Norms and Nobility

The Headmistress at The Common Room posted her personal notes to Norms and Nobility, a book about education by David Hicks. In her notes, she writes that learning happens somewhere between what we already know how to do, and what we can't do yet. It's not easy being asked to do what we can't do, but if it's never asked of us, how will we ever progress beyond where we are? Teachers need to challenge students to do what they don't think they can because it seems too hard. That's how we learn. Wise teachers challenge students to demand more of themselves. But it isn't just teachers who ask this of students. If we, as parents, want to learn and grow beyond where we are, we have to ask it of ourselves. [Yes, I re-wrote it in my own words. In fact, her notes were so good that I rewote the whole thing in my own words. That's the way I seem to "get it" best, by breaking things down into little bitty words and short, elementary-school level sentences. :) ]

That's just a small part of everything she posted. If you want to be inspired and challenged as a homeschool teacher, you can read the rest for yourself here. Norms and Nobility is on my list of books that I hope to read someday.