A few years ago I began to make a list of qualities that I see in the best schools I visit. I measure the quality of the school by the depth of its investment into each student’s soul, which may cause this to be a not very practical list....
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I think I am pretty safe in stating this prediction: there is an educational revolution on its way and it is, indeed, already afoot and trampling hard. When distance learning was first introduced, it made some ripples. Then when online classes and, indeed, entire online colleges came on the...
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I have decided to take a different tack when I talk to someone about music. Usually, I ask a person what he likes to listen to, or what artists he likes. Why do I ask this question? Recently I heard a lecture on music and the arts by Dr....
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I know I’m a few years late on this one, but as history’s longest running science fiction TV series becomes even more of a cultural phenomenon, I thought I’d offer a critical perspective on what makes Doctor Who significant to classically minded people. A quick disclaimer: Classical Conversations is not in...
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In a 2011 article for the American Mathematical Society, mathematician Cai Tianxin made a striking claim. He wrote, “It could be said that mathematics and poetry are the freest intellectual activities of human beings.”1 His suggestion is doubly daring: first, because it brings together two arts that are typically...
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If I asked you, “Do you like math?” would you answer that you dislike it? Would you complain that you “never use it in real life”? Would you claim that you are not a “math person”? If you would answer in those ways, consider a follow-up question: “Do you...
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In Lamentations 3:22–24, the author encourages us with these words: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’ ” (ESV). February 2, 2013, was Groundhog Day. The tradition...
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At Classical Conversations, we have identified the five best excuses given for not attending a Parent Practicum that focuses on math. Or rather, I should say that some of these are excuses we have heard and some are excuses we have made up to be funny. Excuse #1: I am Euclid’s...
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I walked into our Classical Conversations assembly wearing a long, brown Jedi Knight cloak. (Having boys with big imaginations means our house is full of cloaks, capes, swords, and light sabers.) I asked the group of eager Classical Conversations students whom I looked like. They knew I probably did...
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A great benefit of speaking and hosting an exhibit at homeschool conventions is the opportunity which such an event presents to hear, firsthand, homeschool families share their experiences with Christian higher education. Many of these stories are inspiring and informative, but every once in a while you hear one...
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Americans solve problems, explore new realms, and question authority. After all, the first European settlers on our continent crossed the ocean to find greater freedom and new opportunities. These adventurous, independent settlers and immigrants laid the foundation for American culture. Thus in America, we pay little attention to class...
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Many people loathe the idea of calculus. Even the name sounds tedious and difficult. Most people who have to take calculus in college will not use it on a daily basis. So why is calculus an important part of education? One of the goals of classical education is to...
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