Monday, September 8, 2008

Scholarly Chatter

Today was my first day of 10th grade. And technically my last day of 9th, since I finally got everything uploaded today. I didn't actually start working until after lunch because I was so busy with cleaning out last year's binder, finding and labeling new binder tabs, and smelling my books. And opening them to hear the spines crack - what a lovely sound. All my books are so fresh and new that I even have fond feelings for my Geometry and Biology textbooks. I'm really excited about my history course. I'm using the book Christ the King, Lord of History, which I like very much so far. I'm planning to find at least one historical fiction book to go with each time period/country I study - so any suggestions would be very helpful (with time periods ranging from 2000 B.C. to about World War II, mostly set in Europe or the Middle East). :) My Religion course looks HARD. English looks very challenging, and I'm excited about that, but I'd be more excited if I were going to be studying another Shakespeare play this year. Well, next year I shall hopefully take Seton's Shakespeare elective. :)

Latin is... meh. Some days I love it, some days I hate it.

This looks like it's going to be a tough year - pray for me, please. That's one of the things I love most about Seton. They encourage starting the school-day off with prayer, prayer before each subject, prayer if you get stuck. This prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas was in the introduction to my Religion course, and I love it:



Creator of all things,
true source of light and wisdom,
origin of all being,
graciously let a ray of your light penetrate
the darkness of my understanding.

Take from me the double darkness
in which I have been born,
an obscurity of sin and ignorance.

Give me a keen understanding,
a retentive memory, and
the ability to grasp things
correctly and fundamentally.

Grant me the talent
of being exact in my explanations
and the ability to express myself
with thoroughness and charm.

Point out the beginning,
direct the progress,
and help in the completion.

I ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

12 comments:

Q said...

What a beautiful prayer!

Melissa Cecilia said...

Just remember that praying for St. Joseph of Cupertino's intercession can help you with the exams and school. He's helped me so far. Good luck with school, sis!

btw, they mentioned St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine in my British Lit class yesterday. I got very excited. lol.

Grace K. said...

Huzzah for feeling good about school! Hehe, I must admit I am somewhat excited...however I am still not in 10 grade. Must catch up, I'm so dreadfully behind. I'll be praying for you Delaney, and if you could pray for me too, I'd be very grateful. :)

Thank you for sharing such a lovely prayer; I'll be sure to start each day of school with it!

I'll be back with a long list of historical fiction books for you - we have two whole shelf of those kind of books and they're all ripping. ;) (Can't resist British slang!)

I'm doing Christ the King, Lord of History too! You'll really enjoy it, it's a wonderful book. I skimmed the chapter Revolt and Counterattack, on Luther and the 'Reformation', and I was so inspired I joyfully debated with myself for twenty minutes over how the 'Reformation' wasn't a reformation at all and was really a Revolt! It was so much fun, especially as I was sitting at the table alone by myself! ;)

Courtney said...

yes, we started at the beginning of August, and it is so nice to be back into the swing of things! i was finding myself becoming frighfully bored!

lets see...have you ever read Mara Daughter of the Nile? no idea what time period it is set in, but it's Acient Egypt. if you haven't read it, i would recommend reading it anyways! oh so good! also, i know your into musicals and the such, have you ever read The Trapp Family Singers? it's by the real live Maria that they base the character on in Sound of Music!!

Delaney said...

Thank you, Courtney! I have read Mara, Daughter of the Nile. (I really really liked it, but the two main characters drove me absolutely INSANE! I would love to be a fly on the wall in their house after they're married - can you say "madhouse?" ;) )

Oh, we have that book! I read almost all of it and I loved it. :D I never finished it because it had to go back to the library, but now we own it so I should read it again. I loved the funny stories she told. :)

Elenatintil said...

*chuckles at Delaney's Mara comment.*

Oh dear....historical novels...bother. I could go on for about a million years...

Or I could just sit down and go through my bookshelf and make a list of all the decent historical fiction, in order, with suggested reading levels. Hmmm...my mom makes me do this for my sister every year- although I've never typed it up. Might save me a lot of work next year just to do a blog post on it...

Katherine Ruocco said...

Hey!!!! how r ya? how was ur summer? =)

Anonymous said...

I am using the book "Christ the King, Lord of History," for school too. I am not that far into it though.

Delaney said...

Neither am I. I just did chapter 3 today. But I really really like it. :D

Rose Marchen said...

HEy, same chapter as MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE that book! THe American History one is fantastic as well.

Delaney said...

Now I just did chapter foouurrr! ;) And I'm doing the first test tomorrow, which puts me a week ahead of the lesson plan. Whee!

Clare said...

Thanks so much for sharing that prayer, and best of luck in the school year!