I am of course adding one hour to the mandated 5 hour a day studying. I added Catholic Studies/Bible/Catechism/Literature. So our family is doing 6 hours a day.
My goals are to train them the habit to self-teach themselves and not be afraid to handle old, thick books and actual historical writings/memoirs/documents. Before, my kids were averse to old prints and they prefer the glossy, shiny
attractive books. Now, they appreciate books that are yellowish, thick and in the early 1900s. When I am able to buy a vintage book, their eyes widen and lit up. Again, the goal is for them to critically analyze history through actual
historical documents and make their own conclusions. I recall doing that in college with my history professors. I hated it because I was not used to the smell of old books. But, the lesson that I got was clear: history is from the perspective of the writer.
I want to bring up their reading level to the point where they can handle college and graduate studies work. The results of their reading manifest greatly in their essays. Their choice of words are improving. In correcting their essays, they see the pattern in their errors in writing. So learning grammar is in the reverse. Grammar studies are from "parts to whole". In this approach, it is from "whole to parts". Either way is good.
In terms of critical analysis and reading comprehension skills, I sort of do a check when I discuss the books with them but not to challenge them but to engage them in an intellectual discussion. I want them to be able to study and learn
as much as they want without me (but of course I know what they are reading). I like our discussions after I implemented the program for two months because I do not have to go down to their level. They go up to where I am.
The 6-hour schedule for me a day is already rigorous. But, remember it is 6 days a week, year round. The rationale for that is it takes time for your brain to gear up after a long vacation. WIth a five day schedule, by Friday you feel like already doing a TGIF thing and your concentration drops dramatically. The mandated 5 hour in RC aims for you to do chores and other interests the rest of the day so it does not all accumulate on a Saturday.
On Math, it is time-based for 2 hours. Some kids can do 2 lessons a day. But, the average is 1 lesson per day after 1.5 hours. So, I encourage them to proceed to the next lesson but they don't follow me and just stick with one lesson. They must be already drained by one lesson. The older kids say that they can go faster but with the 5% error rate they do not want to take the chance of repeating the lesson again, so they rather work slow.
It is a tough call on delaying science. But, the rationale behind it is the "real science" requires a solid understanding of high level math.
attractive books. Now, they appreciate books that are yellowish, thick and in the early 1900s. When I am able to buy a vintage book, their eyes widen and lit up. Again, the goal is for them to critically analyze history through actual
historical documents and make their own conclusions. I recall doing that in college with my history professors. I hated it because I was not used to the smell of old books. But, the lesson that I got was clear: history is from the perspective of the writer.
I want to bring up their reading level to the point where they can handle college and graduate studies work. The results of their reading manifest greatly in their essays. Their choice of words are improving. In correcting their essays, they see the pattern in their errors in writing. So learning grammar is in the reverse. Grammar studies are from "parts to whole". In this approach, it is from "whole to parts". Either way is good.
In terms of critical analysis and reading comprehension skills, I sort of do a check when I discuss the books with them but not to challenge them but to engage them in an intellectual discussion. I want them to be able to study and learn
as much as they want without me (but of course I know what they are reading). I like our discussions after I implemented the program for two months because I do not have to go down to their level. They go up to where I am.
The 6-hour schedule for me a day is already rigorous. But, remember it is 6 days a week, year round. The rationale for that is it takes time for your brain to gear up after a long vacation. WIth a five day schedule, by Friday you feel like already doing a TGIF thing and your concentration drops dramatically. The mandated 5 hour in RC aims for you to do chores and other interests the rest of the day so it does not all accumulate on a Saturday.
On Math, it is time-based for 2 hours. Some kids can do 2 lessons a day. But, the average is 1 lesson per day after 1.5 hours. So, I encourage them to proceed to the next lesson but they don't follow me and just stick with one lesson. They must be already drained by one lesson. The older kids say that they can go faster but with the 5% error rate they do not want to take the chance of repeating the lesson again, so they rather work slow.
It is a tough call on delaying science. But, the rationale behind it is the "real science" requires a solid understanding of high level math.
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