Podcast

Beginning in the Middle Ages, young people who received a formal education did so using a set pattern called the trivium. This “classical education” method was how many of history’s great minds were educated, including America’s Founding Fathers. But beginning in the late 19th century, the classical education methodology was seen as old-fashioned and outdated for our modern, industrial society, and so different methods of education began springing up. Slowly the classical education pattern used for centuries in the West faded away.
But what have we missed out on both individually and as a culture by eschewing a classical education? Could abandoning the trivium for more modern education methods be one of the sources of a decline in the intellectual ability of students, as well as decreasing cultural literacy levels amongst educated adults? If you missed out on a classical education growing up, is it possible to get one even though you’re finished with school?
My guest today on the podcast, Susan Bauer, has the answers to those questions. She’s the author of The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, as well as The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to a Classical Education at Home. In today’s show, we discuss what a classical education is, the benefits of it, and how you can create a curriculum for yourself which can accommodate even the busiest of schedules. We also discuss how you can provide your children a classical education even if they go to public schools and how Susan’s Well-Trained Mind Academy can help your middle schoolers and high schoolers get a classical education from classically trained teachers right at home.
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[@ginacodding4135]

FANTASTIC episode. Starting to classically homeschool my kids has taught me so much, and trained my mind in so many ways that I wished I had. I hated school - as a smart kid! I was so frustrated all the time. Classical education has changed my life.

[@historify.54]

As a retired public school teacher, speed and quantity were the inevitable results of politically-mandated, crowded curriculum; never mind the time-sucking experience of teaching skills at the expense of rich, meaningful content. There is so much we need to change in public schools.

[@kelleylynnlaughlin210]

Before I read your comment, I wanted to add that curriculum decisions like when to introduce writing essays are probably above the classroom teachers pay grade. He or she just test to make sure that “no child is left behind,” even if that means dragging them along kicking, screaming, or, as Susan mentioned, crying.

[@theresaowen2708]

I used film as a way to teach history and literature quickly and easily. There are some great films and series out there. With my next generation of children (my grandchildren) I plan to discuss more before and after the films. I also plan to use read-alouds during art time.

[@GoldAcademy]

Yeah, to do education well, we need to not just do "education stuff," but we need to step back and think about why we need education and what it's for. We could learn a lot from Lincoln, for example (22 min video): kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6HCiJx7eM-imsU Be sure to check out the notes in the description field for info about the Classical tradition and about Lincoln's education. And in this podcast episode, I dig into the philosophy of education with a philosopher (1 hour 20 min): kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5zJfIVooshordk Another podcast episode, in which I talk with a fellow teacher about education (1 hour 20 min): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnTNkImCh8uGi6M I hope you enjoy the discussions and find them valuable.

[@Chysp010-sd7nt]

Foreign exchange students were always my worst nightmare--"how to they learn all that stuff?!"

[@mynameisray6174]

Really informative and enjoyable. Great interview!

[@rainyday7517]

K-12 has a good collection of readers for children. I want to begin collecting and reading classical literature.

[@RickSeigmund01]

Fantastic interview! Thanks for this

[@ClearOutSamskaras]

the time it's going to take... do you want to stay in the cage forever? do you want to overcompensate forever? find a way to speed the process (work is laborious? work is love/individuation?)

[@Laocoon283]

Don't forget the general sense of apathy towards education amongst a vast swath of the population. There is this overwhelming sense of just do the bear minimum to pass. There is a complete lack of respect for education and therefore many parents don't hold their children accountable. Specifically among poor communities because both parents working full time just to live paycheck to paycheck do not have the bandwidth to put that much value on learning. The expectation becomes as long as they are barely passing that's good enough. And this leads to schools becoming incredibly lenient in the way they grade students in order to keep their pass fail ratio up to state standards. So I guess my point is the type of education is only half the problem there is still this giant cultural problem that is even more difficult to influence.

[@NodakBro]

r/classicaleducation send anybody else here?

[@mynameisray6174]

No, not directly. But did end up here through a series of additional video suggestions once I followed the Reddit link to another video on CE.

[@NodakBro]

@@mynameisray6174 very cool!

[@rainyday7517]

No, I am just looking for ideas for my new home school year.

[@nickbenjamin3546]

💯