Since I am a professional historian, I am dismayed when I hear anyone say, “I hate history.” Their lament almost always means that the person is as yet unprepared to face history's challenges, the first and foremost of which is the ability to retain a great deal of data. To succeed in that undertaking, we must understand that retentiveness is a by-product of intellectual exercise.

At the beginning of every school year, I make a little personal checklist as to how I can improve homeschooling in the upcoming year.  I don’t always stick to the ...