Mary Jo Tate Jane Eyre provoked quite a heated discussion in my literature class for 9th-12th-grade homeschoolers. Some loved the book; some despised it; and others liked only parts of it. St. John Rivers was universally despised. To bring out the students’ creativity, I asked them to write an alternate ending to the novel. My only requirement was … Read more
October 3-9 is Great Books Week! Participate in the Great Books Blog Challenge, and celebrate and share books that made a difference!
My good friend Kerry Beck is offering 2 weeks of homeschool interviews to get your homeschool year off to the right start! I’m honored to be one of the guests who was interviewed. I’ll be sharing my tips for staying organized and setting goals. My interview will air on Monday, Aug. 30, between 2:00 and … Read more
Today is the first class day for my high school literature class for our homeschool co-op. When I taught my first group class 4 years ago, I mostly lectured, anxious to cram the information into my students. My teaching style has evolved so that now I teach almost entirely by leading class discussion. I’ve found … Read more
My high school literature class for our weekly homeschool co-op follows the time period we are studying in George Grant’s Gileskirk Humanities curriculum. Here’s our reading list for this year’s Modernity class: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813) The Antiquary by Sir Walter Scott (1816) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) Great Expectations by … Read more
THOMAS – 4TH GRADE: Latin: Latina Christiana II Composition & Grammar: First Language Lessons Complete Writer, Writing With Ease Bible: Child’s Story Bible Science: Exploring Creation w/ Human Anatomy & Physiology (Apologia) Literature: Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O’Dell Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain Bound for Oregon, Leeuwen Around the World in 80 Days, Verne … Read more
I’m heading to New York City for the IBPA Publishing University, where Seth Godin will be keynoting, and Book Expo America, the publishing industry trade show. Basically all of publishing in one huge place. I’ll have a day and a half to see the sights of New York, so I asked my Facebook friends for … Read more
Dixie the Philosopher: The claw marks in the dust jacket of “The English Philosophers from Bacon to Mill” were left by her late brother Frodo, previous occupant of the top of the bookcases. Dixie took over the role of Guardian of the Books after Frodo’s death. Occasionally she branches out and explores the shelf of … Read more
My webmaster has just redesigned this site. I love the new look! We’ve been transferring posts from my old blog, and there have been a few tech glitches, so if you run into links that don’t work or mismatched fonts, etc., that’s why. We’re continuing to update and polish. Meanwhile, just think of this as … Read more
You may have tangible wealth untold: Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be– I had a Mother who read to me. from “The Reading Mother” by Strickland Gillilan Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!