Mentoring in the Classics
Inspiring You and Them
Not just “what” to think—but “HOW” to think.
You and your family will get An Education to Match Your Mission.
Question:
TJEd sounds good to me... But how do you actually do it????
Answer:
Mentoring in the Classics with Oliver & Rachel DeMille!
TJEd is also known as “Leadership Education.” And the leader in Leadership Education is not just the kid that grows up in your home under these principles; it’s you! YOU lead out and show them the way.
You get excited about education – not just for theirs…
... but for yours.
You're a homeschooler!!
Is it, “YAY!” or, “YIKES!”?
Or a little of both?
Whether you’re new to homeschool or a veteran homeschooler just looking for something better, your family means everything to you; and the idea of trying to figure out what is best for them, year in and year out, weighs on your heart and mind.
There are so many options, voices, and competing needs. There is so much information to sift through, and you sometimes feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. You earnestly and anxiously wander from program to institution, to curriculum to who-knows-where. You want the best thing for little Sally, you want the right thing for Johnny.
It can be stressful—and expensive—to dive into something... only to have it disappoint, again. Even experienced homeschoolers will tell you: We all struggled with where to start, how to pick.
On top of all this, you have too little time and so many hats to wear, both within your family and outside of the home.
So, you try...something. You push, you cajole, you require—or just drop it and let the cookie crumble. As your children age, you find that you’re tired of dealing with uninspired half-adult “blobs” who seem to never want to study, who don’t love learning, or who get stuck in a rut.
And yet, even with all the difficult times and struggles of being a parent who teaches, you stay committed, loving, optimistic, selfless, and even patient. Even though you may be shaking your head saying, “That’s not me,” you can’t fool us! You actually really are heroic, and we can prove it. Sure, you have room for improvement—which is why you keep looking, asking, trying, and seeking. This is half the battle for getting the results you seek!
And yet: the doubt, the worry, the fear, the nagging feeling persists.
YOU. DOUBT. EVERY. DECISION.
So!!! What is the difference between a successful home with great learning and one that just doesn’t seem to be working?!
Do you need to be a master in every subject? Nope.
Do you have to run every class, subject, and study sessions your kids do? Nah!
Are you just never going to be good enough? That’s definitely not it.
The Truth is...
Well; the truth sounds worse than it is. It’s actually kinda good news.
It’s this: Putting ever more money, effort and attention into managing the kids’ time and resources might be a losing race for you. Yes, your focus matters. Your influence matters. And, your family’s education success is far more about You, not Them than most people realize. And that’s the good news. Successful homeschooling isn’t about herding cats, throwing money and time at things you feel helpless to truly control. It’s about leading out and applying sound, proven principles to the things that you do. And that’s something you actually can do.
See - there’s a wealth, a veritable goldmine, of educational treasure just waiting for you to claim it. Moms, dads, kids, heroes and statesmen across the generations have been mining this wealth to help them get an education to match their mission—whatever that may be. What is this mine of treasure? It’s commonly referred to as “The Classics.”
Our Mentoring in the Classics/TJEd Implementation course is designed specifically to help you become a self-guided learner, design your ideal family education culture, and become conversant in the language of the classics - mining and applying their treasures in your own education and that of your children. Ultimately, the genius of Mentoring in the Classics is that it coaches and guides you, the parent, the “leader” in your home - so you can really own the principles of Leadership Education and be your own expert. And, it introduces you to the classics that are proven to be of greatest delight and value to moms, dads and kids just like you and your family.
Most modern teachers, including those parents who are teaching their children at home, often find that their own education, habits and mindset are a real hindrance.
We have these ideals in mind; but have no specific experience on how to implement them, and we feel like we’re kind of on our own in figuring out how to make our vision a reality.
We know our children deserve better than what we experienced, but what can we do?
How does a generation of parents that grew up under a model they are choosing to leave behind, disappointed to find themselves uninitiated in the classics, now pass on mentoring in classic works to the next generation?
While the children of the elites get a personalized education in the classics that prepares them for leadership, entrepreneurship and the ability to excel in times of crisis, most young people have to settle for a rote, dumbed-down version of education. Since the mainstream focus in conveyor-belt style schooling is to prepare for a job/career, most parents in the middle and lower classes don’t take notice of this problem.
The result?
The wealthy get richer and the lower classes get poorer—generationally. Parents are watching their children and grandchildren headed for a lower standard of living—the natural outcome of the conveyor-belt model.
So, what’s so great about the classics?
- Raising Great Souls
Reading the classics inspires a greatness of soul. Greatness of soul, the desire to truly serve, to really make a positive difference in the world, is still a part of life for most people. This speaks to our deepest yearnings, our most important goals, our true dreams in life.
Education should speak to this deepest part of life. The classics do this.
- Building Successful Families
The classics bring a special kind of family connection. This is true because they provide family intellectual bonds that are practically impossible to duplicate in any other way. Find a family that reads classics together daily, for example, and you’ll nearly always find a very tightly knit family.
As families struggle with the challenges of modern life, this is critically important. Families are more functional with the classics. If you’ve never made the classics part of your regular family life, you’ll be amazed at how your family life can flourish when you effectively make this change.
- Mentoring Great Education
The classics are the source of great education, because they are, by definition, the pinnacles of mankind’s very best.
Students who engage the classics tend to do much, much better in school. And they are also the best wisdom we have about all the practical parts of real life far beyond the classroom: from relationships, parenting and marriage, to leadership, economics, freedom, success, progress, integrity, and every other walk of life.
- Increasing Prosperity
Hire Education
Most people today don’t realize how important classics are to prosperity, freedom, and the future of our nation. But for those who aren’t particularly motivated by “the beauty of education” argument, who feel that higher education really should be “hire education,” that the main purpose of schooling is to get a better job or career, just consider the money. “Show me the money,” you say? Okay. Where you find wealth, generation after generation, you’ll find families that teach the classics to their children. Period.
This may not ultimately be as important to some people as the first three kinds of reasons, but it is still very significant. And, of course, for some people this will be one of the most important reasons to read the classics.
The list of reasons to read the classics could go on for a long time. The classics help in many, many things in academics and career.
For example, as a professor for over twenty years, Oliver worked with many college and high school-aged students who came from homes or secondary schools where the classics were frequently read and discussed, and also with even more students without such a background.
I learned that there is a clear, noticeable difference between those who have read a number of classics and those who haven’t.
Specifically, those who had some experience in the classics exhibited certain strengths and skills that were always—literally, always—missing in other students.
Moreover, when the students without these skills and strengths read great books for six months or more, they began to exhibit these same strengths and skills.
Parents and teachers deserve to know about this, so they can help their children and youth accordingly.
Some of the Skills and Strengths that are found from those who read, discuss, and mentor in the classics are:
They are typically better readers (they read more, and they better understand what they’ve read).
They also tend to learn more from what they read, to see more connections between things.
They tend to be better writers.
They tend to be better public speakers.
They typically have a larger vocabulary.
They usually understand business planning and strategic thinking more readily, easily and deeply.
They often have better analytical skills: reading between the lines, noticing symbolism, seeing ramifications of decisions before they are made (inductive reasoning), understanding unclear details (deductive reasoning).
They readily understand the history of things, and the importance of learning the history behind things.
They frequently have more developed listening skills; they hear details that others more frequently miss.
They typically think about things with an eye toward application in the real world.
They more consistently see both the strengths and weaknesses of things and people.
They tend to be less judgmental of weaknesses, and more skeptical of “accepted” wisdom and superficial promises.
They usually think in terms of possibilities, rather than just “yes” or “no.”
They usually see learning as just the first step of producing.
They more frequently seek to understand things in depth, instead of taking appearances at face value.
They generally like learning.
They frequently like change and dealing with challenges more than most of their peers.
They tend to have bigger goals.
They are more likely to be self-starters.
They often have more highly-tuned social skills.
For example, a 2013 study conducted by the New School for Social Research found that “the readers of literary fiction [as opposed to popular fiction or nonfiction] find themselves scoring better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence. In some cases, it took reading literary fiction for only a few minutes for the test scores to improve.”
That sounds great, but what about their careers?
We’ve said a lot about family harmony, personal fulfillment, success in learning, etc. But there’s another important element to consider in the “how-to-homeschool” question. In the new economic reality, nearly every sector is undergoing a tectonic shift in direction. So we have to ask: with a non-growth or negative-growth middle class economy, why do parents and schools keep educating for a high-growth economy that doesn’t exist any more?
Educating the current generation of youth and children for a shrinking market share based on 20th Century middle-class careers is like training farriers (who shoe horses) and coopers (who hand-make barrels) in the 1930s. New realities bring new forms. We need to educate today’s young people to succeed and flourish in the economy of the 2020s and 2030s, not in what once worked during the last half of the 1900s and early 2000s.
Our children don’t need facts/information or specific career/job-centric skills nearly as much as they need to know how to think, how to innovate, how to collaborate, how to define a problem, how to marshal resources, how to persuade, how to adapt. These skills are not the focus of traditional schooling forms; they are neither promoted nor rewarded in a mainstream-style classroom or homeschool. But they are the focus of Leadership Education, and are featured, coached and cultivated in Mentoring in the Classics.
We love what we do, and we love seeing moms and dads and families like yours transform and thrive. We’re here to help you succeed!
In fact, that’s precisely why and how MIC came into being.
For many years we have seen amazing results through a process of reading and discussing great classics as a family and community, with some “special sauce” in the process that is hard to describe without actually “showing” how it’s done. We have heard time and again that experiencing our process has made ALL the difference for other families and cooperatives!
This course is designed specifically to help you:
Become an effective self-guided learner
Design your ideal family education culture
Inspire your kids as enthusiastic, life-long learners
Empower your kids to develop solid character and achieve excellence in their ideal time and way, in any subject
Become conversant in the language of the classics
Really own the principles of Leadership Education so you can act with confidence, vision and purpose.
Experience this step-by-step process, utilizing videos, audios, study guides, workshops, quizzes, discussions and more! This course comes ready-made, with a mentor and community that will leave you empowered to lead out—not only in your own education, but in the education of your family and your communities.
Welcome to Leadership Education!
Mentoring in the Classics is mentored by world-class educator
Oliver DeMille
Oliver DeMille is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Globe and Mail best-selling author, and popular public speaker, mentor and consultant. He is the co-founder, with his wife Rachel, of Leadership Education.
They are the parents of eight children with a broad variety of giftedness, atypical learning issues and special needs, who are the product of and testimonial for Leadership Education. Their voices and journey through the course of the Mentoring in the Classics series is a priceless illustration of how to mentor in the home.
The TJEd Team and voices of Mentoring in the Classics
We have been very blessed to participate in thousands of successes
in homes around the world.
We greatly enjoy and appreciate hearing your stories and experiences.
I can't tell you how much the audios mean to me. It is so eye opening to finally understand what discussing the classics can do. The years of experience that you and your family has with this type of discussion is revealing so much more about the books than I would ever discover on my own or with other novices at true discussion.
I don't know if you realize how rare all of your insights are. There is no way with my limited experience at truly great discussion that I would ever come up with most of what you all pick up seemingly so easy.
One of my biggest goals now is that within 10 years I may be able to see into the classics as well as you and your family does. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
~H.N.
I just listened to Oliver's debriefing on Pride and Prejudice and had to tell you right away YOU ROCK!
I've been milling around in the classics and a classical curriculum for about 12 years feeling like I was missing something. I originally joined Mentoring the Classics because Les Mis is on the list and my husband and two oldest sons have read it and discussed it to death but I never thought I could handle the sadness.
I thought it would be a good example in overcoming a hurdle, and I really wanted some help in this desire of mine to grow in the classics. I am so glad I did. It has brought joy and enthusiasm and direction to my self-education and has already improved my mentoring; the boys occasionally ask me, "Do you think you're ready?"
Thank you for these gifts.
~A.A.
Through [Mentoring in the Classics] I have learned so much about homeschooling my children. Our world and our minds are literally expanding as a family thanks to the enlightenment received from these downloads.
I have personally learned so much about freedom and although I've lived in America all my life and have enjoyed the freedom offered in this country, my eyes are being opened to how we sometimes try to limit or repress each other's freedoms in our daily interactions with one another. I have learned so much!
Thanks for all the enlightenment!!
~C.B.
I have always been an avid reader, and have read many books I really loved or liked. But I have never felt such passion for books until I joined this class and started studying them in depth and for personal purposes.
It is a new dimension of reading for me that is exactly like my feelings for the scriptures. I am enjoying this so much and love the DeMille's enthusiasm on the audios. Amazing and fun.
~S.M.
I just want to thank you for creating the Mentoring in the Classics series. I had forgotten how much I love learning. My late husband used to joke that I would be 70 and sitting in a classroom learning something new. When he died I lost that motivation. This course has given me back that spark and I must say that I really missed it. I really appreciate all the hard work you and Oliver do to contribute to the community!
~T.B.
I've been finding more ways to read history. It's been such a great experience reading "The Present Crisis", by James Russell Lowell with Mentoring in the Classics with Oliver & Rachel DeMille and being mentored by them and their family! Thank you Oliver DeMille, Rachel DeMille, Vernie Lynn DeMille and all others!
~R.M.
TJEd isn't for sissies! Great education is worth the price, time, and sacrifice! Love Mentoring in the Classics class. So fun and inspiring.
Thank you Oliver and Rachel DeMille and family. :)
~L.M.
The audio itself was perfect for my husband and I. We both came away very inspired to reread Gatto's book. My favorite part of the audio was 'are we dumbing down passion in the name of conformity to make it easier on us as teachers?' Wow! Now I need to read the book with Oliver's suggestion to look in the mirror.
What am I doing right or wrong? How can I avoid teaching the way I was taught? Needing the inspiration to get off the conveyor belt once again. Thank you!!!
~J.G.
The audio itself was perfect for my husband and I. We both came away very inspired to reread Gatto's book. My favorite part of the audio was 'are we dumbing down passion in the name of conformity to make it easier on us as teachers?' Wow! Now I need to read the book with Oliver's suggestion to look in the mirror.
What am I doing right or wrong? How can I avoid teaching the way I was taught? Needing the inspiration to get off the conveyor belt once again. Thank you!!!
~J.G.
I love MIC. I am excited to feel that I am growing in my ability to mentor my family. It is hard for me to "let go" of the kids more and allow my education to take a front seat, but it is strange that by doing so, my kids' education is actually improving. (It's an "I told you so!" moment for you. Hehe)
Even with Kidschool, I am doing things with them that I want to learn, or learn better. This puts me more hands-on with them and they love that. They love what I love and they love doing it with me. It's not teaching, it's just exploring.
But that truly is education, and I'm having the Core & LOL phases that I missed (and didn't even know it). The knowledge of TJEd is easily lost in us as products of the public education model. It's very difficult to keep that public education model from creeping in and then taking over...time and time again. Keeping myself immersed with MIC allows me to recognize when I'm becoming too conveyor belt with my children. I can feel the richness of my learning through the model your family uses to mentor me; therefore, I am continually inspired to utilize that with my children. And, I am developing the skills to do so.
I hope that MIC never goes away. I look forward to each month and love the diversity of subject matter. It's filling in the gaps for me and that's huge! This whole MIC idea- it's just genius!!
~W.J.
LOVED the debriefing audio and bonus audio for Pride and Prejudice!
Once again, I want to read it again right away after hearing all the great commentary and insights. Another freedom classic! I never saw it before.
I am so grateful for your persuasion to do this Mentoring in the Classics course, Rachel. I have to keep reminding myself that you guys have been doing this for a LONG time and my day will come when I will be able to pull these nuggets of genius out of classics myself. THANK YOU!!
~K.C.
Loved the audio!! It’s so filled with excitement and energy, that's exactly what happens when I get to talking about things I'm passionate about. I'm so glad you are involved with this one Rachel DeMille...you bring excitement and another perspective to the table. Loving it!!!!
~J.H.
If you want to lead out, establish a family culture of excellence and learning, experience the mentoring of youth and children through family discussions, find the treasures and transformation by coming face-to-face with greatness—then Mentoring in the Classics is the answer for you.
This multi-award-winning subscription series is ideal for adults, youth, parents, book groups, Commonwealths/learning cooperatives, teacher training – anyone who’s ready to experience the classics and transform your family learning culture with master mentors Oliver and Rachel DeMille as your guides!
How does it work?
Each month, mentoring will focus on one title from the schedule (see below). At the beginning of each month you will receive content for the assigned book title as well as the following:
Video mentoring tips by Rachel DeMille
Introduction to the work in a downloadable mp3 audio by Oliver DeMille
A PDF downloadable Study Guide with recommended resources, additional readings, discussion questions, etc. Downloadable mp3 audio debriefing after the discussion (including answers to questions from the online discussion) by Oliver DeMille (you can listen to these audios at your convenience)
A Bonus Article that anchors the principles learned
An online discussion board in our dedicated learning environment, where you can interact with our TJEd mentors and other MIC+ participants
Homeschool Success is as easy as riding a bike!
About the Book Selections
The titles chosen for the Mentoring in the Classics Series are designed to be progressive in nature. Seasons 1—3 are meant specifically to help you:
become a self-guided learner
design your ideal family education culture
become conversant in the language of the classics
really own the principles of Leadership Education
... so you can be your own expert
Subsequent seasons build on this foundation to help you:
gain greater depth in your own education
effectively mentor others
apply your education to your personal mission
We'll dig into a broad range of subjects, like:
Literature
Mathematics
Science
Purpose & Passion
Child Education & Psychology
Leadership
The Phases of Learning
Business
Freedom
The Keys of Great Teaching
History
Mentoring
Parenting
Poetry
Plays
Good & Bad
Truth & Principle
Curriculum
The Reading List and TJEd Implementation Plan
Season 1
TJEd Implementation Plan:
Mentoring Success in TJEd & Mentoring in the Classics
MONTH 1: DeMille, A Thomas Jefferson Education
Oliver DeMille's underground bestseller is the catalyst for a movement that enshrines classics, mentors, and developmentally-leveled learning environments, with parents leading out and inspiring their children to get "An Education to Match Their Mission." The perfect foundation for the MIC experience.
MONTH 2: Fisher, Understood Betsy
Fisher's Understood Betsy is a beloved classic that illustrates the transformation that occurs in the life of a young girl who is stunted in her personal, emotional and intellectual growth when she is given the opportunity for a fresh start in a healthy, supportive and principled environment where she can thrive. Excellent for those wanting to internalize the skills of change and the vision of educational ideals.
MONTH 3: Gatto, Dumbing Us Down
Dumbing us Down has stood as a witness from one with a unique and authoritative perspective that today's mainstream educational system does not nurture or reward individual genius, creativity or innovation. It stands as a challenge and an invitation to define our own educational ideals, describing in uncompromising terms the need for the type of education we'll pursue in this series.
MONTH 4: Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
This book simply cannot be read incorrectly; it is all about pondering, applying it to your life, thinking creatively, intuitively, authentically. Careful thought has gone into the succession from Gatto to Lindbergh—the former being an exposition of what is wrong, the latter, a "healing" book; first the "tell", then the "show." The Audio Mentoring and Study Guide for Lindbergh are important, as they establish the unique and effective methodology by which this course will progress.
MONTH 5: DeMille, What's So Great About the Classics
What's So Great About the Classics is a treatise that speaks to the challenges and opportunities in today's educational environment, be prepared for higher education, and prepare successfully for the coming economy, while raising a great soul (plus other goals and values common to conscientious parents in our day and age)—by mentoring through the classics, using the principles and practices of Leadership Education.
Season 2
The TJEd Implementation Plan:
Mastering the Phases and Mentoring in the Classics
MONTH 6: Moody, Little Britches
This autobiographical classic shows a family facing the challenges of a life in flux, with priceless models of parent mentoring by both mother and father illuminated in a story that delights boys and girls (and parents) of all ages.
MONTH 7: DeMille & DeMille, The Phases of Learning
Starting out with a survey of educational and developmental scientists who describe healthy phases and transitions, and then proceeding through life phases covering infancy through grandparenting, The Phases of Learning has been hailed as the DeMille's greatest work thus far on education, and stands as a nuts-and-bolts guidebook for successful family life and learning.
MONTH 8: Latham, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
The true story of Nathanael Bowditch includes adventure, romance, hardship and triumph—with a backdrop of an education through the phases of learning that illustrate a successful life and mission, based on effective study with mentors and classics.
MONTH 9: DeMille & Brooks, Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens
Many have protested that Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens was misnamed, as it serves as an inspiration not only for youth, but for adults who wish to recapture the educational experiences and lessons that they wish they had gained in youth. This book helps young and old to get in touch with their purpose and mission, and includes a 5-year reading plan to help them achieve their educational goals.
Going Forward
We will periodically update the reading schedule so that you're kept informed of the coming books that are not yet listed. We're delighted to have you join us for Mentoring in the Classics. Please join the conversation on our Facebook Discussion Group! Warmly, Rachel DeMille, TJEd.org "An Education to Match Your Mission."
Expand your mind • Learn “in the flow”
• Increase your epiphanal rate!
The 7th Key of Great Teaching is “You, not Them.” Come fill your bucket so you can Inspire!
A Note from Rachel DeMille…
Please know that pretty much all successful homeschoolers really wandered a little at first trying to find their ideal.
And I don’t know any really successful homeschoolers who are super set in their ways.
They’re open minded, and always asking new and different questions on how to improve.
Your family is organic, and dynamic, and your homeschool ideal will be, too. Be patient with the process! You’re not going to ruin them or break them, and there really is plenty of time to figure it out.
Don’t hurry up to follow a path that feels wrong. Slow down, stop, turn around, enjoy the moment.
You’re going to be fine! ♥
Join me, and the TJEd Team, for Mentoring in the Classics!
Options & Pricing
Each month, mentoring will focus on one title from the schedule (see below). At the beginning of each month you will receive content for the assigned book title as well as the following:
Video mentoring tips by Rachel DeMille
Introduction to the work in a downloadable mp3 audio by Oliver DeMille
A PDF downloadable Study Guide with recommended resources, additional readings, discussion questions, etc. Downloadable mp3 audio debriefing after the discussion (including answers to questions from the online discussion) by Oliver DeMille (you can listen to these audios at your convenience)
A Bonus Article that anchors the principles learned
An online discussion board in our dedicated learning environment, where you can interact with our TJEd mentors and other MIC+ participants
Risk-Free Trial
$1
Get a feel for the content
Get a feel for the process
Monthly
$45/month
Scheduled TJEd Implementation plan
Access to the full MIC Index
Automatic monthly renewal
Cancel anytime
Yearly
$385/year
Everything included in the Monthly option
Automatic yearly renewal
Get one month free!
Q: But what about...?
A: We've gotcha covered.
Here are some frequently answered questions about Mentoring in the Classics
Why do I need this program?
Shouldn’t I be teaching my kids or putting my kids in a program like this?
Honestly? In our experience, there is nothing more impactful on your kids’ success than the environment you create and the example you set. Nothing. Not great curriculum, not fun activities, not special field trips. NOTHING.
Here’s a pro tip, and this is important: Give yourself permission to spend a little bit of time each day/week on YOUR education. The investment in yourself pays off in SOOOO many ways.
You set an example of self-education that pays dividends of them owning their own education. That’s less effort for you, more success for them!
It will give you a well to draw from. You’ll think bigger thoughts! Have more inspiring ideas that you’re excited to share! Feel taken care of because you’re filling YOUR bucket!
Remember, an investment in your education is not a withdrawal from your kids’. It will pay dividends on a gold standard for generations to come!
How do I access my mentoring content?
Mentoring in the Classics is located on our Learning Portal at learning.leadershipeducation.org. After you subscribe you will receive an email with instructions to set up your account in the Learning Portal. Once logged in simply select Mentoring in the Classics to get started.
Where do I access the ongoing discussion?
After you subscribe you will receive an email directing you to the MIC course in our Learning Portal and other helpful information. The course itself will give you links and direction to the MIC Discussion Group.
What is MIC?
MIC is the frequently used acronym for Mentoring in the Classics
What if I’m just getting started with homeschooling?
Mentoring in the Classics is a great place to start! The coaching and books are specifically chosen to help you establish your ideal family education culture and become a great parent-mentor, so there’s no better place to start.
What if I’m a homeschooling veteran?
We have lots of empty-nesters who LOVE Mentoring in the Classics for their own continuing education. The classics, audios, videos, and articles contain ideas and principles that are important and applicable whatever stage of life you are in. And if it feels too slow, let us know, there is actually an MIC x2 option. This means you will go through the sequence double-time: two titles per month!
What’s the cancellation policy?
You can cancel at any time with no penalties or fees. If you have paid the yearly subscription rate, you will be refunded the unused portion, minus the discounted month.
What if I really don’t have a lot of time to read a full classic each month?
We know!! We’re real homeschooling moms and dads, too, so you better believe we know how life can be sometimes. And we have even families in survival mode in mind with the content and sequence we’ve created.
You can go at your own pace. The audios and study guides you receive each month are downloadable, and yours to keep. Think of it as a long-term investment in a library of resources for your family, like a set of classics or encyclopedias that you acquire one at a time.
The value does not decrease if you choose to come to it later. And we have many people who have told us that, even when they’re going through “one of those times”, the MIC audios are a lifeline! Uplifting, inspiring and deeply meaningful, they will help you keep a forward momentum even when life gets nutty and reading the Book of the Month isn’t in the cards for you. There's SO much that's discussed in the audios, they'll always be relevant to you, and give you an inspiring pick-me-up!
Can we talk about
the nagging voice inside your head?
Does your inner voice say something like this to you?
[Nagging inner voice: It’s too late.]
Kind, supportive voice of truth:
Nope. It’s not. I mean, clearly you haven’t given up on your kids, or on your ability to make a difference for good in their lives.
So if you can still hit the brakes and try to turn things around in your own thinking, you have to believe that, given hope, opportunity and meaningful example, they can do the same! I promise, they want the peace, the healing, the joy, that comes from making these changes.
I have seen this in our own home, and in countless others. Things can be going ever so wrong, and still, given the opportunity, healing takes places in the hearts, minds and homes of those who apply the sound principles that lead to success in this.
It really works! I promise!
[Nagging inner voice: I don't have enough...]
Kind, supportive voice of truth:
It’s amazing how, when you move your focus away from the things you lack and start to see your circumstance as the parameters that define your opportunities, you are liberated to find your success!
Dr. Seuss was once dared to write a book using only 50 distinct words (in any combination or repetition). Rather than throwing up his hands in despair, he wrote one of the most beloved and meaningful works in all of children’s literature: Green Eggs and Ham. Sure, it’s easy to fail when you define success as something that is out of reach in your reality. Seuss’s book fails miserably when measured according to variety and originality in language. But to measure it on that yardstick is to miss the point of its genius!
And your own constraints are likewise the measure of your genius, when properly framed. We can help you find your strength, your opportunity, not in some fantastical freeze-frame you compare yourself to, but according to the circumstances you are actually in.
[NV: I am not enough.]
KVT:
When it comes to teaching, mentoring and inspiring our students or children, there is an oft-ignored thing that can, and should, change your view of your value as your kids’ mentor. Indulge me?
Who doesn’t remember a really smart, super-educated teacher that bored them to tears with lectures, assignments and requirements? And who hasn’t had a totally life-changing experience with a mentor that (according to their resume) didn’t stack up to the super-educated teacher – and yet they had the ability to spark you and others to a whole new level of performance…all because they loved what they were teaching, they loved who they were teaching, and they personalized the experience in meaningful ways?
I know you know what I’m talking about. Not only do most of us have such a great mentor in our history, it’s also the stuff of great literature and movies year after year. Plot summary: “Misunderstood underachiever is inspired by caring mentor and achieves the impossible.” Even Hollywood understands that it’s not about information so much as inspiration.
Information matters, of course; but it’s inspiration that has the power to transform us.
[NV: It’s so big and complicated.]
KVT:
Well... Yes, it is. But here is where having a mentor makes all the difference. A mentor knows the path you’re on. A mentor has seen the summit and beyond, and can describe the view and how to arrive there. This - THIS - is precisely why we share Mentoring in the Classics.
Because our 6 grown kids, and hundreds (even thousands) of other young adults who were raised in Leadership Education homes are the “proof in the pudding.”
Because our own sense of peace and fulfillment and joy are something we know is too often lacking in the homes of people who want the same things we do.
Like us, you have great expectations; and living up to our ideals – to the potential that our children have, and to what they need us to be – can be a lot of pressure. It can be stressful to juggle a marriage, a household, our own readings, our kids’ activities, and still be inspiring!!
It’s helpful to remember that it’s not just TJEders or homeschoolers who feel the pressure to measure up, or the worry of not being enough; parents of every kind and in every situation are likewise stressing. Okay, maybe that’s not all that helpful. But here’s something that hopefully is more helpful.
By learning and following some key principles, you can stop constantly second-guessing yourself, squelch the voices in your head that provoke fear, dread and conveyor-belt hangover, and settle in to enjoying your life and thriving in your homeschool.
Mentoring in the Classics articulates and codifies the step-by-step path to success in this.
[NV: I can’t do this because I need to be educating my children, to do homeschool.]
This is one of the most important misconceptions
that I hope, most fervently, to address. LISTEN:
An investment in your education is not a withdrawal from your children’s education.
To the contrary: it actually is a lever that impacts your children exponentially.
As we come Face-to-Face with Greatness in the classics, we are changed; and our ability to make a difference in our relationships, in our sphere of influence and in the lives of our children is greatly impacted.
With the demands of home and family, too often we feel like we have no right to take time out for self-improvement. But would you go without food in order to have more time for your family? Or forgo sleep altogether? Obviously, every day requires decisions, compromises and even sacrifices, and this is what makes parenthood and teaching so rewarding. But we cannot neglect our health and well-being on a regular basis and still be the kind of parent or teacher we need to be over the long haul.
Common sense dictates that we take care of our basic needs – not just because of our own basic dignity and worth, but because—if we don’t—we can’t take care of others.
By the same token, our spiritual and intellectual health impact our ability to counsel, teach, inspire and discipline our kids meaningfully and well. Give yourself permission to commit an appropriate amount of time to filling your bucket (whatever that may mean during this season of your life) through Mentoring in the Classics, so you can be the best mom, dad, teacher, mentor, etc., that you can be.