Matters of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of True Happiness
Oct. 9, 2007 - Review: A Thomas Jefferson Education
A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille sparked a revolution of thought for me. He outlines what's missing from "conveyor-belt" education and what elements are essential for "leadership education". This is an excellent book for laying the philosophical foundation of why you might choose to homeschool or why it's so important to be involved in your child's education even if you do not choose to homeschool.
DeMille outlines phases of education: Core, Love of Learning, (Practice Scholar), Scholar, Depth, and Mission. In the future, it looks like there will be a nice FAQ about Thomas Jefferson Education here.
Here's a general breakdown with age approximations (from the link above).
- Core Phase (ages birth – 8 yrs.)
- Love of Learning Phase (8 yrs. – 12 yrs.)
- Scholar Phase (12 yrs. – 16 yrs.)
- Depth Phase (College or equivalent)
- Mission Phase (Change the World)
The overall point is for students to learn how to think and not what to think.
The book is inspirational and is the major reason why I'm homeschooling my children today. Where the book falls short is its failure to outline a logistical how-to. For that, I highly recommend A Well-Trained Mind (see my review).
If you ever get the chance to hear Dr. DeMille speak, go! Listen! Be inspired! I find him to be a more compelling and engaging orator than writer and have very much enjoyed listening to some of his lectures.
You can purchase A Thomas Jefferson Education and articles written by Dr. DeMille through the bookstore of George Wythe College.
I also loved the recordings of past Thomas Jefferson Education Forums (a convention for Thomas Jefferson Education). You can purchase those through American Youth Leadership Institute. I feel they are well worth the price.
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark |
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