CenterForLit director Adam Andrews examines the well-known list of “seven rules” for successful teachers and offers fresh insights on each one, suggesting that in some ways, breaking these rules is the best way to succeed!
The Seven Laws of Teaching and Other Myths Read More »
Regardless of the age of your students, the classics of Western civilization offer you a complete set of the greatest curriculum materials ever created. Adam Andrews will demonstrate how to put this treasure to work in three simple steps – all without buying a single text book. Learn how to let the authors of these works speak, and your class will never be the same!
Living Books and How to Teach Them Read More »
What educational philosophy fits your homeschooling goals? And what if you can’t fully identify with any of them?! All of the fads and fashions can be overwhelming. We’ll be discussing today’s homeschooling trends so we can be equipped to turn to crafting our own personal homeschools with confidence!
Comparing Homeschool Philosophies Read More »
by Ian Andrews The school year at CenterForLit has taken flight, which means the hustle and bustle involved in administrating
The Apostle Paul on Getting an A Read More »
How do you teach your students to apply a “Christian Worldview” to the books they read, the movies they watch, and the culture they live in? The answer to this important question may surprise you, for well-meaning Christians often misunderstand the basic principles of worldview analysis. This misunderstanding can prevent Christian students from thinking clearly about contemporary culture.
Raising a Worldview Detective Read More »
I’m often asked, “What does my high schooler need to read before college?” – as though there were one or two novels out of the hundreds and hundreds of spectacular works in the Western tradition without which any primary educational journey would be void of meaning. I don’t mean to ridicule the impulse to choose wisely what we offer our students. We clearly should. But I do sense an undercurrent of misunderstanding about the educational project in questions like these…
What Should a Student Read Before Going to College? Read More »
Shouldn’t we just read stories for fun? What is the point of studying literature in an academic context?
Why Do We Study Literature? Read More »
My mother hates the term “Close Reading.” To her it is emblematic of the postmodernist deconstructive literary criticism she encountered during her own college years in the late 80’s. To engage in this sort of “close reading” was to focus so intently on the trees that you missed the forest entirely; to purposefully evade and ignore the overarching thematic meaning of an author’s text and to decide what the work “meant to you” by evaluating how the granular details of the story made you feel…
“Close Reading” and Postmodern Criticism Read More »
One of my favorite, daily tasks at CenterForLit is answering emails from parents and educators who write with questions about literature and homeschooling. I look forward to these conversations, albeit virtual, because I remember the isolation endemic in much of my own homeschooling work. Taking on the monolithic task of educating any child in the face of armies of educators in the public and private educational sector, all of whom bear degrees and expertise in their single fields, requires a great deal of confidence, which many call temerity…
On “Getting the Right Answers” to Socratic Questions Read More »
January and February were difficult months for us Andrews types. The new year brought with it two car accidents, a health drama, and a broken furnace in the coldest week of the season. I would love to report that we handled it all with faces “set like flint,” hearts full of faith and unflappable confidence in God’s goodness, but that wouldn’t be honest. Instead, we hunkered down, forgetting our responsibilities, alternately trembling and petitioning God for relief…
On Faith, Hope, and Fear Read More »
