Classical Christian Education Explained Simply

Our entire homeschool experience has been laced with pregnancies, new babies, and even a broken foot for ten weeks.  Keeping our schooling simple has been my primary focus over the years.  If you know my story, you know that I wasn't all that crazy about homeschooling, which you can read about here.  In order to execute this wonderful model of simplicity, I use Classical Conversations. 

What follows is my collaboration of what I’ve learned & how I understand the Classical Christian Model of Education.  It’s not perfect, and I’m still learning.  But, I've enjoyed learning it, and implementing it in our home.

 Classical Education is a specific method of educating your child.

1.       Classical Education puts more emphasis on how to learn rather than what to learn.  Using this method, you are doing more than just providing information for the student.  You are practicing a method that can be applied to anything needing to be learned in life: riding a bike, driving a car, cooking a meal, mechanics, becoming a doctor, etc…  This method does not have to be confined within the boundaries of academics.  However, you can use academics to teach your child how to develop the skill of learning, so that in adulthood your child can apply this method effortlessly (without even thinking about it) to all aspects of his or her life. 

2.       What’s the method?  The method is very simple, yet might need explanation.  There are three steps:

a.       Gather your information.  This is also called the grammar stage.  This is when you gather, and store facts.  But you don’t want to just pick up some facts here and there.  You want to be able to retain your facts.  This first step uses the tool of memorizing to pound in the facts for long term use.  You work on memorizing facts, and then review these facts so that years down the road the facts are still there ready to be used.  This process takes time—expect the child to forget, and have to be reminded; that’s part of the process.  This stage does not focus on understanding because it’s not always necessary.  Although, it’s not forbidden either!  Children like to explore their facts, and what’s the fun in learning if you can’t play with your information?  However, a child can (and should) still memorize facts even if he doesn’t know what it means.  That can come later.  Remember, we’re not spending just today learning.  We’re spending a lifetime of learning, and we get to spend many years focusing on academics with our children.  So, this stage is simply memorizing facts; and in general hits preschool-elementary years. 

b.      Dialogue about and explore your information.  This is also called the dialectic stage.  This is a time of wrestling with ideas pertaining to the information.  This is a time of questions, answers, and making connections between one topic and another.  An understanding of the information is beginning to solidify in the child’s brain during this time period.  During this time period you’ll see the importance of having your facts memorized.  If you can’t remember when, where, or what happened in history, how can you discuss its effects on science or mathematics or language development?  Know your facts!  It’s very important!  The memorizing is just as important as the understanding.  You want the understanding to last a long time, a lifetime even.  So having the facts there, ready to be used, makes this stage easier and more fun!  So this stage is an understanding stage; and generally hits the later elementary, middle, and early high school years.

c.       Make the application, and give it to others.  This is also called the rhetoric stage.  It’s tempting to say this is the time when you apply your information.  It’s true, but simply applying the information stops short of the beauty of the rhetoric stage.  The rhetoric stage is when you’re able to see the big picture of the information well enough to break it down for others.  You’re now able to teach the information back to someone else.  This is the beauty of the classical model; because at this stage you can now develop your own thoughts on the information as well as walk someone else through their own thought process of the information.  So, this stage is applying & giving it away; and generally hits the later high school extending into adulthood.

3.       The Classical Christian Model puts God as the focus of education, and integrates the subject matter.  God reveals himself to us through all subject matter: science impacts math, which impacts history, which impacts English and so forth.  As we learn more about the subject matter we discover an important aspect—it all points back to God!  Proverbs 8:17 “…and those who seek me find me.”  God is ready, and willing to reveal himself to us.  The question is, are you willing to seek him?

4.       Classical Education is “big picture” focused.  I like to think of it as a puzzle.  In gathering information we are handing out puzzle pieces to our children.  But in memorizing the information we’re ensuring our children can hold on to the pieces for later use; we don’t want them to drop the pieces.  For if they drop the pieces, they can’t put the puzzle together.  In dialoging, and exploring your information they are beginning to put the pieces together.  Different parts of the puzzle are being put together at different times.  At this stage children will get glimpses of the big picture.  Applying, and giving the information away, is the point where the puzzle is completed.  A child can look at the completed puzzle, ooooh and ahhhh over the completed puzzle, explain the aspects of the puzzle, and then take the puzzle apart and assist someone else in how to put the puzzle together. 

5.       Often times I’ve heard, and experienced, that these different stages overlap.  So, even if your child is in the grammar stage, he will try and play with the dialectic stage.  Or there may be times in the rhetoric stage you find your child is lacking in knowing his facts.  So, you may decide, let’s go back and work on the facts again so that we can reason through this easier.  The age ranges aren’t necessarily concrete, just a guide.

6.       You can use this same method of learning right now with anything you wish to learn!  Whether it is to further your own academic development, or learning a new skill.  This method applies and is a very useful tool.

Once again, after spending several years learning, and experimenting with this method, this is the best way I have come up with to explain Classical Christian Education.  As you can see in some areas I added the term "Christian" and other times I did not.  This is simply because you can use the Classical Model without God, but you do need to ask yourself, "what is the focus of our education?" 

 

I hope this has helped you have a clearer understanding of the Classical Model.  I love using this method, I can see the benefits of it, and I can also see how anyone can apply it to their lives.  And it has helped me keep my focus of school, as well as obtaining efficiency in my homeschool.

 

Caroline 

Please note that Anchored In His Grace has moved to a new web address.

Pre-school or Pre-training?

Last week I shared with you how my heart made a shift to homeschool my children.  However, I didn't share that my son wasn't as crazy about the idea.  Since my oldest was almost four, I was encouraged to just have fun with the preschool years.  So I began to make plans.  I gathered art supplies, crafts, and activities, all with an educational focus.  The thought of providing activities with an educational bent, seemed thrilling to me.  But wouldn't you know it; he hated it and told me he wanted to go play.

What?  This is playing!  What are you talking about?  Maybe he doesn't like the activity. 

So the next day I chose a different activity...but got the same response.  The moment I said, "Time to do our activity" he started whining, crying, and banging the table.  Even though this continued, I still required him to at least participate in the activity for 10-15 minutes.  I figured he has all day to play!  He can make his own play time choices the rest of the day; and he can handle 10-15 minutes of mom guiding his activities! 

As the weeks moved on, I realized this was more about training him than just preschool activities.

But I thought we were supposed to be having fun, yet he doesn't want to have fun!  How am I going to educated this child who doesn't like school when it's fun?  How will he respond when school requires work and is boring?

I had to make a decision to stand firm and consistently train him to come to activity time with a happy, obedient heart.  Things got better as time rolled by, and I even snagged a picture of him during activity time!  I will say, however; five years later I still struggle with this sweet boy when it comes to doing something he doesn't want to do.  He's my in-charge, take over the world child; and he wants to make all the decisions.  Therefore, we clash when I make a decision that he doesn't like.  Especially if that decision means it's time for school. 

I've tried all types of reward systems and different methods to motivate him.  But it really boils down to him just needing to practice and learn the skill of disciplining himself to work; even when he doesn't like it.  This means I have a job on my hands.  I need to be diligent in teaching and training him in self-discipline; yet need to keep a watchful eye on burdening him with too much work.

My friends I share this to encourage you not to make your homeschooling decisions based on what your child thinks about it.  I also want to encourage you to keep training, instructing, and guiding those little characters.  I know it's wearing.  Long days of tears, children who won't do their work, children who claim to be tired, distracted, bored.  It can be so tough to hold your ground, but sometimes there's more at stake than academics.  Your child can learn to submit to your authority, without making it a big deal.  Don't give up the good work just because you have a stubborn child!  You will face many challenges, but the work you invest will bear more fruit than you can imagine.  You, your child, and many others will benefit from the time you've chosen to pour into your child.

Last year my third child (who happened to be four at the time), announced that he loved school.  My oldest chimed in with, "of course he does, all his school is just fun stuff"  Ha!  What a silly kid!

Look closely!  You might spot the beginnings of a smile!

 

 

Please note that Anchored In His Grace has moved to a new web address.  www.carolinenixonsblog.com 



My Journey to Homeschooling

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your front door.  You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."  The Fellowship of the Ring J.R.R. Tolkien

I was once challenged with this idea; open the door to homeschooling and take a step.  Although homeschooling isn't exactly the same as plodding around Middle Earth, it definitely does have its adventures.  However, adventure wasn't exactly my original thought.  Initially my thoughts were more along the lines of, "You must be crazy" when my husband first brought up the topic during our engagement.  Experiencing both homeschooling and public school he tried to reassure me with, "my mom was my best teacher."  But it really wasn't enough to curtail visions of my children as jobless, social misfits.  All because mom decided to keep them home; yet couldn't figure out how to get little Johnny to sound out "cat"

"Consider it" he said.  "You really are insane" I said.  But reluctantly, I agreed to consider his request.  The door was open.

As the years rolled on, I was surrounded by friends who were passionate about homeschooling.  The more conversations I had with them, the more it became evident that this was a direction God was leading me.  Yet I still thought it was a nutty idea.

Then children came along.  They have an effect on how you see things.

Staying home with them gave me the time to do activities with them, so I did.  Next thing I know my oldest turns three; then I heard the preschool questions from others.  When?  Where?  But I had my own questions.  What's the rush?  Why would I send him away to do all that fun stuff, when we're already doing it at home?  Then the wheels started turning.

Do I really want to send my child away for schooling?  Can I really homeschool my child?

I happened to be at a friend's house asking about the homeschool program she used.  She gave me some information and invited me to an open house to see what it was like.  Because my son was not yet four, I really didn't think I would get involved.  But I went anyway.  I took one look at this program and I was sold.  I saw my son in the class and I knew immediately, "this is the quality I want for my children's education."  Right away, I saw the long term benefits that this program would bring for my children.  Not just learning something for right now, but immersing them in a system of learning so that they can use that knowledge as adults.

So, in the blink of an eye, I took that first step and I was homeschooling.

After homeschooling for just a few years, I love it.  Oh, I don't love every single day; trust me there's plenty of challenges to make me wonder if it's really worth it.  However, the conversations I have with my children in the middle of the day regardless of lesson content are priceless, and I wouldn't have that if someone else were teaching them.  These teaching moments spin off the events of the day, and I'm right there to be the one to converse with the children concerning these topics.  I don't think there's any school or teacher in the world who can replace that.

Now that I've been swept off into the adventure of homeschooling, I find there are many daily challenges that stir doubt.  But as my friend once said, "Homeschooling is the most challenging thing I've ever done, but the most rewarding thing I've ever done."  I completely agree; and at the end of the day I can breathe a sigh of relief and say...it's worth it.

Please note that Anchored In His Grace has moved to a new web address.  www.carolinenixonsblog.com