Do you feel that classical ed (curricula) has too much humanities focus? (balance)

[HappyGrace]

I never really thought about it much before because we've always been classical and my first dd9 tends that way anyway-would spend all day on history and lit. I've made up my own TOG style plans for the last few years-all our history, lit, writing, etc is tied in together.

 

Now my second ds6 is a math/sci guy, and as we now spend extra time on those, I'm realizing how (too) heavily skewed toward humanities I've been with dd. She is lacking in sci/math.

 

As I look at the classical lit based history curricula out there-TOG, etc., they do tend to assume a good part of your day, and a HUGE chunk of your hs budget, will be put toward history, lit, and tied-in writing, etc.

 

Obviously, we as hs parents need to come up with the balance that works for our family-many families love to spend all that time on those subjects. And I know some are more scaled down than others so we're free to pick those. And there's even things like LCC, which seems to go the opposite way and put history/lit as less emphasized. It's a spectrum, and we're all blessed to have so many resources to choose from! So I'm not putting down any specific or even general curricula, just maybe finally realizing that in general they may put a lot of emphasis on one area.

 

I was looking at TOG for next yr, but find myself having a perspective shift toward a more balanced course load. I'm looking more now at mastery in skills subjects, and history/lit as a little gravy on the side. After all, they'll get it in two more cycles!

 

This is kind of rambly-sorry. I guess I'm becoming a little less enchanted with the kind of focus classical has (and I was never hard-core; more eclectic.) Has anyone else realized that with classical they were getting too humanities focused and made a shift?

[gardening momma]

I'm not to the point yet where I can speak from experience, but what I understand from TWTM book (and it's back at the library, so I can't open it up and refer to it--and I don't remember specific recommendations concerning math and science) is that the science studied (biology, earth science, chemistry, etc...) goes with the time period of history you're studying. I would assume that whatever you use should get as much attention as history, geography, social studies, literature, writing, grammar, spelling, math, etc... Same would go for math. Just because you can't match up the math easily with history doesn't mean it doesn't get as big of a focus. That's each family's responsibility--to make sure all subjects get their appropriate focus. That doesn't make it less classical to me (to give math and science enough attention). ETA: And to me, "classical" doesn't mean that you don't get enough math and science.

[ondreeuh]

I love the history programs (like SOTW) that have a "spine" and a couple of consistent references, and then *optional* resources & activities. That way you can scale back safely without missing anything critical. I'm not sure about other classical resources but I know I've heard that TOG is intense. I would personally avoid a program that demanded I spent so much time on history that the other subjects were neglected. It depends on the family of course - some kids (like mine) have maybe 3-4 hours of work in them before they're pooped. Kids with more endurance can probably handle more involved programs.

[amtmcm]

As you can see in my signature, we focus on Science, Art and Literature. I like history, but I don't love it. My kids both love science and art so we usually have 2-3 curricula going at once. We do history, but I prefer a literature based approach (like BF, or a spine with lit added) and I weave in science, art and some music as I'm able.

 

Personally, I think learning about geography and cultures separately makes history more relevant. I know that's not a popular opinion, but I love geography and learning about how people live in other countries. Once my children have a mental image of people and places around the world I can see the light bulbs come on when we study the history of those places. Does that make sense? I'm rambling now too..... :)

 

That's my long answer..... yes, I agree that many classical curricula focus more on history than I care to do in my homeschool.

[patchfire]

I do feel that many "prepackaged" curricula do put too much focus on history at the expense of other subjects. Yes, it makes a great organizing principle, but one large reason we don't use a "prepackaged" history program is my feeling that it would require a huge amount of our resources and time that I'm not sure is appropriate.

 

I also think that, unfortunately, many women do not leave high school and/or college comfortable with math and the sciences. Since most homeschooling parents are women, I think there is a tendency not to overemphasize that with which we are most comfortable. I know I have to resist the tendency to overemphasize life sciences over physical sciences, within the science realm. Similarly, I have to resist wanting to demphasize the entire period between, oh, 400 CE and 1600 CE, because it's not a time period I am at all familiar with, historically. An overall focus on the humanities within many parts of the homeschooling community is going to be similar issues, writ large, in my opinion.

 

That said, I don't think that the theory of classical education specifically overemphasizes history. I do think that classical education includes a great deal of writing, and it is infinitely easier to integrate writing with history and literature than it is math and science! Writing, however, is an absolutely essential skill, even for the more mathematically and scientifically inclined. I desperately wish I could find even one good resource to give me a little extra help in guiding dd towards writing about science!

 

When pressed, I refer to our homeschool as both writing-centered and math-centered. As you say, history and literature are somewhat gravy on the side. Even with that focus, I do spend a disproportionate amount of our homeschool budget on supplementary books for history and literature. I make a concerted effort to also purchase books for science and math, but there simply aren't as many available.

[fractalgal]

I Has anyone else realized that with classical they were getting too humanities focused and made a shift?

 

I tend toward an LCC approach, but with more emphasis on math than most would. I think we as parents and educators gravitate towards what we enjoy, and my background is in mathematics so I've always put more emphasis on it.

 

At the K-6 level, I think it more important to focus on Language Arts and math, and I go in smaller doses on history, science, art, etc.

 

Science and History are important to me, but if the base is strong in math (logic) and language arts, these subjects can be picked up in more depth quickly and firmly at the upper levels.

[Shawn On the Border]

Yes, I think it's hard to get it all done when you spend so much time on Language Arts and History. I've been homeschooling my 2 boys for 5 years, and science is the one subject that hasn't always been completed. Like you, my first is a humanities-type kid, and my second leans more toward science and math.

 

What we're trying to do, is do science every day in small chunks. My older son reads one section of Prentice Hall Science Explorer, outlines it, and does any experiments. My younger son also does his science (Classic Science Earth Science). We find it easier to do in small amount of time every day than large chunks of time a couple times a week.

 

Math is non-negotiable. We do it every day.

 

I do think the humanities focus can be helpful even for the sciencey kids, who may not normally do as well in the language arts. I think it needs to be a balance. Maybe if the history curriculum is taking too long, you could pare it down or use another?

[siloam]

It can be, if you let it.

 

I love the depth of TOG, but because our hs is math and LA focused, then science after that and lastly Art and History...well now you see why it takes me 6 years to get through 4 years of TOG. With TOG I decide what I want to cover, then break it down into portions that fit the time we have. It usually takes us longer than a week to cover a week of TOG because I only read about 3 pages a day in your average UG book, if it is LG picture book we can do more.

 

(((Hugs)))

 

Heather

[Heather in WI]

If by too much humanities focus you mean educating your children as laid out in The Well-Trained Mind, then no. I don't believe that it is focused too much on the humanities. I believe it to be a very balanced program. We spend equal time on history as we do math. We spend equal time on math as we do science. We spend equal time on science as we do all of our language arts combined (grammar, writing, spelling, penmanship, etc.). We spend equal time on language arts as we do Latin.

 

If by too much humanities focus you are referring to the plethora of pre-packaged history-focused curricula that other vendors happen to be selling that call themselves classical, then yes. I believe most of them have too much of a focus on history, and are too light on other subjects, depending on the program.

[HappyGrace]

I do think it is as fractalgal and patchfire said-we as hs teachers may tend to focus on areas in which we are more comfortable or more proficient. I know I do, and I'm working hard now to correct that!

 

I just think the whole topic is interesting food for thought! :)

[Jonibee]

When my kids reached high school, I noticed this most of all. When the science takes more than an hour a day, and the math does as well, and the foreign language and all the electives they want to do . . . well, I find myself REALLY wishing I could find some way to squeeze ALL of the LA they need and the history into 2 hours per day. I've graduated 3 so far and they always spent far more than 2 hours daily on LA/hsitory -- and catching up on week-ends.

 

The sad part is when they really do NOT remember all those beautiful, wonderful books we read. I console myself that they have had their characters shaped by the books . . . yeah, that's it. It was worth it.

[Janice in NJ]

Darn... this was supposed to be under the original post. Sorry!

 

Classical ed can be viewed as being humanities-heavy, but it doesn't have to be....

Or maybe it's just that I'm becoming a not-so-classical homeschooler. :001_smile:

 

I watched a terrific lecture from The Teaching Company that provided quite a bit more insight into this whole thing for me. :001_smile:

 

If you have read about/studied Plato's divided line, this will make more sense. But as you travel up the divided line, you move from the changing to the real. The middle of the lecture focused on the following:

 

I. The metaphor of the cave enriches our understanding of the process of moving up the divided line from the changing to the real.

 

A. The form of the good renders things intelligible on the top half of the divided line, as the Sun renders things visible on the bottom half.

B. The process by which we go from shadows to real objects is the process by which we go from real objects to the objects of mathematics, and so part of the ascent of the divided line draws the soul from the changing to the real.

C. Education, then, is not stuffing people's minds with information, but turning the soul in the direction of greater certainty and reality (we moderns might say, like moving from the study of the probable to the study of the certain).

 

II. The soul is best drawn from the changing to the real by studying examples of what does not change.

A. Plato here strongly, and influentially prescribes the study of mathematics for the philosophers who are to rule his ideal society - and for all of Western education.

B. Plato's curriculum starts with arithmetic, then plane and solid geometry, the astronomy, then music:

1. This is rather like 1 dimension for arithmetic; then 2 for plane and 3 for solid geometry; then astronomy, understood not as the study of physical stars and planets but as the pure mathematical motion of geometrically perfect solids; and then the harmony that governs all.

2. This, through the work of Boethius in the 6th century, became the quadrivium of medieval education: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music or harmony.

 

Terrific lecture. I learned so much. And after studying it and pondering it, I realized that I wanted to tweak our emphasis. We were using the process of the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) in order to master the subjects of the quadrivium. We were spending too much time learning data and not enough time focusing on the chin-lifting progression towards a layering of ideas. It has done me a great deal of good to think about the quadrivium as a deeper process PAST the trivium, not as subjects to be explored and mastered with the tools of the trivium.

 

Quite strongly a different focus from the classical ed that I have been following. I don't know WHY I came away thinking that the quad was a set of four subjects to be mastered with the newly-acquired trivium process (grammar, logic, and rhetoric). The quad isn't a set of data to be acquired, connected, and then written about.

 

The quadrivium is designed to push us PAST the trivium. And Plato wasn't kidding when he said, "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter here."

 

So, we are beginning to explore the next wonderful thing together. But it's slow going. Oldest ds took his PSAT test today. We went to a college fair last week. I'm standing with one foot each on two different islands. We have to DO all of this other "standard, regular, needs-to-be-on-the-transcript" high schoolish "stuff." Annoying. But necessary. So I'm trying to begin to nibble around the edges of this quadrivium stuff. And sighing that we can't do more of it.

 

Isn't life just grand!

 

So your homeschool is yours. Focus on what you want to focus on. It really is yours, and no one - not even the voices of the homeschooling movement (the "experts") - want to take it away from you. They are trying to help you discover your path, not dictate it.:001_smile:

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journeu

[Crimson Wife]

At the college level, I do think a traditional liberal arts education is too light on science & math. This is why I wish colleges like St. John's and Thomas Aquinas would offer a 2 year associate's degree Great Books program. I would love my children to spend the first two years of college immersed in the Great Books. But for their 2nd half, I would want a more well-rounded & practical education.

 

At the elementary & secondary level, I don't think TWTM is too humanities-focused.

[Jen500]

I asked a somewhat similar question a few months ago-

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99843

[elegantlion]

Darn... this was supposed to be under the original post. Sorry!

 

Classical ed can be viewed as being humanities-heavy, but it doesn't have to be....

Or maybe it's just that I'm becoming a not-so-classical homeschooler. :001_smile:

 

I watched a terrific lecture from The Teaching Company that provided quite a bit more insight into this whole thing for me. :001_smile:

 

If you have read about/studied Plato's divided line, this will make more sense. But as you travel up the divided line, you move from the changing to the real. The middle of the lecture focused on the following:

 

I. The metaphor of the cave enriches our understanding of the process of moving up the divided line from the changing to the real.

 

A. The form of the good renders things intelligible on the top half of the divided line, as the Sun renders things visible on the bottom half.

B. The process by which we go from shadows to real objects is the process by which we go from real objects to the objects of mathematics, and so part of the ascent of the divided line draws the soul from the changing to the real.

C. Education, then, is not stuffing people's minds with information, but turning the soul in the direction of greater certainty and reality (we moderns might say, like moving from the study of the probable to the study of the certain).

 

II. The soul is best drawn from the changing to the real by studying examples of what does not change.

A. Plato here strongly, and influentially prescribes the study of mathematics for the philosophers who are to rule his ideal society - and for all of Western education.

B. Plato's curriculum starts with arithmetic, then plane and solid geometry, the astronomy, then music:

1. This is rather like 1 dimension for arithmetic; then 2 for plane and 3 for solid geometry; then astronomy, understood not as the study of physical stars and planets but as the pure mathematical motion of geometrically perfect solids; and then the harmony that governs all.

2. This, through the work of Boethius in the 6th century, became the quadrivium of medieval education: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music or harmony.

 

Terrific lecture. I learned so much. And after studying it and pondering it, I realized that I wanted to tweak our emphasis. We were using the process of the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) in order to master the subjects of the quadrivium. We were spending too much time learning data and not enough time focusing on the chin-lifting progression towards a layering of ideas. It has done me a great deal of good to think about the quadrivium as a deeper process PAST the trivium, not as subjects to be explored and mastered with the tools of the trivium.

 

Quite strongly a different focus from the classical ed that I have been following. I don't know WHY I came away thinking that the quad was a set of four subjects to be mastered with the newly-acquired trivium process (grammar, logic, and rhetoric). The quad isn't a set of data to be acquired, connected, and then written about.

 

The quadrivium is designed to push us PAST the trivium. And Plato wasn't kidding when he said, "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter here."

 

So, we are beginning to explore the next wonderful thing together. But it's slow going. Oldest ds took his PSAT test today. We went to a college fair last week. I'm standing with one foot each on two different islands. We have to DO all of this other "standard, regular, needs-to-be-on-the-transcript" high schoolish "stuff." Annoying. But necessary. So I'm trying to begin to nibble around the edges of this quadrivium stuff. And sighing that we can't do more of it.

 

Isn't life just grand!

 

So your homeschool is yours. Focus on what you want to focus on. It really is yours, and no one - not even the voices of the homeschooling movement (the "experts") - want to take it away from you. They are trying to help you discover your path, not dictate it.:001_smile:

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journeu

 

Which Teaching Company lecture? :bigear:

[8filltheheart]

I don't think you can answer this question without answering for yourself what your definition of a classical education is and why you want this type of education. Every family is going to have their own vision of what they want to achieve through education.

 

I do not believe our homeschool is unbalanced. Most of my kids are science/math oriented and will ultimately end up pursuing careers in those fields. However, I do not make it the focus of our education. I want them to be well-rounded in their education. Not until their jr or sr yrs do they tend to take course loads that reflect their goals.

 

FWIW......I have spent many yrs reflecting on our educational objectives......I didn't get there overnight nor even in our first few yrs of homeschooling. My views reflect a lot of what Janice posted. (Loved your post Janice!!!) We do have our own twist, especially in regards toward philosophy/theology.

 

If you are interested in our view toward classical education, here is a long reply that I wrote last yr in a discussion with hard-core classicists that view Latin and Greek as the core to all things classical and see Climbing Parnassus as the definition of classical and WTM, Kolbe, Sayers, etc as neo-classical.

 

I disagree with the only definition of classical education being that which has at its heart the study of Latin and Greek. I believe even Ignatius himself would disagree with that definition and I find it hard to believe that the Jesuit form of education is not that of a classicist (even if only referring to Jesuit education prior to the last 100 yrs.) The Jesuit definition of education has at its heart the identification of educating the 3 main areas of man himself…….the spiritual, mental, and the physical. I would argue that the central element of the Ignatian view would be the Spiritual Exercises (which were written originally in Spanish, not Latin!!) and the Constitutions. The Ignatian education goal is to have individuals achieve “the ultimate end for which they were created.” It is through the interior mental freedom that the spiritual life begins its fulfillment. The central study of education therefore is not exclusively defined as studying Latin and Greek in being classical, but through the subjects which form the human identity…..humanities, theology, and philosophy. (I’m not suggesting that Simmons argues only for Latin and Greek but against his assertion that the definition of classical is dependent upon the core of Latin and Greek.)

 

(For those unfamiliar with Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises, they are reflections for spiritual retreat aimed at deeper conversion……. “These four movements include consideration of God's generosity and mercy and the complex reality of human sin; an imagining of the life and public ministry of Jesus, his proclamation of the gospel, his sayings and parables, his teachings and his miracles; and of Jesus' last days, his arrest and interrogation, whipping, public mockery, passion, crucifixion and death; and then, of Jesus’ Resurrection, his Ascension, and the pouring-forth of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and Christ’s continued life in the world through the Spirit today and in the Messianic People called and missioned to his cause.” Educationally the objective is to enable one to have interior mental freedom from societal humanism with the objective of allowing true freedom of will to live life according to the Way of the Cross.)

 

I found myself agreeing with Simmons when he was discussing the value of words, understanding the importance of their meaning, the thoughtfulness of the mind in independently thinking and capturing the meaning…….if the populace of this country were educated in such a way, then mesmerizing rhetoric wouldn’t have the influence it does b/c the rhetoric itself would be evaluated and digested revealing the vacuousness of much of the dialogue.

 

I agree fully that in this day of textbook history and excerpt literature that there is no attempt to form the mind to think independently or to even stretch the mind to discover. I see the strength in his argument here. Modern education is simply no more than feeding in bits of data and hoping for some reasonable form of output. I also agree that modern education embraces educational philosophies which seem to focus on an attempts to create "intelligence" via base knowledge vs. education which leads to higher levels of critical thinking.

 

However, I also find fault with Simmons’s logic on several points. For example, his ending argument of Thomas Jefferson leaves me wondering how Jefferson truly would have spent his time in modern educational terms. The history available in the 1700/1800s was limited compared to today. The understanding of global dynamics was certainly a vastly different scenario. Science was a vastly different study then than it is now. With only so much time to study and educate…….where is the line of value’s distinction? Jefferson surely loved science, geography, and natural history…….would his love of those have caused him to see the value of Latin and Greek differently? (Though I absolutely submit that the might of his pen was surely derived from his study of language!!)

 

My point is that I understand Simmons's view and agree with his premise. However, I still come back to where I currently am. Educating the mind to think independently……to observe, digest, and reach its own conclusions…….to study history and appreciate man’s role in where man has been, is, and will go…….and from my own personal POV, to appreciate the order of creation and man’s being a creature completely dependent on the Creator and meant to live according to those principles…….does it require Latin and Greek? For the general populace at large in an institutional setting, I think that he has made the case that the structured instruction in Latin and Greek form the mind to analyze/think and that those accomplishments lead to superior interior mental processes lacking in modern educational objectives. On this, I do agree with him.

 

Yet, if a student is instructed by a teacher that forces him to think and analyze independently, to argue his perspective, to defend his views not only logically, but supported factually, do Latin and Greek remain on the same level of necessity? Can the study of humanities, theology, and philosophy achieve the same goal? (However, perhaps not the same level of articulation yet the same interior freedom.) Can a focus on the literary translations bring equal understanding philosophically without the focus on the verbage?

 

 

 

ETA: Here is an article that goes into depth the 7 liberal arts (the trivium and the quadrivium) The language is fairly complex but if you are interested in the historical aspects of it, it is worth the effort to dig through it.

 

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01760a.htm

Edited October 17, 2009 by 8FillTheHeart

[Janice in NJ]

Sorry I forgot to tell you which lecture:

 

Mathematics, Philosophy, and the "Real World"

Professor Judith V. Grabiner

 

Absolutely LOVING this so far. I skipped the probability lectures and jumped right into Euclid (part 2). Now I am off exploring oodles of rabbit trails. (One thing leads to another when you start checking out recommended resources.) I'm looking forward to going back and finishing it... and then maybe going through it again.

 

Too many wonderful ideas, too little time. ;)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[Janice in NJ]

Can you please move down the street so I can trot over to your house for coffee in the late afternoons? :001_smile:

 

Peace to you today!

Janice

[HappyGrace]

Sigh...I read what you ladies who are so far down the road write and it just makes me......tired. Such great and interesting thoughts, but my small mind can't take it all in. I just keep swimmin' and try to make it work as best I can with some semblance of balance.

 

I consider it a good day if we just keep our heads above water and learn something---anything!

 

Resolved: I will stick my head back in the sand now and not start any more threads about educational philosophy :lol:

[elegantlion]

Sorry I forgot to tell you which lecture:

 

Mathematics, Philosophy, and the "Real World"

Professor Judith V. Grabiner

 

Absolutely LOVING this so far. I skipped the probability lectures and jumped right into Euclid (part 2). Now I am off exploring oodles of rabbit trails. (One thing leads to another when you start checking out recommended resources.) I'm looking forward to going back and finishing it... and then maybe going through it again.

 

Too many wonderful ideas, too little time. ;)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

 

Thank you!

[Janice in NJ]

If it's any consolation - It makes me tired to THINK about it too! ;)

 

Doing it? OK. Not so bad. :001_smile:

 

Honestly? Honest. Honest! The thrill of discovering something that you have looked for holds quite a bit of an enthusiasm/energy boost within its capsule. Not such a bad pill after all. :001_smile:

 

We're all just baby-steppin'. No magic here. Just a momma who is determined to continue a slow plod... and is grateful for the companionship along the way. ...and the smiles. :001_smile:

 

PEACE to you and yours today.

All's well!

Smiling,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[HappyGrace]

Whenever I get too deep in the mire of educational philosophy, I try to remind myself of Janice in NJ's mantra:

"ENJOY YOUR LITTLE PEOPLE, ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY"

 

That pretty much sums it up!

[8filltheheart]

If it's any consolation - It makes me tired to THINK about it too! ;)

 

Doing it? OK. Not so bad. :001_smile:

 

Honestly? Honest. Honest! The thrill of discovering something that you have looked for holds quite a bit of an enthusiasm/energy boost within its capsule. Not such a bad pill after all. :001_smile:

 

We're all just baby-steppin'. No magic here. Just a momma who is determined to continue a slow plod... and is grateful for the companionship along the way. ...and the smiles. :001_smile:

 

PEACE to you and yours today.

All's well!

Smiling,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

:iagree: There is something liberating in finding your own philosophy. Unfortunately for me........thinking about it is easier than actually implementing it!! :tongue_smilie:

 

Every day is new adventure and new day of learning. Even after all these yrs, we tweak and alter plans in order to improve our homeschool and make it function. On we plod!! :D

 

Coffee pot is always on! Come on over any time!!

[SonshineLearner]

:iagree:

 

Coffee pot is always on! Come on over any time!!

 

I want you to be in Oregon...

 

I'd love a group like this IRL. I'm not sure it exists.... Does it??? I'd love to be proven wrong:-)

 

Carrie

[8filltheheart]

Like I said......I didn't arrive here over night but I am much happier now that I am confident in my goals and my approach.

 

I started off doing "school at home." Yuck!! It didn't take long for me to realize I didn't want that approach.

 

I then explored a literature approach combined with CM. That philosophy suited me for a while when all my kids were little.

 

As my oldest got older, I really felt something was lacking. I started exploring the classical approach. It wasn't until I started reading about the Ignatian philosophy of education that I felt that I had found my "home."

 

It took me yrs to get there!! And even with the Ignatian philosophy as my inspirational source, a huge part of my philosophy is now comfortably my own. I have seen the success of our educational route with my oldest who is doing extremely well. Having that "confirmation" goes a long way to boost your confidence.

 

Don't fret. Homeschooling is definitely a learning experience for mom, not just the kids. All of us have to find our own path and forge the way for our family. Just think of it in terms of our kids and learning how to read.......it takes lots of steps to become a fluent reader of higher level material. Finding our homeschooling path is very similar.

[siloam]

I want you to be in Oregon...

 

I'd love a group like this IRL. I'm not sure it exists.... Does it??? I'd love to be proven wrong:-)

 

Carrie

 

Carrie,

 

There is a classical group in the Grater Portland area that meets weekly. PM me and I will give you the yahoo group.

 

Though I don't know what their focus is. They don't talk a lot on the yahoo group and I haven't made it to a meeting.

 

Heather

 

[StephanieZ]

If by too much humanities focus you mean educating your children as laid out in The Well-Trained Mind, then no. I don't believe that it is focused too much on the humanities. I believe it to be a very balanced program. We spend equal time on history as we do math. We spend equal time on math as we do science. We spend equal time on science as we do all of our language arts combined (grammar, writing, spelling, penmanship, etc.). We spend equal time on language arts as we do Latin.

 

If by too much humanities focus you are referring to the plethora of pre-packaged history-focused curricula that other vendors happen to be selling that call themselves classical, then yes. I believe most of them have too much of a focus on history, and are too light on other subjects, depending on the program.

 

I found it was pretty balanced when my dc were those ages, too, but the older they get, the more demanding the reading/lit/la/history loads become, especially if you are doing latin as well (or in my case spanish). . .

 

I've struggled with this issue recently and decided to drop Latin (gasp!!) since I think spanish is more vital in our homeschool and doing both was just too time consuming given our other interests. . .

 

I rebalance all the time.