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Part
One: Introduction and General Issues
THE GOAL OF A CLASSICAL LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION is to
free a person (thus "liberal"= liberating) from the
narrowness, rigidity, and prejudice which is the natural characteristic
of our minds. The goal of a Christian classical education
is to do so for the glory of God. While it is true that apart
from salvation an educated person may be nothing more than an
educated fool, it is also true that an ignorant Christian, no
matter how godly, is limited by that ignorance; an educated
Christian is a more effective servant of God because his natural
abilities and talents have been developed rather than allowed
to atrophy. The tradition of education in western civilization
has been propelled for nearly two millennium by Christianity,
during which time it has always assumed diligent training in
godliness by a child's parents as an underpinning to education.
That assumed, the liberation of a child's mind is accomplished
by teaching him the following, which can be grouped according
to the classical Trivium--grammar, logic, and rhetoric (the
first five points)--and Theology, the King of the Sciences (the
last two points):
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to listen and read carefully;
- to think clearly and express himself persuasively;
- to comprehend his position in space, time, and culture and
his relation to other places, times, and people;
- to appreciate and learn from the difference between his
own and those other places, times, and people;
- to enjoy a wider range of beauty as a result of that wider
exposure;
- to devote himself to continued learning on his own, using
the tools of learning acquired in the previous five points;
- to evaluate, and ascribe the proper significance to, all
of the above in the light of a transcendent, absolute standard;
- to construct and defend a coherent, biblical worldview as
a result of his education.
It
is NOT to get a job.
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IN
LIGHT OF THAT ONE GOAL OF LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION and the
above eight objectives, what and how do we teach our children?
Consider first that many different kinds of studies contribute
to the "liberal" mind besides academics; music and
art, for instance. There are also disciplines which are beneficial,
even necessary, and which contribute to the appreciation and
enjoyment of life but do not contribute significantly to that
liberated condition of mind which we desire for our students;
among these are athletics. There are still other areas in which
children need training, such as the habits of manner and conversation
which we call civilized or "gentle"; those patterns
of life which make a person gracious and courteous, which make
him desirable company.
In the present discussion I focus on academic study not because
those other studies are unimportant, but rather because disciplining
the mind in rigorous, propositional, linear thought about certain
core subjects, and learning to appreciate and glory in the beauties
of language and words, must be at the heart of education. If
it is not, then those other studies will be an incoherent collection
of particulars with no overarching, coherent world-view into
which to fit them and with which to find real meaning for them.
The
subjects we are concerned with, then, are literature, history,
languages, math, science, logic, and rhetoric. Formal logic
and rhetoric are generally reserved for upper levels, so in
this discussion of the preparation of younger students we will
consider only the first five.
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The suggestions that follow are just that--suggestions--as the
important principles behind them, drawn from the philosophy
of a classical liberal arts education described above, will
have very different applications in different families. Do not
be trapped into comparing your family's approach to education
with another family's based merely on the techniques or methods
you follow--you may either panic or be tempted by pride. "Who
art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master
he standeth or falleth." The manner in which you cause
your child to be educated is only important insofar as it embodies
the principles that are the real issue. Therefore, we will consider
the principles in each case, along with some suggestions for
application.
Remember the Trivium: in all subjects, at the lower levels,
focus on the memorization of facts. Use the child's capacity
for absorbing and storing information, and for enjoying that
process, even when he doesn't understand the information. This
doesn't mean that no discussions of the logical relationships
or the poetic beauty of things will arise, just that the emphasis
in younger children's minds is less on logic and rhetoric than
on the grammar of things.
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