My way (of learning) was suited to me. I have never been very good at taking instruction. I enjoy lectures and have attended many, but mostly I prefer the quiet of a library, and the freedom to go off in any direction that pleases me. Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour

Can anyone become an autodidact, a self-teacher? Or do certain personalities need someone else to structure their learning, someone else to provide the discipline that is needed to do the work of learning? Learning is work. It takes either self-discipline or motivation from some outside source.

How do you teach in such a way as to lead your students to become self-motivated? My goal for my homeschooled students is to have them become lovers of learning and pursuers of knowledge. But I’m not always sure how to get there. Inspiration is not my strong suit. I want them to have “the freedom to go off in any direction that pleases,” but first they must be educated enough to choose that which will be of lasting value and solid worth, that which takes time and diligence to master.