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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.