Articles From The Classical Teacher

    Classical education is capturing the imagination of a growing number of homeschoolers. In our imaginations, we see our children as scholars--reading Latin, thinking logically, and writing with clarity and eloquence. But when reality comes back into focus, we are met with a bewildering array of materials, programs, and books, more books, difficult books! The mind reels, the pocketbook fails. Classical education was supposed to eliminate subjects, simplify the curriculum, and teach our children how to learn.

     In implementing any new vision, it is difficult to avoid using the words but losing the meaning. What do the words "grammar," "logic," and "rhetoric" really mean? It is only too easy to put this new wine of classical learning into the old wineskins of modern American education. In other words, it is easy to fall back into the familiar patterns of the only educational experience most of us have had--the modern "factory" school in which success is measured in terms of more--more subjects, more programs, more books, more money, more classes, more teachers... 

     The goal of restoring the trivium and bringing back classical education is exciting, but the vision itself is far off. Exactly how was the trivium implemented in the Middle Ages? Are there standards for the definition of a classical education? What are the differences between the trivium, classical education, and Great Books? Which one did Dorothy Sayers advocate and why? What did she recommend that shocked the classical scholars at Oxford? What about restoring the dignity and joy of working with your hands, of practicing a craft? How does this fit into our educational program? Do we all have to be classical scholars?

     We hope to answer some of these questions and to bring you some of our reflections and suggestions on how to make classical education a reality in your home in a way that is do-able, affordable, and maybe even visionary! 

     For instance, here are three important keys to a doable and affordable classical program for your homeschool or cottage school. (1) Focus on the one essential task of the grammar stage--learning the grammar of the classical language, Latin. (2) Immerse yourself and your children in Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome as the foundation for future learning. (3) Select a few good books to read, reread, master, and hand down to your grandchildren. The knowledge that you and your children possess will become a family treasure. 

     We are both teachers. We practice the craft of teaching. We have taught our own children and hundreds of homeschooled children in Cottage Schools--schools in which children spend only a few hours a week in class; schools that parents can afford; schools that have the continuity, character, and simplicity provided by the village schoolmaster before the rise of the government schools; schools that have colleagues, not employees; schools that we hope some of you will be inspired to start for your homeschooling community. We can show you how.