February 17, 2009
Recently, I was asked to consider why we start Omnibus in 7th grade. “Why not put it off until 9th?” some ask thinking that students are just not ready for the Great Books in 7th grade. We must not make too much of the Start in 7th and Start in 9th groups. We do have a ridiculous amount in common. Both groups are committed to classical education; both groups are committed to having students read the Great Books; both groups are committed to having students start in an odd numbered year of secondary school. This is just to say that we have all the genetic variation of the cheetah family (see http://www.cheetah.org/?nd=41 if you are curious).
We also should not make too much of our difference because there is not a right answer that fits every school or homeschool student. I am an advocate of the earlier start, but will happily admit that for some students a later start would not hurt and might even be preferable. There are also some students who enjoy the Great Books even before they come to 7th. These students usually have them read aloud to them by mom or dad. This is definitely the best case scenario, but it is too few and too far between in this generation to count too much on this good practice.
Finally, we should not make too much of our difference because we are all still learning. In the future will students do work that we think of as more advanced earlier? I think they will. If God allows this movement of his Spirit called classical education to grown and flourish, if He allows family and community life to grow, I think we will see more adults reading and enjoying the Great Books and thus more children being exposed to them earlier. This will make reading them easier because they will look forward to it more (because mom and dad think its cool) and because they know the story going in. Still, I could be wrong in this. There is much to learn.
With all of this water under the bridge revealing why we should not take this debate too seriously, I am ready to plunge in and tell you why I think starting in 7th grade is the right way to go. . . .
First, starting in 7th grade allows for two-three year cycles—for Omnibus a cycle is three years in the pattern of first year-Ancient, second year-Medieval and third-year Modern. This allows students to go through the first cycle in 7th through 9th grade and then to come back to the time periods for deeper exploration in 10th through 12th. If you start in 9th, often you move once through history. If you miss something there is no chance to go over it again. If you start in 7th with two three year cycles you have two chances at things.
Second, this double coverage allows more focus on the specific skills of Logic in 7th through 9th and Rhetoric in 10th through 12th. You will see some of this change in emphasis represented in the soon to appear Omnibus IV. There will be more student led discussions; more focus on poetry and beauty. Grammar and Logic still exists and need to be worked on, of course, but in the two-cycle approach Rhetoric can take center stage in 10th through 12th.
Third, in the two-cycle approach, the students are less daunted by the books during the second cycle. Jumping into the great books can be a challenge. I can remember the first time I read Aristotle’s Ethics. I had a Master’s degree, but it was not helping me any. Of course, choosing books and translations suited for 7th graders should be carefully done, but it can be done. First exposures for the younger grades can also be mitigated by careful teacher help (more later on this) and by reading works aloud.
Finally, (and this point is more variable than the others), seventh graders can read the Great Books, so they should. Some of this might have to do with what particular schools or families do in Grammar School. For most of our students the reading in the Great Books is challenging, but not utterly overwhelming. If they can do it and you have good teachers to lead them wisely through it, what else are you going to do that is more profitable? I can think of nothing.
There are, however, some objections:
Some say that students will not love (a.k.a. hate) the Great Books if you start them too soon. They will be too opaque for the students and they will become frustrated. First, remember, that asking a 7th through 9th grader (particularly a boy) what they like is no way to answer this question adequately. They hate everything that does not involve a ball or an air soft gun. I would much rather reduce the reading and continue to challenge them rather than simply giving way to their whims. (My bet is that they would even hate balls and air soft guns if you told them that they had to play with them.)
We should not miss the point, however, that hatred of the Great Books can be fostered in the hearts of 7th or 9th graders—or anyone for that matter—by failing to recognize the following:
First, you can only do what you can do. Pushing kids through reading that they can not handle is profitless. Look at your class or you child and if they can not read it as quickly as your reading program requires, slow down.
Second, read books aloud and stop to explain them. This greatly aids students—particularly the younger ones. They will struggle with comprehension in some of the Great Books. If you read books aloud, the wise teacher can discern a lack of understanding in the tone of the reader’s voice or the reader’s inability to answer the questions, “What did that paragraph that you just read mean?” If I had the time, I would have all Primary works read aloud for 7th and 8th grade. I would do this for many books in 9th. This is not as necessary in 10th through 12th, if you have been reading challenging works for a few years. In these final grades, students will often prefer to read silently and they will prove their comprehension in discussion.
Others want to keep their children away from the Great Books because of the violence or wickedness portrayed in them. While this is an understandable concern, it would also keep students away from many parts of Scripture. Again, people have to make their own decision on this based on the standards of their community and family. At
Veritas
Academy
we start in 7th grade, but give parents a year and half warning that we are going to reading material that will presume that students know the facts of life. Sometimes, parents are concerned about this. As a father, however, I would much rather my daughters come into contact with this sort of immorality in an atmosphere that will train them to see it and hate it, rather than having them learn about these things in the Vanity Fair of our present culture.
Finally, some would rather do two years of Survey nailing down the time line before they jump into the Great Books. This suggestion is not without merit. We who start in 7th grade need to work hard (I need to work harder) to make sure that my students are not losing their time line as they sink into the Great Books. While this idea has merit, survey classes generally fit more into the sort of approach that we would see in Grammar school. Philosophy drives us on. Kids are ready to argue. The Great Books contain the greatest things to argue about. So I would say, integrate your timeline careful and start reading the Great Books in 7th grade.
So, without being too doctrinaire, this is why it is profitable to start reading the Great Books with seventh graders.
