Helene Hanff shows how reading one good book can lead to an entire course of self-education — provided one is perseveringly curious. “Q (Quiller-Couch) was all by himself my college education.”

Now that my youngest has graduated, what does a Reading Mother's "retirement" after more than a quarter-century of home education look like? From where I stand today, it looks more like a second career . . . or two . . . or more.

This past summer, our family spent a good bit of time reading and discussing the stories of Wendell Berry. There were our Friday nights spent lingering over That Distant Land with a few young folks from our church and community.

I took this picture last spring as my youngest son and I were moving towards the end of the school year – and the end of my homeschooling career. We decided to indulge in a final read-aloud of the Narnia books.

When my children were young, we enjoyed many a ramble around our yard and down our country lane, delighting in both the changes and the constants that we observed in the flora and fauna through the seasons. Over time, as I studied Charlotte Mason’s principles, I learned that those rambles had an official instructional name: nature walks.

Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, a favorite read of classical educators everywhere – how NOT to do it! – is full of brilliant and biting commentary on an educational system that ignores the soul-building stuff of the poetic imagination in favor of facts and figures.

I had the honor of writing a guest post for Scholé Groups on my own self-education journey.

Charles Dickens' tale of Mr. Boffin and his 'great books course' is a delightful illustration of the fact that Dickens knew his classics well and easily takes his place in the Great Conversation.

Speaking of Plutarch, years ago I commonplaced this encouraging glimpse into his self-education in Latin from the Life of Demosthenes:

I am certain that the daily delight and discipline of Morning Time—a.k.a Our Daily Feast—is the best pedagogical practice for bringing scholé to our homeschools Yet there is an even more important life practice which I believe is needed to bring scholé.

I have the honor of being a guest today at Pam Barnhill's Blog, sharing some thoughts about the benefits of regular reading aloud to Mom. You'll also find some tips for building your own read-aloud skills.

Tho' much is taken, much abides, and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts . . .

“When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before. Clifton Fadiman’s words, copied long ago in my commonplace book, came to mind on a recent return to Homer's “realms of gold.”