{Continuing Education} Notebook Update

I just finished lesson six in the Introduction to the Constitution free online class by Hillsdale and thought I’d give you an update on how it’s going.

It’s going slow.

But, I’m okay with that. Slowness allows for good conversations, reflecting, and diving into things that the class doesn’t get into in much depth (it is a free online class, so I understand it’s going to be more of an overview than a full credit class).

I’m using my 2026 notebook to take notes, add thoughts, and answer questions. (It’s a commonplace/thinking/learning kind of journal of my year and I’m loving it. It is so much simpler than finding a specific notebook to record a specific thought or item!) I’ve been reading the assigned selections and annotating the book. (I bought a physical copy, because I have hopes to continue on to the Constitution 101 course eventually. And I have a really hard time reading complicated subjects like this online.), then adding notes to my notebook.

In the notebook I’m trying to understand the main points of the document, and writing out anything that stood out to me.

Sometimes I’ll print out stuff online that helps me further my understanding. It was interesting that in the Federalist 10, James Madison said some of the sources of factions include “a rage for paper money, an abolition of debts, and an equal division of property.” (And here we are 230 years after this was written, with paper money, and people calling for the abolition of debts, and an equal division of property.)

One of the articles we read was from an Anti-Federalist point of view (someone not in support of the Constitution) and he actually made some good points that I agree with, however, I don’t know that there were any options for this new government that didn’t have problems or defects. When we are dealing with governing sinful people, by sinful people, there will be no perfect form of government.

Lesson six touched on the Electoral College and, honestly, I’ve never really understood it. So I looked up some more things online and printed them out and watched a video to help explain it a bit better. Now I’m moving on to Lesson 7 (of 12), so more than halfway there!

How do I make time for this?

How do I fit this in to my day and schedule? I’m not very good at it, which is why things are moving slow. But, I have found that if I can use just a half hour of my day for this, I make real progress. But if I’m shooting for a half hour a day three days a week, that makes significant progress too. If I can do more than three days, that’s a bonus!

Why am I doing this?

After homeschooling my boys, I realized how poor my own education was. I used that time with them to learn more of the basics, but the reality was that I was also busy with preparing lessons, correcting, preparing for co-op and keeping boys alive and fed. Now that I have completed homeschooling my boys, I’m carrying it on with myself.
I started in this class right after Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, when I heard Dr. Arnn, from Hillsdale, speak about Charlie. (If you haven’t watched it, it’s worth a watch. It’s only about 3 minutes long, but packed with wisdom.) I loved how articulate Charlie was in his conversations about the constitution and America in general, and thought this would be a good place to start learning more myself.