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St. Thomas, son of Gilbert Becket, was born in Southwark, England, in 1117. When a youth he was attached to the household of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him to Paris and Bologna to study law. He became Archdeacon of Canterbury, then Lord High Chancellor of England; and in 1160, when Archbishop Theobald died, the king insisted on the consecration of St. Thomas in his stead. St. Thomas refused, warning the king that from that hour their friendship would be broken. In the end he yielded, and was consecrated. The conflict at once broke out; St. Thomas resisted the royal customs, which violated the liberties of the Church and the laws of the realm. After six years of contention, partly spent in exile, St. Thomas, with full foresight of martyrdom before him, returned as a good shepherd to his Church. On the 29th of December, 1170, just as vespers were beginning, four knights broke into the cathedral, crying: "Where is the archbishop? where is the traitor?" The monks fled, and St. Thomas might easily have escaped. But he advanced, saying: "Here I am - no traitor, but archbishop. What seek you?" "Your life," they cried. "Gladly do I give it," was the reply; and bowing his head, the invincible martyr was hacked and hewn till his soul went to God. Six months later Henry II. submitted to be publicly scourged at the Saint's Shrine, and restored to the Church her full rights. "Learn from St. Thomas," says Father Faber, "to fight the good fight, even to the shedding of blood, or, to what men find harder, the shedding of their good name by pouring it out to waste on the earth."

Charlotte Mason (18?? - 1923) was a Protestant educator who is often considered a pioneer of the homeschool movement. While I would recommend using some care in reading books by and about her philosophies, her common sense and understanding of how children learn have made her ideas very helpful to many homeschoolers - whether Protestant or Catholic. Her ideas on the use of narration and dictation for reading comprehension and the use of the very best in music, art and literature are particularly insightful.

The authors state that "two common problems found in all levels of math classes are the inconsistencies of math terminology and the lack of self confidence in students when answering simple math questions." This series of books was written to address these problems and to provide practice in solving math problems both mentally and quickly. The use of terminology from standardized tests is also beneficial; my children have been confused by different terms even when they understood the concepts well. To a first-grader, "add" doesn't always mean the same thing as "plus".

This series of math supplements is available for grades 1 to 5, and is designed to be used each day of the school year for the first 10 minutes of math class. These courses provide practice and review, but no direct instruction; this is not a complete math program. In addition, these courses require the active participation of the teacher; Mental Math cannot be considered an independent program. From my perspective, this is a particular strength for homeschoolers. Many students work on their math independently, and these courses give the homeschool teacher an opportunity to casually and regularly assess the progress of their student. First graders begin in the second semester of the school year while the other grades start at the beginning of the school year. With the exception of the first grade book, each book begins by reviewing material from the previous grade level.

The instructions for each book clearly state that the teacher is to read the questions to the student twice and then to go on to the next question. The student is not permitted to ask questions, to talk, or to request that the problem be repeated. The student is also not permitted to use scratch paper. Because these courses were designed for the classroom, the student is instructed to write the answer. In a homeschool setting, the answers could be given orally as well.

The only confusing part of the program to me was the numbering system used on the daily worksheets. Each sheet is coded with the grade level and the types of problems being practiced. A key is provided to explain it, and the system makes sense, but I floundered a bit until I developed some experience. This is done to provide flexibility; the program does not have to be used in a specific order. My children have enjoyed these books, and they look forward to showing me just how much they have learned. Sometimes they are quicker to find a solution than I am.

Reviewed by S.K.

Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in the late 1800's on the frontier of the United States. She wrote a whole series of books about her own childhood in which she chronicles pioneer life. Through the series we are taken from her early childhood (approximately age 5 in Little House in the Big Woods) all the way into early married life (The First Four Years). She is a very gifted story-teller and includes many details of everyday life that are particularly fascinating to us today who are so removed from that lifestyle.