Day 63

Another minimal day: but I'm rather proud we did anything at all. Clare had an orthodontist appointment at 8:15, which meant we had to be out of the house by just after 7 am and did not get home till close to noon.

I told the boys that we really had better do a bit of math at least, so they both did math; Sean did Greek and Vocabulary and the Latin cards; and Kieron did handwriting and another daily activity card (#63).

Sean has been having an easier time with the math (maybe because of the break?) He has been doing a weight-lifting routine with his dad.

I read Inkheart during the Thanksgiving break, and yesterday and today read a book called Super Reading Secrets. It was one of those dime sales at the library, and I found it at the back of one of our bookshelves when I was helping Clare look for Post Captain (she is on a Patrick O'Brian reading tear). It is actually more substantial than it looks on the surface. I am already quite a fast reader, too fast in some ways. But this had some of the same study and reading techniques that you find in How to Read a Book, only expressed in more "popular" basic language. While I was reading it I rediscovered how I managed to get adequate grades in several classes which I barely studied for. I have a very quick memory (my dad has the same trait), to the point where I can memorize my credit card number in about 2 minutes and retain it permanently along with expiration date and code on the back (yep, just checked). I only have to dial in a phone number 2 or 3 times, and it's part of my longterm memory. And I am a fast reader. I can get the gist of a book in only a few minutes. See, that is not the same thing as really learning something, but it certainly serves its purpose at times.

Not writing this to boast in the least; but I am thinking that this is something I learned accidentally, partly out of necessity (being lazy and disorganized in my younger days) and it could probably be learned intentionally for better motives. So this is what the book led me to ponder -- I wish it weren't so ...gaudily colored and ....based on a gimmick -- I would have Sean read it for the study skills information, but I don't want him to get the notion it is necessary or desirable to read a page in 3 seconds.