Registration

I have closed my doors to teaching online classes. These past 13 years have been wonderful! My friend and colleague, Lindsey Wright, will take over the classes. You can reach her at lwright607 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Be sure to Enroll in our class before you register. Follow this link to the registration form.

Class descriptions:

See the Syllabus link for information 

Please register here for all classes. I limit my classes to 15. 

Educational Philosophy

1. What are humanities? It is a sub-set of the broader liberal arts. The liberal arts include the four areas of social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, and humanities. You can plainly see that the liberal arts include all the subjects of learning. And may I mention, if we work hard to balance our learning in all, they all help us maintain liberty, hence the “liberal” arts. Humanities covers literature, history, theology, music, art, speech, theatre, journalism, foreign languages, film, and communication. But you can also see that it encourages many of the social sciences including philosophy and pairs well with the natural sciences and math. In Spare Oom Humanities the chief aim is to understand what kind of being man is, as well as his purpose. We seek truths to understand happiness and how to achieve it, which in turn, helps us understand our relationship with each other and the world around us. 
2. Whose responsibility is it to educate you? Watch this short video.
3. Spare Oom Humanities is a whole education based on truth. We look for the one truth among the many errors, and as we discuss the errors, we look for the hidden truths. 
4. As you learned in the video above, you are the one who is responsible for your own education, and therefore, Spare Oom Humanities allows you to discover truths, meaning, and historical concepts on your own with some guidance. 
5. We use classics, not textbooks. We want to discover for ourselves what the great men and women are saying, not a regurgitation of their thoughts found in textbooks. Additionally, textbooks cost an astronomical amount, whereas classics are affordable. The cost for all the books will vary, but you can count on an average of about $100 per school year. Purchase used books in very good condition and you can save even more, but the shipping can take 2-3 weeks at best.
6. It is imperative to learning that we annotate our readings. Each student should have their own set of books to mark up and make their own. Sharing will save money, but it will also cause much stress as each person is vying for time with the book. Purchasing one book for each student will add to their own personal library they can keep. 
7. Each year we discover truths that combat society’s parasitic and destructive idea pathogens such as Cancel Culture, Critical Race Theory, Social Constructivism, Radical Feminism, and Postmodernism. It is essential that we understand that despite their seemingly charitable purpose, their “ends” are destructive to society. 

Logistics

1. Booklists: you can find the booklist from a link on the homepage of this blog

1. Use the links provided (underlined titles). 
2. We can all be “on the same page” when sharing quotes or discussing parts of the books
3. Some books are more meaningful when you can listen while reading and annotating. I encourage you to get the audible recordings suggested on the booklist.
4. The editions are some of the best translations out there. Why don’t I use the Great Books of the Western World set? While they are a wonderful addition to any room’s bookcase, they do not contain the best translations that adhere to the original meaning in Latin, Greek, or other languages. In my short 12 years of teaching humanities, I’ve found the most reliable translations that stay true to their original meaning. Please purchase the same edition listed. Also, be aware that I may change some of the books as I go throughout the summer. I have been known to make last-minute changes when I have had a premonition and it has made all the difference. 

1. Method of Study:
1. Your best method is the one YOU choose, but it is always wise to study daily.
2. Humanities is a 2 credit class, which means that 2 hours daily ought to be devoted to reading, writing, and discussing, five days a week for this class. 
3. For each book or reading, you will most likely be expected to create questions for the 5 types of questions, come up with a principle, and respond to pre-written study-guide questions.
4. Each week you read, you will want to annotate, write questions & principles, and respond to study-guide questions in order to retain the knowledge you are gaining. The more you write down, the more you will retain.

1. The Pace

1. Our curriculum moves fairly quickly. We read an average of one book per week unless it is a long one and then it is extended to two or three weeks. 
2. Some weeks have more reading than others. You are responsible to check what is ahead and pace yourself as you think best.
3. Count on spending two hours a day, five days a week. Of course, you can set your own standard of how much you will learn. If you want to spend one hour or 30 minutes each day for five days, it is up to you. 
4. Be aware that you will not need to enroll in additional similar classes because this four-year humanities class covers history, philosophy, literature, writing, and art history. Taking too many additional classes will bog you down and you may likely want to scream. If you need to take writing classes, that may be to your advantage since we only write one paper per semester.

1. Credits:

1. Humanities is a 2-credit class
2. You will devote 2 hours a day, five days a week to get the full 2 credits. 
3. If you need to modify your commitment, then do so in the following manner:
1. For a 1 credit class: study one hour a day five days a week
2. For ½ credit class: study 30 minutes daily five days a week

1. Please be aware that the more time you dedicate to learning, the more you will glean. It really is up to you to decide how much effort you will give to the class.

1. Transcripts
1. You (and/or your parents) keep track: I usually let the families keep track of all the grades and so I’ve not developed a good tracking system. 
2. Once the grades have been entered in each week, you have access to “Grades” in the Google Classroom and can access them when you need them. 
3. If you need help figuring out a system for transcripts, there are multiple templates on the internet and you can fill those grades in each semester and keep a running total for each year. 
4. I would highly suggest you keep a booklist on what the student has read all throughout their educational career.