Exordium
C.S. Lewis on Three Kinds of Education: Propagandizing, Debunking, and Initiating
by Brett Vaden
What are we doing when we educate children? There are three possibilities. (more…)
Exordium
School refuses to single out National Honor Society students at graduation
by Brett Vaden
Last week, National Society Honor students at Plano Senior High School were told they would not be allowed to wear their NHS stoles at graduation. When questioned about the policy, the principal said no club regalia was allowed at graduation. A NHS sponsor said that school officials didn’t want any students to feel excluded or to single anyone out. (more…)
Exordium
C.S. Lewis on making students into “men without chests”
by Brett Vaden
In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis introduces his subject by discussing the contents of a textbook on his shelf, which he calls “The Green Book.” To protect the authors’ real names, he refers to them as Gaius and Titius. Rather than accomplish their stated purpose, to teach upper school boys and girls the art of English composition, Gaius and Titius’s efforts mainly serve to implant a dangerous idea into their young readers’ minds.
Exordium
The Backward Thinking of Abraham Lincoln
by Brett Vaden
Abraham Lincoln was a backward thinker. His mind wasn’t just in the present. Nor was it just in the future. He considered the past, letting it influence his actions, and even staking his life on principles set down by people whose bones had bleached long before he was born.
I want to share a virtue we can learn from Lincoln’s backward thinking: the audacity of principle.
Exordium
Are we hurting children by making them wear uniforms in school?
by Brett Vaden
In “It’s 2016. Why are school uniforms gender-specific?”, a recent article posted on the Australian-based Special Broadcasting Service’s website, Nicola Heath argues that school children shouldn’t be forced to wear uniforms that limit them to a particular gender. (more…)
Exordium
Does classical education suck the fun out of learning?
As people new to classical education consider buying in, they sometimes fear that if they put their children in a classical school, somehow those little souls will be weighed down under such a load of old books, old subjects, and old methods, that they too will become unnaturally old, withered, crusty souls, full of ancient history and Latin conjugations, but left without a drop of spirit, spunk, or spontaneity. (more…)
Exordium
How to Teach Writing, Part 4
by Brett Vaden
In my previous post about how to teach writing, I outlined the first half of an ancient writing curriculum used by the Greeks and Romans, called the progymnasmata. Now we’ll finish with the higher (and harder) levels.
Exordium
How to Teach Writing, Part 3
by Brett Vaden
Writing is an art. It takes training and years of practice to master. My 7-year-old daughter has been learning piano for several months now under a clear, structured order of training. Her teacher came highly recommended, because, as I was informed, she knows how to take kids from knowing nothing to knowing a lot. The secret for taking a beginner from being a novice to a master is a patient, knowledgeable teacher with a reliable curriculum. A good teacher knows and uses a series of exercises that progress from an introductory, low level of difficulty to more and more advanced challenges, resulting in students’ competence. Is there such a curriculum for writing? (more…)
Exordium
How to Teach Writing, Part 2
by Brett Vaden
In the last post, I attempted to describe what teaching composition is about. Now, I will describe the objectives of teaching composition, answering the question: What should our students be able to do once they complete their training?
Exordium
How to Teach Writing, Part 1
by Brett Vaden
What is the best method for teaching students how to communicate their ideas in writing? This question has mystified many a teacher and parent.
(more…)