And so it begins...

When we first started homeschooling, Chandler was in 4th grade and Regan was in third, I used a book called The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home as my bible. This book promised "an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school -- one that will train him or her to read, to think, to understand, to be well-rounded and curious about learning." The theory harkens back to time long ago when an American education was something to be envied.

Although I have strayed slightly over the years, we have managed to build a strong program based on a lot of reading great books and writing constantly. I think we are exactly where we should be at this point in their education.

But next year high school begins for Chandler, and this is the point at which it all comes together. All my hopes and dreams for a well-rounded, well-versed, clear-thinking child start here. Since I first heard of the Torrey Academy that Biola does for homeschool, high school students, I knew that was my destination for her.

What is Torrey you may ask? "It is Classically Informed
Torrey Academy draws on the great minds of the Christian tradition for class curriculum and teaching methods. Students read Great Books and participate in tutor-led discussions, helping them to wrestle with and think critically about the ideas that have shaped the Christian worldview for over two thousand years."

For the last three years of her four year career, they offer one Torrey class. It counts for 30-35 units as it encompasses history, literature, Bible, philosophy, and language arts. For her freshman year, they offer a class in Logic. I stayed up until midnight tonight to assure her a place. Just listen to this course description: This course introduces students to Torrey Academy by exploring the importance of clear thinking for Christian spiritual development. Students learn why great Christian leaders have traditionally seen the life of the mind as a key component of spiritual growth. Students examine the basics of Socratic Logic, including terms, syllogisms, and evaluation of soundness and validity. The class also explores how argumentation plays out in everyday life, including a lengthy study of informal fallacies. Students end the year by exploring good methods for reading and engaging essays and literature using logical principles. Readings include With Good Reason by S. Morris Engel, How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren, and works by Plato, C.S. Lewis, Washington Irving, William Shakespeare, J.P. Moreland, and others. We recommend that parents and independent study programs count this class as meeting the requirements for ten high school academic units for Logic/Critical Thinking.

In addition to this, I want to sign her up for a speech and debate team that competes statewide. I am so excited about this I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep now!