I have this dream. Not one of those you have at night, but one of those you have when you sit back in your chair in the office, gaze up at the ceiling, and wonder about all that could be, one of those dreams where if the planets would all align themselves just right, or if Mulder would have finished out with seasons 8 and 9, or if no one from Chicago would ever again run for public office, then all would be right with the world. In my dream, I am asked by a school parent what he can do to better understand what classical Christian education is and what VCA endeavors to accomplish.
Though there are several things a parent can do, one is, for me anyway, always near the top of the list - Read. Parents need to read. They need to read about education, they need to read history, they need to read theology, they need to read science, they need to read literature. Parents need to read. If anything, parents need to read because their children have to. It's hard to tell your child to read that big book for homework while being curled up with the remote and Larry King.
Our children watch us, and they get it. "If I just put in my time now, eventually I will grow up and have my own remote, too." But there are other reasons. Education is about ideas, not only in terms of concepts that are taught and debated in class. Education is about an Idea - that of making students human. And wrestling with ideas is an inescapably human thing to do. More on that some other time. So read.
But what do you read? Don't splurge for that set of Oxford Classics just yet. You'll get there. Don't worry about that Aristophanes you just put at the top of your Amazon.com wish list. Try out a few of the following books on education first. These lay a framework for later reading, and it will help you understand what education, and VCA, is all about.
Mortimer J. Adler, How to Read a Book. Doesn't make much sense to tell you to read books if we don't know really how to read books. Adler's classic teaches one how to read different types of books.
Dorothy Sayers, "The Lost Tools of Learning." This is the essay that started it all. Sort of. This essay is a speech Sayers gave at Oxford in 1947 in which she laments the (then) current state of education and summarizes her understanding of education as it used to be and was for many years. She speaks of a method of teaching that correlates with the development stages of children (the Trivium) and differentiates between subjects and ways of learning. This essay was discovered by some parents on this side of the pond who then said to themselves, "Let's start a school." Then other parents said it. And then a few more. Before you knew it, VCA. The essay is available on-line for free.
Douglas Wilson, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctly Christian Education. Wilson uses Sayers as a springboard into what her essay (which is included as an appendix) might look like in an actual school. This is a very helpful book in that it tells the truth about modern American education and gives one hope about what it could be.
Douglas Wilson, The Case for Classical Christian Education. This could be called "Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning 2." A great follow up to the above book written some years later. He writes about his experiences in getting a classical school going and what was learned in the process. It also speaks to the ongoing crisis in American education.
Robert Littlejohn and Charles T. Evans, Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning. This is a little different take on classical education from Wilson. But they delve into areas Wilson doesn't. Though they differ from Wilson in some areas, there are many overlapping areas of agreement. A great book.
John Milton Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching. When someone asks me how to teach in a classical school, I give them this book. It's short. No bells and whistles. Some are shocked that a view of teaching can be summarized in such a short work. But, hey, teaching isn't rocket science. It's not really just science. But don't tell anyone I said that. Be sure to get the edition published by Veritas Press. It's the original unedited version.
Barry Sanders, A is for Ox. This was published back in the mid-1990's and speaks of the relationship of literacy to violence. I think of this book every time a parent says to me that he doesn't really care much if his child reads Shakespeare; he's just concerned that they learn Math and Science. This book is about how language is the foundation of pretty much everything. I contend you can't do Math and Science apart from exceptional literacy. But that's just me.
Susan Wise Bauer, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had. As you read the above books, you will be overcome with a grave sense of angst as you begin to wonder 1) why you didn't have this kind of education, and 2) whether you could get this kind of education in your old age. Bauer, a university professor and homeschooling mom, and no known relation to Jack, tells you, "Yes, you can!" (with all due apologies to a presidential campaign). She talks about what to read and how to benefit from your reading. Very encouraging. So step back from the ledge of despair and give this book a read. There is hope for us all.
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