A Mind Alive: My Schole Routine


A Mind Alive:
My Schole Routine and
Current Schole Selections 

My inbox is full of discussions about Schole, and that truly delights me.
The mind of a homeschool mom is one in great need of vitality and it is a powerful force for goodness and beauty when it is well nourished. ⁣

⁣One thing that I’m consistently asked is how I actually *do* Schole, daily and weekly. When I was new to the idea of Schole, I too wanted to see exactly how it is *done*. 
Schole is a wonderful concept, but it only gives vitality if it’s an unwavering habit of life, so I’m happy to share a look into my own Schole routine: ⁣


Morning
From 5-7 am, I do the bulk of my Schole for the day. 
This is how that typically goes: 

1. Scripture and Prayer
I inductively study one OT book and one NT book of the Bible at a time, (more below about how I study inductively) and I also keep a study going of some form of Apologetics or Theology.

I do these on different days of the week. 

Occasionally, I finish off this time with a “devotional”, but 90% of devotionals available are of poor quality at best and terrible theology at worst, so I don’t prioritize it.⁣
I prefer to read and study Scripture like a theologian, armed for battle not pacified. 
(I go into great detail about inductive study and how to study Scripture well in my workshop called
The Living Word for Moms.) 

Current Selections: 
Old Testament Book: Haggai 
I use several commentaries, and I read through the commentaries available on the
Blue Letter Bible app. I also do a study of the original language and translation of key themes and words within the book. 

I highlight inductively (this process is also explained in the workshop linked above), and I also mark the entire book in my Bible with key word and theme symbols. For this, I typically use the keys provided by Kari King Dent

I also enjoy the book studies (which are inductive in nature) from Daily Grace Co, and am currently using the one for Haggai entitled "The God That Comes Near"

New Testament Book: 1 Thessalonians 
I am doing everything for this book as explained above, and am also working my way through the inductive study for this book from Bible Study Fellowship on the Word Go app.
(I am not endorsing BSF as an organization, but I enjoy working through their studies on my own.) 

Theology Study: Atonement Theories 
I am currently studying various theories of atonement, and am doing this with various articles from trusted sources and commentaries. I have studied atonement theories thoroughly before, but am doing it again based upon various conversations I am currently engaged in. 

Theology Book: Gospel Wakefulness by Jared C. Wilson

2. Scripture Writing and Memory ⁣

I always have some portion of Scripture that I’m writing and/or memorizing. ⁣
Right now, I am writing a Scripture each day for my Obedient Joy Challenge and I am memorizing some Psalms using the Dwell Scripture Memory Journal from Daily Grace Co. 

3. Keeping⁣

I then move on to my commonplace, which I generally keep daily and then either my Nature Journal or Book of Centuries for a weekly entry. ⁣
You can read more about all three of these in my "The Art of Keeping" Post.

I am also currently working through the daily challenges in my Delighting in Schole guide with a group of ladies and I think I will do this again when finished as it provides refreshment to these habits. 

4. Serial Reads⁣

I require myself to spend at least 30 minutes reading each morning, and I start with my current subscriptions on the Serial Reader app, which are always classics. ⁣This helps me ensure that I have cycled through a few books each day so that if my afternoon and evening reading keeps me in a single book I have still spread a wide feast for my mind each day. It also helps ensure that I am making progress in my "Slow and Steady" book and always reading through Shakespeare and other classics. 

Current Selections: 
My current serial subscriptions are Anna Karenina (this is my current Slow and Steady read),
Jane Eyre, The Taming of the Shrew, and Notes From Underground. 

5. Poetry⁣

It took my years, but I made reading poetry daily a solid habit and I now can’t imagine my mornings without it. ⁣Poetry is life giving and provides my moral imagination with metaphor and my mind with beautiful language and ideas. 

Current Selections:
I am currently reading an out-of-print book of Wordsworth selections. 

6. Handicrafts, Art, Music⁣

I do a handicraft once each week, which is usually a pastel piece and on the other days I either do a picture study, listen to a new piece of music and some old favorites, or create some other form of art.

If any of that is new to you, you might enjoy the daily challenges in Delighting in Schole, as it provides some exposure and guidance for all of this. ⁣

7. Mother’s Education⁣

I then move on to a lesson in either Writing, Logic, or Math depending on the day of the week. ⁣
This is vital in order to be a lifelong learner, to continually stretch myself, and to model for my children that learning is a worthy pursuit no matter what stage of life you are currently in. 

Current Selections: 
Math: A Concrete Approach to Abstract Algebra
Logic: Logic Self-Taught Workbook
Writing: On Writing Well

8. Job Training⁣

I finish off my morning readings with some form of educational philosophy or classical reading, because I consider good research to be both an enjoyable and a nonnegotiable part of my job (I would never want to “influence” anyone regarding anything I wasn’t highly researched in 😘)⁣

Current Selections: 
A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason (I read this once each year) 
Why Knowledge Matters
Various Articles, etc 

Finally, I exercise and get my work and school day started. ⁣

Afternoon
In the afternoon, I follow my 30-30-30 rule and sit down for at least 30 more minutes of reading physical books. I also play audiobooks while doing my exercise and all of my daily chores. 

What I am currently reading: 
One True Thing (audio) 
The Big Rock Candy Mountain (audio) 
Salvation of a Saint: Detective Galileo #2 (audio) 
The Taming of the Shrew (serial reader)
Jane Eyre (serial reader) 
The Summer Book (physical book) 
New Girl in Little Cove (audio) 
All American Boys (audio) 
HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style (physical book) 
Before the Ever After (audio) 
Charis in the World of Wonders (physical book) 
The Great Gatsby (audio) 
And Now I Spill the Family Secrets (physical book) 
Why Knowledge Matters (physical book) 
The Midnight Library (physical book) 
A Fatal Grace (physical book) 
Notes from Underground (serial reader) 
Great American Short Stories (physical book) 
Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting and Living With Books (physical book)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (physical book) 
The Joy Luck Club (physical book) 
Let's Play Math (physical book) 
Gospel Wakefulness (physical book) 
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (physical book) 
Anna Karenina (serial reader) 
City of God (audio) 
Towards a Philosophy of Education 

Evening
In the evening, I again read for at least 30 minutes. 
Then, I will finish up anything from my morning routine that I may have missed.

Sometimes I also use the evening schole time I have available to work on some light, yet stimulating things like sketching or watching an educational video. 


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