Over at the LTW Mentor—the Yahoo! group for The Lost Tools of Writing—we have been discussing what book of poetry folks recommend to a mother who wants to give her daughter a gift book. As you might expect, I wandered from the point when somebody asked what to choose if...
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On the last day of seminar, my Challenge III students convened to present remaining projects, to discuss great ideas, to work final math problems, and, especially, to party! We celebrated a wonderful year of learning, fellowship, and classical conversations about so many ideas! As students said their goodbyes and...
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At the beginning of the year, our Foundations Director, Stephanie Ross, posed the question, “Are there any mothers who want to be Memory Masters?” As someone who is a lifelong learner, I secretly wanted this. Besides the fact that I love challenges, I wanted to experience the process for...
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Years ago, back when we were both new to homeschooling, one of my friends was loudly lamenting the early elementary years. She was not a fan of “projects,” copy work, or repetitive reading; she was eager to engage her children in discussing “big ideas,” to teach them to write...
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I recently asked my mom, a longtime Challenge tutor, what she planned to do with her summer, teasing that she would be at a loss for what to do once her students were gone. She replied that she thought summer leisure time was a myth, adding, “The time always...
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In the fall of 1979, when I was a senior in high school, my youth pastor took me and three other students on a tour of several colleges. I had never heard of a “road trip,” and this was my first. We left Greensboro, NC on a Wednesday in...
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We need stories. Since ancient times, we have turned to stories, tales, and myths in order to articulate our understanding of the cosmos. Not only do these narratives enable us to describe reality, they portray humanity’s place and purpose in the creation. Stories help us figure out the world,...
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This article is modified from sections from the newly-released book MicroSecession: Simple Ways to Liberate Yourself, Your Family, and Your Community from Government Idiocy. Western civilization has a bad habit of thinking that every problem can be solved with education. Reinhold Niebuhr, in his book The Irony of American History, pointed...
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During the first week of our family’s homeschooling journey, I taught this verse to my children: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7, NIV). It is a wonderful day when a parent can see the fruit of his...
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In the light of current events, I am certain of one thing: we need heroes. As parents, we cannot allow fear to rule our lives; on the contrary, we should prepare our children to act nobly and to do the right thing in unusual circumstances, because one thing is...
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The traditional Christian church calendar has just marked the beginning of the fifth Sunday in the season of Easter. As the celebration of the Resurrection continues, I’d like to share some information I’ve been gathering regarding the symbolism commonly used in Christian celebrations such as Easter and Christmas—symbolism which,...
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In early April, I traveled with my Challenge IV class to Staunton, Virginia’s Blackfriar’s Theater to see Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar on stage. The night before the play, we met with a couple of other Challenge groups at Youth Development Inc.’s lodge for fellowship, dinner, and games before we went to see the play...
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