Adult Self Education

[JasonAlexander]

greetings to all,

i wanted to post my intentions of using the memoria press ciriculum. it is my hope that others will post comments that i might see if i've gone off on the deep end or not. :)

i have ordered the prima latina so that i can begin learning and using latin in order to enrich my own personal command of the English language and totally start again from scratch in grammar. maybe i missed something as a child.

Events that led to taking prima latin (and if maybe even work all the courses up to LC 1 and 2, and Helne if things go well) are as follows:
1. upon reflection i can remember that i purchased a webster vocabulary builder book many years ago, lo and behold many of the exercises refered to the fact that latin is an interwoven fiber of today's english.
2.i have an interest in medieval history which is rich in latin. (not sure about the this yet thou)
3. i took an english comp 1 course at the local community college and scored a "B" because i could not facilitate grammar very well.
4. this website presents the trivium ciriculum in a manner that if a student was to aquire a classical education a greater awareness in language, logic, and history will result.
5. i believe that language is the medium thru which human intellect exsists and is expressed. therefore a classical education will endow a more powerful intellect.
6. i would like to study the latin vulgate bible in order to get a different viewpoint on the Holy Bible.
7. after reading this website i suddenly felt a personal desire to aquire an elementary classical education.

now, taking elementary courses may seem obsurd for an adult, but what could it hurt?
does any one have any comments on an adult taking an elementary courses? i personally think it may be fun.

I want one of those Trivium Classical Educations that I never had the chance to get as a child.

[classical4mom]

It's never too late to learn! I applaud your efforts.

[LoveToLearn]

I think you will find that there are many of us who are learning right along with our children, and having a wonderful time doing so! If you are interested in more information about getting a classical education as an adult, the book "The Well-Educated Mind" addresses that very subject, and is available in any library. Best wishes on your classical endeavors!

[JasonAlexander]

classical4mom thanks for your replies of encouragement .

lovetolearn i did go to amazon to check out the book "well educated mind" and from the introduction it seemed a solid method of self education. i will definitely read that one day.

i've lately been disappionted with the community colleges because it seems that its become nothing more than a place to pay for a certificate. for example: while i was attending a semester art drawing course one of the students asked the teacher about how to learn and apply technique , the teacher responded by saying "if you want technique then go to a book store and read the art books, we don't teach technique here in college!" on another occassion while taking a company sponsored skills enhancement course i asked the teacher if algebra would help in understanding electronics? the teacher replied "don't worry about math just go with what i teach you" so i immediately went to the college and signed up for college algebra. guess what. during the entire semester the teacher required all students to have TI-85 calculators. and then proceeded to give the programs needed to solve for the algebra problems (ie. quadratic, and ect.) and only taught how to "plug in" the formula and let the calculator solve the problem.

friends there are serious problems in today's education system.

[RCKentucky]

I'm purchasing Prima Latina as well and will be teaching it to my son and a couple of other kids this fall. I want to get a head start so I will be prepared.

I was an art major and can totally relate to your frustration with your instructor. All I've ever wanted to know how to do is make art in the tradition of the old masters. It wasn't until I left college( several years ago) that I found out that there is an entire movement across Europe, Canada and now in America to reclaim the arts in the tradition of the masters and Ateliers of Europe. Please email if you want more information on this. I've embraced and now teach the Charles Bargue drawing technique. I have seen amazing results in my drawings and those of my students...

Back to Latin, I think it's wonderful that you are pursuing this and I wish you great success.:)

Rebecca C...KY

[JasonAlexander]

RC,

thanks much for making a comment on my post here, it is interesting to see that the education problem is not only in Mississippi.

that is very interesting about the Charles Bargue drawing technique. i am currently exploring literature and have not had much motivation to draw. but, art is without a doubt a very important subject for all persons to explore at least once. by just a little study in drawing i learned that there is more to life than just looking at the object but to "see" what is in the object.

it is so gratifying to hear that your children will be learning latin, i pray the Lord will bring our families back together again and make us the strong nation that the U.S. once was.

blessings,
Jay

[geekchic9]

I want a classical education, too! I'm nearly 25 and I feel the education I have received so far is a joke -- and a very expensive one at that.

How are you getting your classical education? Maybe we can share notes on what we've learned. So far I've purchased Saxon's Algebra 2 and Henle Latin I with and Henle Latin Grammar. I've read "The Well-Trained Mind" and "The Well-Educated Mind." But, I would like some sort of study partner to keep me accountable for what I'm doing. Maybe that could be you!

Wouldn't it be cool if there was some sort of adult classical education program at a community college or something. Or maybe we should start our own online program. But, of course, first we have to learn the information ourselves. Any ideas?

geekchic9

[Melime]

Hey, I guess I'm not the only one then!

I'm 21 and I want to give myself a classical education - or at least a more rigorous education - too. I have found my university education (in computer science) to be good in the specific, but I'm lacking the base knowledge of language, history etc that I desire.

I too have read the Well Trained and Well Educated Mind. There are so many things that I would like to learn that I don't know where to start. I have taken one year of Latin at university, but it was more an overview - I need to go through and digest.

I would love to have a study partner to keep me accountable. I find that I get interested in a lot of things, and so do a little of a lot, rather than a lot of a little. (Did that even make sense?)

An online adult classical education program. What a fascinating idea. Perhaps a list, and a website of suggested methods and curriculum reviews?

Send me an email sometime! I would love to get in touch with other people on this path! melime AT gmail.com

Amanda

[JasonAlexander]

Hi,

i just attempted to contact GeekChick9 about starting a forum in order to better facilitate a Classical education resource for adults.

it seems that the book Well Trained Mind has many ideas about how to go about this. i have not read this book yet but after reading the last two posts i'm planning to make it a priority to get this book and read it.

would Memoria Press provide a location on this forum for adults to post and try to formulate a method of obtaining a classical education online? i'm sure that this would be in the best interest of sales seeing that this is best source of materials.

it is so exciting to see others surfacing that want to persue a Classical education for self achievement and intelectual enhancement.

would there be ones who would be interested in creating an online environment for classical education?

blessings,
Jason

[JasonAlexander]

i just sent a message to the forum admin to see if it was feasible to have an area for adults seeking a classical education online. it was as follows.

It seems that there are some adults interested in having an online environment in order to persue a classical education in spare time.

would Memoria Press be willing to provide an area on the forum for this.

so far it seems the main reasons for this Forum being an ideal location is

1. it would be an online community adults that would spread the idea that it is never too late to improve an educated mind using Classical education.

2. this community if successful would provide an environment for accountibility and public demonstration of progress.

3. it would most likely be in the best interest of Memoria Press as it could very well increase sales.

[blowe]

Adults Seeking A Classical Education
http://memoriapress.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Let me know if you want any further resources on the site.

[JasonAlexander]

Thanks for opening up this resource to the public.
Who knows... maybe this will evolve and draw people from all walks of life that are wanting that education that they never took the time as a younger person.

personally, i know that i would have had the chance as a child but i squandered my time on more mindless activities such as TV, Hanging out with the crowd, ect. Now as a result my reading and writing level are not as high as it could be.

blessings,
Jay

[geekchic9]

This is really cool!

Thanks to JasonAlexander and blowe for making this possible!

[Melime]

Wow! I can't believe all this happened while I was asleep!

Thanks very much!

I'll be back later in the day to post more - I have an assignment due in 5 hours, so this currently counts as procrastination.

[barbara914]

I wonder how many of us are out here? I'm 61 and recently completed LC1 and have started LC2.

I've always been an avid reader, but not in a systematic way. About 2 1/2 years ago I read and followed Susan Wise Bauer's ideas in The Well-Educated Mind. I started with the list of novels and expanded it to a list of 40. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and finished reading my list, but I didn't have a partner and I had difficulty summarizing and conversing about the books.

I realized that I needed go back and build a solid foundation. I bought the Well-Trained Mind and started with Susan's grammar level history books. Anyway, that brought me to Latin. i started with Wheelock, and found it too advanced--too many concepts in each chapter, so I decided to begin at a more elementary level with LC1. It's great.

On Pentecost, various people in my church read the gospel in different languages, and I committed myself to reading John 20:19-23 from the Vulgate. I've been practicing my pronunciation, with phonetic spelling below the Latin.

I'm so glad there's a space to compare notes with other adults who have a hunger for the classical education they never had. Good luck to all.

[geekchic9]

i started with Wheelock, and found it too advanced--too many concepts in each chapter, so I decided to begin at a more elementary level with LC1. It's great.


Are you going to continue with Henle when you are done with LC2? I'm starting with Henle and a Mother of Divine Grace syllabus, and I'm going to cover the first half of the book in a 180 days, about 6 months.

I'm so glad there's a space to compare notes with other adults who have a hunger for the classical education they never had. Good luck to all.

Me too, barbara914. I've started a blog about my experience (see my signature) to discuss things in more detail than I do here. I find it keeps me accountable, since I have to put every day's work, or lack thereof, into a blog entry. It helps. Good luck to you and your goals, and keep posting here.

[JasonAlexander]

hey gc9 (lol, jus shortened your username a bit),

thanks for sharing that blog, i'm definitely going to monitor it from time to time.

I want a "Latin Centered Self-Education" too!
(just a funny note: my dyslexia keeps making me see I want a "Self-centered Latin education" ROTFL)

blessings,
Jay

[Melime]

About 2 1/2 years ago I read and followed Susan Wise Bauer's ideas in The Well-Educated Mind. I started with the list of novels and expanded it to a list of 40. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and finished reading my list, but I didn't have a partner and I had difficulty summarizing and conversing about the books.

Barbara - wow, you managed to finish the list? (was this just the novel list?) From what I've heard, that's quite an achievement. What novels did you add?

I've thought of following the list myself, but at the moment I'm simply trying to read more 'classic' books. I don't find them too hard to read, but I find it very difficult to make myself slow down enough to contemplate what I'm reading.

I've started a blog about my experience (see my signature) to discuss things in more detail than I do here. I find it keeps me accountable, since I have to put every day's work, or lack thereof, into a blog entry. It helps.

I think this is a great idea, and I think I'll try and set one up too. The main problem I have is never starting, but keeping going, and being accountable to someone, even the internet, could help.

I don't know what everyone else would think of this, but what about having a thread on this forum where we post our progress for the day?

Melime

[barbara914]

Hi Melime and all,

Yes, I did complete the entire novel list; it took just under two years. I read it in chronological order as Susan Wise Bauer suggested. I was amazed at how I was able to discern the changes in the novel's form as time moved on. I also incorporated the following novels to SWB's 31 books for a total of 40. I had to be firm with myself to stop at 40. One of my challenges is saying "Enough already!" I'd like to say that I followed SWB's suggestion to read twice, keep a journal, etc., but I didn't. But I did do a page with a summary, major characters, and comments for each one.

Honore de Balzac: Pere Gioriot (1835)
Stendhal: The Charterhouse of Parma (1839)
George Eliot: Middlemarch (1871)
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: The Brothers Karamozov (1879)
Thomas Mann: Death in Venice (1912)
William Faulkner: As I Lay Dying (1930)
Nathanael West: Miss Lonelyhearts (1933)
Thomas Pynchon: the Crying of Lot 49 (1966)
Cormac McCarthy: Blood Meridian (1985)

I added these novels mostly on recommendations in Harold Bloom's "How to Read and Why;" "Middlemarch" was a reread because I loved it many years ago. This February, although i was done with the list, I read Tolstoy's "War and Peace" while my husband and I were on a two-week cruise. (Don't let the length intimidate you--it's a real page-turner!)

I decided to combine SWB's autobiography and history lists. I'm almost finished with Plutarch (the two Robin Waterfield translations), then I'll move on to Saint Augustine's "The Confessions" and then his "The City of God."

I hope this helps. What are you reading?

Barbara

[geekchic9]

I've started a blog about my experience (see my signature) to discuss things in more detail than I do here. I find it keeps me accountable, since I have to put every day's work, or lack thereof, into a blog entry. It helps.




I think this is a great idea, and I think I'll try and set one up too. The main problem I have is never starting, but keeping going, and being accountable to someone, even the internet, could help.



Blogger.com (http://www.blogger.com) is free.



I don't know what everyone else would think of this, but what about having a thread on this forum where we post our progress for the day?

Melime

We could do that. (http://www.memoriapress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=517)

[Bookbot]

I just started the novel book list for The Well-Educated Mind, and I came online specifically to find discussion partners...and I stumbled across this forum!

I'm a bit behind barbara (haha!), but perhaps we can all catch up together.

Is anyone else starting the novel list? If not, maybe barb can pull out the notes from 2 years ago and discuss Don Quixote with me.
;)

I love Latin and want to pick it up again (and teach it to my kids). This site seems like a good place to start. How do you folks like Memoria's Latin Curriculum? I may have to wait on that, though, as I currently battling windmills. :o

[barbara914]

Hi Stephanie,

You are in for a treat! Don Quixote is a great novel--actually it's more like two great novels. The second part was published in 1615, ten years after the first part, and, to me, they are very different. The second part has a deeper philosophical undercurrent than the first. Whose translation are you reading? I read John Rutherford's, who SWB suggested, but my brother read the newest translation by Edith Grossman and enjoyed it immensely.

I'm enjoying Latina Christiana. I completed LCI and am about one-third through LCII. then I'll move on to Henle.

More later. But now, I need to make dinner.

Barbara

[Melime]

Hi Stephanie!

I have thought about reading through the list in The Well Educated Mind - I could certainly be convinced! Have you read "How to Read a Book"? I keep getting stuck on that step. :)

I'm not currently following the list, but I am trying to read more 'classic' books. In answer to your question of a while ago Barbara - I read Brave New World a couple of weeks ago. I'm currently reading "The Woman in White", partly because I saw the musical based on it last summer. Next in the list is Mansfield Park, which I am really looking forward to. Jane Austen is one of my favourite authors.

Stephanie, I'll let you know what I think of Henle soon - it should arrive in the mail any day now. :D

[Bookbot]

Barbara, I am reading Edith Grossman's translation currently, but I will probably read John Rutherford's too when I get my hands on a copy. I like comparing translations when I can, as that's as close as I can get to reading a book in its original language.

I wonder how much meaning is lost in the translation. And if meaning IS lost, is grammar the culprit or culture? It seems that it would be a lot easier to pick up a new language than a new culture. ;)

Melime, I didn't get stuck long on "How to Read a Book", the answer is: veeerrryy sloooowwwly.:D It definately takes practice to stop and take notes, though. I slammed into a brick wall on the rhetoric stage; whenever I mention a classic novel reading list, I am met with blank stares!

Perhaps you will see me on Oprah when she does a show about intellectuals trapped in working class bodies. (heehee!)

[barbara914]

Melime, I have read "How to Read a Book." Good advice, with a good reading list, but I wouldn't fret about it. I think SWB's book, "The Well-Educated Mind" gives invaluable pointers on the "how to" of reading the various types of writing. Her introductions to the different genres of literature are first-rate.

Another book about reading I liked is "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" by Thomas C. Foster. The subtitle is "A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines," which sums it up nicely. It really helped me to notice and understand the patterns and symbols used in fiction.

Let me know how you like "The Woman in White." I understand that Collins was the first English novelist to write a mystery story.

I'm also fond of Jane Austen, though I haven't yet read "Mansfield Park."

Stephanie, I admire your ambition to read Don Quixote in two translations! I attend an informal Bible study and we read the Sunday lectionary in several different Bible translations. It's fascinating to see the different nuances of a passage in the different translations. (I still like the KJV--I love the old words like "smite" and "cleave.") I think one difficulty for the translator is that words change in meaning, so the translator has to change the language to stay up-to-date. Today, if you read that a man is gay, you might think, "homosexual," but it used to mean happy and lighthearted.

Barbara

[Melime]

Barbara, I wanted to thank you for recommending "How to Read Literature Like a Professor". I borrowed it from the library a few days ago, and so far I've found it very helpful. It explains exactly the things I always miss - the meaning behind symbols that the author would expect the reader to understand.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone else wanting to read literature. :)

I finished "Woman in White" last weekend. I enjoyed it a lot. It took me a while to get into, but I find that when I read older books after a break, it always takes me a while to adjust to the pace of the book. I also gave myself time to read slowly, and just enjoy the language used. Some of the passages are very beautiful.

I think I would recommend it as a good book, but definitely not a 'must read'.

He is credited with writing the first mystery novel, though it wasn't this book. I would like to read that someday too, though I've forgotten the name currently.

And for anyone who may have seen the stage show - the plot of the book is almost entirely different. It was certainly... 'modernised' when converted to the stage.