafts (me) or, you enjoy crafts and the more the better (not me)! (smh)
• you enjoy engaging your kids in socratic discussions.
• you enjoy learning and are filling gaps in your own education as you teach your children.

Lesson #5: Get Organized

I won't lie--Tapestry of Grace requires a bit of organization. It is worth time spent in the summer and winter breaks to get the reading lined up for the term, set up a calendar of what will be covered when, and do some reading ahead of time. They have a number of online resources available to help you plan your school year. It is also worth it to set up books on reserve as far ahead as your library will allow so that every one else in your town who is doing TOG doesn't also reserve them in the same weeks (or if they do, you beat them to the punch!) It also helps to be able to delegate household tasks, cooking and cleaning, as well as to eat a healthy diet and work out regularly. Just kidding, sort of.  This is all good stuff, but there are weeks when the train will get completely derailed, but it's fine. REMEMBER!  It will all be covered again later and one week missed or delayed is not the end of the world. That said, a bit of planning ahead of time will minimize those occurrences and will leave those "less-than-optimal" weeks to sickness or life events that cannot be avoided. 

All in all, Tapestry of Grace is a phenomenal program, but I wouldn't call it "plug and play." There is a bit of settling in and tweaking that goes along with using it in a way that suits your family. Give it a try, give it time. TOG is like a lake that, even though you can see the other bank from where you stand, is very deep and very rich in the crossing, and you find that the journey is more rewarding than you anticipated. 

I hope this has helped answer some of your questions about Tapestry of Grace. If this didn't do the trick, feel free to email me, or check out their own reasons to love the curriculum.

What do they Really Need? (God Knows!)

I've been following this thread for several days over at the Well-Trained Mind boards. The title of it is asking if people who consider themselves "classical" in their approach to educating their children think that STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Math) education and "Classical" education are compatible, or even able to be synchronous.

I have read the thread with great interest because I do struggle with this notion--how much do I need to emphasize math (which is a huge weakness of mine that I do not want my children to share), science (which I thoroughly enjoy but it also is not my "bent") and areas of technology so that my children are able to function, let alone compete in this new and strange world that we live in? The perspectives of the women there are very interesting, to say the least. In response to the issue, my position is that we do need to provide as deep of an exposure as we can to all the disciplines. From this exposure, as well as by providing a solid foundation for the individual, we equip our children to specialize later.

Even so, the more I read the thread, the more anxious I became. The answers were intelligent, well-thought out, well-articulated, but I could not help slipping into that vein of comparison that is so damaging to a mother's soul. After someone displayed their child's schedule which included Latin, Greek and Spanish and essentially 7 days of school on some level I was thinking, "What about trampoline-jumping and playing make-believe?"

I had to just step back and take a deep breath and pray. I asked the Lord to show me in his Word what is truly important for my children. I opened my Bible randomly and in rapid reply from the Lord, my eyes immediately fell on this verse:

Proverbs 24:3
By wisdom a house is build,
and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Just across the page I read,

Proverbs 23:12-18
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
Do not withhold discipline from a child...
My son if your heart is wise then my heart will be glad;
My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
Do not let your heart envy sinners but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.
There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off. 

I enjoy the companionship and ideas of other mothers in my life who are pursuing the same goals with their children, but ultimately, my guidance MUST come from the Lord. In this season of looking ahead and making choices for the new school year, I will commit myself to this anew, and bless my children with the wisdom that God gives and the knowledge that he leads me to convey as he shows me their needs.

A Change of Seasons: Part 2

In my previous post I laid out the reasons that our family decided to leave Classical Conversations as our core curriculum. In this post I will explain why I find Tapestry of Grace (TOG) to be such a great fit for us at this time.

Ever since Matty was in the first or second grade I have looked at TOG online, downloaded the free samples, puzzled over whether this would work for us. The one thing that really held me back was that it seemed a bit overwhelming and I did not have a desire to take on such a hefty program all on my own. I was very much a fan of the weekly meeting that we had with CC. I did not want to separate myself from the group again (I had taken a year off from CC in Matty's 3rd grade year). One day my friend and I and were mulling over our options for the next couple of years over cups of coffee while the kids played downstairs. She gave her kids the characteristic 10-minute warning, then drew her leg up into the recliner, pulled her cup closer and said, "Let me ask you a question..." An hour later we were still sitting there. We looked up when my husband walked in from work, said hello, and kept right on talking. We talked through all our doubts and reservations about the future with CC, laid out what an ideal curriculum would look like to us, and expressed our deep desire to stick together both with each other and with others who were like-minded, and who shared the same goals in educating their kids. I told her that I had been looking at Tapestry of Grace again, and she was immediately interested, especially since another mom we knew had recently made that very move for the following school year. We ordered our curriculum and picked through it, talked through it, and chose the books and threads we preferred.

There are multiple reasons why I love this curriculum so far. First and foremost it finally satisfies my son's appetite for history! Since my son was very young, he has loved history, and has always questioned us ad nauseum about history facts, often stretching us beyond our knowledge and our ability to answer. For him there was no waiting for the logic stage, but when that stage did kick in, hoo boy! It has been a challenge to keep up with his desire for answers to the "whys." He also enjoys literature and poetry, has a knack for writing (though he has hated the physical act of doing so until about the end of last year), and loves looking at the relationships between all of these things. TOG begins with history as its core. From there it brings in geography, literature, writing, church history, and government, all of which relate to the central history theme of the week. The reading selections are excellent quality, full of engaging information and include the classics all along the way. So far he has thoroughly enjoyed every selection.

While meeting his needs for history, TOG satisfies my desire for both a Charlotte Mason style of instruction with classical roots, and the logical and organized 4-year history cycle. We love the "living books" approach to learning. There is no busy-work. It all has purpose and it all relates to the history theme. Facts are learned within the schemata of history, not in isolation. Both of my kids are studying the same time period and learning about the same things on levels that are appropriate for their developmental stage.

Finally, the thematic construction of the curriculum lends itself very well to group activities and instruction. Each week in our group we do a hands-on activity, discuss the student activity pages, review the geography, discuss the history points, and reinforce any writing instruction that was assigned for the week. We divide the students into three groups of Lower Grammar, Upper Grammar and Dialectic to gear the activities in an appropriate manner.

At this point it is too early to state any drawbacks to the TOG curriculum. So far it has not revealed any of its flaws. The beauty of TOG lies in its flexibility. I can pick and choose what most appeals to us, what is more available at my library, etc. There are options within every thread. Furthermore, the simple fact that the threads are spelled out as they are pushes me to set the bar a little higher for my students, and they do not seem to mind reaching high to grasp it.

I have made another observation about TOG, as well, and that is its longevity. I have read on message boards and yahoo groups of people who have used this curriculum for many years. Because of the way it increases in its depth and intensity as the students progress through the years, it is systematically building on a foundation already laid in the earlier years. I hope the same is true of our experience, and that this is the last curriculum I need to buy.

I will continue to post our progress both in the weekly reports and in any other items of interest that arise along the way. Suffice it to say that for now we are very glad we chose TOG.

This video is very helpful in understanding the author's intent in writing TOG.

Link to A Change of Seasons: Part 3 (Four Years Later)

Week 22: An Ideal Week!

I think I've written before that one of my early homeschooling mentors (who has taught 7 children of her own) said to me one time, "If you have one really good day of school a week, then it's a good week." Well, if that is in fact true, then this week was fantastic! We managed four good school days and our regular Classical Conversations day, as well. One of the highlights was having Dad home for President's day, and rather than taking the day off, we enjoyed the 1:1 student to teacher ratio. He did math and science with both of the kids, then we switched and I did language arts and reading.

The compass experiment from Lesson 5 in Apologia's Astronomy book.

After that day we were on a roll, and we somehow managed to have the kind of week that my planner absolutely loves, with everything getting thorough attention and all the boxes getting checked.

Since it was the kind of week I wish we could have all the time, I have taken the time to describe what our "ideal school week" looks like, along with the curriculum we do.

Most days we start school between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. We are not early risers, so this is a reasonable time for all of us. Over breakfast, we read and discuss our Bible curriculum and pray, and review any Bible memory work that we are working on. This year we have been working through Apologia's Who is God and Can I Really Know Him?

It has been a very thought-provoking program for my nine-year-old son, and my 5-year-old girl has listened and discussed it as well, though she is probably not grasping it on the same level. I would give this curriculum a definite thumbs-up because of the level of thought that it stimulates, and the kind of discussions we have had because of it. We have delved into the problem of what it means to be separated from God, the problem of sin, the difference between flesh and spirit and the struggle that results...Invariably my heart is full to hear what my kids are thinking about with regard to these issues. We are nearing the end of the book, and the interest level for it has not waned on any of our parts. We did not use the journal or the notebook because we have used it more as a devotional, but we have memorized the recommended passages of scripture, many of which the kids already knew!

After morning devotions, we read our science chapter or section in science and the children narrate back what they remember from the section and answer my questions that I pose to them orally. At the moment I am pushing to finish this book, as it always seemed to be the last thing on our list in the fall. My hope is to finish it in the next month so that we can begin Botany in the spring and work on that through the summer, while using our garden as a hands-on science lab.

So far for us, we have been very satisfied with Apologia's science products (we have also done Zoology 1 and most of 2). The presentation is very conversational and lends itself to good snuggle-on-the-sofa time. I also appreciate that at every turn God is given the glory for the marvels of the universe, and often scripture is used to illustrate a point. The experiments are fun and easy to implement using household products.

After science we usually head downstairs to our school area where our huge white board and maps are, and we review our Classical Conversations memory work. Matty is working to achieve Memory Master this year, and so it is very important that his memory work is reviewed daily. One day a week we cover all of it from beginning to the current week so that it stays fresh in his mind. He sometimes uses the CC flash cards or the study helps online to drill himself, but I do "proof" him once a week to make sure he is not lagging in one area or another. Memory Master is achieved when a student can recite all of the memory work for the 24 weeks with no more than two mistakes. He is then awarded a certificate noting the accomplishment. It is a significant accomplishment requiring diligence on the part of the student.

Then Matty begins his independent work in Math, reading, handwriting, and typing. For Math this year Matty is using Math Mammoth Light Blue Series 4-A and 4-B which to my understanding is a Singapore-like system in that it employs more of the Asian approach to learning math. This program is laid out for for a student to self-instruct. I have found that it is easy for Matty to understand the built-in instruction boxes, and after just a bit of guidance from Dad or me, he is able to complete the assignments on his own. The assignments are challenging but doable. There are "puzzle boxes" that sometimes even Dad and I have trouble with, but they are fun, and I think that it is good for him to see that even Mom and Dad have to sit and wrestle with something to get answers from time to time. My one complaint about Math Mammoth is that occasionally we have stumbled on a mistake in the text, or a concept is included or needed in a problem that has not been covered yet, but overall, it is excellent, and now that we know this we can simply skip over that rare problem and move on.  Molly is also working in Math Mammoth 1A, and she has done very well. We go very, very slowly with her, just working with the concept of addition. Maria Miller (the author) has the students do a lot of "find the missing number" problems, which I think can be hard developmentally for some 5-year-olds. Since this is a first grade text we are taking our time, and my goal with her is simply to have her know her addition facts through 10, and understand the concept of subtraction by the end of the year. She already knew all of the K-level number concepts, shapes, etc, so the next logical step was to go ahead and start the curriculum. I am not sure yet if Math Mammoth will be the right approach with her, but we will continue with this a bit longer until I am sure.

After math, we generally do Language arts, which includes writing, grammar, and spelling. This is my favorite part of the day, and I love all of the curricula that we are currently using for both kids. For Matty, we are using mostly Peace Hill Press's curricula. We had successfully worked through First Language lessons for the Well-Trained Mind 1 / 2. I discovered it a little late, so we finished it in his third grade year, and now this year we are working through FLL 3. At first it seemed a bit too scripted and a little dry, but now that I have become used to it, I can give it my own flavor and spin, and we actually have a lot of fun with it. I appreciate the thoroughness of it and the constant review, and I know that we are not missing anything important. We don't always need all the review, so we do what we need and skip what we don't. My one complaint with the program is that the student workbook uses way too much paper. I think that smaller print could be used and fewer pages taken up to demonstrate the same concept. Small complaint which in no way diminishes my appreciation for the quality of the curriculum content, but it drives me crazy how much space it takes up in the notebook! Overall, I highly, highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to be sure that their child is getting a proper education in grammar.

Another of my favorites from Peace Hill Press is Writing With Ease. We are finishing Student Workbook 2 and will Continue on with Level 3, though we will be working from the text and not the workbook, since I would like to have a bit more flexibility in the reading selections and begin to use more of our history and science readings as selections for the narration and dictation exercises. I will write a review of this curriculum in a separate post, but suffice it to say that of everything that we use this is my favorite, with no complaints. My child enjoys it, the philosophy behind it makes so much sense, and the results are amazing. Thank you, Susan Wise Bauer!

Our other language arts thread is spelling, and for Matty we are currently using what I hope will be his last spelling curriculum, All About Spelling. Spelling has been for us something akin to torture until now. He is not a natural speller, though he is a very good reader. The theory that "the more they read they the better speller they will be" simply is not true in every case. We have tried Abeka spelling, Spelling Workout, Sequential Spelling and Megawords. In every case he could memorize the words, spell them for his test, and then have seemingly no other relationship with the words in any other context. Whenever he has needed to spell a word, say for a dictation, he would revert to guessing and spelling however he thought the word sounded. Finally, at long last, we have come upon a curriculum which he likes and I am seeing his spelling improve already, after only a few weeks of using it! He enjoys the lessons are very hands-on and interactive, and sees / feels the improvement himself. I have to give a shout out to the ladies at The Well Trained Mind forums because they steered me in this direction after my moaning about my situation to them. Thank you, thank you!

Language Arts with Molly is becoming more and more fun as she increases in her abilities in reading and writing. We generally work together while Matty is working on his math and other independent work. At the same time I began All About Spelling with Matty, I began The Phonics Road with Molly. Both programs are based on the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching phonics. Both Molly and I are enjoying Phonics Road. I enjoy it because it is "open and go"--I watch the included instructor videos to see how it should be taught, then deliver the lesson as prescribed by the author, Barbara Beers. Molly loves having her own notebook and clipboard and the lessons are engaging for her. She loves to practice her handwriting, and this program has many opportunities for her to do so. It is a little early for me to give a full assessment of the program, but so far, so good. I chose this for Molly because I didn't want her to fall into the same gap of reading / spelling ability that Matty has experienced. Already she demonstrates more of a natural spelling ability, but even so, I want to give her a very thorough phonics foundation so that we don't have the same problems later. My one reservation about using the Phonics Road in the long term is that I love the Peace Hill Press Products so much that I don't want to regret not having used them with Molly. After we complete level one, I will then decide whether or not to continue working with her in The Phonics Road based on the merits of this program or switch to All About Spelling and the PHP products. It is a hard choice--I'm surrounded by excellent products and what it boils down to is personal preference.

Sometime around 11:45 we are all ready for a break, and so I head upstairs to make lunch while the kids play. It affords me some head-space and gives them a chance to work out their wiggles. They are usually very rambunctious at this point! We break for about an hour, and then after lunch the kids practice their piano lessons (30-40 minutes for Matty, 15 minutes for Molly), and then I work with Matty for another hour or more, depending on what kinds of assignments we need to complete. Sometimes we will not have finished all the language arts, or he may need to do some study questions for science, or do some research for a history lap book. Generally speaking we work until 2:30 or 3:00. School is dismissed when all his independent work is checked off, the basement is picked up, and piano is practiced. Then they may use their media time or play with neighborhood friends. Then it's upstairs for a little Facebook time for mom and solving the never ending question..."What's for dinner?"

I should note that it is  ideal for us to have three good study days like this a week because on Wednesday afternoons, both children have piano lessons and Matty has art class for two hours, during which Molly and I work on her art curriculum together. On Fridays we attend Classical Conversations, and after that our school work for the week is finished.

Working in this way with some degree of consistency this year has rendered this our most productive school year yet. Both children and I have enjoyed ourselves immensely, and I feel that there is a healthy balance of rigor and fun in our learning. Certainly we aren't perfect, and we have our weeks where tired, cranky, moody, sinful, and ill throw us off, but when it works well, it's great!

Made it to Chapter XX

I made it to chapter 20 in Don Quixote.  I am finally enjoying the book.  It took a little while, but I realized that the key to my misery was twofold:  first, I was putting pressure on myself to get it done, and second, I was taking this thing for a serious novel.  So I had a talk with myself...

K1.  Why are you really doing this?
K2.  Ummmm...I'm starting to forget.  Oh yes, the Well Educated Mind goal.  I want to read the classics.

K1.  Did you read the bio of Cervantes?
K2.  Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.  He wasn't much better off than D.Q.  He was poor, landed himself in jail a couple of times, couldn't scrape out a living from writing.  In fact, he couldn't make anything really until he met Don Quixote, the madman who made him famous.

K1. Why do people like to read?
K2. People read primarily to be entertained, and if not that, informed.

K1.  Right, so DQ was...?
K2.  Entertainment.  Okay, I see where you're going with this!

K1.  Let me point something out...you're approaching this like a kid in high school who has a lit assignment.  You're __ years old for crying out loud!
K2.  And your point is...?

K1.  DQ is an entertaining story written for people in the 1500's who were no different than people today, except that they were a lot dirtier and had many more animals than we have now.  But they were entertained by observing other people's insanity, about which most of life revolves, right?  Isn't one of our most satisfying endeavors that of finding someone who is more crazy than ourselves?    My point is that you need to read it for what it is--something of a cartoon strip for the sixteenth century!

K2.  True, and I have no doubt that Cervantes was thinking of all the eggheads who would read and analyze and write about his silly book (yeah, right).  He was probably just happy to have a piece of silver in his hand with which to buy a piece of bread, thanks to DQ.  Thanks.  I think I can get through this book now.

So this is how the conversation with myself went.  I have even found myself laughing out loud at this guy's antics.  I spend most of my time in the book pitying his poor, stupid "squire" who is not crazy, but dumb enough to hook up with the likes of DQ, who has promised to give him an island to rule.  Poor idiot.  I do pity the bloke.

The First Step of the Thousand Mile Journey

What I know about Don Quixote from my personal experience is limited. I never thought much about this book, and certainly never knew it was the watershed work that was the foundation of the literary genre known as “the novel.” I knew that it involved a madman chasing windmills, but I have no concept of how that is incorporated into the plot of the book.

After reading the introduction I am thoroughly irritated because of the scholar’s insistence on spoiling the plot in the second paragraph. Yes, it is a literary masterpiece, and yes, I am reading it as an educational pursuit, but I’d still like to enjoy the book as a plot unfolding! Nevertheless the introduction laid out some important background knowledge about Cervante’s life and personal pursuits, as well as how the tale of Don Quixote de la Mancha is told.

Ch. 1 – Tells how Don Quixote went mad by becoming so enmeshed in stories of chivalry and thereby decided to become a knight-errant.

The Well Educated Mind, A Journey's First Step

Here I begin my survey of human history from my human perspective.  I have undertaken the reading of The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer because I want to learn the art of self-education, and not remain stagnant.  I also truly desire to model this for my chilren, that no one may take them captive through deceptive practices and doctrines.  I believe I must first articulate the reasons why I care to do this, because in so doing I may remind myself as to why I undertook this quest in the first place.  I am not what you might call a voracious reader.  I have a ravenous appetite, but continually strive against my lack of self-discipline and sometimes practical issues such as the physical exhaustion that comes from raising and homeschooling two children. 

I have concluded, then, that “slow and steady wins the race.”  I have throughout my life believed that anything done must be done with all gusto and fervor, and when that intensity cannot be sustained, then I must have failed to have the necessary passion to complete the project well.  Failure.  So here I begin to shed this erroneous belief and embark upon the journey which will likely be long and arduous and feel more like failures than successes, but I will fill my mind with valuable things, even though it will take me a lifetime. 

I should note that coinciding with this project I have also undertaken to study God’s perspective on human history and am reading the Bible through chronologically.  (Today I finished the book of Exodus.)  I am keeping a hand-written journal beside me as I read, since I prefer the intimacy of that medium for study of spiritual matters.  Also, I want to avoid the computer’s interference with my thoughts of God, as I am so easily distracted by, well, computer-y things.  This too, is a matter of self-discipline.

Bauer (SWB) says, “Sustained serious reading is at the center of the self-education project…Reading alone allows us to reach out beyond the restrictions of time and space, to take part in what Mortimer Adler has called the “Great Conversation” of ideas that began in ancient times and has continued unbroken to the present.  Reading makes us part of the Great Conversation, no matter where and when we pursue it.”

And so I begin.  I will keep a journal (in blog format) in keeping with SWB’s recommendations, and will probably make personal adjustments as I go.  I may or may not stick exclusively to her list, but at least at the outset I will keep her structure, so as to establish the discipline and get on track.