In our society, we often think of skills as a set of “expert” techniques that we apply to particular activities. We classify ourselves, among other things, as “skilled” doctors, electricians, musicians, basketball players, teachers, cooks, or decorators. We tend to believe we must be intensely “schooled” in specific content...
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What is The Hobbit Retreat? Some of my readers will know, some will not. In October, Classical Conversations held the first of what we hope will be many “Rising to the Challenge” student retreats. The theme of this first retreat was J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. It was well-timed, I think, because...
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I was missing out. Something prompted my daughter to address my ignorance and she played for me the Gangnam Style music video. A multitude of cultural references suddenly made sense. I could finally laugh at the joke, a joke that I previously failed to recognize. We must avoid such...
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“There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important, as living within your means.” – Calvin Coolidge Date Night in my home falls on Wednesdays. This week the forester and I cleared a spot at the table and huddled romantically by laptop light to review...
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Why Study Latin—The Tutor’s View by Matt Bianco In the summer of 2012, I had a conversation with one of my rising Challenge IV students and her family. She wanted to quit the study of Latin in her final year of homeschooling with Classical Conversations. We met and...
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The heart of the difference between classical and conventional education is not in curriculum or teaching methods, though those are effected. The heart of the issue is in goals and beliefs. Our practices often entangle us so much that we cannot get back to the things that matter most. The biggest...
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Recently, a few of our city commissioners tried to pass an ordinance that was clearly unbiblical. As I was discussing it with others, I stumbled upon a disturbing trend. While everyone I talked with agreed that the ordinance was wrong, most could not effectively support their position—especially when asked...
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“I do not want my children’s education to be so fast-paced and so abstract that there is no time to meditate on the fantastical. I do not want them to treat glorious facts as mundane.” – Leigh Bortins, The Question Sometimes I think about homeschooling as if it is an...
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He ate and drank the precious words, His spirit grew robust, He knew no more that he was poor, Or that his frame was dust. He danced along the dingy ways And this bequest of wings Was but a book. What liberty A loosened spirit brings. – Emily Dickinson,...
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My children are many years away from graduating from high school. I have no idea what interests they will have at that time or what direction they will want their lives to go. I do not know if they will want to go to college or to work straight...
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The same Emily Bronte who penned that famously over-the-top Gothic romance, Wuthering Heights, wrote a poem in which one of the most bedrock truths of the Christian faith is expressed in the very first stanza. Bronte dives right in on the importance of faith and of fearlessness: No coward soul...
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“When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” This quote by Joseph Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy, urges the soul under attack to hunker down and work harder, putting forth extra effort to battle adversity. The pithy sentiment, designed to inspire a perseverance mentality, often encourages...
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