The following is an excerpt from The Phases of Learning by Oliver and Rachel DeMille “... a mentor insisted that the most important lessons of Western Civilization were to be found in its stories, literature, poetry and art. "At first Oliver resisted, even to such [...]
I recently wrote an article entitled “Eight Words for Education.” A few days later, I came across a similar list outlined by the sixteenth century scholar Roger Ascham (best known for tutoring the children of Henry VIII and navigating that turbulent court without losing his [...]
Transition to Scholar is a sub-phase of Love of Learning that deserves special treatment. Pre-adolescents kind of have their foot in both Love and Learning and Scholar worlds, and need to be free to be either/both/neither as the day may be. Age: Transition to Scholar [...]
Guest Post by Angela Baker Occasionally, I hear this certain voice. It is a kind voice whose message to me is to notice, to learn, to be mindful and aware of what is really taking place around me. Recently I heard this voice and what [...]
by Oliver DeMille Eight words can tell us almost everything we need to know about the failures of modern education. More importantly, they can teach us how to drastically improve education personally and as a society. Until we understand these eight words, and reapply their [...]
*this term refers to a style of literary analysis promoted by Daniel Taylor in his book, The Healing Power of Stories. In a nutshell, his ideas can be summarized as follows. Whole: good = good; bad = bad; good wins. Broken: good = good; bad = [...]
by Heather Burton [Note from Rachel: This stream-of-consciousness brilliance from my dear friend Heather was too good to pass up. With her permission, I've adapted a simple email message to her friends for us to enjoy.] I'm up late working, and I'm tempted by the [...]
Age Range: commonly 12-14ish through 17-19ish, often later for boys than for girls Scholar Phase naturally follows for a healthy youth who has an active Core Phase and rich Love of Learning. This transformational time coincides with puberty, and the young person can now think [...]
Age: (Commonly) 7, 8 or 9ish to 12-13ish—boys often just a little later on both ends. The emphasis here is on Love above Learning. This distinction is only necessary because so many of us have a conveyor belt hangover, and we tend toward duplicating our [...]
Allan Bloom wrote in The Closing of the American Mind: “People sup together, play together, travel together, but they do not think together. Hardly any homes have any intellectual life whatsoever, let alone one that informs the vital interests of life. Educational TV marks the [...]
