on reading ahead

"...she further increased her advantage by reading every book assigned to me and reviewing every assignment... She spent many evenings, after a long day of teaching school, reading lengthy books. She tried to make certain that she was ahead of me so that if I had any questions about my work she would be familiar with the material. 

Mother encouraged me to work independently as much as possible... Yet she also scheduled time nearly every day for us to work together.  Whenever I missed a problem she would sit down with me and determine where I had made the mistake. Because she had worked the problems the night before it was a simple matter for to find my error and correct it.  

Although she had as many as five students during the time that I was in high school she always found time to give each of us individual instruction....The one on one interaction was critical to my mastering high school material." 

- Alexandra Swann,  No Regrets

This is remarkable to me and incredibly inspiring considering her mother had ten children in thirteen years, moved to a new city, remodeled a home, had a preemie, and went through a near fatal bowel reconstruction for one son while this was taking place.  

I have said in the past that I could not do it.  But I realize now that the alternative is often being frustrated the next day trying to help a student who is confused about material with which we are unfamiliar.  I have come to think time spent planning would be better spent knowing the literature and texts inside and out so we can discuss them and this is where I would like to focus. 

Another advantage Joyce had was that she needed only to do this once, for the rest of the children used the same books and read the same literature titles for their courses so that time invested with the first child rolled over to all the rest making it much easier with the younger children despite there being more of them. 

I suspect the prime reason she was able to do so much was that they had and answering machine and no computer....     Really mulling that one over.

Comments

[Amy]

This is so convicting, Kim. So convicting, in fact, that I have tears of shame in my eyes. I'm off to get something better done.

[Amber]

Thanks again for a very thought-provoking post. I am interested to track down a copy of the book now too - plus, you included that amazing illustration. Just gorgeous.

Just a quick question... & I know that you're away & busy so no offence will be taken if you can't answer ;) but... do you think that homeschooling can really "work" with a small family of just 1 or 2 children??? I just ask because I so love the idea but with 2 big-energy little boys & no more on the way, I just don't know if it would be as cohesive as it may be for bigger families where the littlies always have someone to look up to / the eldest have someone to help.

Thanks again for sharing :)