What an amazing experience our pilot group of Adult Certification individuals is enjoying as they learn together! Not only are our “students” learning, but we are also learning from them. We’re learning how to create a program that will work well for BUSY parents who are in the thick of the homeschool journey, oftentimes with multiple little blessings vying for their time and attention. We appreciate all of the feedback we are receiving from this group, and we are excited to move forward with additional modules that will be filled with practical, relevant content for busy homeschool parents and instructors.
Since most of our newsletter content this month includes reading and literature, I thought I’d give you a sneak peak at one of our upcoming modules: Making the Most Out of Literature. At every age of life and every stage of learning, books are critical. They create the foundation of learning. In fact, one needs little more than great books to enjoy some of the best educational experiences possible. Contrary to popular opinion, the latest and greatest is not always the best.
You may already be aware of the numerous outstanding men and women throughout history that had minimal academic resources. But they had books. A quick google search will show several well-known individuals who had no formal education, and yet they accomplished greatness. Of course there are many factors at play, but most will agree that books were a significant contributing factor in their rise to prominence. Even so, it is not always how many books one reads as much as it is how well one reads. As Mortimer Adler says, “In the case of good books the point is not to see how many of them you can get through but how many can get through to you.”
While I don’t have a date for you, I can tell you that we are working on a literature guide and a corresponding ACP (Adult Certification Program) module to guide parents and educators on their journey to “making the most out of reading”. Instruction will include the following:
How and why we annotate
Literary terms for every age
Creating quality discussions around literary content
Effective writing prompts
Logical analysis
Author’s writing style
Essential themes
And more
When parents and instructors learn basic strategies for making the most out of reading, we find that a few great books provide the foundation, as well as the heart and soul of our educational journey at nearly every level. No longer is it necessary to purchase extensive curriculum to gain an excellent education. This may sound like a radical concept, but history, along with personal experience, confirms it is true. I can’t wait to complete our literature guide and corresponding ACP module to share with all of you. Then you can experience for yourself just how possible it is to provide a quality education for your children by “studying” (not simply reading) great books.
Written by: Kris Cordell krisspeakslife@gmail.com
