In Three Simple But Significant Steps To A Classical Education, I outlined 3 steps for transitioning to an authentic classical Christian home education. The content that follows is the initial post in an extensive series that explores the components of Step 3, Supervise the Study of Subjects. As each post is published, I’ll add the live link to the master list under the header tab called “Step 3″ so that you can access the entire series. I hope you enjoy this content and gain a fuller understanding of the argument that I am making for adopting a true classical model.

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As the sparkling lights of the symphony hall were dimmed, a hush fell over the crowd. All chattering ceased as the distinguished maestro confidently walked across the stage and silently addressed the musicians with his baton. After many years of diligent practice, the concertmaster was perfectly equipped to escort his audience on a musical journey that would quicken hearts and challenge minds.

Over the years, the maestro had mastered the language of music theory: melody, harmony, and rhythm. The longer he studied music, the more he understood the deeper mysteries of his art. Instruments, movements, and themes became his playground for critical analysis and experimentation. Finally, he learned how to interpret the unique meaning of the music and convey the composer’s intent by coaching the performers in their craft. His mastery of language, thought, and communication within his area of expertise would bless his community tonight during the concert and for many years to come as he continued to influence his culture with his passion for bringing music to life.

The maestro demonstrates four unusual qualities that we want to foster in our rising classical scholars:

• He masters the material.

• He disciplines himself.

• He interprets meaning.

• He influences his culture.

Why call these qualities unusual? Because most of today’s preteens and teenagers are captives of an educational system that breeds opposing characteristics and behaviors. Authentic classical Christian home schooling requires a profound shift in thinking about education. Think about your own public school experience.

Mastery is difficult if you only skim the surface. You went to school for 12 years. You had one textbook for each class. Every textbook had 36 chapters - one chapter for each week of the school year. You read one chapter a week. You were segregated by age into a grade. You studied the same textbook as your peers. That textbook was approved by a committee of certified educators who decided what information every child in your grade needed to know about that particular subject. If you couldn’t keep up with the instruction, you felt like an inadequate failure. If you understood the concepts, you were bored with the repetitive drills. The time restrictions of the calendar dictated the material taught, and there was no leeway for slowing down or accelerating learning.

No time for mastery.

Self-discipline is not necessary if someone tells you what to do. You were assigned a home room, and you had your own desk. You were given a timed schedule. Tardy arrivals and absences were noted on your record. You went where you were told including the bathroom and lunchroom at specific times. You read the chapters, you took the tests, you wrote the essays, and you memorized the material, but for some reason, you can’t remember much of what you learned! You were a good student who did what you were told. Good behavior was dictated not by the heart’s desire, but by the law. As soon as the teacher left the room, chaos broke loose.

No room for learning how to make informed decisions or teach yourself.

Interpretation is impossible when someone else tells you what to think. That committee of certified educators made the important decisions for you about what facts were important in literature, grammar, science, math, social studies, health, home economics, and all the other electives. Surveys, also known as secondary sources, formed the backbone of your education. The highlights of human knowledge were offered. Some might say your education was a mile wide and an inch deep. Education experts decided that you were unable to handle the heavier “classics” (other than a token play by Shakespere or novel by Dickens). Anyway, we all know that the classics are too difficult for teenagers, right? You were required to parrot back the facts that you’d memorized on multiple choice and true-false exams.

No chance for independent thinking or interpretation of meaning.

Influence is negative when your highest goal is self. Public schools no longer teach history; they teach social studies. At the center of all social studies is the individual. Next comes his family then his community then his world. In public school, motivation for action is centered around the individual and his or her vocation. You worked hard to get good grades to get a good job. In our family, we refer to this dilemma as “me is me to me.” If educators dream of shaping kids who will influence their community, these dreams are limited to the creation of “good” citizens although good is defined in a Greek sense and not necessarily a Biblical sense. References to the God of human history are non existent, and as such, young people fail to understand their purpose. Since one of the responses of faith is sacrificial service to others, a major motivation for blessing the community cannot be discussed in public schools. Service to others requires a redirection of focus from the self to the community.

No incentive to influence or share what you have learned with others.

Thankfully, you have chosen a different path for your children! You have the luxury of time to help your rising classical scholars master the three skills of the trivium. You have the luxury of gradually training them to be independent, self-directed thinkers who are responsible for their own learning. You have the luxury of determining your own content so that your kids can learn to grapple with the great ideas of Western Civilization as they read and discuss the classics, selected surveys, and biographies. Finally, you have the extreme privilege of being able to lead your children into an eternal relationship with the Living God, teach them how to use Scripture as the spectacles through which to view the world, and show them how to serve others in a way that influences and blesses. Adopt a counter-cultural stand, and experience the joy of classical Christian homeschooling today!

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Over the next four posts, I’ll explore these qualities (mastery, self-discipline, interpretation, and influence) in detail. Before you can release your kids to the study of subjects, you need to make sure they have mastered the skills of the trivium. But how do we know when they have substantially mastered language, thought, and communication? When is it time to move on to Step 3, Supervise the Study of Subjects? In my next post, we need to answer two questions about Step 2, Teach the Skills of the Trivium: (1) what is to be learned, and (2) how will it be evaluated?

According to the honorable Zell Miller, former governor of the state of Georgia and United States Senator,

“Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric. Campaign talk tells people who you want them to think you are. How you vote tells people who you really are deep inside.”

Although you’ve heard the word “rhetoric” used in contemporary conversations, you might not have a clear idea of what it means in terms of an authentic classical education. The two most common usages of the word rhetoric in my community of Christian home schoolers are as follows: (1) the inflated verbosity of politicians to win votes at all costs, and (2) the misuse of the original term to describe a “stage” of classical home education, generally the high school years. Our lack of understanding stems from the fact that the term rhetoric belongs to an art (remember the 7 “liberal arts” of a classical education?) that was constructed during ancient times, practiced for thousands of years, yet abruptly abandoned as a fundamental discipline in our public schools during the middle to late 1800s. In short,

Rhetoric is the art of oratory.

For thousands of years, classical rhetoric was classified as (1) verbal, (2) conciliatory, (3) persuasive requests (as opposed to coercive demands) that were (4) delivered by a single orator. More recently with the invention of the printing press, the term rhetoric was broadened to include written as well as spoken oratory. Oratory, derived from the latin infinitive “orare” which means “to pray”, is simply the art of speaking in public and writing for the public. The same principles of rhetoric are applied to both oral and written disciplines.

Classical rhetoric is the art or discipline of using written and spoken discourse to persuade, inform, or motivate an audience…the very essence of the speech or essay is meant to move the listener or reader. According to Scottish Presbyterian Minister and Master of Rhetoric, George Campbell,

“we discourse to enlighten the understanding, to please the imagination, to move the passions, or influence the will.”

Although Campbell was primarily interested in the art of rhetoric because he believed it would result in better preachers, contemporary home school parents see the application of rhetoric to a whole slew of opportunities from platform, interpretive, and limited preparation speeches and essays to books, sermons, and face-to-face encounters in the community.

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Classical rhetoric, simply put, consists of 3 steps: (1) the idea, (2) the proof, and (3) the delivery or style. In my next post, I’ll elaborate on the three kinds of classical discourse. Please consider telling a friend about The Classical Scholar by clicking on the email envelope above this post.

Children don’t necessarily learn to think critically in public, private, or home schools. The U.S. educational model emphasizes “acquiring unrelated bits of information instead of developing a coherent framework of knowledge. But information is not knowledge. It doesn’t become knowledge until the human mind acts on it and transforms it.” (John Chafee, Ph.D., The Thinker’s Way) According to the Greek playwright, Sophocles, “knowledge must come through action.” In other words, the only way to become a better thinker is to think.

10. Critical thinkers are open-minded.

They listen carefully to every viewpoint, evaluating each perspective carefully and fairly. They recognize their own bias and are not afraid to hear other people’s positions…in fact, they welcome hearing other viewpoints because then their own knowledge is broadened. They empathize with others.

9. Critical thinkers are knowledgeable.

They have a broad knowledge base. Remember that knowledge is not the same as information…knowledge comes when you act upon the information by interpreting and applying it to your life. They base their opinions on facts, evidence, or personal experience. If they lack knowledge, they admit it.

8. Critical thinkers are mentally active.

They love the challenge of learning. They actively seek understanding and confront problems with glee. They do not respond to events or information passively. All of life is learning and acquiring new understanding. They are excellent observers.

7. Critical thinkers are curious.

They have not lost the curiosity of their youth. One of their favorite questions is “Why?” They explore situations with probing questions that penetrate below the surface instead of being satisfied with easy answers.

6. Critical thinkers are independent.

They don’t borrow the ideas of others. They are not afraid to disagree with the crowd because they have developed their own opinion through thoughtful analysis and reflection. They can explain why they believe what they believe to be true.

5. Critical thinkers are conversationalists.

They are skilled at discussing the issues in an organized and intelligent manner. Controversial issues don’t scare them because they are good listeners who consider all the facts before responding.

4. Critical thinkers are insightful.

They are able to get to the heart of the problem. They are not distracted by superfluous data. They can boil down an issue to the bare bones. They see the forest and the trees. They evaluate the accuracy of alternative positions and the credibility of their sources.

3. Critical thinkers are self-aware.

They know their own bias and are quick to point them out. They take their own position into consideration when analyzing a problem and look at all the alternatives equally.

2. Critical thinkers are creative.

They are innovators who break out of established patterns of thinking. They imagine another way of solving the problem. They think outside of the box.

1. Critical thinkers are passionate.

They have a passion for understanding. They are always striving to see the issues and problems with greater clarity. They engage in debates not for the purpose of proving their position “right” but to increase their own understanding.

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Can you see the beginnings of a critical thinker in your own home school? Do you have a curious child? Does your child show great imagination? Do you have a listener in your family? Everybody thinks. The challenge is not producing thoughts but producing useful thoughts that are capable of changing their world for the better. As you consider teaching your children step 2 of the classical trivium, “thinking critically,” remember that a classical education teaches a child “how to think” not “what to think.” Give them the tools that they need to achieve their fullest potential. In my next post, “What Does Your Child Need To Become A Critical Thinker?“, I’ll outline the steps a critical thinker takes when facing a problem and share some of my favorite thinking activities.

Did you miss the first post in this series on “Thinking Critically?” “Three Ways to Prepare your Child for Logical Thinking” defines and explains the origin of logic and offers three steps you can take today to get started teaching your children step 2 of the classical trivium.

Reviewing content to increase understanding is a critical component of a classical education. So, before we start the next homeschooling series on the classical trivium, “Thinking Critically,” here’s a short primer on classical education.

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Western Civilization was built on the classical education model, and the majority of history’s leaders were trained under this method. Classical education dates back to Ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome. Medieval Europeans, especially leaders of the Christian Church, were classically educated as were the founders of the American Republic. During the 19^th century, the U. S. immigration population soared, and the common school movement was born which effectively obliterated classical education in the United States by the beginning of the 20^th century. With the exception of a minute group of Christian home schoolers, our nation’s leaders are now being trained on the public school conveyor-belt which teaches children what to think and not how to think. (See “The World is Waiting” for a detailed chronology of the history of classical education.)

The classical home education renewal movement is still in its infancy, and many variations in practice exist like the classical model of Charlotte Mason, Susan Wise Bauer, and Oliver Van DeMille. In their excitement to embrace a classical home education, many parents jump right in without really thinking about what distinguishes classical education from other viable homeschooling methods. For example, some would tell you that classical languages like Latin are a critical component of a classical education (more on my opinion of this in a later post!), but the content of the classical education is not nearly as important as the methods by which the content is taught. The trivium and quadrivium provide structure for organizing content while Socratic dialogue and inductive reasoning provide the tools by which to understand the content.

A classical Christian home education is not as difficult as many people believe it to be. In fact, when you know your main objectives, classical homeschooling can be extremely freeing and relaxing while still rigorously challenging both parents and children. There are Three Simple but Significant Steps to a Classical Education:

1. Discard the public school paradigm

2. Teach the Skills of the Trivium

a. Learning the Language

b. Thinking Critically

c. Communicating Effectively

3. Supervise the Study of Subjects

Unlike some proponents of classical homeschooling, I do not view the trivium as distinct phases in the child’s life; rather, I see the trivium as three necessary skill sets that should be substantially mastered before moving on to the deeper study of subjects. Think of these three skills as a continuum of increasing competence. The more the child works on the skill, the better the child becomes at the skill. All three skills begin developing at birth but are not mastered for many years. In fact, you are probably still working on these skills just as I am! There does come a day, however, when you know your child is ready to go deeper into subjects, and it is at that point that you can tailor the study of subjects to the individual tastes and interests of the child.

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“Thinking Critically,” step two of “Teach the Skills of the Trivium,” is the topic of the next series.

In “Three Simple But Significant Steps To A Classical Education,” I explained how David and I decided (after agreeing on our own home education philosophy) to strip away the idea of a 12 year, subject-driven schedule and all the trappings of a public school model (step one), teach the tools of the trivium (step two), and supervise the study of subjects (step three). A paradigm is a way of thinking about something. If you were educated in a public or private school, you probably approach home education from that perspective, but that’s not the only way. Consider…

Learning Happens All Over The House

When I first began homeschooling, I had dreams of creating a “school room” for the kids. I went to the local teacher supply store and looked at all those cute little banners and posters that elementary school teachers tack to the wall or bulletin board…ABCs, seasons, holidays, calendars…but then I began to wonder where in the world I would put all that stuff! I didn’t have a single room that I could dedicate exclusively to home schooling. I decided that my dining room would be okay if I could just use the china cabinet for books, but then I began to think about all the times we used our dining room to entertain guests. Did I really want my adult friends and neighbors to enjoy meals in the middle of a school room? I decided against the posters and opted for more books.

At first we did all of our “table” work in the dining room, but soon we started moving to the living room sofa for snuggly reading time. When the weather got warmer, we moved out to the front porch to the rocking chairs or the swing. Eventually, we began throwing quilts on the grass and reading in the front yard (I still felt a little anxious when the neighbors drove by, but not so much that I confined the kids to the interior of the house.) These days, the kids choose where to study: in the hammock, in the tree house, on the bed, at the kitchen counter…as long as they get their work done, I don’t worry about where they do it. I’m less uptight these days.

Learning Happens All Hours Of The Day

When we first started home schooling, I followed the public school daily schedule. When the other kids on the street were getting on the bus, we were usually getting started, too. We took longer breaks than they did for lunch and playtime, but we generally wrapped up the day about the time the local school bus drove by our home. At some point, though, I realized that the kids were more efficient with their time; that is, they could squeeze a lot of learning into a shorter period of time than the public school day. So we began to let them sleep a little later because we knew they would be able to complete their work in time to play with their friends after they got home from school.

Very recently (remember we have teens), we began to let them choose when to work. We exercise as a family in the morning and then read Scripture together around the breakfast table, but that’s the only structured time. They can choose to get started studying right after breakfast or postpone studying until later. They have to log a minimum of 5 hours a day, but I don’t worry about when they get the hours in as long as the quality of their work is good. I’ve noticed that they both want to have some free time before dinner, so they plan their study time accordingly.

Learning Happens All Year Long

I used to start and end the academic year when our public school neighbors started and ended the year, but that was mainly because our kids wanted to play with the neighbors, so it was most convenient to be off when they were off and work when they worked. But as the years have passed, we have found that there are opportunities to learn every day of the year. We learn during the work week, surely, but we also learn on Saturdays, Sundays, and during the summer break. There are opportunities to foster learning in the evening when the kids are practicing baseball or during the summer when they are selling lemonade to hot and thirsty garage sale customers. If you approach every occasion with a questioning spirit, you can find the gems of knowledge and teach from them.

Learning Happens In All Areas Of Knowledge

One thing we continue to discover is this truth: learning is not confined to discrete subjects. I understand that the state has a vested interest in making sure all children have a certain foundational knowledge like reading, writing, and arithmetic, and I want all of our citizens to master those basics. I also understand that when you have to manage and process so many children through the system to make sure they are learning those basics, you must find a way to carve up the necessary knowledge which is why most public and private schools today divide the day into periods and teach specific subjects.

We homeschoolers are not bound by those limitations. We can do so much more to ensure that our kids are learning all that the Lord has revealed through His creation. We don’t have to sit our elementary kids down at the table and compel them to complete a grammar workbook in 36 weeks. If we are using proper grammar at home in our conversations and reading excellent literature to them daily (or having them read if they are older), they will learn proper grammar without the grueling pain of workbooks and true/false tests. I’ve used workbooks and textbooks when it is best for our family, but I don’t use them as the primary learning tool anymore. If I find that they are missing an important point (punctuation for instance), I’ll usually schedule a week of intensive, deeper study in the area of need. I’ll talk more about this later.

All of life is learning…all over the house, all hours of the day, all days of the year, and in all areas of knowledge…if you’ll only relax and be creative in creating an environment where you foster love of learning.

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Up Next:

Step 2 - Teach the Skills of the Trivium

Step 3 - Supervise the study of subjects

Originally written in 1999 by the mother-daughter team, Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (revised in 2004) applies the “Lost Tools of Learning” educational theory of Dorothy Sayers to systematically train the child over a twelve year period. The authors are wildly popular within the classical homeschooling community, and rightly so since they satisfied the desires of the many parents who were not classically educated by providing them with a detailed road map, by grade, for the rigorous content of a classical education.

Learning is organized around 3 main stages in a child’s mental development which hypothetically correlate to the 3 stages of the trivium: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The grammar stage comprises the early elementary years when the child is absorbing facts and experiences like a sponge. Both oral and written narration is key to this stage. During the logic stage, the maturing youth begins to critically analyze information while the rhetoric stage involves the refinement of personal communication skills through public speaking and writing.

History is the foundational building block in this philosophical method and is segregated into 4 major periods: ancient, medieval, renaissance or revolutions, and modern. The family who follows this method all 12 years will rotate through each period of history 3 times.

Science and literature are coordinated with the period of history being studied. For example, when the student studies ancient history, he also studies life science which is what the people of that age would have known. Astronomy is studied with medieval history, chemistry is studied with revolutions, and physics is tackled with modern history.

Classical literature like Homer’s Iliad is read three times. During the grammar stage, the parent reads an abridged picture book version; during the logic stage, the student reads an abridged version. Finally, the student reads the original classic during the rhetoric stage. This pattern lends coherence; as the student matures, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom widens and deepens. Latin, formal logic, art, and music are also covered in this approach.

According to the authors, there are three major characteristics of this philosophy. Primarily, the “well-trained mind” classical education is language-focused; the conversion of words (symbols) into mental concepts requires different skills from those required for image-focused methods. Secondarily, skills are built over time in that knowledge is gained (grammar stage), logical tools are acquired to analyze such knowledge (logic stage) , and reasonable personal conclusions are expressed (rhetoric stage.) Finally, to the classical student, all knowledge is interrelated as evidenced by the coordination of disciplines like history, science, and literature.

Not only do the authors provide a thorough analysis of the philosophy of classical education but they also provide extensive practical application in resource lists and schedule by stage. Although rigorous and demanding on both parents and students, the challenge is beneficial. One caution, however, for the parent who is just beginning the classical education journey: don’t try to do everything that is recommended in The Well-Trained Mind; instead, use it as a reference tool and tailor the suggestions to your own family situation.

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Are you a fan of Susan Wise Bauer’s four volume, Story of the World, history for children? If so, you might want to download a few excerpts of her newest (released March 2007) adult history, The History of the Ancient World, at Susan Wise Bauer’s Blog.

(Plus, I KNOW you would love her blog! This woman is AMAZING!! She and her husband planted a church with her parents, she home schools four kids, and she writes book after book. She is a 1st generation home schooler, so imagine what your own 1st generation “well-trained mind” kids will do when they grow up!)

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If you are interested in sharing ideas with other homeschool parents who relish the home education philosophy of “the well-trained mind,” consider joining one of the following free Yahoo Discussion Groups. [The following descriptions are provided by each Yahoo group.]

WellTrainedMindDscn (2835 members)

“The participants on this list discuss the book “The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home” (TWTM or WTM) by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. Although we have a moderator, we do not have any “experts” — we’re all trying to figure out how to apply these principles in our own home, according to our own experiences. This group is open to all homeschoolers who are interested in learning more about classical education methods. Therefore, although religion may be mentioned, it is not to become a point of contention. The focus of the discussion is to remain on-topic, with short friendly side comments allowed. We will discuss one main topic per week, along with whatever items members want to bring to the group (questions, successes, comments).”

WellTrainedMindFamilies (556 members)

“The families on this list discuss the book “The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home” by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. This group is open to all homeschooling families who are interested in learning more about classical education methods. This list is here to discuss how to implement TWTM into everyday life and all that goes along with it…from legal issues, to book suggestions, to discipline problems, to sleeping issues, to how to teach how to share. We believe homeschooling is 24/7, so for us, basically life is one big school.”

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Read more about the home schooling philosophies of John Holt, Charlotte Mason, and Oliver DeMille, and discover that they all encourage love of learning even though different paths are suggested to achieve such a love. Do you need some help verbalizing your own home educational philosophy? My post, “What Is Your Home Education Philosophy?,” offers 10 questions to get you started.

In my last post, Shaky Speculation: The Lost Tools of Learning, I examined the history of classical Christian education and why the current renewal movement is based on the following faulty premise: the psychological development of children (poll-parrot, pert, then poet) roughly follows the chronological pattern of the medieval trivium (grammar, logic, then rhetoric.) I explained how the current “classical” education model regularly recommended in homeschool circles is really just a 12 year public school paradigm with classical subjects tacked on for enrichment. Now if you accept my position, the next question is this:

Where do you go from here if you want to give your kids a true classical Christian education?

Well, in my family, first we strip away the idea of a 12 year, subject-driven schedule and all the trappings of a public school model including start and finish times, standard holiday and vacation dates, textbooks, and dedicated school rooms. Then we go back to the content of the original trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and establish that we will master these skills (the “lost tools of learning”) over several years. [Note: In order to help you resist the temptation to think of the trivium as 3 subjects, I will refer to the 3 stages as (1) language acquisition, (2) critical thinking, and (3) effective communication.] Finally, during the final stages of the trivium, we then begin to delve deeper into discrete “subjects” (historically called the quadrivium) based upon each child’s gifts, abilities, and interests.

In a nutshell, there are 3 simple but significant steps to a classical Christian home education:

1. Discard the old public school paradigm
2. Teach the skills of the trivium (language acquisition, critical thinking, effective communication)
3. Supervise the study of subjects after the skills of the trivium are substantially mastered

This doesn’t begin to explain the entire process, but I hope it helps you get your mind around the simplicity of the system. Each family will uniquely tailor the three steps. Look for my next post on step one, “Discard The Public School Paradigm.”

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Let’s get a dialogue going on this topic…it was a real stretch for me that took a few years and lots of reflection to realize that our classical home school didn’t have to be so rigid. Have you found yourself tied to a schedule or concerned because your had fallen behind in completing the tasks? Let’s talk! Leave a comment below.

Do you know a friend who might be interested in this conversation? You can forward this post to a friend by going back to the Home page and clicking on the envelope icon called “Email This Post.”

This post is the 2nd in a series on the flawed premise of the classical home education renewal movement. The first post was called “Why The Well-Trained Mind Will Drive You Crazy!“

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First, here’s a little history lesson. The classical model of ancient Greece and Rome was resurrected during Emperor Charlemagne’s reign in the Middle Ages and given a Christian twist. This classical Christian model which included the trivium, the quadrivium, and many more subjects was faithfully followed in Europe and North America for several centuries thereafter until around the middle of the 1800s when the Common School Movement began in the United States in response to a huge immigrant influx. A secular public educational model and lack of classically-trained teachers effectively removed the classical Christian method from schools. For the next 100 years, classical education was practically nonexistent with the exception of some prestigious private academies which catered to the elite classes.

During the 1940s, British author Dorothy Sayers, presented an essay at Oxford University called The Lost Tools of Learning in which she compared the sorry state of modern education with the historically preferable state of classical education. She proposed that we had lost the tools necessary for learning how to think. In the early 1990s, respected pastor and private school educator, Douglas Wilson read Sayers’ essay and then wrote his own book, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, in response. Next, Harvey Bluedorn wrote Teaching the Trivium, and a few years after that the mother-daughter team of Wise and Bauer wrote The Well-Trained Mind. By the end of the 1990s, a classical Christian education renewal movement had begun in the United States. Sayers’ essay was the flame that ignited the fire.

Early in the essay, Sayers accurately recounts the composition of the medieval classical education: first, the trivium which included the “tools” of learning: grammar (language acquisition) logic (critical thinking), and rhetoric (written and oral composition) which young men tackled before moving on to the quadrivium (the specific “subjects” of arithmetic, astronomy, music, and geometry.) In her anguish over the modern state of nations where men and women don’t know how to think, Sayers speculates that there may be a connection between the medieval trivium and the stages of child development. She posits:

what if the psychology of the child progresses through the 3 stages of the trivium?

Sayers names the 3 stages of child development poll-parrot, pert, and poetic; she then concludes that the 3 stages of the trivium are “singularly appropriate” to the 3 stages of child development. Based upon her own personal experience as a child, preteen, and teen, this hypothesis does seem to make sense, but in real life, it has never been clinically proven, and in fact, in my own experience as a mom who has tried to follow this model, I have found that the 2 pieces do not correlate. In fact, Sayers absolves herself from blame by saying, “My views about child psychology are, I admit, neither orthodox nor enlightened.”

My objection relates to the current classical renewal movement’s (1) misinterpretation of Sayer’s personal opinion on child development as gospel truth, (2) misapplication of Sayers’ hypothesis to a 12 year schedule, and (3) deviation from the historic classical education model by tackling subjects as soon as the child can read. In practice, we have taken a public school model (12 years of subjects) and dressed it up by incorporating classic literature, ancient languages, formal logic, and oratory as follows: 4 years (grades 1-4) in the “grammar” phase doing subjects, 4 years (grades 5-8) in the “logic” phase doing subjects, and 4 years (grades 9-12) in the “rhetoric phase doing subjects. No wonder moms and dads who try to adopt a classical education model fail! If you look closely, this is a public school paradigm with “classical” subjects tacked on!

Medieval scholars did NOT impose a 12 year trivium on their apprentices. They taught their students the basics first (the trivium: first grammar, then logic, then rhetoric), and when the student had the tools for critical thinking, speaking, and writing, he or she was instructed in subjects. In our current culture, we rush to formally educate; you might be surprised to discover that medieval and colonial students began the trivium at a much older age (14 years old) and quickly progressed through the trivium so that they could dive into the meatier subjects of the quadrivium. In later years, additional subjects were added to the curriculum including law, medicine, and theology.

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In my next post, I’ll discuss options for classically educating your home school children. I’d love to read your own experience with any of the books mentioned, so please leave your comments below.

Socratic Dialogue refers to a method of classical home education that was first recorded in ancient Greece by Plato. In two of his more famous works, The Republic and The Apology, Plato records the conversations between the teacher, Socrates, and a variety of students. Although not immediately apparent, these conversations represented a method of inquiry in which an abstract moral concept such as justice, temperance, or virtue was examined through the process of asking questions. In effect, the master Socrates taught the pupil a concept by asking instead of telling.

So, how do you use Socratic Dialogue in your own home school? Well, the parent decides what concept he or she wants to explore and plans a series of specific questions that will eventually eliminate contradictions and reveal underlying beliefs. The questions are intended to…

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Have you ever started your homeschooling day with a plan only to find yourself chasing a rabbit? I recently heard a well-respected authority say that all knowledge was related, and after following a link for learning a foreign language this morning, I landed on a blog which featured this beautiful video about Bosnia Herzegovina. I’m sure the author of the blog only intended to promote her beautiful country, but I ended up pondering other ideas related to Christianity and classical education. Today I’ll show you how to take seemingly unrelated trivia and incorporate it into your classical education. Enjoy the video then continue reading…

Trivia

Bosnia Herzegovina is located in southern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula directly east of Italy. Previously part of Yugoslavia, Bosnia Herzegovina is home to Sarajevo, host city of the 1984 Winter Olympics. During the struggle for independence in 1992-1995, the people of this country experienced war in their homeland. According to Operation World, 1.3 million citizens fled their homes, and after the war only about 1/4 of them returned to the country to build new homes and start again.

Although the war officially ended in 1995, NATO maintained a stabilization force there until December 2005. The video clip portrays a countryside of beauty and tranquility, and the people appear to be at peace, but there are ongoing ethnic and religious tensions. During the 500 year Turkish occupation, many Bosnians became Muslim (38-50% of the population), and during the ’90’s, the Croats created an alliance with the Bosnians against the Christian Serbians (35% in a 50/50 split: Catholic/Orthodox.)

You may recall seeing news reports during the ’90s about ethnic cleansing, looting, destruction, and death under Serbian Milosovic’s reign of terror. Such horror has “left deep scars and abiding hatred between communities that once lived together, spoke the same language, and even intermarried.” (Operation World p.116) The Bosnian language is based on the Latin alphabet although the Cyrillic alphabet is used occasionally.

Observation

So how can you apply seemingly unrelated facts or news events to your classical home school? One of the hallmarks of a classical education is inductive reasoning which involves 3 steps: (1) observe, (2) interpret, and (3) apply. In this particular situation, I have observed (step 1) something in my world (the enticing video) which caused me to want to learn more. My first reaction was a desire to visit Bosnia Herzegovina; then I wanted to learn more about the people of the country so I did a little more research.

Interpretation

Next, I quickly catalogued my new knowledge so that I could interpret (step 2) what I had learned. What did I learn? I discovered that Bosnia Herzegovina has recently experienced war; in fact, my peers there were fleeing their homes and losing loved ones while I was adding to my family and creating a safe home for my newborns! I learned that there are more Muslims than Christians in the country, and that Protestant Christians are nearly nonexistent. I learned that these people have a long history…they were around when the Turks dominated the world during the Crusades. What is the meaning of this information that I have gathered.

Application

Finally, I apply (step 3) what I have learned to our own home school situation. Application will be unique for each family, but here are five ideas I might use in my family.

1. Currently, my teenage son is studying the American Civil War, so I could relate the Bosnian Reconstruction to the American Reconstruction period of the 1860s-70s as homes were rebuilt and ethnic divisions were examined with a view towards healing.

2. I could take a thematic approach to application by talking about grief and forgiveness. We’re studying I Kings at table in the mornings, so I could relate the Bosnian situation to family divisions in ancient Israel during David and Solomon’s reigns.

3. We could discuss what it would be like here in America if conditions allowed a foreign religion to evangelize mass numbers of citizens like the Muslim conversions that occurred during the Ottoman occupation of the Middle Ages.

4. Right now, the kids are immersed in this year’s policy debate resolution on illegal immigration, so we could talk about the refugee situation in Bosnia and how it relates to immigrants like the Somalians or Liberians seeking asylum in the U.S.

5. Or I could go back to that original rabbit trail and relate the Bosnian language to the Latin language!

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So, keep your eyes, ears, and heart open when you follow rabbit trails and come across seemingly unimportant information…the possibilities for meaningful discussion in your classical home school are endless!