In Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Douglas Wilson explains in great detail what makes up a school that is both classical and Christian. As a person who was not previously well-versed in what classical education meant, this book did a marvelous job describing the Trivium and Quadrivium formats to teaching. He also reiterates the important fact that…
“true classical learning takes place when students come to love what they retain. This can only happen if the teachers love their subjects.”
Education Crisis
This book got my attention right away because in the opening chapter of talking about the education crisis. I love the analogy that Wilson included from author Ralph Tyler in regards to the expectations that society has of schools: “It is evident that the area of literacy has been considered the special responsibility of the school. If we think how this type of logic would sound if applied to other jobs or professions, it is less surprising that we have an educational crisis on our hands; i.e., “…in reviewing the expectations that society holds for fire departments, it is evident that the area of putting out fires has been considered the special responsibility of the fire departments.”
His point was, a fire department always ends up successfully putting out a fire and that takes teamwork and communication. However, a school, whose job it is to teach reading, has been failing at this which indicates that something is definitely wrong with the system.
The importance of parents.
This book also clearly expresses the importance of the parents’ Christian role in the child’s education as well as the teacher’s assurance of teaching all subjects from a Biblical, Christian view. He states that “God is the Light in which we see and understand everything else. Without Him, the universe is a fragmented pile of incomprehensible particular. Christian education must therefore present all subjects as parts of an integrated whole with the Scriptures at the center.”
I felt truly enlightened after reading this book. It outlines in detail the stages of learning that the different grade levels must go through. If one has even been wanting to be educated on how to educate in a classical and Christian sense, this book is most definitely a resource that touches upon all aspects.
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Andrea, a Texas native, graduated from Doane College in Crete, NE, with majors in Spanish and Sociology in 2004. After studying abroad in Spain and Mexico, she received a Spanish-English Interpretation and Translation certification from the University of NE-Kearney in 2005. She enjoys music, arts, traveling, and many different cultural activities.
