Watching my 3 children learn to read, using 100 Easy Lessons, is one of the delights of my life.
I earned a teacher certification in 2001. We were only taught how to teach whole language nonsense. As soon as I had my first classroom, I saw that method fail my students. I purchased Hooked On Phonics. .
My mom friend uses the public school version of 100 Easy Lessons to teach her child with Down Syndrome. She said in their community it’s well-known to be the program that works.
There is a second book called Funnix (it comes with an unpleasant computer program by the same authors for the second hundred lessons. My 17 year old remembers the silly and fun stories from both the 1st 100 and 2nd 100 lessons.
My 7 year old is now reading Misty of Chincoteague.
I love 100 Easy Lessons. Can’t wait to teach my grandkids with it.
Truly enjoyed this article. I'm learning so much about the Catholic educational tradition -- pardon me if my inference is incorrect here though.
One note: I understand the criticism of progressive and traditionalist K12. I've written extensively about it on my own Substack being a PTSD-ridden ex-conventional high school teacher.
Now, in my classical charter school (still public, still run under the state's purview so very difficult to thread the needle on what classical probably should look like) all I can say is this:
I was the exception in the conventional public school system. Students loved learning in my classroom (mostly the humanities) and I was fiercely demanding. The issue, as always, is scale -- something homeschoolers wisely recognize and escape. I think the classical tradition gives us the best roadmap for how to effect deeper learning -- but you still have all the problems with scaling for students of incredible variation in skill, knowledge, and support at home. This is what makes teaching impossible, but also incredibly fun for the masochists in our world.
For all your readers, know that I truly believe all parents can and should homeschool, if only because of comparative advantage given how far the conventional public schools have fallen n terms of ability to actually teach -- largely due to pants-on-head stupid policy from educational "leadership" at the university level. I'm glad I found your substack; it's thoughtful and gives me a touchstone for my practice.
Also, you're hilarious. Thanks for the lift this morning.
Aw, thank you for reading! As it happens, my husband founded a charter school that has a Montessori early childhood and elementary program shading into something classical-ish in middle school and a still-to-come high school, so I am all too familiar with the difficulties of doing what you think to be best for students within the constraints of the public school setting. Keep fighting the good fight!
The bit about making the things we require students to learn as frictionless as possible stood out to me. As a homeschooler/private tutor, I've decided that those 'unpleasant but required' subjects should be done in whatever manner the student finds most paletable. Eg. struggling reader gets to use a learn-to-read app, as well as play endless (boring to me) sound bingo games etc. Whatever gets them through - with as much handholding and gamification as required. Engleman is the perfect curriculum for this purpose.
The colluary is that I don't allow a student to coast along at grade level in a subject they are more able in. If the struggling reader has good head for maths they will be doing Beast academy math circles, given applied engineering projects etc etc, always with the aim of working at the sweet spot of 'a little bit hard'.
Yes, this is the way! The other thing I like to do with with boring-but-required subjects that require a lot of practice is to make sure to help kids notice how the practice does actually make it much easier over time. It does eventually seem to help get some more buy-in for those areas.
“Today, high school graduation in my state requires four years of English, four years of math (including algebra I and II on top of geometry), biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, history (US and world), civics, economics, personal finance, physical education, fine arts, and foreign language.”
I think they’re training everyone to be a renaissance man and scholar. That is a mistake. As a nerdy person myself, I enjoyed ALL of these subjects. Unironically. I’m glad I got to learn them. It still brings me joy to go to a nature museum and remember my geology lessons. I get so much out of seeing these exhibits, knowing what I learned.
But at the same time they are SO irreverent to my daily life. I have a math graduate degree and now that I am no longer in academia, I don’t do much math beyond basic arithmetic. Sure, you may say, math is special. If you don’t understand anything beyond basic arithmetic then you don’t understand the modern world. Fair enough. But most of the people I know don’t know anything more than arithmetic, *and they took calculus*. 10 years after graduation, they don’t understand anything beyond fifth grade math. (And also, how much do we really need to understand the modern world? How probable is that? Who among us understands AI? Like REALLY understands it?)
So yes, there’s math. And reading and writing. Ok, maybe you can argue it’s super important. What about all of these other subjects? Do all of us need to know art history? Or Shakespeare? Or Geology? What is the goal here? Do we need all that cramming to function as adults in a democracy? Why not make everyone REALLY solid at the trivium and quadrivium (I would toss statistics and probability in there… but we don’t require that!), and be done with it? That alone can take you all 12 years. Everything else is just an elective? Let the kids play?
Or maybe it’s actually about filling the time until the parents get off work. Or creating diabolical hoops to jump through to prove your docility. Who knows.
Great post. You earned a sub. I've been working on some film reviews with a focus on educational and family-friendly content, which I think could be a great resource for homeschooling families like yours. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Watching my 3 children learn to read, using 100 Easy Lessons, is one of the delights of my life.
I earned a teacher certification in 2001. We were only taught how to teach whole language nonsense. As soon as I had my first classroom, I saw that method fail my students. I purchased Hooked On Phonics. .
My mom friend uses the public school version of 100 Easy Lessons to teach her child with Down Syndrome. She said in their community it’s well-known to be the program that works.
There is a second book called Funnix (it comes with an unpleasant computer program by the same authors for the second hundred lessons. My 17 year old remembers the silly and fun stories from both the 1st 100 and 2nd 100 lessons.
My 7 year old is now reading Misty of Chincoteague.
I love 100 Easy Lessons. Can’t wait to teach my grandkids with it.
Truly enjoyed this article. I'm learning so much about the Catholic educational tradition -- pardon me if my inference is incorrect here though.
One note: I understand the criticism of progressive and traditionalist K12. I've written extensively about it on my own Substack being a PTSD-ridden ex-conventional high school teacher.
Now, in my classical charter school (still public, still run under the state's purview so very difficult to thread the needle on what classical probably should look like) all I can say is this:
I was the exception in the conventional public school system. Students loved learning in my classroom (mostly the humanities) and I was fiercely demanding. The issue, as always, is scale -- something homeschoolers wisely recognize and escape. I think the classical tradition gives us the best roadmap for how to effect deeper learning -- but you still have all the problems with scaling for students of incredible variation in skill, knowledge, and support at home. This is what makes teaching impossible, but also incredibly fun for the masochists in our world.
For all your readers, know that I truly believe all parents can and should homeschool, if only because of comparative advantage given how far the conventional public schools have fallen n terms of ability to actually teach -- largely due to pants-on-head stupid policy from educational "leadership" at the university level. I'm glad I found your substack; it's thoughtful and gives me a touchstone for my practice.
Also, you're hilarious. Thanks for the lift this morning.
Aw, thank you for reading! As it happens, my husband founded a charter school that has a Montessori early childhood and elementary program shading into something classical-ish in middle school and a still-to-come high school, so I am all too familiar with the difficulties of doing what you think to be best for students within the constraints of the public school setting. Keep fighting the good fight!
The bit about making the things we require students to learn as frictionless as possible stood out to me. As a homeschooler/private tutor, I've decided that those 'unpleasant but required' subjects should be done in whatever manner the student finds most paletable. Eg. struggling reader gets to use a learn-to-read app, as well as play endless (boring to me) sound bingo games etc. Whatever gets them through - with as much handholding and gamification as required. Engleman is the perfect curriculum for this purpose.
The colluary is that I don't allow a student to coast along at grade level in a subject they are more able in. If the struggling reader has good head for maths they will be doing Beast academy math circles, given applied engineering projects etc etc, always with the aim of working at the sweet spot of 'a little bit hard'.
Yes, this is the way! The other thing I like to do with with boring-but-required subjects that require a lot of practice is to make sure to help kids notice how the practice does actually make it much easier over time. It does eventually seem to help get some more buy-in for those areas.
Great essay, Sara!
“Today, high school graduation in my state requires four years of English, four years of math (including algebra I and II on top of geometry), biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, history (US and world), civics, economics, personal finance, physical education, fine arts, and foreign language.”
I think they’re training everyone to be a renaissance man and scholar. That is a mistake. As a nerdy person myself, I enjoyed ALL of these subjects. Unironically. I’m glad I got to learn them. It still brings me joy to go to a nature museum and remember my geology lessons. I get so much out of seeing these exhibits, knowing what I learned.
But at the same time they are SO irreverent to my daily life. I have a math graduate degree and now that I am no longer in academia, I don’t do much math beyond basic arithmetic. Sure, you may say, math is special. If you don’t understand anything beyond basic arithmetic then you don’t understand the modern world. Fair enough. But most of the people I know don’t know anything more than arithmetic, *and they took calculus*. 10 years after graduation, they don’t understand anything beyond fifth grade math. (And also, how much do we really need to understand the modern world? How probable is that? Who among us understands AI? Like REALLY understands it?)
So yes, there’s math. And reading and writing. Ok, maybe you can argue it’s super important. What about all of these other subjects? Do all of us need to know art history? Or Shakespeare? Or Geology? What is the goal here? Do we need all that cramming to function as adults in a democracy? Why not make everyone REALLY solid at the trivium and quadrivium (I would toss statistics and probability in there… but we don’t require that!), and be done with it? That alone can take you all 12 years. Everything else is just an elective? Let the kids play?
Or maybe it’s actually about filling the time until the parents get off work. Or creating diabolical hoops to jump through to prove your docility. Who knows.
I don't see Charlotte Mason mentioned in your article here. Are you familiar with her work?
I am! I have friends for whom her methods work very well, but she has not been a big influence on our homeschool.
*happy affirmative sounds
Well then I shall be on my way!
*hands you a refreshing drink and offers a respectful nod as one intellectual to another
Ta ta!
Great post. You earned a sub. I've been working on some film reviews with a focus on educational and family-friendly content, which I think could be a great resource for homeschooling families like yours. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Great article! The greatest problem we face now is that public libraries no longer promote books:
https://swiftenterprises.substack.com/p/great-american-libraries