Donald, I would start slowly, subject by subject. First, make certain he reads well and then have your son free read every day. Next, figure out where he is in math. Find a good curriculum and start covering a lesson in math. Do the same with writing, languages, history / social studies, and science. Take one subject at a time, make certain it’s progressing well, and then move on to the next.

Thanks, Chris.

It’s a fascinating development. I find it meshes well with my experience raising kids. First they’re cute and parrot everything we say. Then they turn argumentative. Finally the kids turn thoughtful and talk for hours working out their thoughts and believes.

That being said, there’s much to be said for the traditional interpretation of the trivium as skills to be learned. During the days when all educated men and women learned Latin and Greek, kids first learned the grammar of the languages. Then they learned to argue and analyze. Finally the kids learned rhetoric.

What’s fascinating is that the skills and stages overlap to a great degree. Kids learned the grammar during the grammar years, when they were happy memorizing without question. Just as kids were finishing learning the grammar of Latin and Greek, they were beginning to argue. The argumentative years and the study of logic overlapped again. Then they learned rhetoric as the kids turned philosophical. At this point they were ready to learn the quadrivium at university.

She is fascinating. Thanks for dropping by. 🙂

Jennifer, isn’t it true, kids in the “Pert” age argue with everything! I love the image of a kid arguing with the stop sign. 🙂 I’ve always thought of the trivium as building a car. First we learn the parts, then we learn how to put it together, then we build our own. But it doesn’t account for the arguing!

Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!