The Reno Kid
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There are different schools of thought on what constitutes a classical education. Some (including me) believe that a classical education is the study of the classical languages--Greek and Latin--and the societies from which they arose. There is also some math and history but Greek and Latin form the foundation upon which everything is built. This is the sort of education that you would have gotten if you had attended an English public school such as Rugby or Eton in the nineteenth century. It's also the kind of education most of America's founding fathers (with the notable exception of Washington) received. Thomas Jefferson, referring to his own classical education said, in a letter to Dr. Joseph Priestly,
Others define classical education in terms of methodology. Many believe that an education is classical if it is based on the trivium and content is secondary. Dorothy L. Sayers (of Lord Peter Wimsey fame) wrote a very good essay called The Lost Tools of Learning that more or less defines the trivium approach.
Classical education began to fade with the introduction of the modern educational philosophy and methods of John Dewey. In the last two or three decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in the methods and content of classical education. There is a big classical movement among homeschoolers, but it is certainly not confined to the home. Quite a few classically-oriented (usually religious) schools have started up and there is a growing number of secular, publicly-funded classical charter schools. I know of at least two in Colorado, for example. There are even a few colleges out there such as St. John's College and Thomas Aquinas College that take a classical approach.
There really isn't room here to go into the details of the various facets of classical education. If anyone is really interested, I recommend two very good books: Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons and Who Killed Homer by Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath.
"I thank on my knees, him who directed my early education, for putting into my possession this rich source of delight..."
Others define classical education in terms of methodology. Many believe that an education is classical if it is based on the trivium and content is secondary. Dorothy L. Sayers (of Lord Peter Wimsey fame) wrote a very good essay called The Lost Tools of Learning that more or less defines the trivium approach.
Classical education began to fade with the introduction of the modern educational philosophy and methods of John Dewey. In the last two or three decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in the methods and content of classical education. There is a big classical movement among homeschoolers, but it is certainly not confined to the home. Quite a few classically-oriented (usually religious) schools have started up and there is a growing number of secular, publicly-funded classical charter schools. I know of at least two in Colorado, for example. There are even a few colleges out there such as St. John's College and Thomas Aquinas College that take a classical approach.
There really isn't room here to go into the details of the various facets of classical education. If anyone is really interested, I recommend two very good books: Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons and Who Killed Homer by Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath.