What do Shakespeare, actors, newspapers, jazz, and communism all have in common? Continue reading this article to discover how one Challenge III class threaded these disparate ideas together. Last week in my Challenge III class, we had some spontaneous moments for subject integration. We began the morning talking about...
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My thirteen-year-old daughter is in Challenge B this year, and she is preparing for Mock Trial, so we took a field trip, along with several moms and teenagers, to visit a courthouse and watch a real trial. As we waited for the trial to begin, the sheriff talked with...
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Classical education is a “curious thing,” viewed from the perspective of a traditional educator. Traditional education emphasizes acquiring knowledge of a host of subjects through the passing of a multitude of classes en route to receiving a diploma. Classical education emphasizes the skills of learning and the acquisition of...
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This quote from John Hodges’ first lecture at the Toward the Quadrivium event struck a chord with me. It invoked a desire to act! I realized there are many more good things I should love. So many, in fact, that it would require more than a million lifetimes of...
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In Romans 12:2, Paul writes: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV). Having taught in the public school system for almost ten years,...
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I marked my twelfth protocol, with a small group of students and a fellow mom, by experiencing Gioachino Rossini’s opera, The Barber of Seville. We, a happy bunch dressed in regalia, ventured out on a weekday to enjoy fine dining and to feast our senses on delectable artistry. However, many...
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Our world isn’t clear regarding the differences between fables, myths, and fairy tales. We tend to lump them together into anthologies based on the characteristics they have in common: all of them contain fantastical elements, magic, talking animals, and so on, and all of them seem to focus on...
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“This is just a bit of silliness, really,” says thirteen-year-old Peter Llewelyn Davies as a disclaimer to his first attempt at writing a play, in the 2004 film Finding Neverland. “I should hope so,” replies his mentor, playwright J.M. Barrie. “Go on.” Even though Peter is still a child, he...
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Aren’t we simply too busy to get it all done? When was the last time you thought, “Why am I having such a hard time getting my child to finish his school work?” If you are like me, then your answer is “Today.” Sometimes it feels as though God...
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One of the disturbing trends of the modern era is the blind delegation of all reality-focused ideas to science. The presumption is that if something is real—if one can taste it, touch it, or smell it—then science is the best approach to dealing with that subject. This is the...
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What is the most important attribute of a classical, Christian tutor? Mastery of academic material, expertise in classical pedagogy, and the expression of natural charm or charisma in the classroom characterize a desirable tutor to some parents. Extraordinary biblical knowledge, administrative excellence, and clear communication skills define a highly...
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Is music a liberal art? Liberal education is under attack today, just as it has been during economic downturns in the past. Yet some of the most strident voices calling for a “bottom-line” evaluation of the liberal arts also espouse “traditional values.” For some reason, they don’t understand the...
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