I remember attending an ACCS (Association of Classical and Christian
Schools) conference eleven years ago. By the last day I had brain bulge
and was overwhelmed with all the information.  The very last session
was “How to Educate Yourself.”  Chris Schlect brought in a huge stack of
books and handed out a reading list.  Until that
point I had considered myself well-read, but I couldn’t put a check
mark next to a book until I’d come to about 63 on the list. 

I learned to teach myself as I taught my kids; I leaned on any
support I could find.  Using the “one chapter ahead” method, I taught
Homer, Virgil, Spenser and Shakespeare to homeschool co-op classes.  But I was not without help.  My
beloved Latin teacher, Bernie, taught me so much more than Latin during our weekly classes. He told the stories behind the translations; he brought in his twice re-bound Greek Homer and whet our appetites.   He was the best tour guide, and only a phone call away. 

When Bernie moved, I relied on books to guide me.  This year we have read through some major texts of ancient civilization.  The books above have helped us understand what we’ve been reading.  These have been great resources.  Our primary guide has been Omnibus I and I can only sing its praises with a loud voice and a thankful heart. I believe that good questions are at the heart of good teaching.  Omnibus is full of good questions.  Peter Leithart is unparalleled for challenging my thinking.  There’s a world full of chiasms that I’ve never seen before reading him. The others have been good books to dip in and read portions.

BUT!!  Next year!!   How is this for the ABCs:  Augustine, Beowulf, Chaucer, Dante and Eusebius.  I’m salivating…  I always find May challenging.  I’d much rather invest my time and thoughts in the year ahead then finish our task at hand.   It’s more fun to check out  catalogs, read reviews, and dream of the ideal school year than to correct papers and corral wandering thoughts.