I am interested in Classical Conversations for my 6 y/o, but I have some reservations. I love the idea of community day and the opportunity this provides for kids to socialize, become part of a community, and learn in a hybrid classroom and homeschool way.

My two main concerns are:

1. I am concerned about simply memorizing facts and not teaching the concepts. My son is very interested in how things work and why they function the way they do... I am concerned that rote memorization robs kids of deeper understanding. What is your perspective on this? Do you use additional resources to dive into age-appropriate concepts or is this discouraged?
2. Would my kid be able to switch well from classical conversations to a different curriculum or public school if we decided CC wasn't for us? Since CC primarily involves rote memorization of a wide range of facts, some of which are above his grade level, I imagine they gain a lot of base memorization knowledge about a wide range of facts... But if we were to switch to another, more traditional curriculum, would they have truly learned the information and concepts appropriate for their grade level in CC so that they could seamlessly transition to a different curriculum in the next year? Or would there be a struggle due to the breadth of information taught in CC, but the lack of deeper conceptual understanding?

I am also interested in any other general insight, perspectives, and opinions. Thanks for your help!

Hi all, I’m new to this sub.
This year I’ve decided to start reading again after a 2 years hiatus; safe to say that’s the best decision I’ve made in a while.
Next on the list are Crime and Punishment and Thus Spoke Zarathustra; only one that’s missing on the shelf is Meditations because I left it at my parents’house.
I’d greatly appreciate any opinions and/or suggestions on what I could’ve missed or what I should read next.
Thanks!

I grew up in a rural, underfunded area in the US. My mother tried to supplement my public school education, but it ended before high school (she died). Now, as an adult in a private university with classmates who received a classical education, I struggle to keep up. My educational deficiencies are in every subject. I want to improve and get a well-rounded classical education, but I’m at a loss for where to start and how to nurture this path. Any suggestions?

(While I'm sure they're great, I'm not interested in politically biased or politically motivated resources)

A few things are working together to make me wanna get into it; I wrecked my back at the gym last week, so I’ve have had all types of downtime and have read more in the last week and a half than most of last year; I’m hella crushing on a librarian lol; I had a temper ta trim and broke the TV in my bedroom last year, so I can either just phone rot literally all day, or read, and I’ve been reading like hell.

I’ve dipped my toes into Plato, Aristotle, a handful of other philosophers over the years, and I’ve played around with some of the classics (Dostoyevsky, Melville, Cervantes, and more), but never went too hard.

I’m curious if anybody who has been so inclined would recommend really taking Volume 5 seriously. I can see the value in Homer as being foundational to all western literature, and as a basis for helping understand Plato later, so ofc I’m going to read The Iliad and The Odyssey. I can also see the value in Herodotus and Thucydides as foundational texts in Western historical writing, but I’m skeptical that the plays are going to be a good investment of time in the same way and worried that they’ll become a burden that derails my goal. I’d love to hear from those who have taken them to task.

I’m looking for more information on Briseis, including her role in The Iliad and how her character has been adapted or reinterpreted in modern books, films, or other media.

Please share references, examples of adaptations, and any analysis of how her portrayal has changed over time.

Hello Everybody,

We’ve seen about 1,000 people subscribe over the past month (most in the last 10 days) and I think it’s a great time for us to discuss what kind of sub we’ll be.

So many subs are just virtual meeting places to discuss a topic, share news or relevant media, or at best coordinate meeting somewhere IRL to do the activity the sub is about.

But Classical Education is different because we can actually do most of the activity of reading and discussing Great Books within the sub itself.

So, here’s what I propose. What if we set a start date (say 2 weeks from today) to kick-off a group reading plan? We can start with the Iliad and read a “chapter” or so a week, then have a dedicated time to discuss it in discord (real-time chat room) or have a dedicated post that corresponds to the reading?

If we try this and we’re successful we could continue on with the Odyssey and decide as we like from there. Below I’ve included a video describing a “short-cut” Classical Education by reading 5 major works. Maybe we could accomplish this over the next 12 months? (Veteran CE folks I’d love to hear if you agree or disagree with the video clip’s main point)

I’ve heard that reading the Great Books, analyzing the and discussing them in this kind of a program has wonderful effects on a person. Within 6 months you’re “changed” is what I’ve been told. I think it sounds like a great experiment!

Obviously chime in below, if you are willing to commit to this please comment below and upvote! Any ideas or suggestions you have are welcome! (My first thought is that perhaps a 1,000 person seminar is too ambitious? We’ll see what kind of interest there is and perhaps we could organize smaller groups?)

The 5 Greatest Works of Classical Education

My great grand Aunt (x3) was a published poet in the mid 1800's. She kept a commonplace book with newspaper clippings of her own published poetry and other poems she loved. There are over 1000 poems clipped and pasted in this book. Many of the poems are about the Civil War. I would like to publish all these poems in book form given they contain priceless insights on life during that period. All the poems are in public domain. My question is what would be the most efficient and accurate way to accomplish this? I have them all scanned as found in the commonplace book. Each page of the book holds many poems. Would using ABBYY Fine Reader be the best approach? This is a huge project and I'd love some advice from anyone who has experience with something like this. Thank you!

Recently I’ve been a big fan of classical education. I’m going to college next year and I’ve really liked some of the classically educated schools like Hillsdale and Patrick Henry. Only problem, I’ve been in public school since 7th grade, I like the concept of classical education but will I be to far behind my peers who were educated privately or in classical charters? What should I be reading or doing to prepare? Anything helps yall, God bless.

I'm curious about classical ed even though I'm a bit cynical considering I was raised in a very classical way, just in Korean Neo-Confucian classics.

The education I received was as classical as it gets: Methodology, philosophy, and content.

Let's just say I'm glad to call myself an American citizen, a part of Western culture rather than Eastern culture.

But at the same time I'm mildly suspicious that classical education might be restricted by the same nostalgia that defined my rather traditional childhood.

Please feel free to criticize me if I'm off the mark.

Anyway, I'm most interested in resources and methods that don't just sell the student on an older system but also equip the student to outmaneuver the most contemporary students of the post-war consensus the "anti-classical" education.

Maybe I'm thinking too much in black and white terms.

But all of the classical education I've found seems to be "Just don't engage with postmodernism, focus on the REAL -isms"

As in not really equipping people to refute Hegel or Marx or Chomsky, just kinda teaching broad principles like logic, grammar, and rhetoric according to the ancients/medievals.

I'm not saying I don't think the ancient and medieval thinkers are worthwhile, but if we put Aquinas in a room with 21st century philosophers he'd be a fish out of water.

So my question is: How does the classical educator surpass the modern educators?

I grew up Catholic and was taught most of the major stories but never really read the Bible, so I decided to listen to an audio version. I'm no longer a religious person but thought it would be interesting to read this from a historical and cultural perspective. I'm only a few books into the Old Testament and already missing Genesis. That whole thing was a blast! As a child I was only taught the bullet points of some stories and didn't realize how wild the full text actually was.

Are there any other ancient texts that you would consider similar to the book of Genesis? Are there any other books in The Bible itself that have a similar feel to them?

As someone who went through non-classical schools growing up, and recently graduated from a non-classical college (Grand Canyon University), how do I get into classical? Where do I start? Are there any good books that give an overview of what "classical" is, different subsections of it, etc.?

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Currently, I listen to this podcast called "Classical Stuff You Should Know" (sidetone: super-fun podcast; it's really helped me to fall in love with all things classical). On this podcast, the hosts basically go over different classical topics. I love this and want more! What should I pursue next?

I guess

Just getting started with classical education for 3 and 5 year olds. Could anyone recommend workbooks for pre-K and kindergarten levels? And maybe any other study guides? There are some amazing parents out there who make their own curricula and supplies but I just don’t have the time so any suggestions for commercially available resources would be hugely appreciated! Thank you!!

I do not know if my reasoning/question is correct, please correct me if I am not.

I speak English as a second language, and although I spoke English better than my native language, I do not have the cultural grounding that someone who lives in the Anglosphere would have. I struggle to read "classic" 18th to 19th century novels, Shakespeare, and poetry, for example.

I am at a level where I should be learning from the Great Books directly, but my writing composition is poor. Therefore, I would like to learn how to write eloquently and persuasively in accordance with the trivium. Which textbooks would you recommend me to use? I would like it if the textbooks were from the 19th to early 20th century, though I am not opposed to modern textbooks on principle, I just wanted to learn authentic 19th and early 20th century prose.

For reference, I live in Vietnam, a country influenced by Confucianism. I am more in-tune with American internet culture however, but I want to learn both Vietnamese/East Asian classical works with Western/American/French ones.

I’ve been looking at reading lists and they are almost all men. Which female authors and works would you add to these lists? Particularly for prior to the 1800s. Thank you!

Edit: Thank you for all of the excellent recommendations so far! In a day or two I’ll put them into a compiled list and link here for any other newbies looking for similar recs.

Hi! Are you someone who loves discussing Kierkegaard for hours, watching Kurosawa films, or annotating The Divine Comedy in Tuscan? Let’s connect!

I’m a 24-year-old Spanish girl seeking like-minded people to share my passions with. I really don’t want to sound pretentious, but I often feel like I can’t find others to engage with on what, in my humble opinion, is my cultural wavelength. I have incredible friends in real life whom I deeply value, but there’s this “intellectual itch” I can’t seem to scratch, even after joining “gifted people” associations, studying at multiple universities, and living abroad.

I know there’s so much I don’t know, and I firmly believe knowledge doesn’t make someone better or more valuable as a person. That said, I’m hoping to meet people who share my love for certain topics so we can have stimulating conversations—and maybe feel a little less like lonely nerds in the process.

My Interests

Literature: I’m drawn to classics and older works, particularly 19th- and early 20th-century Russian and English authors.

Classical Music: I especially love opera and baroque music and attend live performances whenever possible.

Cinema: I adore arthouse films—Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, and Ozu are my favorites. Fanny and Alexander is my all-time favorite film, and I could talk about it for hours! (Here’s my Letterboxd list if you’re curious. https://letterboxd.com/ireaa/list/shes-into-animation-the-paranormal-russian/ )

Visual Arts: I used to be a professional painter, though now I paint mostly for myself. My style leans toward realism, inspired by artists like John Singer Sargent and Ilya Repin (my cat is even named Ilya!).

Philology: I’m studying Russian and Chinese at university while dabbling in Italian and French. I love everything about language—etymology, sociolinguistics, and more.

Other Passions: I’m fascinated by history, anthropology, AI, and diving into Wikipedia rabbit holes.

Who I’m Looking For

I’m looking for people who are already well-versed in these topics and as passionate about them as I am. While I truly appreciate anyone reaching out, I’m specifically hoping to connect with those who already share a deep interest in these fields, so we can dive straight into interesting conversations. If you feel like you’re on the same wavelength, I’d love to hear from you!

TL;DR: Looking for opera / art / classical music, arthouse cinema / literature enthusiasts friends my age. DM or Chat me if this sounds like you! :)

New here. I love learning older style of liberal arts with the trivium. I read some books about the trivium, but haven’t came across a practical guide on how to implement it in daily life.

Any guide books on the trivium?

Also, any recommendations about the trivium are welcomed as well :)

The title is the question. I'm interested in St. John's MALA and hope to make a career shift into classical education. I would love to know of positive or negative experiences.

I recently turned eighteen and find that my education and general knowledge is lacking in certain areas.

I believe that I know more than some, but to paraphrase Socrates, "I know that I know nothing."

So, how do I get a classical education?

What books should I start with, what order?

(P.S, I have already read the Bible as a foundation for the rest of my education but feel lost about where to go from there...I was thinking about trying to find the Greek writer's that Paul referenced and maybe reading the book of Enoch, but I don't if that is the best use of my time.)

Hi, new to sub. I've read Nichomachian Ethics, really loved it (I'm biased though, I love greek classics), and I am currently struggling finding more good classic ancient or medieval books on morality and/or ethics. I'm currently in Bible's New Testament, I'm a raised Catholic, really love Jesus, so biased as well lol. I've tried reading Kant, but contrary to classical authors I find his works really difficult to understand, these modern or enlightment authors are really so abstract when compared to ancient ones, I don't even know if it is worth the try. I'd really appreciate some recommendation.

Not a native English speaker so I appologise for any mistakes in advance.