In the early 6th century, the philosopher Boethius answered the question “What is a musician?” For Boethius, a musician’s task was to go beyond the ability to perform an instrument or compose a song. A true musician was one who was able to judge music for its appropriateness. Therefore, a musician’s...
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The Conversation Monthly Growing Deep Roots for Speaking and Writing “Child, to say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that’s the whole art and joy of words.” —C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Leigh...
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I admit that the first time I watched the video “Don’t Stay in School,” I felt incredibly irritated. In an edgy rap, David Brown recites facts and skills he was required to learn in school instead of useful information he thought would have more effectively prepared him for life...
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“Inquiring minds want to know!” Does anyone else remember that advertising tag line? It was the slogan for one of the lurid tabloid gossip magazines that plastered the checkout lines of my childhood. When I was very young, just learning to read really, I would try to decipher what...
Read the Full Article“If we want them to become lifelong learners, we should encourage them to begin having conversations with the author” (Leigh Bortins, The Conversation, 61). Even though my son is in high school and a full blown teenager, I still read to him every night at bedtime. Part of me loves this...
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‘Tis the season of expectation and searching, of hope and wonder. ‘Tis the season of Advent. Our English word advent comes from the Latin word advenio, which literally translates “to come to.” It is made up of the preposition ad and the verb venio. One of my favorite things about studying Latin is the richness...
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As an author of the Introductory and Intermediate Logic curricula, and now of the forthcoming rhetoric textbook Fitting Words, I sometimes ponder the relationship between logic and rhetoric, the last two parts of the Trivium. What do they share? Where do they diverge? How can our knowledge of one illuminate our understanding of the...
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I have a confession to make: I LOVE HISTORY! As a high school student, my favorite subjects were history and English. I am particularly fascinated by stories about brave souls who lived bold lives following Christ. When I hear about one, I spend hours scouring various resources to learn...
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When medieval knights wanted to insult someone, they threw down a gauntlet, challenging him to a duel; in Shakespeare’s England, a man might bite his thumb at someone to insult him. We southerners prefer a more devious method: the “bless your heart—.” This stereotypical southern slogan is meant to...
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“Rhetoric is the use of knowledge and understanding to perceive wisdom, pursue virtue and proclaim truth” (Leigh Bortins, The Conversation, 38). If I had to sum up my favorite memories of the elementary homeschooling years, it would be “hot cocoa and buttered popcorn days.” Those were the afternoons where we would sit...
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Why should homeschoolers care about the philosophy of science? Consider the following questions: What is science? What initiates developments in scientific understandings? Is science the best way to understand our world? Are science and faith compatible? Should we base governmental policy on science? These are some of the questions...
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I have run into many people who are not interested in theology because they say it has no practical value. It is all a bunch of theory, but with no practical application. Theology, however, is one of the most practical subjects around, usable in nearly every situation, and it...
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