Classical Homeschooling

There is no doubt that homeschooling is a rigorous undertaking, so why do parents do it? The reasons are many and varied, the most important probably being that God has ordained parents to be the primary teachers of their children. Education is the parents’ responsibility.* Other reasons are tied to that one--the idea that the family is a whole, rather than a group of individuals that just happen to reside at the same address; the idea that learning is integrated with life rather than separated from it. These fundamental beliefs keep a family homeschooling even when there are good schools in the area. Other reasons, such as academic excellence, continuity in communication of values, or financial constraints are real and important. ²

Students who are homeschooled also have the advantage of learning in a comfortable and safe environment. It isn't necessary for a child to learn how to become accustomed to different classrooms. Learning to adapt to a new surrounding can be distracting. Parents and children who choose to homeschool also have the chance to create deeper relationships. Parents can also have a greater impact on their child's education. ⁹

There are several homeschooling methods. Classical homeschooling methods follow a traditional education model. Classical homeschooling is made up of primary, secondary, and tertiary phases, kind of like elementary, junior high, and high school. ⁹

There is a big difference, however, between an institutional form of this education and homeschooling. Classical homeschooling in its true form focuses on the mental development of a child, not just age. A child will not move onto the next developmental phase until they are ready. ⁹

Classical homeschooling methods go all the way back to the middle ages. This method has been tested and tried, and found to be very effective. Younger children focus on learning the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Once your child has mastered the concepts of this phase, they move on to the next, which consists mainly of grammar. This phase focuses on composition. ⁹

The last phase in Classical homeschooling education is the dialect stage. In this stage children seriously study reading and writing and arithmetic. They also focus on rhetoric and public speaking in this phase. ⁹

Classical homeschooling allows a child to move at his/her own pace. It is nice to know that a child has to master a concept before moving on. They aren't just passed automatically from grade to grade. ⁹

News is the quarterly newsletter of the Family Unschoolers Network. There is a free issue on-line, articles from back issues, and web links to resources mentioned in back issues. ⁴

This group is open to all homeschoolers who are interested in learning more about classical education methods. Therefore, although religion may be mentioned, it is not to become a point of contention. ³

This group is open to all homeschooling families who are interested in learning more about classical education methods. This list is here to discuss how to implement TWTM into everyday life and all that goes along with it. ³

In The Socialization Trap, Rick Boyer says, "Peer socialization breaks down family relationships . . . [it] separates kids from both their siblings and their parents through time commitments, interests and emotional bonding." Oh, sure, the child still loves Mommy and Daddy. But the heart, the affection, the attention, the very life of the child becomes bound up with his peers. Parents lose the hearts of their children. ⁶

Maria Montessori the founder of the Montessori movement believed as unschoolers that children are natural learners and don�t need to be forced to learn. However, she believed that they learned best in an ordered environment that offered them the tools and resources to make the most of the drive to learn. She also believed that learning was a process that followed a particular pattern with all children. At certain ages children have sensitive learning issues that must be addressed in their environment. When a child reaches the age with a particular sensitive learning issue his environment needs to include the tools that will allow him to work on that learning issue. Montessori learning is thus highly structured but not individually forced. ⁷

Classical homeschooling curriculum options at this stage of the Trivium will naturally focus on giving your child chances to ask questions, understand why, and analyze situations and problems. They may also introduce logic during this time to help students understand how to think and reason. ¹⁰

What is the trivium philosophy? A guideline of classical education, called the trivium, can be used to design a classical homeschool curriculum. The trivium breaks the twelve years of education into three stages: grammar, logic or dialectic, and rhetoric. The three stages coincide with a child's cognitive development as he or she matures. During each stage, the curriculum gives the child tools for learning while teaching to the child's natural strengths. ¹²

But this is a doable thing. The articles on this website are here for that purpose: introducing the subjects to provide a sign-post for further research; outlining the subjects to help parents determine their strengths and weaknesses, for the purpose of knowing where to supplement. The greatest teachers in the world, in the form of the Bible and the other great books, are available in any bookstore for any parent to read. Parents can purchase texts and teach themselves. They can take continuing education classes through the local university or take internet tutorials themselves as an adult student. Parents can pool their resources with other parents while still remaining at the center of life and learning for their children, through co-ops, enrichment classes, and so on. ²

One of the greatest reasons why parents choose to homeschool is due to the fact that the values that your child learns are directly learned from you. It is also important to teach your child academically. ⁸

One of the great things about homeschooling is how flexible it is. If you want to supplement a Classical approach with another method, there's nothing stopping you. For example, you could build study units around a theme. You have the freedom to do this when you teach your child at home. ²¹

Discipline and a challenging curriculum are definitely part of the classical education method. However, this doesn't mean that education has to be boring. ⁸

Within you will find links to everything from child disabilities to homeschooling. Found within is Unschoolers Unlimited which is a support network for parents who prefer to let their children learn their own way, at their own pace. Besides finding good resources and suggested readings, you can learn more about Unschooling itself. The site also contains a nice variety of articles covering such topics as "uncurriculum" and "ungraduation." ¹³

Around age 9 or 10, the child's brain matures enough to wonder about cause and effect. When that happens its time to change stages and begin teaching how all those facts you covered in the first stage fit together, and to deepen the child's understanding of those facts and the circumstances surrounding them. At this age a child wants to argue all the time. The trivium encourages you to teach them how to argue with lessons on Logic and critical thinking skills. Then at least they will be able to argue well, and to spot bad arguements offered by other people. Also, since a child is learning how to think through cause and effect, they are encouraged to study more independently and to learn how to manage their own time. ²⁰