Dreamin'

Highlands Latin School (www.thelatinschool.org/) is my dream school. Almost. I'd like to give it a University Model twist (www.naums.net/index2.html). Then you'd have my dream school. And I'd like to run it (tempted to post my resume here = ) becasue I'm a control-freak visionary like that. And I'd like lots of really great extra-curriculars like orchestra, choir, drum corps, Mock Trial, Model U.N. & Debate, athletics, protocol and community service because I'm really an advocate of the leadership models that focus on mental, physical, social and emotional learning/service/living. And I'd like my kids to go there because it's hard to do it all alone. Our pastor (http://www.churchatthegate.com/) has a saying that "we're not meant to go through life alone." And yet, when you do the radical thing it's so easy to be alone. People are interested, curious maybe, but not really all that invested in doing the radical thing with you.

My dd is just minutes away from Highlands- I'm so jealous. Maybe we could move and Viking Man could visit on holidays?

Until a door opens or there's a season change we will continue on, using the good stuff that Memoria Press (the publishing company of Highlands) puts forth to help those, such as myself, who aren't close enough to commute. I highly recommend the Latin programs: Prima Latina for the littles, Latina Christiana I & II as well as Lingua Angelica for the Middles, and for the stalwart and brave and upper level student, Henle Latin. If you get the videos (I recommend them) you'll find Leigh Lowe's accent fun and engaging. Having lived in eastern NM (on the Texas border) for 8 years Leigh sounds like "home" to us and reminds of our of good friend, Glenda. You never knew Latin could be so fun till ya hear it with a Texan accent!

We have also develed into Traditional Logic which is much more accessible than I thought it would be. After last years struggle with Intro and Intermedicate Logic (from Logos) I was dubious. The big diff is that Traditional Logic is a language arts program, whereas Intro and Intermediate Logic focuses on symbolic logic (math). Both have value, just different, and we are enjoying the ease of the program as well as the eye-brow theatrics of Professor Cothran!

Christian Studies is another winner that we are thouroughly enjoying this year. It is a great combo of skills and content (see my post, Education 101) and with the map-work, memory work and comprehensive Bible reading (instead of snippets) there is something for everyone.

We also use the Copywork books for Cub. Though he'd rather not write at all, the print is large enough and verses engaging enough that it's good enough.

The Famous Men series is worth every penny and as soon as I get more scrapped together we'll be purchasing the newly released, "Famous Men of Modern Times." I believe that these are reprints of the old Greenleaf Press series and the pictures are gorgeous! Get all of them! Each can be a course of study, use them with a time-line (Amy Pak's) or just read them out-loud. It's good stuff.

D'Aulaires Greek Myths is a must have for every library- sanitized mythology for those who want the contex without the smut. The pictures, in true D'Aulaire style, are what makes the book.

Also on my list of "to buy" by Christmas is "Rhetoric." KB is working through IEW's Progymnsata (which covers all 9 units of the IEW program at an upper level) which she is cruising through. I'd like her to do Rhetoric 2nd semester.

And of course, a FREE resource from the good folks at Memoria Press is their newsletter. It always has interesting and thougth provoking articles on classical ed and more. You can sign up for it here: http://www.memoriapress.com/newsletter/index.html