The Beauty of Classical Education

There are numerous approaches to the education of a child. Modern psychology plays a significant role in the way students are taught in most schools, but it has not always been this way. For centuries - even millennia - before the influence of John Dewey and the rise of the modern school system, school children received some form of a classical education.

Also known as a liberal education (from the Latin "liber" meaning "free"), classical education was the standard for the free citizen. The most basic component of this type of education is the trivium. The trivium is composed of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Although these terms are linked to language arts, the idea can be applied to any subject. At the grammar stage, one learns the basic facts and figures, such as the alphabet, words, and sentences. At the logic stage, the student studies how the facts learned relate to each other so that, for example, sentences and paragraphs may be analyzed for logical consistency and validity. When the student enters the rhetoric stage, he learns how to use the skills of grammar and logic to understand how reality relates to him, and he is able to express himself effectively.

There is also a major emphasis placed on studying source materials from antiquity to the present. The student receiving a liberal education will understand the rise of western civilization and the role played by Greek and Roman cultures in the formation of life as we know it today. America was not, after all, formed in a vacuum. Math would include the study of the mathematicians who developed the subject and the historical motivation behind their work. Students would become familiar with the work of Archimedes, Newton, Darwin, and others, and be able to analyze their work in light of the scientific method. The ideas of economists like Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes would be an integral part of the curriculum. Instead of reading short exerpts of great literature followed by pages of analysis from textbook writers, students would actually read classic books in toto. The work of these masters will influence the student in their own writing, as well as give solid role models of character and virtue.

Unfortunately, liberal education is all too often replaced with mediocre instruction and even outright indoctrination, from grade schools all the way through the higher institutions. Parents can begin to safeguard their children against these shortcomings, however. Be in tune with what your child is learning so that you know where you can supplement their education at home. Be sure that your young children become solid readers and that they grasp the basic arithmetic taught in the classroom. As they grow older, encourage them to read classics suitable to their reading level. You can find "Great Books" lists on the internet with suggestions for excellent reading for both you and your young scholars. Ask your son or daughter if they are familiar with opposing viewpoints to what they are being taught in school. Perhaps you can research with them to find historical context and perspective for many of the concepts they are taught in their history, science, and other classes. Such an education will train a student's mind to be capable of tackling any subject with proper perspective and objectivity.

This post has shown only a glimpse, at best, of the beauty of classical education. Hopefully it sparks an interest to learn more about this type of education. The following are only a few suggestions for further reading. The links are posted in the menu at the right for quick reference:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classed.html
http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html
http://www.fordham.edu/HALSALL/ancient/asbook.html
Classical Education: Towards the Revival of American Schooling, Gene Edward Veith, Jr. and Andrew Kern
The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom