We live in a country where freedom is alive and well. We have the freedom to worship as we please. We have the freedom to read whatever books we deem readable. We have the freedom to vote for whomever we think capable of leading our country. We have the freedom to educate our children in the way that we see fit. If we decide to home educate our children, our freedom includes choosing the right philosophy/method that we see as a good fit for our family.
If I may take this choice one step farther, if we choose to classically educate our children, we have the freedom in how we go about in doing that. There are many ways as to how to give our children a Classical Education. To name a few there is the neo-classical way ( The Well Trained Mind, Trivium Pursuit ) as well as the traditional classical path ( Latin-Centered Curriculum, Circe Institute, Classical Liberal Arts Academy) There are many different 'versions' of Classical Education.
There are some people, though, that do not agree with the various versions. These people are die-hard traditionalists and say that Classical Education should be taught exactly how the Ancients taught there students. These people do not consider Neo-classical as any part of Classical Education. In their opinion it is a misnomer to classify the education of stages as Classical Education. This disagreement has been going on for a very long time. This is nothing new. What is new, is the article written by William Michael (head of Classical Liberal Arts Academy.) Mr. Williams has taken on the gigantuan task of combing through Dorothy Sayers' essay on Classical Education and disputing her statements on Classical Education. (You can read the article, in full, here ) Sayers' article was the catalyst for the Neo-Classical movement. According to Mr. Michael, Sayers' followers shouldn't even term what they are doing as Classical Education, as it doesn't even resemble how CE was traditionally taught.
I, personally, do not follow the writings of the Neo-Classicists. I lean more toward traditional classical. I am sure, though, that if Mr. Michael was a fly on our homeschool wall he would be aghast that I, too, consider myself a Classical homeschooler. I would probably be in that article right alongside Ms. Sayers. I do not see the point of criticizing the ways of others. If there are other people not doing things the exact same way as it should be done, does it matter? In the big picture of things, is it really going to matter? Isn't it more important that our children get a good education? An education that instills wisdom and virtue? I think that regardless of how you homeschool your children, rather through the traditional methods or those of the neo-classicists, your child will receive a wonderful education.
Thank goodness that we have the freedom to choose how to give our children that kind of education, traditional classical or not.
Julia lives on the Canadian Prairies with her husband, homeschooling their 3 children (10,8,6) and attempting to give them a Classical Education. You can read more on her blog.
