![\"5](\"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/5-books-1-1024x410.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMy main goals for this course are for students to learn to read carefully and deeply; to find something new to love; to understand and find something to appreciate about any literature they don\u2019t enjoy; to explore how authors create their stories; and to discuss their own thoughts, opinions, and questions in a safe environment. The skills they learn in this class will help them get the most out of whatever they read in the future, as you\u2019ll notice in the testimonials below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many classes use literature mostly as a lens through which to focus on something outside the story, such as worldview, historical context, literary terminology, and\/or composition instruction. In this class, we will focus on the literature itself. Of course we\u2019ll also consider worldview and historical context, and we\u2019ll explore form, structure, imagery, characterization, plot, writing style, and more, but we\u2019ll approach all of these tools as a means to understand the literature, not as goals in themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is not a composition class; it does not include writing instruction. High school students will be required (and adults will be encouraged) to journal about each week\u2019s reading assignment, and occasional creative writing opportunities to interact with the literature will be provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discussion will be the primary part of each week\u2019s online class meeting. In 13 years of classroom teaching, I\u2019ve found that diligent students bring up 60-75% of the topics I would have lectured about, and our time together is much richer for the group effort. Of course, I fill in any gaps by guiding the discussion, providing extra information, and pointing out details in the assigned reading that may have been overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our weekly meetings will be held on Zoom or a similar platform. Log-in details, a book list (with specific editions), and a reading assignment will be provided before our first class meeting. Because of our focus on discussion, in-person attendance is expected. In case of unavoidable absence, classes will be recorded. See academic calendar below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assessment \/ Grading<\/strong> (Grades 9-12 only)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nNo memorize-and-regurgitate exams will be given. Students will be assessed on completing the reading, journaling, participating in class discussion, any creative writing assignments, and an assignment at the end of each semester to reflect on what they have learned. I will not assign grades but instead will provide a report to each family so that you, as homeschooling parents, can decide how to weight the different aspects of the class and assess according to your own grading scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mary Jo Tate’s Credentials<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n- B.A. in English (summa cum laude) and M.A. in American Literature<\/li>
- Homeschooled my 4 sons from kindergarten through twelfth grade for 23 years<\/li>
- Taught literature to grades 7-8 in a classical Christian school for 4 years<\/li>
- Taught literature to grades 9-12 in a homeschool co-op for 9 years<\/li>
- Edit homeschool curricula and magazines<\/li>
- Speak at homeschool conventions around the country<\/li>
- Wrote articles on Fitzgerald, Welty, Faulkner, Austen, Dickens, reading, writing, homeschooling, and more<\/li>
- Helped edit \u201cThe Great Gatsby\u201d for Cambridge University Press<\/li>
- Wrote books about F. Scott Fitzgerald<\/a> and about balance for busy homeschool moms<\/a><\/li>
- Most important: I\u2019ve helped hundreds of students\u2014even those who don\u2019t like to read\u2014learn to understand, appreciate, and enjoy great books more. Nothing excites me more than sharing my love of literature and inspiring that love in others!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tuition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nGrades 9-12: $450<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adults: $300<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Class size is limited to facilitate discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
R<\/strong>egistration<\/h2>\n\n\n\nRegistration for Grades 9-12: https:\/\/forms.gle\/24Jp6y6JxYVtXXB79<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nRegistration for Adult Class: https:\/\/forms.gle\/S128RHNgCsLtDjXZA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nNote: I will e-mail an invoice when I receive your completed registration form. Because class size is limited, registration forms will be processed in the order received. Registration is complete when payment is received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Academic Calendar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aug. 25 High school class begins<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aug. 27 Adult class begins<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TBA Fall break (probably in October)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nov. 22-28 Thanksgiving break<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dec. 11 Christmas break begins<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan. 12 High school class resumes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan. 14 Adult class resumes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TBA Spring break (probably early March)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 18 High school \u2013 last day of class<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 20 Adults \u2013 last day of class<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
W<\/strong>hat My Students Say<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve always loved to read, but after taking Mary Jo Tate\u2019s literature class in high school, my \u2018reading maturity\u2019 really advanced. Prior to the class, I don\u2019t recall being frequently asked deep or difficult questions about a text\u2014most book reports or tests were mostly surface-level. Mary Jo\u2019s questions and discussions pushed me to think harder, take nothing at face value, and really dissect what I was reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Even now (let\u2019s just say Quite a Few Years after high school), it\u2019s almost impossible for me to simply scan my reading material. Word selection, perspective, order, subtext\u2026all of it matters. Is it possible to ignore this stuff and still enjoy a book? Yes. But books can (and should) go beyond enjoyment. What we read can benefit us in a greater way\u2014sometimes even if we don\u2019t enjoy it. All we have to do is ask the right questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~ Hannah Mathenia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I saw that Mary Jo was going to offer an online literature class, my first reaction was sincere disappointment that my children (5, 3, and 1) aren\u2019t old enough to take it! I was privileged to be in Mary Jo\u2019s literature class all four years of high school, and I can honestly say that I never took a more challenging or rewarding literature class in college, even though I minored in English. Mary Jo was wonderful at facilitating conversation about the books we read and at providing writing and discussion prompts that caused our class to delve below the surface of the words on the page. Although I had always loved to read, her classes helped me appreciate and critique books that weren\u2019t my personal favorites. I highly recommend this course and can only hope it will still be around in some form when my kids are old enough to benefit from it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~ Katie Kuntz<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSometimes I wish I could go back and retake high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Let me rephrase that: I always want to go back and retake high school, and it\u2019s always at least because I want to retake Miss Mary Jo\u2019s class. Easily one of the most shaping and impactful educational experiences of my pre-collegiate years, it equipped me with the practices necessary to get the most out of whatever I read. Not only that, but it also helped me learn how best to interact with others on the same literary and worldview topics, to the end that everyone involved finds some degree of edification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Mary Jo opened my eyes to the riches found in literature, sometimes in spite of my reluctance to see them, and I still employ as a matter of course the tools she taught us with which to uncover them. It was not a passive learning experience; when I learned or appreciated something from the reading (so, always), I was required to verbalize it. This served to deepen my appreciation for it\u2014and sometimes was the means by which I discovered it\u2014and to exercise the expressive faculties necessary to competently converse about literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The most-heard question in our discussions was \u201cWhat can you find to appreciate?\u201d It could almost be the class slogan. We were literally required to find some measure of beauty, goodness, and truth in everything that we read, from Flannery O\u2019Connor to Dante to Homer. Instead of being constricting, this freed us up to love books and authors that were sometimes completely foreign to us. Mary Jo\u2019s questions and the assigned exercises that came with them\u2014journaling, analysis, etc.\u2014were not shortsighted, curriculum-oriented practices. They were foundational, giving a model for how we could approach not just literature, but art, history, politics, the culture at large, and be receptive to truth wherever it may be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Imagine my joy when Miss Mary Jo announced that I can indeed go back and retake my favorite part of high school. I mean, is that a dream come true or what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“See y\u2019all in class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~Dalton Green<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMs. Tate encouraged me to explore and guided me through many books that seemed confusing, long, and too old to have any applications to real life. It was uniquely helpful to have someone knowledgeable to explain classic literature and open up discussion in class to break down books chapter by chapter or sonnet by sonnet\u2014whatever the case may be. We used a journaling system to take notes, write our thoughts, and answer questions. This caused us to further understand and absorb the text. The approach was extremely beneficial and allowed me to retain more than just simply reading through literature. Ms. Tate always engaged our minds well and allowed her students to criticize and\/or praise the book we studied based on our own thoughts. I enjoyed her class thoroughly!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~ Anna Chamblee<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe literature class I took from Mary Jo my senior year of high school was not only my favorite class at Excelsior, it was the one that best prepared me for literature classes at UM. From reading journals that prompted us to critically think about the books we were reading to prompted discussions which helped even the shy students to feel comfortable voicing their opinions, this was a simple yet incredibly impactful course. I looked forward to the weekly discussions and enjoyed the thought provoking prompts she used to not only start the conversation but to offer new perspectives that allowed us to find our own voices on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“While the critical thinking skills I obtained from this course were the most useful I have to mention how much fun I had in this class. Reading Julius Caesar<\/em> with my classmates and bringing sheets to tie across our shoulders was far more fun than I ever imagined I would have in a high school literature class. I always enjoyed feeling like I was being given the power to teach myself and use her careful instructions to think deeply on each subject. I would enthusiastically recommend this course to anyone with a desire to learn more about literature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n~Judy Carleton<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Join me for a lively and engaging exploration of the some of the greatest American authors! You’ll learn to understand, appreciate, and love literature in ways you may never have experienced before. Class Schedule American Literature \u2013 grades 9-12 \u2013 Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30 a.m. Central American Literature \u2013 adults \u2013 Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Central Course Description … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[34,33,32,31],"class_list":["post-826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classic-literature","category-homeschooling","tag-american-literature-class","tag-high-school-literature-class","tag-homeschool-literature-class","tag-online-literature-class"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- B.A. in English (summa cum laude) and M.A. in American Literature<\/li>
- Homeschooled my 4 sons from kindergarten through twelfth grade for 23 years<\/li>
- Taught literature to grades 7-8 in a classical Christian school for 4 years<\/li>
- Taught literature to grades 9-12 in a homeschool co-op for 9 years<\/li>
- Edit homeschool curricula and magazines<\/li>
- Speak at homeschool conventions around the country<\/li>
- Wrote articles on Fitzgerald, Welty, Faulkner, Austen, Dickens, reading, writing, homeschooling, and more<\/li>
- Helped edit \u201cThe Great Gatsby\u201d for Cambridge University Press<\/li>
- Wrote books about F. Scott Fitzgerald<\/a> and about balance for busy homeschool moms<\/a><\/li>
- Most important: I\u2019ve helped hundreds of students\u2014even those who don\u2019t like to read\u2014learn to understand, appreciate, and enjoy great books more. Nothing excites me more than sharing my love of literature and inspiring that love in others!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tuition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Grades 9-12: $450<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adults: $300<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Class size is limited to facilitate discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
R<\/strong>egistration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Registration for Grades 9-12: https:\/\/forms.gle\/24Jp6y6JxYVtXXB79<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Registration for Adult Class: https:\/\/forms.gle\/S128RHNgCsLtDjXZA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note: I will e-mail an invoice when I receive your completed registration form. Because class size is limited, registration forms will be processed in the order received. Registration is complete when payment is received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Academic Calendar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aug. 25 High school class begins<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aug. 27 Adult class begins<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TBA Fall break (probably in October)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nov. 22-28 Thanksgiving break<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dec. 11 Christmas break begins<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan. 12 High school class resumes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan. 14 Adult class resumes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TBA Spring break (probably early March)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 18 High school \u2013 last day of class<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 20 Adults \u2013 last day of class<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
W<\/strong>hat My Students Say<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved to read, but after taking Mary Jo Tate\u2019s literature class in high school, my \u2018reading maturity\u2019 really advanced. Prior to the class, I don\u2019t recall being frequently asked deep or difficult questions about a text\u2014most book reports or tests were mostly surface-level. Mary Jo\u2019s questions and discussions pushed me to think harder, take nothing at face value, and really dissect what I was reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Even now (let\u2019s just say Quite a Few Years after high school), it\u2019s almost impossible for me to simply scan my reading material. Word selection, perspective, order, subtext\u2026all of it matters. Is it possible to ignore this stuff and still enjoy a book? Yes. But books can (and should) go beyond enjoyment. What we read can benefit us in a greater way\u2014sometimes even if we don\u2019t enjoy it. All we have to do is ask the right questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~ Hannah Mathenia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I saw that Mary Jo was going to offer an online literature class, my first reaction was sincere disappointment that my children (5, 3, and 1) aren\u2019t old enough to take it! I was privileged to be in Mary Jo\u2019s literature class all four years of high school, and I can honestly say that I never took a more challenging or rewarding literature class in college, even though I minored in English. Mary Jo was wonderful at facilitating conversation about the books we read and at providing writing and discussion prompts that caused our class to delve below the surface of the words on the page. Although I had always loved to read, her classes helped me appreciate and critique books that weren\u2019t my personal favorites. I highly recommend this course and can only hope it will still be around in some form when my kids are old enough to benefit from it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~ Katie Kuntz<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSometimes I wish I could go back and retake high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Let me rephrase that: I always want to go back and retake high school, and it\u2019s always at least because I want to retake Miss Mary Jo\u2019s class. Easily one of the most shaping and impactful educational experiences of my pre-collegiate years, it equipped me with the practices necessary to get the most out of whatever I read. Not only that, but it also helped me learn how best to interact with others on the same literary and worldview topics, to the end that everyone involved finds some degree of edification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Mary Jo opened my eyes to the riches found in literature, sometimes in spite of my reluctance to see them, and I still employ as a matter of course the tools she taught us with which to uncover them. It was not a passive learning experience; when I learned or appreciated something from the reading (so, always), I was required to verbalize it. This served to deepen my appreciation for it\u2014and sometimes was the means by which I discovered it\u2014and to exercise the expressive faculties necessary to competently converse about literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The most-heard question in our discussions was \u201cWhat can you find to appreciate?\u201d It could almost be the class slogan. We were literally required to find some measure of beauty, goodness, and truth in everything that we read, from Flannery O\u2019Connor to Dante to Homer. Instead of being constricting, this freed us up to love books and authors that were sometimes completely foreign to us. Mary Jo\u2019s questions and the assigned exercises that came with them\u2014journaling, analysis, etc.\u2014were not shortsighted, curriculum-oriented practices. They were foundational, giving a model for how we could approach not just literature, but art, history, politics, the culture at large, and be receptive to truth wherever it may be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Imagine my joy when Miss Mary Jo announced that I can indeed go back and retake my favorite part of high school. I mean, is that a dream come true or what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“See y\u2019all in class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~Dalton Green<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMs. Tate encouraged me to explore and guided me through many books that seemed confusing, long, and too old to have any applications to real life. It was uniquely helpful to have someone knowledgeable to explain classic literature and open up discussion in class to break down books chapter by chapter or sonnet by sonnet\u2014whatever the case may be. We used a journaling system to take notes, write our thoughts, and answer questions. This caused us to further understand and absorb the text. The approach was extremely beneficial and allowed me to retain more than just simply reading through literature. Ms. Tate always engaged our minds well and allowed her students to criticize and\/or praise the book we studied based on our own thoughts. I enjoyed her class thoroughly!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~ Anna Chamblee<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe literature class I took from Mary Jo my senior year of high school was not only my favorite class at Excelsior, it was the one that best prepared me for literature classes at UM. From reading journals that prompted us to critically think about the books we were reading to prompted discussions which helped even the shy students to feel comfortable voicing their opinions, this was a simple yet incredibly impactful course. I looked forward to the weekly discussions and enjoyed the thought provoking prompts she used to not only start the conversation but to offer new perspectives that allowed us to find our own voices on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“While the critical thinking skills I obtained from this course were the most useful I have to mention how much fun I had in this class. Reading Julius Caesar<\/em> with my classmates and bringing sheets to tie across our shoulders was far more fun than I ever imagined I would have in a high school literature class. I always enjoyed feeling like I was being given the power to teach myself and use her careful instructions to think deeply on each subject. I would enthusiastically recommend this course to anyone with a desire to learn more about literature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
~Judy Carleton<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Join me for a lively and engaging exploration of the some of the greatest American authors! You’ll learn to understand, appreciate, and love literature in ways you may never have experienced before. Class Schedule American Literature \u2013 grades 9-12 \u2013 Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30 a.m. Central American Literature \u2013 adults \u2013 Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Central Course Description … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[34,33,32,31],"class_list":["post-826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classic-literature","category-homeschooling","tag-american-literature-class","tag-high-school-literature-class","tag-homeschool-literature-class","tag-online-literature-class"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Most important: I\u2019ve helped hundreds of students\u2014even those who don\u2019t like to read\u2014learn to understand, appreciate, and enjoy great books more. Nothing excites me more than sharing my love of literature and inspiring that love in others!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n