“Timing is everything, in education as in many other fields. It’s not enough to teach well. You have to teach well to kids who are ready to learn, kids who are developmentally ‘ripe’ for learning.”
- Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax

Thursday, January 22, 2009

BTT: Inspiration

What is your reading inspired by?

Most of my reading is inspired by a desire to understand other people, situations, and places. For some reason I love reading books that are set in the 19th century, with the pioneers settling the west. I don't know why, but that time period fascinates me. I enjoy reading about other people and the situations they are put into, and then I can wonder "how would I react in this situation?"

I also think it helps you understand other people and their decisions. In "The Lonesome Gods" by Louis L'Amour the character Johannes explains that reading books helped him to understand his grandfather (who basically wants to kill Johannes). "Even when I disapproved of what my grandfather had done, I could understand him. It made his crimes no less, but left me with a clearer view." Even though he doesn't agree with the choices his grandfather makes, he is able to understand why he made those choices. I think this is what inspires me to read - my desire to understand others. I don't think I am a very judgemental person, I try to understand where others are coming from and the reason they do the things they do, and I think that reading has really helped me with that.

Lately my reading is also inspired by a desire to learn. For quite a few years I mostly read for entertainment purposes, but now that we are homeschooling I have so much I need and want to learn. I want to gain a deeper understanding of the history of the world, the current world we live in, and where we are headed as a society. I want to broaden my knowledge to include those things that I have often avoided because I thought they would be to difficult to understand. I want to have the education I need so that I can help and inspire my children in their own education. It's a pretty daunting task for me, one that I don't know if I can accomplish, but I guess I'll just take it one day and one book at a time. :)

5 comments:

Book Lover Lisa said...

Homeschooling changed my reading habits, too. I was reading so much for their schooling, and learning about how to educate, that I had to have some respite chick-lit reading. (I no longer homeschool, but think it is a grand thing to do.)

Nice to find another LDS blogger.

And, I love Lonesome God's. My dad always read L'Amour, and I never expected to like it, but he has some great books.

Confuzzled Shannon said...

Nice post very interesting! Happy Thursday!

SmilingSally said...

Yes, to learn and to be entertained--good reasons to read! Happy BTT.

Book Lover Lisa said...

Hi Amy,

We are in Evanston, but we lived in Green River for two years, so I know Rock Springs well.

We also used classics for our homeschool--A Thomas Jefferson Education--I'm afraid I have slacked off a bit on the classics reading since my kids have been going to public school. But that is one of my goals this year.

Shimmy Mom said...

Awesome answer. I love the Wild West time period too. Pioneers, cowboys, all of it. And I think that it is wonderful how much you try to learn from them.

(I also have this question scheduled to post later in the year on Reading Through History, so you may want to hang on to it.)

*hugs*