Recently, a method of education was brought to my attention which grabbed my interest. The method is a purposeful approach to education with the goal of creating independent and creative minds. That method is the Thomas Jefferson Education. When I embarked on homeschooling, my goal was to educate my children in an environment that fostered creativity, independence and critical thought.
Through the years, I have adopted many different methods to fit different learning styles or phases of my children’s lives. While there is merit in that approach, I have recently discovered a path that transcends the ages and stages of educational growth. A Thomas Jefferson Education directs your homeschool in the development of well educated and independent thinkers. The approach is reminiscent of the classical approach. While I am never one to hold tightly onto one method of education, I want the background music of my homeschool to be a Thomas Jefferson approach. When guided by this approach you have a framework that puts your students a head of the pack and keeps education purposeful.
What is a Thomas Jefferson Education? In short, it is leadership education. The goal is not to pass a test or provide basic skills but to inspire greatness and propel students into achievement.
According to www.tjed.org, the three goals of leadership education are:
1. To train thinkers with good moral judgment.
2. To help students understand the concept of freedom and how and why it must be maintained.
3. Teaching a student how to think and not just what to think or when to think.
In addition to these three goals there are seven keys to great teaching:
1. Classics, not Textbooks
2. Mentors, not Professors
3. Inspire, not Require
4. Structure Time, not Content
5. Quality, not Conformity
6. Simplicity, not Complexity
7. You, not them
Oliver DeMille, author of A Thomas Jefferson Education, will introduce you to a concept of education that will encourage you to find direction and purpose in your homeschool. If you read one book on education this year, let it be A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille. I know that is quite the statement, however, that is the first book in a long time that I had to put down the highlighter because I realized the entire book would be neon yellow. The concepts in the book will help you break your current mold of education with test scores, textbooks, and grade levels to an education that will mold a mind. If you are a classical educator, Charlotte Mason educator, than the concepts in this book will not be foreign to you. However, I am a Charlotte Mason inspired homeschooler and this book helped provide a framework in my homeschool. Do not be confused; Charlotte Mason and Thomas Jefferson are not the same. However, each throws away textbooks to discover true learning with the goal of training up a future adult. Thomas Jefferson Education is more closely related to a Classical Education. If you are a traditional educator or one just entering into the homeschooling journey this book may knock your socks off! Get ready to learn what real education should look like!
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