M.G.’s Comments (group member since Feb 12, 2014)

M.G.’s comments from the Classical Conversations group.

Don't know. I'm not as familiar with the specifics of Foundations as I am with Challenge.

I'm looking forward to it, too, Marc!

Love this conversation! Stacy, what a great quotation to share, too. I love the fact that we can try, we can fail, we can do, and we can ultimately trust the Lord to help us and do for us, too.

Wow, thanks for sharing, Stacy! There is a constant tension we often feel, but especially you moms, between the practical demands of life and the beauty of contemplation and rest. Not that the practical demands cannot lead to beauty, they can. But it doesn't always feel beautiful. I hope you'll be able to find ways to share that rest and contemplation with your kiddos as you grow. I hope the same for myself and others, too. We are all in a similar boat. Sometimes knowing you are not alone is help in itself! :)

Marc,

I fell in love with this chapter when I read it. I'm glad to hear it's had such an impact on you. The first thing I thought of while reading it is that there is no such thing as 'neutrality' or an 'unbiased' approach. Hicks forces us (if we engage him on this point) to agree and reject such foolishness as neutrality. Yet, in doing so, we may find that we are actually more likely to be neutral enough in the "throwing open the window of inquiry" that we are ennabled and empowered to reject fallacious thinking and embrace Truth. Whereas before, our supposed neutrality and "doubt" prevented us from ever being allowed to embrace something, Truth or not, because to do so would be to give up our neutrality and "doubt."

Thanks for sharing; these are my thoughts.
Matt

Oh, man. What a great connection, Marc. This must be what they mean when they refer to "the tyranny of the practical." I'm not sure who "they" are, but the tyranny of the practical is a phrase that has always stuck with me. It is us aiming for the barn instead of the moon, for the world instead of heaven, for Harvard instead of heaven.

Awesome. What a great testimony, Brandy! I love hearing about the "shining eyes" that I don't always get to see!

"Education at every level reflects our primary assumptions about the nature of man, and for this reason, no education is innocent of an attitude toward man and his purposes" (N&N, p. 3).

Haha, Cheryl! And you better watch out, in a group like this they're bound to be judging your grammar! ;)

True, all very true, Cheryl!

Marc, you are right. A dialectic can take place both in community or between a reader and an author through a book. It depends what your audience needs, whether you need mention both. Most homeschooling families are already comfortable with the idea of their child learning alone with a book, it's the community aspect they neglect.

Additionally, even though we do engage in dialectic while reading, many of us (me, for sure!) are dissatisfied with that alone and want to then engage in dialectic in community about that which I engaged in dialectic with the author. Reminds me of this guy who was at Practicum Speaker training. He'd read some Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy then had to tell everyone else about it. Then they had to tell me about it! I love the dialectic!

I wish I could like comments in this discussion. You all are making such good observations.

Great observations, Cheryl. I agree!

Wendy wrote: "Quote from The Question:
And all of us technocrats would have no idea that the color of the water means anything, as we are locked up in large, windowless classrooms when we study natural science. ..."

This reminds me of something I heard during my visit to St. John's College last weekend. Our tour guide pointed out a magnolia tree in the Quad, and told us that you will often find students climbing it throughout the day, because during one of the science seminars the students are required to climb the magnolia tree and examine the foliage at the top and compare it to the foliage at the bottom. They are studying nature in nature. :)

My favorite part of The Odyssey is the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope.

My favorite book is The Odyssey, although I have to agree with Jennifer: my opinion is often moved by the quality of discussion I have on a book. So, in the past, my favorite books have been Hamlet, The Iliad, MacBeth, To Kill a Mockingbird...

I would love to hear stories from you all about how your children or Challenge students have been inspired in their learning after you've begun practicing different tips, tools, or ideas (either from Parent Practicums, your reading of The Question, or other trainings you've been a part of). I'm specifically thinking about class being more conversational, or integrated by the use of the Common Topics or Topic Wheels. How have your children or students responded to these things in class?

Anyone been reading The Question in preparation for the upcoming Parent Practicums? What's your favorite chapter?

Lattimore and Fitzgerald.

I spend more of my time with the upper challenges, so my favorites are The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid, as well as Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, and Macbeth. I've not read Where the Red Fern Grows in a long time, and I've never read Father and I Were Ranchers.

The Odyssey may be my all time favorite book, though. Especially if you read it as a set with The Iliad.

Thanks, Cheryl! I hope we can see some good and exciting conversations and ideas regarding good books. One might say, I hope we can participate in the classical conversation!