modernized classical education?

[Student Mommie]

don't get me wrong: i love the idea of rigorous education; i love the idea of following a proven classical model; i love the idea of helping my children become articulate thinkers. but i'm worried. i'm worried classical education will tend to result in a person with stuffy, stilted, meandering, old fashioned writing. you know that dorothy sayer founding essay that started this recent homeschool classical education movement? bless her generosity, intentions, and writing talents, but i personally found it to be tiresome and almost incomprehensible. is that the kind of writing that these kids end up doing? will they even know how to write for the common man? can they turn off dickens mode?

 

on the same topic, has anyone modified a typical classical curriculum with a modern-day slant? does anyone have any booklists to share on this? you know. modern books that have the classically-educated's stamp of approval. i tried searching the forums for this, but could find nothing.

 

PS no offense meant with any of this!

[BikeBookBread]

First off, welcome! We all were brand new at one time...you'll be amazed how fast your post "ticker" starts to grow in number :)

 

I think you have a very valid and interesting question. I too would be interested in a "modern", but classically approved, reading list.

[Student Mommie]

thanks so much for the warm welcome!

 

First off, welcome! We all were brand new at one time...you'll be amazed how fast your post "ticker" starts to grow in number :)

 

I think you have a very valid and interesting question. I too would be interested in a "modern", but classically approved, reading list.

[WarriorMama]

I can't be of any assistance, but I think it's an interesting question and I hope you get some good answers. I'll be watching to see if such a book list appears!

[BikeBookBread]

Okay, to get the ball rolling, what would be the marks of a modern/classical book? Let's brainstorm this one...

 

Perhaps to start...

 

Historical importance and accuracy

Thought provoking

[iwka]

Seyers herself had probably the true classical education. Now days what "classical education" is called in the US, is more neo-classical and has something in common with the original classical education, but not as much as we think.

[dangermom]

I think that very few classical educators are doing anything 'too' old-fashioned, where children would wind up writing in an archaic style or something like that. The goal is to train kids to write clearly and fluently, to be able to express themselves precisely and adapt their writing to different audiences or styles.

 

I think we use plenty of excellent modern resources as well as, I hope, the best from the past. I don't think that "classical" means that you can't use contemporary books--you're just looking for the best.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

You may have a valid concern! :tongue_smilie:

 

My 12yo son has a tendency to write like the Bronte sisters. He's working on it, because he wants to enter a writing contest through his church student group and he personally feels a need to become more mainstream in his communication style.

 

I don't really intend to change my methods with the younger children. Let's face it, people used to write better than they do now. I don't mind if my children imitate the classic authors and write in a very old-fashioned but correct manner while they are in the upper-grammar/logic stages. (My mother and Sunday school teachers have disagreed with me on this.)

 

I think the later logic/rhetoric years are a great time to work on varied voices for varied audiences and occasions. That's my theory at least! I won't know whether I'm right for a few years!

[Rosie_0801]

Have you read the Well Trained Mind? Susan and Jessie are definitely normal people and don't go around sounding as though they swallowed a thesaurus. Theirs is one modern classical model, and they have recommended reading lists in their book.

 

:)

Rosie

[Renee in NC]

Have you read the Well Trained Mind? Susan and Jessie are definitely normal people and don't go around sounding as though they swallowed a thesaurus. Theirs is one modern classical model, and they have recommended reading lists in their book.

 

:)

Rosie

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

Rosie, you crack me up.

[JenniferB]

Have you read the Well Trained Mind? Susan and Jessie are definitely normal people and don't go around sounding as though they swallowed a thesaurus. Theirs is one modern classical model, and they have recommended reading lists in their book.

 

:)

Rosie

 

Very funny! and :iagree:

[Michelle in MO]

don't get me wrong: i love the idea of rigorous education; i love the idea of following a proven classical model; i love the idea of helping my children become articulate thinkers. but i'm worried. i'm worried classical education will tend to result in a person with stuffy, stilted, meandering, old fashioned writing. you know that dorothy sayer founding essay that started this recent homeschool classical education movement? bless her generosity, intentions, and writing talents, but i personally found it to be tiresome and almost incomprehensible. is that the kind of writing that these kids end up doing? will they even know how to write for the common man? can they turn off dickens mode?

 

on the same topic, has anyone modified a typical classical curriculum with a modern-day slant? does anyone have any booklists to share on this? you know. modern books that have the classically-educated's stamp of approval. i tried searching the forums for this, but could find nothing.

 

PS no offense meant with any of this!

 

you'll have to worry about your children growing up to be "stuffy" writers or sounding like Dorothy Sayers or Charles Dickens.

 

For me, another definition for the word classical might be: proven over time. The classical approach has been around for at least two thousand years and longer. Remember: this started with the ancient Greeks, continued in the Roman Empire, and disseminated throughout Europe and America over the centuries. Thus, it is timeless and adaptable to any time period.

 

Personally, I wish that many of today's teenagers were actually able to read Sayers, Dickens, Austen, and others, and actually understand them! I homeschooled our girls for seven years, but we enrolled them in a private school last year for other reasons. This year my senior is taking an Advanced English course at this college-prep. high school. Yesterday was the first day of school. Her complaint was: "We're reading Beowulf, which I've already read, and we're reading a few Shakespeare plays, which we've already read." When we did Omnibus two years ago, we read probably 18 difficult books that most high school kids have only heard about. I'm not trying to brag, but I'm very, very glad that my girls are able to read difficult books and write about them.

 

If you're concerned about writing style, you might look at a program like Classical Writing, which teaches students to imitate the progymnasmata or Greek writing exercises, and yet adapt those same exercises to more modern usage.

 

I don't think classical education should be entered into half-heartedly. It is a full commitment of time and energy, but well worth the trouble.

Edited August 21, 2009 by Michelle in MO

[Jami]

don't get me wrong: i love the idea of rigorous education; i love the idea of following a proven classical model; i love the idea of helping my children become articulate thinkers. but i'm worried. i'm worried classical education will tend to result in a person with stuffy, stilted, meandering, old fashioned writing. you know that dorothy sayer founding essay that started this recent homeschool classical education movement? bless her generosity, intentions, and writing talents, but i personally found it to be tiresome and almost incomprehensible. is that the kind of writing that these kids end up doing? will they even know how to write for the common man? can they turn off dickens mode?

 

on the same topic, has anyone modified a typical classical curriculum with a modern-day slant? does anyone have any booklists to share on this? you know. modern books that have the classically-educated's stamp of approval. i tried searching the forums for this, but could find nothing.

 

PS no offense meant with any of this!

 

Regarding the Sayers essay, I believe it was first a speech, so it does flow a little bit differently than a purely written essay. Have you read and enjoyed C. S. Lewis's writings? (some of which are also adapted from lectures) He would be another example of a modern writer (modern in the 20th century literary period use of the word) educated in a classical way. Yes, sometimes the syntax is challenging. But I usually assume the issue is my own education and lack of recent practice with densely written works than his writing. Dickens is another issue altogether. ;) Tracey Lee Simmons the author of "Climbing Parnassus" which is a defense for teaching Latin and Greek writes very well. I don't find his writing stuffy or old fashioned, though it is certainly at a higher level than my brain is used to these days and takes some mental work!

[Mama Lynx]

Very nicely put, Jami :)

[HollyinNNV]

I would feel like my homeschooling life was a complete success if either of my kids could write as well as Dickens, Bronte or Sayers. I just finished studying Wuthering Heights for a literature class I'm teaching. Hands down, Bronte is one of the best writers I've ever encountered, bar none. There is so much to commend in her writing, it would be hard to know where to start.