Introductions

[Melime]

I thought it might be interesting to see where everyone's currently at, what their goals are, etc.

I guess I'll start.

I'm a university student, studying Honours Computer Science (with a bit of Maths thrown in). This takes up most of my time (evenings, weekends), but I'm trying to work in a bit of self-education time too.

The more I learn, the more disappointed I am with my high school education. I know almost no History, I've read only a few Great Books, and all my other subjects are only passable at best. And this is despite being one of the best students at my high school.

So, in my free time, I'm trying to remedy this.

One problem I have is that I live in New Zealand, so many of the resources mentioned here and at other places are very hard to obtain. I'm also a student, so I can't afford to buy much. My university library is a great help to me however.

I find that I think of too many things I want to do, so I end up doing a little of a lot of things, and not really learning anything. One approach I am trying for the first time this month is to focus on one thing, and try not to let myself get distracted. I'm finding it's also a help to know that I only have this month to work on this subject - it makes me try harder knowing I have a time limit.

My topic for this month is a man-made language called Esperanto. One of my major interests is learning languages, and this is something I've been trying to learn for a long time. Next month I hope to move on to Latin (which I have learnt in the past).

So I guess I'm not pursuing so much a Classical Education, but a Classical Inspired Education.

What's everyone else up to?

[geekchic9]

My high school and college education were inadequate, in my opinion, even though I was one of the best students in high school and went to a top tier US college according to US News and World Reports. I went to a public school, which was a joke, and then I chose to major in English, and found out later I had to read incredibly opinionated books that the teacher preferred and not the Great Books I wanted to read.

My goal is to learn Latin, Greek, and upper-level undergraduate mathematics. The reason behind the Latin and Greek is to learn how to read great literature in their original languages. My goal to learn math is because my boyfriend is getting his Ph.D. in mathematics, and I want to be able to converse with him about the subject intelligently. I also want to be able to teach my children these three things adequately when I homeschool them.

Right now, I am starting with Latin (Henle First Year, Units 1-7) and Saxon Algebra 2. I plan to complete a lesson a week in Latin and 5 lessons a week in math. I expect to be finished with Units 1-7 and Algebra II in approximately six months. Then, I'll move to Saxon Advanced Math and Units 8-14, hopefully continuing at the same pace. Then, hopefully I'll move on to the following, spending about a year each:

Year 2:
* Henle Second Year
* Calculus I from an old college textbook.

Year 3:
* Henle Third Year
* Calculus II from same textbook.

Year 4:
* Henle Fourth Year
* Calculus III from same textbook.

Then, on to Greek, Real Analysis, and Topology. Does anyone have recommendations for classical/Christian Greek textbooks? I'm going to borrow the Real Analysis and Topology books from my boyfriend.

I'm glad you started this thread, Melime. I've known what I wanted to do, but I never took the time to write it down.

[JasonAlexander]

I'm a 35 yr old male from Mississippi.

I desire to continue activity in learning to stay sharp for my job as an Electonic Technician.

My belief is that language is one the basis of intelect. If a person increases vocabulary then the ability to grasp more concepts becomes availiable.

I've come to believe that i am slightly dyslexic so please excuse my spelling.

right now i'm having a serious problem with motivation. My goal is to spend some time each day improving on a classical education. and to learn to read in Latin.

i'd like to achieve some religious goals also such as imporving ability to intellectually defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ (would Rheotoric studies improve debating ability?) also i would like to organize a bible study group.


also, i have a suggestion; maybe we can request that the admin pin this introduction thread at top so that new people could see this thread and get an idea of the people activly seeking an Adult Classical Self Education. sometimes when i go to a new forum i look for introductions to get a feel for the people active in the group.


well that's about all i can think of now,
blessings,
Jay

[geekchic9]

right now i'm having a serious problem with motivation. My goal is to spend some time each day improving on a classical education. and to learn to read in Latin.

Motivation is a tough problem to solve. I once read an article about the people in Singapore. They believe that education equals survival, and that becoming educated is the only thing that will save their nation from being taken over or overwhelmed by rivals like Korea and China. Now, imagine if the people of the United States were like that. We'd really change as a nation. I have a sign over my computer that says:

"Education = Survival"

and that motivates me to get the best education I have on my own, and in grad school eventually.

i'd like to achieve some religious goals also such as imporving ability to intellectually defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ (would Rheotoric studies improve debating ability?) also i would like to organize a bible study group.

Your goals are admirable. I think studies in logic and rhetoric, as well as a thorough grounding in your beliefs, will help you toward your goals.

[barbara914]

Hi, I'm Barbara. I'm 61 and live in Traverse City, Michigan. I'm interested in learning Latin because I think it will make all other learning easier. At my age, I'm very time-conscious--I know I'm closer to the end of my life than to the beginning of it.

Reading Susan Wise Bauer's "The Well-Trained Mind" helped me to understand how much remedial work I have to do. The main thing that works for me is to begin any subject at a much more elementary level than I would have thought necessary. It's humbling in a good way. Using texts aimed at children allows me to finally put the bricks in my intellectual foundation. I don't know if I was short-changed in school or if I just wasn't paying attention. Because I was bright, I just coasted through and got high grades, but nothing really "stuck." I was from a working-class family in New York, and college wasn't even in my dreams.

My sense is that I never learned how to learn, to memorize, to plan, to make connections. So Latina Christiana has been very helpful because I realize that there's nothing wrong with me--I just need to take small bites, at least for now. I completed LC1 in three months and plan to work at the same pace with LC2. I don't know about anybody else, but I know my overall memory has improved. The plasticity of our brains is a great gift!

Best wishes to all,
Barbara

[JasonAlexander]

Hi Barbara,

your post is very inspiring and thanks so much for making your efforts public, it helps motivate me to continue on myself.

i truly believe that 12 years from now you will be well pleased with the results of your efforts with Latin. By invigorating your mind now you are promoting a future life of vitality and liveliness. Just search the internet for the research data on the benefits of language studies if you don't believe me.:D

blessings,
Jay

[barbara914]

Jason,

I hope it won't take 12 years! But, things take how long they take. In the past, I tended to race through, skimming the surface, and that's no longer satisfying--I want a strong base to build on. For too long, my knowledge has been a mile wide, but only an inch deep.

Cheers,
Barbara

[Bookbot]

Hi! I'm Stephanie, and I'm a readaholic.

I'm 27 years old, and I homeschool my three boys (4,6,8).

I have always been a bookworm, and apparently that counted against me in school, ( :rolleyes:) but I haven't stopped reading despite that. I have been considering going back to school now that my kids are a little older, but I'm not sure if I could get the education I want in the type of school that I could actually attend. So, while I continue looking at schools, I'm on my own.

GOALS:
History is the most important subject to me, as it basically covers everything else; but I can't help feeling that overwhelmed as I will NEVER be able to learn it all. If I did nothing but read until the day I die, I wouldn't even finish half of my reading list! (Sure hope there's libraries in Heaven!). As a result I am attempting to organize my learning, so at least I can remember what I have already covered. I using the novel list from The Well-Educated Mind as a starting point.

Math is a subject I love, but have never had too much of a use for. If you dont use it you lose it. And it's gone. Now that my oldest is ready for something a little more complicated than 2 + 2, I am very excited to be teaching him. Very soon, I will be relearning all the math I lost!

Latin is another subject that I loved and lost. I plan on teaching (and learning) Latin quite soon, and I am glad I found this site because a good Latin curriculum has been elusive so far.



What I really seem to be missing is a community of people who love to learn for learning's sake. Perhaps I missed out on this by not going to college at 18, but somehow I doubt it. Where are all the curious brains?! I must know!
:p

[barbara914]

Hi Stephanie,

Welcome to this group. I think it's wonderful that you're homeschooling your three boys and continuing your own as well.

Incidentally, the New York Times has an article about homeschooling; it's #1 on the NYT's most emailed list today. It's mainly about the increasing number of families who homeschool with hired tutors.

Since you love history, are you using Susan Wise Bauer's "Story of the World" texts with your boys? I read them, and, and even though they are written at an elementary level, they gave me a good overall perspective of the progression of civilizations, ideas, and conflicts. I'm looking forward to her "History of the Ancient World," which is due out in February 2007.

Barbara

[geekchic9]

What I really seem to be missing is a community of people who love to learn for learning's sake. Perhaps I missed out on this by not going to college at 18, but somehow I doubt it. Where are all the curious brains?! I must know!
:p

Eh, there are a few around, and I mean only a few. In my generation, Generation Y, or "Generation Whine" like my boyfriend calls it, most of us have been spoiled by the Baby Boomers and are expected to be passive learners. Read and regurgitate. That's how I spent my public school education and a lot of my private college education. Often that's all my teachers wanted me to do. It's sad, really. I really feel that I am learning more now, after I have received my bachelor's degree, then I ever did during those years.

[kaekae]

Ok, you lucked out. I just wrote a huge introduction which I lost when I tried to post because I wasn't logged in (why it let me start a reply I will never know), and I am not about to redo that whole thing so here are the salient points.
Who: 28 year old single lady from Virginia (soon-to-be Technical Editor by trade, computer geek/bookworm for fun). Education is in the blood parents teachers (CS), 2 sisters HS (1 will be starting classical at my suggestion), and I would love to teach children my own or someone's elses.
What: Trying to become self educated. Primarily Latin, TWEM, Violin (I stink and need to learn how to read music [any suggestions]) and Science (may add math in as well, since I am very bad at it)
When: Been intending to (horrible word)ever since college. Going to make a start and try to make it an active part of my life, especially since I hope my hours at work will be better in my new job that start Friday.
Where: my couch, the net.
Why: Cause I want my children (when I ever find a good christian man, get married and have them) to be educated and I want to teach them. Cause I believe you should never stop learning. Cause I am tired of stagnating.
How: by stop Intending and actually do it.
And that is the short post, so be thankful the long one disappeared into the ether.

[JasonAlexander]

hi KaeKae,

i just check in and saw your post. sorry you had that frustrating loss of your post. Hopefully by and by, you will be able to express everything again.

in my opinion this growing group of persons is just the beginning in a very dynamic learning experience.

why do i think this group will be successful:
1. this forum has the advantage of exellent articles from memoria press concerning education.
2. an outstanding curriculum with years of development right here on this web sight. Helne, ect, ect...
3. knowledgeable people availiable to answer questions on other threads.

so, the future is bright for this forum group of persons seeking a Classical Education!

again welcome!

[barbara914]

Hi Kae Kae and Others,

Welcome Kae Kae! It took me a minute to realize that TWEM stood for "The Well-Educated Mind." Have you started any of the lists yet? I completed the novel list and am now combining the autobiography and history lists--I'm reading Augustine now.

Same question with Latin. Where are you with it? I'm working my way through LCII.

I think the main advice that Susan Wise Bauer gave in TWEM is to carve out the time to persue your self-education. I work on Latin about an hour a day, and the same for serious reading. How do others schedule time for classical education?

Cheers,
Barbara

[geekchic9]

I think the main advice that Susan Wise Bauer gave in TWEM is to carve out the time to persue your self-education. I work on Latin about an hour a day, and the same for serious reading. How do others schedule time for classical education?


Today I spent 2 hours completing 2 math lessons. Tomorrow I plan to spend one hour on math and one hour in Latin. I will also bring my music theory book so I can start formulating a plan for that. The reason why I am adding music is because I recently acquired The Latin-Centered Curriculum and the author said it was important to spend time each day on math, Latin, and music.

I have recently read both Climbing Parnassus and The Latin-Centered Curriculum and I recommend them both highly. Climbing Parnassus is historical and theoretical, while The Latin-Centered Curriculum is a little theoretical but mostly practical in implementing the curriculum. Get them both!

[barbara914]

I just ordered both books, and am looking forward to reading them.

Thanks, Barbara