Listen to classical music on line at The Classical Station

A Mother's Journal

Livin N Writin About It

Five In A Row ~ The "Heart" of our Homeschool:

Newsletter

Quotations

"A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap."
Danish proverb

"I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand."
Chinese proverb

What Is A Classical Education?

When I think of a classical education, I think of a rigid schedule of learning that adheres to a pattern called the trivium. The trivium represents three stages of academic development. The first stage is the grammar or fact stage. Children are like sponges during this stage. This is the time to present facts. The second stage is the logic stage where the child begins to wonder why. Logic is taught during the middle school years. Finally, in high school, rhetoric takes over and the child (young adult) practices expression through writing and speaking.

The entirety of the classical education is heavy on language and history. It is not unit study, but no one subject can stand alone. Learning history sequentially while pulling from the literature and the thinking of the time in question solidifies for the student what is being taught.

A true classical education is very language-focused with little use of television and video.

Bringing spirituality into it, the three stages of learning can be compared to knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Proverbs is full of these three words.

It is often advised that in addition to adhering to the trivium the student be taught in three 4-year repeating phases that cover Ancient History, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, and Modern History.

We have never pursued a strictly classical education here in our homeschool, though there are many topics heavily covered in a classical education that appeal to me: Ancient history, Latin, and more. I have some good books on my bookshelf to help me add just a touch of classical now and then.

To accomplish a classical education in your homeschool, or to learn more about a classical education, I would recommend starting with:
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide To Classical Education At Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.

I love using the Story of the World CDs to supplement our history learning. They are great for tea time or for traveling.

On-Line Resources

Susan Wise Bauer
The Well Trained Mind website
Classical Christian Homeschooling
Trivium Pursuit