Classical ed -- Great Books and George Washington -- is coded conservative
- Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 23
- 2 min read
What is the good life?, students discuss at Pineapple Cove Classical Academy, a charter school with three Florida campuses. They read the great books of Western civilization. Technology use is rare. "Children at the K-12 school learn Latin, engage in the Socratic method and write in cursive," reports Lauren Lumpkin for the Washington Post. "Students walk past paintings of historical scenes that include Betsy Ross sewing an American flag and down hallways lined with portraits of the Founding Fathers."
Classical education is popular with families seeking academic rigor, a traditional curriculum and freedom from screens, writes Lumpkin.
While the model is "apolitical," it's seen as "a Trojan horse for conservative ideology," she writes. (That's a metaphor classic ed students will understand.) "Classical education’s newfound popularity comes as the Trump administration seeks to promote patriotism and frames criticism of the darker chapters of U.S. history as un-American."
Most of the 895 classical schools in the US. are private and Christian, but a growing number are public charter schools.
Students receive “a very wide view of the world and our country,” says Lisa Wheeler, principal of Pineapple Cove's Palm Bay campus. Studying classic books that have shaped Western civilization develops students who are critical thinkers, she says. “Classical education … it’s tried and true. It’s what’s worked,” she said.
Pineapple Cove students do well on standardized tests, but the schools draw fewer than average students from low-income, less-educated families. More than 60 percent of students are White, about 20 percent are Hispanic and 9 percent are Black, according to state education data.
Classical schools "focus on cultivating virtues and teaching the liberal arts of grammar, logic and rhetoric — or effective communication," writes Lumpkin. Children study literature written "mostly by White men, including Homer, William Shakespeare and John Steinbeck." Pineapple Cove students also Frederick Douglass's memoir about his escape from slavery.
Classic education leads to a "narrowing of history," EdTrust's William Rodick told Lumpkin. “Diversity in curriculum is very vital to the kinds of actual critical thinking that students should develop." Students don't see themselves reflected in the curriculum.
“It would be impossible to study U.S. history without being honest about the fact that this is a diverse country," said Julie Austin, who teaches eighth-grade history. “When we talk about George Washington and that he owned slaves, but he was still a virtuous man, we have those conversations about those things.”
I took Great Books from the wonderful Miss Anderson in 12th grade at my suburban public high school. I remember the thrill of reading Pericles' funeral oration, and the shock of Thucydides' Melian Dialogue. You want to talk about a slave-owning democracy, imperialism and hubris? There's a lot there. None of us has Greek heritage, but we saw ourselves in what we read. We were all humans.
Sounds like a wonderful school, and I hope more like them proliferate, as parents hear about the opportunity.
The "children need to see themselves reflected in the curriculum" crack reminds me of what I used to hear when I was in high school in the Seventies: Latin (my favorite subject) wasn't "relevant," they said.
How pathetic, though, if a human being can't find "relevance" in learning about other people[s] and the times in which they lived, etc., etc. ! That's on you, not the ancient Roman authors, or the men who sailed sailing ships, or crossed North America in covered wagons, or ... !
This reminded me of St. John's College, a Great Books college founded in 1696, where most classes are in seminar style. It looks like a place that probably self-selects for students who actually want to learn vs. acquire a credential.
It's the Washington Post. Can't expect a balanced article. For example:
"frames criticism of the darker chapters of U.S. history as un-American."
No, his Administration hasn't. They have pushed back against only teaching the darker chapters, which is what mostly happens in today's schools.
"Children study literature written "mostly by White men, including Homer, William Shakespeare and John Steinbeck.""
Oops. Nice attempt by Lumpkin to frame it as "white supremacy", except for the part she leaves out but Jacobs doesn't. "Pineapple Cove students also Frederick Douglass's memoir about his escape from slavery."
"Classic education leads to a "narrowing of history," EdTrust's William Rodick told Lumpkin."
And that's a good thing, and it's also true of progressive education. Kids don't hav…
I cannot get past the teaching that Betsy Ross created the American flag. That myth was covered in the book "Lies My Teacher Told Me" in 1995. What other myths are included.
Also, looking at the high school curriculum, no calculus and no physics. This great book argument has been done before (think Patrick Henry College) and the current University of Austin Texas.