This is the third and final post in a series that aims to explain classical education. My last two posts were about the grammar and logic stages. In the logic stage, many of the student’s arguments come from others’ opinions, but as the student advances into the rhetoric years, her knowledge of worldviews and opinions helps her to form her own ideas and arguments, which leads into the final stage of the school years- rhetoric.
The rhetoric stage usually occurs from 10th-12th grade. Rhetoric focuses on helping the student clearly and effectively communicate her ideas and arguments. This has been my first year fully in the rhetoric stage, though ninth grade was a sort of transition between logic and rhetoric. In the rhetoric stage, I am working on not just arguing a position on a topic, but being able to discuss that topic with others who might not take the same position. For instance, through discussion board assignments and essays through Wilson Hill’s The Great Conversation 4, I have been working on sharing my thoughts and ideas in ways that are pleasing to hear and read, while effectively communicating my argument.
Another major part of my education the last few years has been Latin and Koine Greek. Classical education almost always involves Latin, but if the student enjoys Latin, Greek is a great next step. In my Latin class, I have moved past simply learning declension endings or how to form a verbal; I am now translating full stories that have been adapted from Caesar’s De Bello Gallico as well as small portions from the original work, and next year I will continue my translating with a greater variety of works in AP Latin.
I also want to mention how science works from a classical perspective. In grammar school, science largely consists of exploring God’s creation and memorizing basic science facts. As I started my logic years, I began to use more structured science curricula. In eighth grade, I used the Novare curriculum for physical science. Novare is a great curriculum and one of the more classically aligned ones. Part of what makes it classical is that after physical science, it goes into physics rather than biology. So, in ninth grade, I took physics and this year I am taking chemistry. Next year, I’ll take biology. The idea behind this is that the student starts with the smallest particles, the building blocks of the natural world, and then moves to larger organisms. This lines up with the classical idea that students start with the smallest things (like memorization) and begin to build on their knowledge as they advance in their school years.
One of the most beautiful parts of classical education has become more apparent to me as I have entered the rhetoric stage: integration. I have heard for as long as I can remember that all subjects and topics are ultimately integrated, but I feel that my freshman and sophomore years have truly shown me how they fit together. I knew it was there in the grammar and logic stages, but this year it has become fully evident. Omnibus and the Great Conversation are wonderful examples. Both curriculums integrate English, history, and theology into one (2.5-3 credit) class. The way the three are taught in a unified manner shows the beauty of the integration and how each affects the other. When I study Latin, I am no longer just studying the language, but how the language shaped and was shaped by the culture. And in math, I can see how the algebra I am learning fits with the chemistry I’m learning in my science class. I absolutely love being able to make these connections between subjects.
That’s the basic idea behind classical education! Hopefully this series helped clarify what exactly it is and encouraged you to start your path on it or keep going strong!
Leave a Reply