Last week, a parent in my Classical Conversations group told me she enjoys Foundations, and looks forward to Challenge A and Challenge B, but she just does not know if she will go further with homeschooling after that. I told her I thought that would be like getting all...
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” –Nelson Mandela When I first came across this quote it begged me to ask, “Why?” I believe that a good education is necessary. Now as a student in the Rivendell Sanctuary Honors Program in Bloomington,...
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A man once asked his teacher whether virtue could be taught. In the course of the conversation, not only did the man and his wise mentor discuss the topic of virtue, but a young slave boy, through the simple process of answering questions, stumbled upon the Pythagorean Theorem. Well,...
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Many modern educators and parents assume that classical education is as dry as dust. How could anyone possibly find it interesting to read stories about dead white guys, chant Latin noun and verb endings, or recite the multiplication tables? There is no creativity in that! Furthermore, anyone who comes...
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Classical, Christian education upholds a vision of excellence: in character (best described in terms of ethics), in knowledge and understanding (perhaps viewed as academics), and in biblical worldview (quite likely, wisdom: the fear of the Lord). It is important to remember, however, that there is a tension between striving...
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Rhetoric: the art of using words effectively in speaking or writing (Webster’s New World Dictionary) When we first started homeschooling, we read Debra Bell’s Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling and felt compelled to write down our vision for homeschooling our children. Among other things, our family vision stated that at the end of fifteen...
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Formal writing may be a dying art. Today, written communication is so easily produced that many forms of it are disposable. In previous generations, one might jot down a list for shopping and discard it when completed. However, today’s texts, tweets, emails, and posts cause the inboxes of contemporary...
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Chapter Three – Frequently Asked Questions The Extraordinary FAQs by Cara McLauchlan “The next time you meet someone new (any adult) don’t ask what he does for a living; instead, ask what he likes to do in his free time. You’ll either make him speechless or he won’t stop...
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I would postulate that any school teacher in the country would agree that teaching Truth is important. However, in today’s culture, “Truth” and “fact” have been confused. And for the past few generations, “fact” and “opinion” have been confused, leading to our current cultural confusion of “Truth” and “opinion.”...
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I never thought I would find myself teaching my daughter to cheat. We spend our time as parents teaching wholesome lessons like kindness to siblings, respect of elders, and honesty in all things. What place could “cheating” have among those lesson plans? I have been contemplating this “lesson” for...
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What is the purpose of education? Are we educating our children for heaven or Harvard? What is our ultimate goal? We are called to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and that means more than just training them to perform a task or understand...
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My dog is getting old. When I visited my family at Christmastime he ran up to me, unsteadily, as if somehow the back half of him was drunk, and I saw the hair in his ears had turned white. I was raised around dogs and it is always sad...
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