Hi friend! Here’s the final content for review: tab “step 3″ of the header. Thanks so much for any comments that you have! The series will begin with the next post, so thank you for your patience with me as I try to make the website better and more useful to the new reader.

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So once your home school preteen or teen has substantially mastered the three skills of the trivium, what’s next? With mastery of language, thought, and communication, your rising classical scholar now has the necessary tools to study virtually any subject in depth! In step 2, you were the primary teacher, but in step 3, you will teach some subjects and delegate some subjects. The young scholar will now learn to be primarily responsible for his or her own learning with mom and dad taking a supervisory role. Step 3, is therefore known as:

Supervise the Study of Subjects.

What subjects are studied? As I mentioned in step 1, a classical Christian education uses primary sources (classic histories, literature, philosophies, science, mathematic, and government treatises) to explore meaning; secondary sources like surveys are used to supplement the classics and give a cohesive overview. So the idea of “living” books from the earlier years of the home school child’s classical education advances in step 3 as the rising classical scholar tackles the classics of the past and uses surveys (text and audio) to historically contextualize the meaning. In this regard, a classical Christian education is very different from the public school education. A “subject” does not merely comprise a textbook, but could include a textbook (serving as the survey) and a classic. For instance, the student interested in geometry would use both a geometry text and the original classic written by Euclid to further understanding.

Over the past 2,500 years of Western Civilization, the generally agreed-upon core of a classical education has remained constant while new classics are added to the collection. Hellenistic Greeks like Alexander the Great memorized the legendary epic poems of their past like Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Roman senators like Cicero studied the classic epics of Homer and the classic essays of Aristotle. Christian monks studied the classics of Homer, the classics of Aristotle, and the classic oratory of Cicero. Protestant reformers like John Calvin studied the classics of Homer, the classics of Aristotle, the classics of Cicero, and the classic Christian confessions of Saint Augustine. America’s founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson studied the classics of Homer, the classics of Aristotle, the classics of Cicero, the classics of Saint Augustine, and the classic theology of Calvin. Confederate General Robert E. Lee studied the classics of Homer, Aristotle, Cicero, Saint Augustine, and Calvin. You can see how as time marches on, certain classics endure in the core curriculum while new classics are added as they prove the test of time.

Must a student read all the classics? No, even if your 12 year old began step 3, he would be unable to complete the list of classics before high school graduation. Most people take a lifetime to read all the classics! The good news is that your rising scholar can tailor his or her education, with your guidance, to include those classics that are most appropriate to his or her own interests, abilities, calling, and family values. If this were ancient Rome, the rising scholar, having successfully mastered the three skills of the trivium, would more on to the mathematical arts (the quadrivium) which included arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and music theory. If this were the early 1700s, the rising scholar might be reading classic philosophies. Fast forward one hundred years, and you might find that classic histories like Thucydides’ history of the war between ancient Athens and Sparta influenced certain officers of the American Civil War. Vast choices of great variety await the rising scholar who desires to study specific areas of interest like military tactics, poetry, political theory, and scientific discoveries!

What else is needed besides classics and surveys? In order to tackle such weighty material, your home school student needs excellent study habits, advanced writing abilities, and the desire to to engage in lengthy discussions with the parent or other mentor as the content is explored and understood. Unstructured quiet time to digest the material is also preferable as well as access to a public library or bookstore. Most of all, the rising scholar needs a willing spirit to join the great thinkers of the past and discover the riches of a classical Christian heritage in what former President Jimmy Carter calls “the wisdom of the ages!”

Over the next few weeks, I’ll begin a new series of practical essays on how to complete step 3 of the Simple Steps to Home Schooling Success. Stay tuned…

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