A Personal Look at Classical Education: Susan
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Main Notes
- Author (Susan) enjoyed homeschooling, with a flexible schedule and focus on favorite subjects
- Excelled in college despite initial nervousness, testing out of many courses
- Noticed a lack of basic skills among college peers, even at selective institutions
- Classical education follows the trivium pattern: grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages
- Grammar stage (grades 1-4) focuses on absorbing information and memorization
- Logic stage (grades 5-8) develops analytical thinking and understanding relationships
- Rhetoric stage (high school) emphasizes expression, originality, and specialization
- Classical education is language-focused, systematic, and views all knowledge as interrelated
- Curriculum organized around historical periods, repeated at increasing depth over 12 years
- Rigorous study develops virtue and allows students to join the "Great Conversation"
Cue Column
- How did the author's homeschooling experience prepare her for college?
- What skills did the author notice were lacking among her college peers?
- What are the three stages of the trivium in classical education?
- What is the focus of the grammar stage, and which grades does it cover?
- How does the logic stage differ from the grammar stage?
- What is emphasized in the rhetoric stage of classical education?
- Why is classical education described as language-focused?
- How is the curriculum organized in classical education?
- What are the four historical periods used to structure the classical curriculum?
- What are the two main purposes of rigorous, systematic study in classical education?
Summary
This chapter provides a personal account of classical education from the perspective of Susan, who was homeschooled using this method. She describes her positive experience with homeschooling and her subsequent success in college, contrasting her skills with those of her peers who often lacked basic writing and analytical abilities.
The chapter then outlines the classical education model, based on the trivium: the grammar stage (grades 1-4) for absorbing information, the logic stage (grades 5-8) for developing analytical thinking, and the rhetoric stage (high school) for honing expression and specialization. Classical education is characterized as language-focused, systematic, and interconnected, with a curriculum organized around four historical periods repeated at increasing depth over 12 years of schooling.
The author emphasizes that classical education is rigorous and systematic, serving to develop virtue in students and enabling them to participate in the "Great Conversation" of great minds throughout history. While acknowledging the challenges of implementing this educational approach, the author attests to its long-term benefits in terms of academic preparation, independence, and career readiness.
Action Items
- Focus on foundational knowledge and skills in the grammar stage (grades 1-4)
- Develop analytical thinking in the logic stage (grades 5-8)
- Encourage self-expression and specialization in the rhetoric stage (high school)
- Emphasize reading and writing
- Limit screen time and video-based learning
- Study ancient history (5000 B.C. - A.D. 400)
- Cover medieval to early Renaissance (400-1600)
- Explore late Renaissance to early modern times (1600-1850)
- Examine modern times (1850-present)
- Repeat this four-year cycle three times throughout K-12 education
- Link literature studies to historical periods
- Connect scientific discoveries to their historical context
- Explore relationships between different fields of knowledge
- Use structured, sequential approach for skill areas (e.g., grammar, math operations)
- Allow more flexibility and exploration in content areas (e.g., literature, history, science)
- Use primary texts when appropriate, especially in upper grades
- Choose books by single authors exploring specific topics over general textbooks
- Focus on observation and curiosity in early years
- Develop critical thinking and analysis in middle grades
- Encourage specialization and understanding of scientific inquiry in high school
- Encourage students to prioritize long-term goals over immediate gratification
- Develop the ability to persist in challenging tasks
- Provide opportunities for in-depth study of important works and ideas
- Encourage students to make connections across time periods and disciplines