The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of other things.....and I feel it is time for me to write about my position about these books. It is admittedly controversial. Please read with an open mind.
Oliver
DeMille’s book “Thomas Jefferson Education” and his subsequent titles seem to
be all the rage among many LDS homeschoolers. I have many friends who call themselves "TJEders".
At first glance, the book and the system it advocates are a twist on the
time-tested ‘classical education’ model.
This model has been widely taught in the last few decades by education
gurus like Douglas Wilson, Susan Wise Bauer, and Leigh A. Bortins, and the
Charlotte Mason method is also grounded in many of the same philosophies. It would certainly add to the educational conversation
to have an LDS author throw his thoughts into the ring. However, on closer examination and after
years of watching the system in practice, it becomes obvious that this is not
an attempt to add to the rhetoric but to re-create a new system. The arrogance that this entails is truly
beyond me. How can one man suggest to
the masses that he has all the educational answers and that his method is
superior to generations of tried and true ideas?
We
certainly live in a day when modern public education is in serious trouble. The fact that funding, and standard testing
results are in the news almost constantly is proof enough that almost everyone
has concerns about what we are doing and where we are heading. DeMille suggests that he, and only he, has
the answers that will save you from a subpar public education and take you to
great educational heights. He preys on
the fear of parents that if the responsibility is theirs alone to educate their
children, they better create greatness.
Then, he preys on their vanity and tells them their children are
destined to be the saviors of the modern day world, IF ONLY they will educate
them correctly, his way.
Let’s
take a closer look at exactly how this system is put into practice. First of all, the system in its entirety
could not possible be enacted by any sane person with any time left to devote
to any other tasks. Indeed, he outlines
what should be happening in a TJEd home every moment of every day of the year. Specifically, he outlines stages of development
for all ages of children much like the classical education model. And here the most obvious problem of his
system develops. Whereas in classical
education, strong focus is on the grammar stage or children in the elementary
years, in DeMille’s ideology there is almost no structure during this time.
Grammar
stage is a time for children to gather knowledge of all kinds. Grammar means not just the basis of language,
but the foundation and general knowledge in math, science, history, music, art
and all other genres. It is a time
children love to know things and to memorize, and so little minds soak up
everything they can as they explore their world. While DeMille would not argue with this
philosophy, I think, in his system children are left to do this alone. “Inspire not require” is his mantra and he
advocates letting children only learn what they specifically ask to learn
about. Parents are not to force, or
require, anything. In some homes this
has literally come to mean that children have no requirement to participate in
any family structure from chores to outings to dressing appropriately. They are literally little kings and queens
being served by the world around them, usually their exhausted mothers.
While I
think all would agree that force is not the best way to get anyone to do
anything, most children need guidelines and consequences to do the things in
life that are not ‘fun’. Cleaning your
room, brushing your teeth, and eating your vegetables may not be fun, but they
are certainly necessary.
So, how
is the inspiring to be done? Parents are
also told that is ‘you not them’. In
other words, take care of your own education and the children will be so inspired
while they watch they won’t be able to stop themselves from reading Dickens,
diagramming sentences, or factoring trinomials.
If your children aren’t begging you to do these things, you aren’t doing
enough of them yourself and they aren’t inspired yet. If you sit on the couch and read all day,
soon your little geniuses will be begging to be reading what you are
reading. And, in a bizarre stance, they
must only read classics. In other words,
no textbooks, no practice worksheets, no simplified anything, and in many homes
nothing written since 1900. If you want
to understand math, read Newton. If you
want to learn Spanish, read Don Quixote in Spanish. Really?
Really? The answer is that we
parents who were so unfortunate to be educated in the public school system will
struggle to understand these books, but if it is important to us that our
children are educated we will read them.
Somehow, magically, because the children have not seen the inside of a
school building, they will be able to understand them. I have read lists of classic books and a lot
of non-classics, too. More than almost
any other adult I know. And, of the TJEd
advocates that I know, only a couple of them have time to read anything for
themselves.
Let’s
walk through this thought for a moment.
A friend who has a habit of running and who loves to sew has some children
who love to run and sew. I am an avid
reader and music is also of great importance to me. Most (notice not all) of my children love to
read and most (again, not all) of them play an instrument or two. However, my favorite school subject is
math. I passed AP calculus in high
school and when my children start Algebra, I have to contain myself as I teach
them so as not to do the problems for them.
It is like a puzzle waiting to be solved for me and when I see the
pattern for solving it, I get excited.
My children all know this. When
my oldest son was in Algebra II, I did the entire book with him in my own
notebook because I hadn’t done it for many years and I was excited to do it
again. So, as you can imagine, with that
inspiration and enthusiasm on my part my children are all lovers of math and
excel at it, too. At least most of them,
right? According to the ideology that
must be how it worked. Guess again! Of the eight of my 11 children that have
reached algebraic math, I would call six of them good at it, three of them displaying
at least moderate interest, and ONE who truly loves math and is enthusiastic
about it. I also have three that would certainly call math their least favorite
school subject. I don’t know if any of
them would have reached the levels in math that they have without some “requirements”
and some “consequences”.
In an
interesting paradox, parents are taught that children who are not “ready” to
learn should not be pushed. It is
perfectly acceptable for 12 year olds to be nonreaders or non-writers. While I agree that forcing every child to
begin his formal education promptly at five years old is not ideal, there are normal
perimeters of development. I would not worry
if a child potty-trained anywhere from 18 months to 4 years. However, if my 5, 6, or 7 year old were not
potty-trained, I would be concerned and wonder why. Was it because I had never encouraged him to
use the potty? Or, does he have a physical disability of some sort, a medical
problem? Similarly, a child could reasonably be
expected to learn to read anywhere between the ages of 4 and 8. If my child were 10, 11, or 12 and couldn’t read
I would worry. Does he have a severe
learning disorder or have I not done my part?
I have a now 19 year old son that has been diagnosed with moderate
dyslexia and dysgraphia. A dear friend
of mine has a son with dyslexia, too. Both
of these boys could read, albeit with great effort, by 12 years old. It took a lot of work on the part of their
parents. Disabilities do not excuse a
lack of education. If anything, they
require a parent to be even more involved and more consistent in making sure
learning takes place.
The
early TJEd system smacks of the “unschooling” movement of earlier generations. Unschooling, more correctly called child-led
learning, has great potential with very diligent and perseptive parents. Too many people, though, waited for their
children to beg to be taught just as in the TJEd model. Implemented this way it just doesn’t work!
So,
after the elementary years, children advance to a new stage. In classical education this is called the
logic stage. Children are ready to build
on the foundation that they have prepared and delve more deeply into subjects. They are ready to deal in more abstract thought. The whys of material become more important than
the whats. But how do you build without
a foundation? Parents are taught to
watch children for signs of their maturity and readiness to advance to scholar
phase, but how can you be a scholar when you know very little of the
world? How do you know what you want to
study more deeply when you have no idea what the options are? Parents are required by God to teach their
children. That includes exposing them to
many subjects and giving them the groundwork so that when they become
adolescents they are prepared to build on that foundation.
This is
where I have seen many parents start to panic.
At this point they usually realize that their children are not
developing the way they should educationally.
Many things happen. They send
their children to a TJEd certified teacher to help, they send their child to
public school, or they hide the fact that anything is wrong and go on their
merry way hoping that if they are inspiring enough, if they educate themselves
enough, if they follow the program even more strictly soon their children will
be inspired to make up for lost time.
Sadly, I have never seen that happen.
There
is one other issue of this ‘scholar phase’ that I would like to mention. Once a child has demonstrated his ability or
desire to advance to this stage, learning becomes his entire focus. He is expected to study for 8-12 hours 5-6
days a week. (Honestly?) But, that is not the part I am going to talk
about. He is then given complete
autonomy from any other responsibilities.
He doesn’t have to contribute to the family economy in any way. His time is to be devoted to his
studies. I can’t imagine a recipe for
disaster any more damaging. First, when
in the reality of life has any adult had this luxury? Yes, there are a few independently wealthy
children or children of martyr mothers who provide this kind of service, but it
is not really a viable option for most people and I submit it is unhealthy for
anyone. To make matters worse in the
TJEd home, the parents are supposed to be in their own scholar phase, so I want
to know who is doing the mundane chores?
Everyone under twelve? And
finally, this is an avenue for teenage or young adult entitlement that is a
problem of epic proportions in this country.
What would motivate a TJEd youth who is feeding his own ego and
interests constantly to move forward with the responsibilities of a career and
a family? We always appreciate more that
which we earn, that which we own. An
education is no different.
“By
their fruits shall ye know them.” After
two decades of TJEd education, where are the success stories? Where are the successful adults? TJEd graduates are at best average. Many of them have traversed the educational
gauntlet and become well-adjusted, normal adults. Many of the students who once attended George
Wythe University (DeMille’s privately founded college with no academic accreditation)
have had to move on to attend a regular university where they are often behind
and struggle to compete with their publicly educated counterparts. But what about the ones that are 13 and can
barely write their own name. (I am not exaggerating
here; I have seen this.) What about the
teens that cannot complete a worksheet or spell well enough to be understood? These children are not literate. How will they function as adults? And I think it is a travesty to call this
system after a man who was one of the most intelligent and most literate
Americans ever.
My final complaint that I wish to write about here is that DeMille has created a community in which parents are required, in order to be 'good' teachers, to become certified to educate their own families. Parents are spending a great deal of money and time to achieve this, and within the TJEd circle, if you are not certified you are not qualified to join in the educational game with them. What happened, once again, to getting off the conveyor belt? This system is just another conveyor belt system that has hooked the unsuspecting. What about the parent that feels compelled to follow the spirit and teach his children the things and the ways that he feels prompted to teach?
For
many years I have watched this system in use.
I still believe it has good points.
I believe that the people who call themselves “TJEders” and are
successful, use an eclectic approach that does not really contain all the
principles that DeMille espouses. But by
and large I have not seen success and I have seen situations that I believe
constitute real educational neglect. This
is not okay. I am worried for these
children and their future.
I am
well aware that people who are proponents of this educational system will probably not
be persuaded to change because of anything that I say. However, I would like to see everyone who is
interested in homeschooling, either now or in their future, become informed
about the many philosophies available. I
recommend reading Susan Wise Bauer, Leigh A. Bortins, Douglas Wilson, Karen
Andreola, and Charlotte Mason. Read
Raymond and Dorothy Moore, John Taylor Gatto, the Mentessori method and there are a host of books on “unschooling” as
well. I don’t expect that everyone will
agree with me. Conscientious objection
to anything is certainly exercising your freedom of choice. But be informed; be conscientious. Neither parents nor children can choose if they don’t know what their
choices are. I am confident that given a
smorgasbord of ideas parents will choose bits and pieces of many philosophies
right for their own families which will enable them to raise educated, independent and
successful children to adulthood.
