Classical Christian Homeschooling
Is it Right for Your Family?

There has been a growing interest in classical Christian homeschooling. A lot of parents want to go back to traditional schooling of our founding fathers. Yet even some of our founding fathers such as Noah Webster and Benjamin Franklin had problems with classical education. Before you deciding that classical Christian homeschooling is right for your family consider the pros and cons.

What is Classical Homeschooling?

Classical homeschooling is a method that believes that children go through three stages of cognitive development. It relies on Greek thought.

In the first stage or grammar stage the child learns facts. During your child's elementary years he is capable of memorizing a lot of information. I do not have a problem with memorizing information especially scripture.

The next state is the dialectic or the logic stage. During middle school your child will learn to reason. Some families teach formal logic during this time. When I was in college I took a class in philosophy. The class included some instruction in formal logic. I learned that when using truth statements you can reach the wrong conclusions.

Your high school student enters the rhetoric stage. The rhetoric stage is the last stage of cognitive development according to the classical homeschool model. In this stage your child learns how to communicate. He also learns how to be persuasive.

Some defenders of classical Christian homeschooling say that this is the rhetoric stage when children gains wisdom. As Christians we should remember that scriptures say that wisdom comes from God. The Greeks believe that wisdom can be obtained from man's reasoning.

Types of Classical Education

There are three types of modern classical education. The three types a still similar in that they all use the classical way of teaching that was developed by the Greeks.

One school of thought focuses on Greek philosophy, mythology, the ancient languages of Latin and Greek, and logic. The child as young as five is taught about the Greek gods and other mythical creatures. The Bible might only be studied during history class.

Another school rejects the study of Greek philosophy and mythology. They do use the classical method of the tritium for their educational model.

The third group of classic education reads classical writings. They use the Bible to critically analyze the books that help shape western society.

Teaching a Christian World View

If you want to really teach a Christian world view you need to beyond Greek thought. Classical Christian homeschooling is not enough. In Deuteronomy 6:7 we are told to teach the law to our children when we sit, walk, and lie down. We are also to meditate on the word day and night.

We are also told in the Bible that all wisdom comes from God. We need to seek Him through the study of His word.

So you should immense your child with the Bible. The Bible should not be taught as a separate subject. It should be integrated in language art, math, science, and history. The Bible has something to say about every aspect of our lives if we are willing to listen.

When your child is spiritually mature you can introduce classical works. It is important for your child to understand how the classical works influenced western thought.

Classical Christian homeschooling could be possible only if you rely on God. It is true that children go through three stages of learning. The Biblical approach says that we should grow in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. I feel that we should look beyond classical Christian homeschooling and create our own model of learning based on the Bible.