MissusLeata, I think you must be referring to this bit of the linked Schole Sisters article. Correct?
“James Taylor goes so far as to consider the child fed on a continual diet of facts to be in danger:
Alone, though armed with Facts, such a student is likely to become arrogant.
(Poetic Knowledge, p. 105)
Why would he say such a thing? It goes back to the vital, life-giving nature of ideas, especially when compared to isolated facts as dry and deadening. It is ideas — as they are necessarily presented in the whole forms of things like story, myth, poems, or history tales — that form the soul. They do this first by raising the question of “ought.” No one is inspired to ask, “Ought Christopher Columbus to have sailed the ocean blue in 1492?” Facts in isolation don’t raise those sorts of questions. But many ought questions can be raised when reading a biography of Columbus.”
I can’t highlight on my phone, but this is the part of the article that mentioned facts in isolation. I hear what you’re saying. Your kids are getting living ideas around the facts. That is fantastic! I suppose like CM I question the need to memorize history sentences and science sentences and so-on. My husband has a nearly photographic memory he holds tons of facts in his head (which is why I never ever play trivial pursuit with him and why we say he has a head full of trivia facts, the man should go on jeapordy!) However, the facts in his head didn’t come from memorization of a list determined by others but by what he simply remembered. Those facts are interesting but more so are the ideas and their impact his reading has had on him. Is it the facts that your kids learn that are lighting the fires or is it the living ideas they are getting along with? I’m guessing it’s the living ideas. Once hooked by an idea and we begin self learning and doing the work for ourselves (the thinking work, I mean), then it isn’t unusual to commit details and facts to memory as it forms an important part of the whole picture. It sounds like you do a great job with living ideas and use the cc program for fellowship and some structure to your studies perhaps. That’s what my co-op moms do. However, as they are becoming more confident in Charlotte’s methods and trusting them, then they find that cc structure is no longer as good a fit.
And I completely understand the need for community, as I mentioned previously, which is why I lead a CM co-op. I have 3 co-op members who also do CC and one is even a CC director at the moment. I have a pretty good understanding of what CC offers and is from my research and these sweet ladies. Community is wonderful and cc is one excellent way to meet that need and sometimes that need may take precedence over other things.
Please know that I am not criticizing your choice with this thread. I just find the topic fascinating and the more I grow and learn, the more differences I see between CM and neo classicism.
Warmly,
Christie (please excuse typos as it’s late and I’m using my phone)
