That is the title of a brand new book by Andrew Campbell, available through Memoria Press where you can read a brief description and an excerpt. I got my copy late Wednesday afternoon, and finished reading it through by Friday morning. But it’s a book I will refer back to over and over again. For any parent curious about Classical homeschooling, I think it’s eighteen of the best homeschooling dollars you’ll spend!
Campbell begins by defining Classical education, a definition inspired in part by Tracey Lee Simmon’s Climbing Parnassus. He also contrasts his traditional definition with that of neo-Classical education, invented by Dorothy Sayers and popularized by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer in The Well-Trained Mind. In a nutshell, traditional Classical education, when compared to neo-Classical, is more streamlined, more focused on Latin and Greek, with fewer subjects, and built on a foundation of the principle of multum non multa, “not many but much”. This means that traditional Classical is “simple but deep”. Rather than attempting to shallowly cover a vast quantity of material, a few selections of the best are chosen, and are studied in great depth. Let’s face it, there is a lot of good resources to which your student could devote her time and effort. Why not simply have her focus on those few that are The Best?
The bulk of the book is an outline of a K – 12 course of study based on this philosophy. The information is organized by subject area (e.g. Latin). Campbell gives a general overview of what you should hope to accomplish in each stage of the child’s schooling: Primary (K – 2), Grammar (3 – 8 ), and Secondary (9 – 12). (e.g. “During the primary years, give your students a gentle introduction to Latin that emphasizes vocabulary words, phrases, and prayers. Plan to spend no more than 15-20 minutes a day on Lain at this stage.” Then, grade by grade, he recommends specific curricula and other resources to help you reach this goal.
The result is a book with tremendous appeal to old pros and newbies alike. If you were lucky enough to be Classically Educated yourself, and already know the ins and outs, this could still provide a very useful framework for giving your child a Classical Education. If you’re new to the idea, this simple, straight-forward, concise guide will give you the reassurance and confidence that you can do this, and it won’t be as hard as you might fear! If you are familiar with neo-Classical education, this streamlined approach may appeal to you for the way it can simplify your life while giving your child a truly great education.
My only complaint about the book is that I wish there had been more discussion of secular Latin programs. Even before his book was published, I was aware of Campbell’s preference for the Memoria Press Latin program (a very Christian program). So it came as no surprise that Memoria Press chose to publish his book, and that he continued to recommend their program. So, it’s only a minor complaint, because I realize that secular Latin choices for the early grades are very limited. Plus, he does mention a couple of them as possible supplements, which is great. But since Latin is the cornerstone of a Classical Education, it’s very important to me to find a Latin program that truly suits my family’s needs. That said, however, I have to give Campbell big time kudos for recommending secular science resources! He does write from a Christian perspective, but his tone is warm and welcoming to people of all faiths or no faith. (Not at all like Douglas Wilson’s books on Classical Ed!) In the appendices, he includes a note to non-Christian parents about why they might not want to entirely skip the chapter about Christian Studies, but include the Bible as literature in their homeschool. He makes a compelling argument, and I intend to do this, though not every year or in as much depth as he outlines for Christian parents.
I consider this book an invaluable addition to my homeschooling library. While Climbing Parnassus provided the inspiration, this book will be my pracical, day-to-day, “How To” guide to giving my daughter the education I wish I had received. I am very excited about learning alongside her. I feel as if I’m not so much her teacher on this journey, as her co-student!
For more information, please see the LatinClassicalEd Yahoo! Group and The Latin-Centered Curriculum website.
