The first American Schools emphasized basic reading skills, memorization, especially of math facts, and Latin and Greek for older students. The goal of such education was to teach children how to learn. Instead of grading children, early American Schools taught each child at his or her own pace. Students of all ages and grades were together with older and more advanced students helping the younger and less experienced. Sounds a lot like homeschooling, does it not?
Even before that, In Ancient Athens, education consisted of literature, and memorization of math and history. Classical Education, which many homeschoolers use today, comes from the model set in early Athens. Students who were interested in politics were taught primarily oratory (speech), and rhetoric (using language to persuade) so that they were able to persuade those in power. Likewise, modern Classical Education consists of grammar stage (the building blocks of language and memorizing facts), logic (beginnings of abstract thought and analysis) and Rhetoric, (persuasion).
Sometimes I feel like modern education is too distracted by the business of education instead of just educating. While there is certainly business in homeschooling, (name one thing that people haven’t figured out how to profit from), the fact that homeschooling is controlled by parents limits the unnecessary business aspects. Once curriculums are purchased and tutors or classes, if any, are chosen, education takes the front seat.
I believe that homeschooling recaptures the essence of early education. Modern education had become tainted by decades and decades of “improvements”. At one point or another so many “improvements” become counter productive and needs to be scrapped and started from scratch. For many home schooling families, this is what we have done. We have eliminated a lot of the “stuff” from our children’s education, removed them from environments that have become toxic, and gone back to education.
Stay tuned for my next post on Education and the Industrial Revolution.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?