Beth in SW WA Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe we aim for truth and beauty here....without the 'classical' label. We do a heavy STEM focus with ample time for classic lit, art and music. History has never been our school-focus although my dds love history. I don't even need to schedule it at this point. I certainly don't connect history to lit (boring). Too rigid. If it works, great. But we don't read history and lit in certain ages/stages/cycles. Â We read our Bibles and worship God. Daily & with pleasure.:001_smile: That is where I find beauty & truth -- not in secular lit -- although it does offer deep satisfaction, joy & excitement (depending on the title). Â We love books. Â We will do Latin/Greek roots but not L/G grammar. English grammar/comp will be purposeful. We exchange ideas here constantly. Never an hour goes by when our family is not dialoging about matters of faith, history, world affairs, science, math, music. We love to talk. We love to learn. It is part of our family culture. Yet I don't consider us classical. Thirty minutes/day for math in 6th grade per the Great Books Academy? That will not happen here. Ever. We participated in a local classical school. The math & science was weak. But I knew that going in. My dds needed more math. Much more. Â Anyone else feel they aim for beauty, truth and excellence without a label? How does that look? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emcap Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Truth, beauty and excellence - I think I may have found our new school motto :) I told my husband I wanted to make one of those banners you see over public schools to hang in our doorways saying "excellence in education" You know, to pull out when family comes over :tongue_smilie:. Truth and beauty go right along with it. We are not anything in particular, but we do strive for excellence so far as we can. I think we would come closest to classical though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 We don't follow a strictly classical model. We don't follow a strictly anything model really. Some of my dc will do Latin, some won't. Some will follow a 4 year history cycle and some don't. We aren't rigorous. Right now my oldest is working out of several textbooks and my youngers are doing a unit study. Yeah, we are kind of all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I looked at your blog last week and meant to tell you -- your little daughters' art is so lovely! I am fascinated by what you're doing with them, so I'd love to emulate you! Their schedule looks so balanced, not leaving out the scientific nor the artistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am of the do-what-works-for-your-child/family school of education. What and when I teach a child is influenced by my ultimate goals for them, their potential, their interests, their strengths and weaknesses... What works for one child wouldn't for my other and what works for my family, won't for another. I do like to read TWM and other classical models for homeschooling, but like most of us, I pick and choose based on what works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 We read our Bibles and worship God. Daily & with pleasure.:001_smile: That is where I find beauty & truth -- not in secular lit -- although it does offer deep satisfaction, joy & excitement (depending on the title). To me, a core principle of classical education (whether "labeled" or not) is that beauty and truth can be found everywhere. Even in secular and pagan literature. Â Some Christians throughout history have found this objectionable. "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" But these people -- the ones who rejected the classical path -- have typically done this in the context of rejecting all non-Christian literature as being harmful at worst, or a waste of time at best. Â So I'm not sure what you mean by the distinction above. How would we find joy in something that (we believe) reflects neither beauty nor truth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Thirty minutes/day for math in 6th grade per the Great Books Academy? :bigear: Â Only 3 hours a day for 6th grade?! How is that possible? It takes us a minimum of 6 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am in the opposite boat. Â While I most definitely do not do classical education as often proposed on these boards, I certainly do something which I grew up understanding as classical education. It had nothing to do with "truth", "beauty" or even "excellence" (which was more of a side effect, albeit a desired one) and everything to do with a solid broad education rooted in our national culture and the context of its genesis and development, with a fairly strong philological bent as it incorporated the study of classical languages as the sources and the constitutive moments of much of that culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am of the do-what-works-for-your-child/family school of education. What and when I teach a child is influenced by my ultimate goals for them, their potential, their interests, their strengths and weaknesses... What works for one child wouldn't for my other and what works for my family, won't for another. I do like to read TWM and other classical models for homeschooling, but like most of us, I pick and choose based on what works. Â :iagree: I originally intended to "go classical", but that approach simply isn't the best one for my children. We do take elements of classical, and merge them with other approaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Only 3 hours a day for 6th grade?! How is that possible? It takes us a minimum of 6 hours. Â :001_unsure: We only do about 2.5 hours of directed learning for a 5th grader. :blush: He does read a lot on his own, and pursues a lot of other interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 We don't follow a classical approach nor do we follow the WTM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I originally intended to "go classical", but that approach simply isn't the best one for my children. We do take elements of classical, and merge them with other approaches. :iagree: Â We are quite eclectic, with more of an emphasis on STEM subjects than the humanities, although the humanities are certainly not overlooked. I truly wanted to have us all study Latin, but it just wasn't going to happen. I've settled for two modern languages, and that is working well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Nope. Â :D Â We have a heavy STEM focus, are very eclectic, will not be learning Greek or even Latin above roots, and do not focus on writing until later. We learn and love it. We adapt and change constantly to what works better and better, not following any particular model. (We're also a very ADHD household, lol.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am in the opposite boat. While I most definitely do not do classical education as often proposed on these boards, I certainly do something which I grew up understanding as classical education. It had nothing to do with "truth", "beauty" or even "excellence" (which was more of a side effect, albeit a desired one) and everything to do with a solid broad education rooted in our national culture and the context of its genesis and development, with a fairly strong philological bent as it incorporated the study of classical languages as the sources and the constitutive moments of much of that culture. But you are Italian. Your whole national culture -- its genesis and development -- is all about beauty. Those paintings... those buildings... those little cherubic children with their beaming mothers feeding them plates of pasta... :D You were raised with the sort of cultural inheritance that many of us are looking to rediscover.  And as for saying that your experience of education has nothing to do with "truth" -- are you teaching your children falsehoods? :svengo: I think not. :)  Maybe we should make you a t-shirt saying, "I'm only here for the philology." ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Wait, I'm supposed to do the laundry, clean up the toddlers, wrangle six kids into doing (at least some of) their chores, keep the twins on task, try to get in a bit of work on my part-time job, feed the cats, pull something out of the pantry for dinner, get everyone into (semi-)clean clothing for synagogue, break up (ANOTHER) fight between my tweens AND have time left over to pursue truth, beauty, and excellence? Â :lol::lol: Â I don't really know what my educational philosophy/methodology is at this point. We're currently doing a funky Charlotte Mason-based, unschooling-inspired, totally eclectic, definitely secular kind of thing. We spend the most time on STEM stuff and foreign languages, but we're also rather literature-based. When I pick curriculum for each year, I'm not looking at them as programs that we'll follow. I'm viewing them as *resources* to pull from. I figure that with mountains of books around, my kids couldn't NOT learn if they tried (does that make any sense?). I have heavy experience with Sudbury schools and have tried to model my homeschool after them, so I guess that's my philosophy. But I don't really know. My kids are bright, articulate, and love to learn (just ask the neighbors!), so I must be doing something right, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 To me, a core principle of classical education (whether "labeled" or not) is that beauty and truth can be found everywhere. Even in secular and pagan literature. Â Some Christians throughout history have found this objectionable. "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" But these people -- the ones who rejected the classical path -- have typically done this in the context of rejecting all non-Christian literature as being harmful at worst, or a waste of time at best. Â So I'm not sure what you mean by the distinction above. How would we find joy in something that (we believe) reflects neither beauty nor truth? Â Good question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I wouldn't classify our homeschool as classical at all, but we do incorporate use of classical literature into our homeschool. We spend more time on science than history. Generally we are eclectic with a focus on foreign languages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I would say we are about 50/50. I love the science and history cycles. So we do that. Hmmmm, maybe that makes us 25/75? I don't know. We do a mix of classical/Charlotte Mason/mom made schooling :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Wait, I'm supposed to do the laundry, clean up the toddlers, wrangle six kids into doing (at least some of) their chores, keep the twins on task, try to get in a bit of work on my part-time job, feed the cats, pull something out of the pantry for dinner, get everyone into (semi-)clean clothing for synagogue, break up (ANOTHER) fight between my tweens AND have time left over to pursue truth, beauty, and excellence? :lol::lol:  I don't really know what my educational philosophy/methodology is at this point. We're currently doing a funky Charlotte Mason-based, unschooling-inspired, totally eclectic, definitely secular kind of thing. We spend the most time on STEM stuff and foreign languages, but we're also rather literature-based. When I pick curriculum for each year, I'm not looking at them as programs that we'll follow. I'm viewing them as *resources* to pull from. I figure that with mountains of books around, my kids couldn't NOT learn if they tried (does that make any sense?). I have heavy experience with Sudbury schools and have tried to model my homeschool after them, so I guess that's my philosophy. But I don't really know. My kids are bright, articulate, and love to learn (just ask the neighbors!), so I must be doing something right, right?  This is US!!!!! But, not Sudbury as it exists here in Woodstock:D. I would NOT want to emulate that school. But we are Funky CM, literature based, unschooly at times, eclectic, home-centric, lifestyle of learning with SWB products adding gently in....:D  Some of my kids have done Latin, some French, some Olde Englishe.   Faithe.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 But you are Italian. Your whole national culture -- its genesis and development -- is all about beauty. Those paintings... those buildings... those little cherubic children with their beaming mothers feeding them plates of pasta... :D You were raised with the sort of cultural inheritance that many of us are looking to rediscover. :001_wub: Â I am not going to tell you where I live right now not to make you very, very jealous (and not to provide too much personal information, LOL) - but you seem to understand. Â I was raised with semi-serious jokes of a particular Jewish propensity for sharp thought and learning. I have always thought that the (presumed) Jewish atypical intellectual intensity had an equivalent, when it comes to the matters of beauty and aesthetics, in the Italian people. Not that the Italians have the "monopoly" over artistic beauty and taste (just like there are Jewish idiots, as well as geniuses of intellectual intensity amongst other nations), but that there is something really particularly artistically intense amongst that people, something more "concentrated" than more "diluted" as you find it amongst other peoples. I almost ended up studying art history, so I do know a thing or two about art past the typical national arrogance, and I have always been fascinated by the Italian phenomenon in art. I truly think it is something unique, and as much as I attempt to consider it in the historical context, something escapes me and there always remains a small "unexplainable" touch to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I don't know what we are anymore. A few months ago, I would have said classical, but we have a strong science and math focus in our home. OTOH, Latin is central to our day, as is socratic discussion about everything under the sun, from literature to bugs. Â After the Circe thread, I am realizing I want to orient my teaching more towards truth, beauty and wisdom in the general sense. I don't know what this means in terms of practical changes. Â Basically, everything we do, we try to do well and to our utmost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 (edited) I'm moving more and more into Charlotte Mason. I've always had at the core the CM method, but I'm delving more deeply into it now. I'm reading and re-reading her works. To me, CM is about seeking truth, beauty, and excellence. It is education of the whole person. Â That said, I aim to have as much an emphasis on science as on history. In fourth grade, ds will be having 30 minute lessons for all the core lessons, which include science, English, reading, literature, history, and math. Writing is embedded into the curriculum. Focused attention in each of these lessons is necessary. Spanish, art, and all others will likely be 20 minutes each. We call ourselves Keys Atheneum. One of the definitions of atheneum is a"an institution for the promotion of learning." Edited March 22, 2012 by sagira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I don't know what we are anymore. A few months ago, I would have said classical, but we have a strong science and math focus in our home. OTOH, Latin is central to our day, as is socratic discussion about everything under the sun, from literature to bugs. Â Â Yep, what she said (as is often the case! ;)) WTM was what introduced me to homeschooling, and inspired and gave me the courage to begin, and for this I will always be grateful. If you held a gun to my head and made me classify us by one of the categories you find in hsing books, I'd probably pick classical, but truth is we are moving away from some classical ideas and methods, and towards others . . . so I don't know what we are exactly. Â We focus much more heavily on math and science than what I see in the classical hs books. But we do Latin, from interest and inclination, and lots and lots of literature and history, because we love it. We aren't religious, which sometimes feels like a prerequisite to be a "classical" homeschooler, but I don't think it is. Politically and socially we are miles away from the Circe folks, yet much I hear in the podcasts about truth & beauty resonates, as does the suggestion to focus on the lesson you want your child to receive, and then choosing your material and methods to best deliver it. Â I guess I am a Shannon-centered homeschooler. :D Trying to do right by this child, this day, here and now. Whatever it takes to get us there is fine by me . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Politically and socially we are miles away from the Circe folks, yet much I hear in the podcasts about truth & beauty resonates, as does the suggestion to focus on the lesson you want your child to receive, and then choosing your material and methods to best deliver it. Â :iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 My educational philosophy is INFLUENCED by classical ideas, but is more eclectic. Over the years, I'm starting to better understand WHY I deviate from the classical model. And also, interestingly, when I deviate from the current American INTERPRETATION of what is classical, I often realize that I'm actually moving closer to the ancient form of classical. Â I, on my own, began to radically do LCC, long before the book as written. I knew I wanted to focus on SKILLS rather than CONTENT. Back then I was told that wasn't classical. And I had never gone to college and had no idea what a college classical program looked like. It was just instinctive to me. Â For awhile I tended to be more STEM, but learned that was an error for ME and MINE :-0 But, back then English was literature and STUDYING it as if it were fact. That made no sense to me. I didn't know that arts have the potential to heal, when not studied like facts. So I just didn't do it. And as for the English skills, no one directed to me to materials that worked. DS was too far "behind" to jump into grade level TWTM suggestions and everything else was trash. No one told me to start WRTR, and a rigorous grade 2 grammar book, with a gifted 12 year old. Â I didn't know about the Bluedorn and Waldorf style of "delayed academics" and never would have thought of them as classical. But they are. Â I also didn't know about the differences between a Hebrew and a Greek education. I'm no longer so sure that all of my Hebrew leanings are not classical after all, the more I learn. Â I think some of us are more classical than we realize sometimes, only to find out later that we were just ULTRAclassical :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 To me, a core principle of classical education (whether "labeled" or not) is that beauty and truth can be found everywhere. Even in secular and pagan literature. Â :iagree: Secular lit, art, music, theater & movies can be highly virtuous and beautiful. I appreciate inspiration when I see it. Â Some Christians throughout history have found this objectionable. "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" But these people -- the ones who rejected the classical path -- have typically done this in the context of rejecting all non-Christian literature as being harmful at worst, or a waste of time at best. Â I do not claim that secular lit is harmful or a waste of time. Dd8 spends hours and hours each week reading, analyzing and pondering Greek mythology. She devours myths from various cultures. She is currently obsessed with her leather-bound Grimm's collection. She takes it everywhere. She read the HP series in 2 weeks time. We enjoy secular lit, music, movies, art, etc. Â So I'm not sure what you mean by the distinction above. How would we find joy in something that (we believe) reflects neither beauty nor truth? Â I fear you misunderstood my pp. I'm not classical-bashing. I am claiming that we don't need the 'classical' label to attain beauty, truth & excellence in our homeschool journey. Â I appreciate the exuberance for Andrew Kern and his wisdom. What a gift to have his presence here in the Hive. I take a bit of SWB, a bit of Kern, a bit of Bloom, a bit of ________ and jumble together MY idea of excellence for this family of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 I looked at your blog last week and meant to tell you -- your little daughters' art is so lovely! I am fascinated by what you're doing with them, so I'd love to emulate you! Their schedule looks so balanced, not leaving out the scientific nor the artistic. Â Thank you. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I don't know what we are either. Since this is our first year homeschooling, I think we're still developing our style. I will say that we incorporate some classical thought, but we will never be fully classical here. We're moving away from Latin toward doing root and vocabulary study. I love the ideas of truth and beauty that we've been discussing. My goal is to do what's right for my son, and if that includes "masterly inactivity," classic literature, textbooks, and workbooks all on the same day... that's what we'll do. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 :iagree: Secular lit, art, music, theater & movies can be highly virtuous and beautiful. I appreciate inspiration when I see it. Â (...) I'm not classical-bashing. I am claiming that we don't need the 'classical' label to attain beauty, truth & excellence in our homeschool journey. Okay... thank you for clarifying. I didn't think you were bashing. :) Â I think the difference, then, is that the Circe folks are working against having such a distinction between religious study, academics, and enjoyment. They consider these things to all be part of "leisure," in the traditional sense. Â Do you consider it desirable for your children to study the so-called "great books" in high school (or later)? Many of the specific things we've been talking about in that big thread -- such as the emphasis on literary discussions and classical languages -- are, in part, meant as preparation for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I like the idea of classical education - but truefully a lot of the classical books I've tried to read turn out to be a snooze fest :o  I certainly love books and there are some classics that I love but mostly I find them hard to understand and follow.  I want my kids to have a better time with the classics so I will perservere however so far they are not liking whatever I have tried. We are reading the Peter Rabbit series right now and they are not really enjoying them (neither am I). I'm also reading Doctor Dolittle and after the second chapter DD asked me to stop reading (this is a child who could listen to me read all day) :confused:  We tried My Father's Dragon - and ditched it after the first couple chapters - the same with The Enormous Egg.  So far the only classic type stories my kids love are the Enid Blyton ones.  I plan to try the Andrew Lang Fairy books next -my kids are pretty receptive to fairy tales and they are shorter.  It isn't that I've fed my kids a constant diet of twaddle - I love quality kids literature -but right now I just can't seem to get them interested.  We do Moving Beyond the Page -so hopefully that will ease them in.  I don't know if I plan on doing Latin or not - I might try it and see how it goes but it's not a must on my adgenda either.  My kids do love art, music and theatre but we have issues with these as well -finding quality programs and the cost - it costs me over $100 to take them to see a simple kids theatre show -it's pricey here - even the community ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 But you are Italian. Your whole national culture -- its genesis and development -- is all about beauty. Those paintings... those buildings... those little cherubic children with their beaming mothers feeding them plates of pasta... :D You were raised with the sort of cultural inheritance that many of us are looking to rediscover. Â And as for saying that your experience of education has nothing to do with "truth" -- are you teaching your children falsehoods? :svengo: I think not. :) Â Maybe we should make you a t-shirt saying, "I'm only here for the philology." ;) Â Yeah, what she said. America is so young, you've grown up in the womb of beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I want my kids to have a better time with the classics so I will perservere however so far they are not liking whatever I have tried. We are reading the Peter Rabbit series right now and they are not really enjoying them (neither am I). You might try reading the suggested books to yourself first, before you try them on the children. Keep looking until you find something you enjoy. (There must be at least a few!) Then perhaps it will be contagious. :) Â So far the only classic type stories my kids love are the Enid Blyton ones. Speaking as someone who must have read about 100 Enid Blyton books as a child :D -- these are not "classics" or "Good Books" in the sense we've been talking about here. They're entertaining, and the language is more sophisticated than some contemporary books (so they might be useful to boost a reluctant child's reading level), but they are formulaic and shallow. They don't lend themselves to literary analysis beyond the level of "Do you think they'll find the thief in the secret passageway in that cave?", or "I wonder who told Matron that Gwendolyn stole the tennis racquets?" ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I plan to try the Andrew Lang Fairy books next -my kids are pretty receptive to fairy tales and they are shorter. Â Wow. It takes the Librivox people like 45 min per story, some of them! I wouldn't say short! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I guess I am a Shannon-centered homeschooler. :D Trying to do right by this child, this day, here and now. Â I like this very much. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I certainly love books and there are some classics that I love but mostly I find them hard to understand and follow. Â Waiting a year or two may help. When you pick these books again, you may find your children are more receptive to them. My dd read the Beatrix Potter books a year or two later than recommended in most good books list. She still enjoys them at age 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Classical has its different interpretations in the modern American hs and Christian school world. Â WTM, LCC, CC, Circe, MP, VP, and others all call themselves classical and even use some of the same sources as inspiration, but look different. Â I also think in the elementary years it's harder to say for sure what you are doing, because building a solid foundation in the basics can look much the same under different educational philosophies, unless you are talking about ultramodern progressivism or unschooling. Â I don't see an emphasis on math and science as being incompatible with classical education. Weren't most of the great scientists in history, after all, classically educated? Â I would say at this point we are following a "traditional" educational path using many neoclassical ideas and traditional educational methods, skipping back over a lot of the 20th century educational reform ideas that dumbed down American schools. I aspire to the true and the beautiful, the good books leading to the great books, and the learning of languages, but in the end I am doing some sort of amalgam of my understanding of these ideas and whatever else I feel will best help my children become wise, educated adults who are able to fulfill their goals for themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I don't know exactly what I do. We do Latin and grammar, but we've strayed from a strict 4 year history rotation (but will be going back into it with MFW). I just do what works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 (edited) I'm another that doesn't know what we are. I like the idea of the 4 time periods for history and areas for science, but don't give a hoot if we're matched up on them. The stuff we read rarely has anything to do with history we're currently studying. I've had Latin sitting on the shelf for years and never even started it. Art is very sporadic at best and music is whatever is on the radio when we're I the car. Well unless you count the net each I did a week ago because my kids want me to teach them how to play "soft kitty" like Sheldon does on the show The Big Bang Theory. Â So I guess that makes me Kel-centered, doing what we find interesting as we go along while making sure they can read and do math well. Â Oh and I also find most Classic/Good Literature a total snooze fest, you couldn't pay me enough to make me want to read Moby Dick or anything by Jane Austen. Edited March 22, 2012 by nukeswife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 To be honest I'm not sure what classical ed is exactly. I think we too defy labels. :001_smile: This. Whenever I post what I think classical ed is -- and we are pretty much going for it -- nobody agrees with me. :glare:? ;)? :D? not sure which smilie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Basically, everything we do, we try to do well and to our utmost. Â :iagree: Â Add us to the "I dunno" camp. As they say, you start somewhere and see where the path takes you. Right now, it lies through the field of classical ed. Who knows where it might go next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I have been thinking of leaving the board lately. Not because anyone did anything. But, because I have been so drawn to the idea of classical education. But, I cannot figure it out. We have a variety of special needs that makes a few of my children difficult to parent. And, those needs overide their need to devour great thoughts. But, my oldest seems to be finding his way. He tested better last year. Â Anyway, I am not classical. I just came to this board for curriculum suggestions and found the people pretty interesting;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Â I don't see an emphasis on math and science as being incompatible with classical education. Weren't most of the great scientists in history, after all, classically educated? . Â This is my perspective as well. Up to now I have never identified myself as a classical homeschooler but as an eclectic homeschooler using a mish-mash of approaches w/one over-arching philosophy guiding my end-goals (Ignatian). Â I do now see myself moving more in the direction of "classically" classical (not the cyclical history definition.) Â Our family is very math/science oriented. I do not see our approach diminishing math/science in any way. The approach I am using is enriching their vocabulary and encouraging more independent thinking via forming more of their own connections......that is the literary side of "problem-solving" innovative thinking via math. And Latin encourages very orderly structured logical thinking. Â It all goes together toward educating the whole individual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I have been thinking of leaving the board lately. Not because anyone did anything. But, because I have been so drawn to the idea of classical education. But, I cannot figure it out. We have a variety of special needs that makes a few of my children difficult to parent. And, those needs overide their need to devour great thoughts. But, my oldest seems to be finding his way. He tested better last year. Â Anyway, I am not classical. I just came to this board for curriculum suggestions and found the people pretty interesting;) Â Please don't leave. I enjoy your presence here:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I have a friend who thinks I am intense, classical, "over-the-top" homeschooler with far too much emphasis on academics and probably not enough on the whole person. :lol: Â She has no clue what I do. Â I read to the kids. I have them read to me. We learn. We keep to a 4-year history cycle, simply because we are very history-oriented and it makes sense to us to organize our studies around this. We enjoy science and try to enjoy math (we do way more than 30 minutes a day), we study French and will soon study logic and Latin, and Literature is king in my estimation. Does this make us classical? Maybe I really don't care about semantics, but it seems to fit. Just like when my son is asked what grade he's in, I let him know to tell people "5th" even though I have no clue where he'd fall in the p.s. spectrum. Somewhere around there, I'm guessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I would actually love to be a classical homeschooler, I just know that what we are actually doing doesn't fit the bill, so I may end up being something else only by default ;)...I am still trying to figure out how to put into practice what I believe would be best for us...Knowing is only half the battle, even when you are not on G.I. Joe :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amie Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Speaking of Italian beauty... looking at the architecture, the cities (Venice!),...Ferrari ;), etc., I can't help but see "STEM" written all over it. I often see people list a heavy STEM focus as being one of the reasons they must not fit into the classical ed category. Maybe it is because in those circles you often find a suggested schedule like "do 30 min. a day of Saxon math" (?). Maybe you (general you) still aren't classical, but is it because of the STEM focus? Does it have to be either/or? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 (edited) I don't see an emphasis on math and science as being incompatible with classical education. Weren't most of the great scientists in history, after all, classically educated?  This is my perspective as well. (...)  Our family is very math/science oriented. I do not see our approach diminishing math/science in any way. The approach I am using is enriching their vocabulary and encouraging more independent thinking via forming more of their own connections......that is the literary side of "problem-solving" innovative thinking via math. And Latin encourages very orderly structured logical thinking.  It all goes together toward educating the whole individual. The thing is, throughout the history of classical education -- from the Greeks onward -- the "whole individual" was taught with an emphasis on qualitative reasoning (the trivium) before graduating to the emphasis on quantitative reasoning (the quadrivium). This is the order of learning that formed so many great mathematicians and scientists. Consider the famous drawing of the tower, with grammar at the bottom and astronomy at the top. It was quite deliberate. During the last 150 years in the United States, educational reforms -- driven by the demands of industry for more innovation and skilled workers, and justified by the desire to boost the national economy -- threw out this order in favor of more math and science courses. If one reads those debates, it's clear that the advocates for this new approach saw themselves as opposed to classical education. They were keen to get rid of the emphasis on the humanities, especially Latin and Greek, which they saw as elitist, old-fashioned, and (worst of all, from their perspective) impractical.  If some homeschoolers believe that it would be possible to increase the math and science curriculum in the elementary and secondary years, without diminishing the traditional role of the classical languages, logic and rhetoric, and great literature -- that would be something different. I guess it would be a new hybrid of classical and technology-oriented education. But going by the experience of brick & mortar schools in the early 20th century US and contemporary Europe, and families on the high school board, I'm not sure that this is possible to any great extent. In that sense, I think Beth is just being realistic. Though I hope she'll reconsider at some point. ;)  BTW, I suspect that our family enjoys science as much as anyone's here. My children's father and both grandfathers have been engineers, I started out as a physics major, and we have Snap Circuits, K'Nex, Make Magazine, and a jar of snails. :) We just don't consider those things to be part of school (except the snails... they are much more conducive to qualitative discussions). So in the early years, our homeschool and Beth's might look quite similar. But by middle school, if we stay on this path, they will likely be very different.  My own objection to the "STEM" acronym isn't that it encourages young people to pursue math- and science-related careers, but that it lumps a bunch of them together in a way that's almost meaningless from the perspective of classical education.  Math and astronomy = pure learning, branches of the quadrivium, highest expression of the liberal arts  Engineering = applied subject, taught in a professional school, but traditionally preceded by a liberal arts education (as believed to be important for those who would be leaders in industry and society)  Various technicians = practical workers in industry, historically given a basic 3 R's education and then taught in technical schools or through apprenticeships  There doesn't seem to be much sense in taking our brightest minds, and giving them something closer to the limited vocational education that was previously given to those who showed little promise for academic success, innovation, or leadership. (Cf. John Taylor Gatto's writings.) It seems entirely backwards to me. My sense is that people who are passionate about science might want to question the evidence behind the plans of some of the so-called "STEM" proponents.  (For those who don't read the Accelerated board, we recently had a wee chat about this over there :lol: -- step right up as Serendipitous Journey and I put each other through the wringer...) Edited March 22, 2012 by Eleanor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 The idea of classical education is wonderful, putting it into practice here is not going to work. Literature, math and science are our focus, with logic and foreign language thrown in. Art, what's art? Do I want to incorporate it, absolutely. Music lessons were happening, but with budget cuts, they are no more. We are definitely more eclectic, and I would like to streamline our approach and get rid of some of the workbooks, for sure. Still working on my philosophical approach to all this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 (edited) History-focused (or chronological history) is NOT the definition of classical. :D Â I consider us classical all the way through, but we are heavily focused on math and science here as dc reach high school. We also study great literature and Greek/Latin, logic and rhetoric. Â I think following a chronological hsitory sequence is just one thing people grab to label themselves classical without thinking about the method behind it. Some say they are classical because they do Latin with their A Beka boxed curriculum. It doesn't matter what they call themselves, but it does matter when a definition of classical becomes hung up on one thing (Latin, history) and people start missing the point of classical education. Edited March 22, 2012 by angela in ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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