Summer Read - Classical Christian Education Made Approachable

It's summer and it's definitely time for this momma to catch up on all that reading that I see looking at me longingly from my bookshelf all school year, that I just never seem to have enough free time to read.  I read Leigh Bortin's book The Core last summer and then this summer I have read Echo in Celebration a Call to Home Centered-Education and today I just finished her book Classical Christian Education Made Approachable.  All these books are available from www.classicalconversations.com and I recommend each of them and liked each for a slightly different purpose.

Classical Christian Education Made Approachable was just that, a simple to read (start to finish an hour for me this morning) and a very approachable view to what a classical Christian education is and how to attain it.  She starts her book quickly making it clear to understand why modern education is failing our children and what the goals are of a classical Christian education.  She writes "Parents and educators who desire to impart a classical, Christian eduction must train students to see the integration of all subjects.  Classical, Christian students must be trained to ask how all the subjects fit together and to contemplate how the connections between science and language or history and philosophy deepen our understanding."  She concisely lays out the Trivium giving succinct descriptions of what grammar, dialectic and rhetoric stages should look like.  She moves into discussion about the Core; Scripture, Literature, Writing, Math, Geography, History, Science, Latin and Fine Arts.  She sums up the purpose including one sentence that really spoke to my heart "A classical Christian education, then, teaches students to love God by learning about the world as God's universe, designed by His creative mind, governed by His laws and sustained by His providential guidance."  - well said!  She ends her general conversation geared towards Christian parents home-educating their children seeking a classical model, with the one-room schoolhouse idea.  The later half of the book is specific to Classical Conversations discussing the program and it's Communities.  She also provides a few sample schedules for those who need to "see" what a day may look like to execute her ideas presented.  Jennifer Courtney has an essay on Why Latin? that is included and Dorothy Sayer's The Lost Tools of Learning paper is at the very end of the book.

My favorite thing in her book she wrote was...."so have fun with daily drills and any corresponding visuals, songs, or activities that go with the material."  We sure do just that on our days we use the Teaching Plan to enrich our year and I couldn't agree more!  

In essence, if you are just starting out with Classical Conversations - it's a must read.  If you are seeking to provide a classical Christian education -this would be a worthwhile read too.  It is a quick and easy reference to stay on track for your school year!