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Andrew Kern and Circe Institute: Curriculum?


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I am in LOVE with this post!! Where, oh where, oh where was it last year?? I feel my burntness lifting.......

 

Off to do some Circe listening.....sounds like mybteacher in training for the summer is coming together:D

 

Hi Kfamily,

 

Thanks to Karen for recommending LTW. As for there being a CiRCE curriculum, I'm going to give you an unhelpful and cheeky answer: ;)

 

Our curriculum is the seven liberal arts plus drawing, painting, and sculpture.

 

Does that completely and totally answer your question? OK, I'll make my answer even worse.

 

We believe that classical education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue by nourishing the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty.

 

That being the case, we cultivate wisdom by interaction with the "real world" (gardens, pets, home business, etc.) and great ideas expressed in great works of art. I don't really care which great works of art (books, music, painting, etc.) you encounter (except that you have to include The Bible and Homer), just so you do it fully engaged. This is the tradition you hand on to your children.

 

We cultivate virtues by identifying and training them: the moral virtues, the intellectual virtues, and the physical virtues.

 

A virtue is an ability that has been refined to excellence.

 

A curriculum focuses on the intellectual virtues, so here you concentrate on language arts (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and mathematical arts (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy), using those great books again.

 

You look continually for the true, the good, and the beautiful and you "gaze on them" when you find them. You discuss great books, historical events, etc. etc.

 

I'm not a big fan of subjects, as they are an application of 20th century mistakes to education and they tend to lead to shallow thinking about lots of things, which is a waste of a good mind's time.

 

I prefer the "tools of learning." So study Latin, Greek, Logic, Rhetoric, maths, music, fine arts, etc. so that your children learn to perceive reality from the soul.

 

You'll need subjects for the transcripts, but to that end I recommend you draw them out from what you teach in the 7 liberal arts and the fine arts. It's easier than it sounds.

 

Let's say you are teaching grammar (which includes reading at a high level). You read Julius Caesar and give your child credit for English, History, and whatever else your state or preferred college is looking for. It really isn't hard.

 

As for the natural sciences, I'd begin with gardening (biology, chemistry, and physics combined and alive) and pet care. Have them observe closely and learn everything they can about something they love. That will necessarily grow into something more technical at the right time and in the right way.

 

If there are other things you want your children to learn (and I don't know what would stand outside this), then just add it.

 

I'll bet this was perfectly useless, wasn't it?

 

I've been told it's idealistic, but what people often really mean by that is that they don't think it will get kids into college. I totally and vehemently disagree. I agree with Plautus who said:

 

Virtus praemium est optimum

 

"Virtue itself is the highest reward"

 

He then went on to enumerate how everything else depends on virtue. We can't have the everything else that we want without virtue, but we won't have virtue if we seek everything so hard that we don't nourish the goose that lays the golden egg.

 

And the goose is nothing other than virtue.

 

One last word (really): do not be intimidated by the fear that you might miss something. If you cultivate wisdom and virtue and stay focused on that, your purposefulness will transcend the details. You'll find what you need when you need it. It's not easy, but it's much, much simpler than we've made it.

 

Thanks for enduring to the end!

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I too am very grateful to have found the other "Andrew"!

 

Even though my first Classical mentor and friend has posted literally hundreds of links to Circe Institue on FB, I have only watched a Martin Cothran video and enjoyed it.

 

Without my Classical Christian Support group available anymore, I need to listen, read, and be encouraged to stay in the race, and not be sidetracked.

 

Even before I knew anything about Classical Education, I was in love with my babies and wanted the best for them. I read books to them, sang songs, and filled our days with Virtue, Nature, and Love.

 

As I heard the voice of God telling me not to send them to Public School, I began searching the Methods of Home Schooling.

 

I was pressured to use Box curriculum, and did use one for Kindergarten that we borrowed, but it was so fun!

 

Still, I found the Classical Christian Method intriguing, and had to do interlibrary loan to get the First WTM book, and then Charlotte Mason.

 

I did my best to use TWTM and felt overwhelmed, but God in His grace sent me a Classical Christian Support Group to train my husband and myself in the true methods and encourage us to implement classic books, Latin, Fine Arts, and to teach us what the TRIVIUM is, where it came from, and the stages our children would be going through.

 

Being tossed into a Non Classical support group did lead us to IEW and Andrew Pudewa.

Then, my first HS convention I was blessed to hear Martin Cothran, Susan Wise Bauer, and meet Andrew Pudewa. I needed to hear the Logic session, and went to a 3 day CC parent practicum on Logic as well. Mrs. Bauer shared from her heart and helped me to not give up! I found out she is a real person, with real issues, and that TWTM is a Guide.

 

I endured the pathetic public education, hated the drudgery, knew there had to be a better way, I know the Christian Classical method is the way I was searching for all my life.

 

 

I struggle with perfectionism, and always thinking we are missing something.

This is my support group now! I need Grace, Grace, and more Grace.

 

My husband was listening to Mr. Kern! That impresses me more than anything!

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