et us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 (NIV). Several weeks ago, my Challenge II students had a Socratic discussion based on the model described in Matt Copeland’s book, Socratic Circles. This article will give you a glimpse into that discussion. But first, let us...
Read the Full ArticleTraditions are good. We all have them. The traditions I observe to celebrate events like birthdays, Christmas, and Thanksgiving with my family are different from others’ traditions. My wife and I celebrate our anniversary differently than others celebrate. Traditions are good. They are good, insofar as they do not...
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Last week in my Challenge B class, I was fervently attempting to cover our introductory material for chemistry. There was plenty to discuss and the concepts were new to the students. Hence, I knew there would be some deer-in-the-headlights reactions to some of the concepts. Contrary to my expectations,...
Read the Full Article“They teach bankers to recognize counterfeits by showing them REAL bills.” The statement referenced above is offered by many Christians as a reason against exposing children to non-Christian texts. The reasoning asserts that: If we are to raise children to know the truth, why expose them to untruth? As...
Read the Full ArticleMount Parnassus…hovering over the ancient shrine of Delphi, has stood as a…symbol of poetic inspiration and perfection since the dawn of the West…over time it came to embody those things which man, at his best, wishes—and ought to wish—to achieve. It became a sign of his better, divinely inspired...
Read the Full ArticleIt is planning time for Classical Conversations three-day Parent Practicums. I look forward to learning something new and getting inspired for the next school year, but most of all, I look forward to three days of adult conversation. The word “conversation” can be overlooked during Practicums because we work...
Read the Full ArticleFor the 2012-2013 school year and for the first time, the Advanced Placement Latin Exam is going to include the works of Julius Caesar. In the past, there were two Latin exams: AP Vergil and AP Latin Literature (Catullus and Ovid, Cicero or Horace). In 2009, the AP Latin...
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Think about community. The word “community” comes from the Old French word communité, which, as you Latin students know, is derived from communitas (cum, “with/together,” plus munus, “gift”). In short, community is the gift of being together with others. This statement raises a couple of questions: Do we see the communities in which...
Read the Full ArticleI am seriously messed up. I am reading books that are messing with my mind and my soul. First, I read Radical, by David Platt. Now, I am in the middle of The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns. Now understand, I have always taken kooks with a grain of...
Read the Full ArticleWe tend to think the purpose of education is to provide answers—the information needed to function productively. On the one hand, this is true. But, on the other hand, as with all important human activities, it is not the only purpose. In fact, this pragmatic view is simultaneously the...
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This school year God moved our home school into the desert. The breast cancer I thought I had successfully battled last school year spread, as triple-negative breast cancer is notorious for doing. As a result, I was forced to make adjustments to my homeschooling plans for the year again. Though...
Read the Full ArticleThere are certain terms that can only be used in an absolute sense. Take, for instance, the word “pregnant.” A woman either is or is not pregnant. She cannot be really pregnant, very pregnant, or more pregnant than someone else. She is just pregnant or not pregnant. Another word...
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