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What’s New at
Classical Christian
Homeschooling

This page last revised:
January 2003

2001 Additions

September

Nothing New Press
Nothing New Press has moved to its own domain at www.nothingnewpress.com. The website has been revised and is more beautiful and functional than ever. Due to popular request, Nothing New Press has added the online convenience of ordering books via credit card. The new and improved website coincides with a summer-long project to upgrade to beautiful new second editions all of the books offered by Christine Miller through Nothing New Press: All Through the Ages History Through Literature, The Story of the Greeks, The Story of the Romans, and The Story of the Middle Ages.

Christine’s e-mail is back!
Back in the spring, a virus wiped out our computer system, and it was May before I could get everything restored enough to post a Where have we been? message on this page. But we had lingering problems getting the cch@classicalhomeschooling.org e-mail back up and running at full capacity. Well, now it is. :-)

“Why We Homeschool” Site of the Month:
Pay Attention: Ritalin Acts Much Like Cocaine
From an August issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association comes this report of recent research on Ritalin: “Although they have used it [Ritalin] to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for 40 years, psychiatrists and pharmacologists have never known how or why it worked. Chemically similar to cocaine and other stimulants, methylphenidate [Ritalin] presents a pragmatic paradox: it decreases activity and increases the ability to concentrate in people with ADHD, but in studies, about half of those without ADHD find it unpleasant, like drinking too much coffee. ‘I’ve almost been obsessed about trying to understand [methylphenidate] with imaging,’ said Volkow at a recent media conference. ‘As a psychiatrist, sometimes I feel embarrassed [about the lack of knowledge] because this is, by far, the drug we prescribe most frequently to children.’” Four to six million children in the United States now take this drug; by far the vast majority are boys; by far the vast majority of children on the drug are taking it because of a recommendation by their public school. I didn’t even realize that the experts did not understand why or how it works. Need I say more?

August

“Why We Homeschool” Site of the Month:
Basic Minimum Christianism
(Because of the frames used, this link will only take you to the Underground Grammarian home page. To get to Basic Minimum Christianism, click on “The Leaning Tower of Babel”, third down on the menu on the left, then in the frame that comes up on the right, scroll down to “IV. Basic Minimum Christianism” and click.)

The first essay in the Basic Minimum Christianism collection is titled, “Uncomfortable Words.” And they are. In these essays, Richard Mitchell calls into question everyone who claims to educate without teaching clear language and the power of reason -- the first two tools, grammar and logic, in the three tools of learning. He spares not private Christian schools, nor even popular Christian organizations seeking to influence public policy, such as the Eagle Forum or the Moral Majority. He is an equal opportunity blaster of Protestant and Catholic educationism. But keep reading. If criticism is leveled at the Church, can it be because the Church has earned it? It is the Church that abandoned the intellect, reason, and academia after “our” position was destroyed at the Scopes Trial in 1925 by Clarence Darrow and the ACLU. We decided that faith and reason cannot go together, a strange conclusion that Mitchell claims even Martin Luther shared. We abandoned the head and focused on the heart, and forgot that Jesus commanded, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart AND mind and soul and strength.” It is not either heart or head, either faith or reason. It is heart AND head, faith AND reason. Those who teach faith to the exclusion of reason do as much harm as those who teach reason to the exclusion of faith. We need both.

For another perspective on this whole debate, my husband and I have been listening to many of Dr. Davis’ messages (see Family Alternatives in Past Why We Homeschool Site of the Month links). In either the message Changing the Heart of a Rebel, or The Secret to Becoming Strong, Dr. Davis mentioned he would rather a person was a God-fearing ignoramus than an educated fool. If someone fears God, which I believe means, he acknowledges not only God’s existence, but also His sovreignty by reason of His existence, and has submitted his life to Him accordingly, seeking to serve and worship Him in the manner God has prescribed, i.e., through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, then that person has begun to be wise: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” (Proverbs 9:10). The God-fearing ignoramus won’t stay that way long, because “the ear of the wise seeks knowledge,” (Proverbs 18:15). But “the fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God,’” (Psalms 14:1). An evolutionist scientist is an educated fool; an abortion doctor is an educated fool. I agree with Dr. Davis; if you can only teach one, teach the heart to be wise. But we do not have to only teach one. We can teach the heart to be wise, and the mind to reason. Faith and reason do not contradict each other at all, but truth, which God personifies, is established by proper inquiry and investigation. The excess of the Renaissance, which undoubtedly Martin Luther was preaching against, was elevating human reason to a place above God Himself. Faith teaches us the limits of human reason, that there is thought higher than humans can reason or understand (Isaiah 55:8-9).

We homeschool to avoid the mistakes of educationism, false education, in both government and private schools, in neglecting the teaching of reason to indoctrinate in humanism or Christianism, rather than teaching truth, “difficult disciplines”, and “difficult doctrine”, if we will listen.

July

All Through the Ages Second Edition
The revised and expanded second edition of All Through the Ages will be available this summer. Get the second edition at the first edition price through August 31, 2001.

Government Curriculum: Grades 7-9
The Government page of CCH’s Online Catalog has been completed. This section includes resources which teach the structure of government, as is taught in most Civics classes in the United States, as well as resources that teach the biblical and historical nature of government.

“Why We Homeschool” Site of the Month:
Family Alternatives
Homeschooling, as anyone finds out who is into it for longer than a month or two, is about more than academics. The family is impacted in a powerful way, as parents seek to obey the biblical injunction to teach their children, and parents and children start having more time to spend together. Family relationships soon take on an importance as great or greater than academic excellence, and because every one is home and around each other much of the time, the potential for closeness as well as conflict is multiplied. This is the way God designed families to be, to be around each other so that the father can teach his children when he rises up, when he lies down, when he comes in and goes out. But because so many of us were raised in families fragmented by the culture in which we live, we lack the living examples and, many times, the biblical knowledge of relationship principles that make family relationships a joy and a blessing rather than a burden. Enter Family Alternatives, the ministry of Dr. S. M. Davis, pastor of Park Meadows Baptist Church in Illinois. My husband and I had an opportunity to hear Dr. Davis speak recently, and we were very impressed with his grasp of biblical truth as it applies to family relationships. Especially helpful are his messages on parenting, husbands and wives, and dealing with rebellion in children. But many of the biblical principles are difficult to implement in families where the parents see, much less communicate, with their children only a handful of minutes a day. Homeschooling combats family fragmentation and is one very important reason why we homeschool.

June

Math Curriculum: Grades 1-12
The Math section of CCH’s Online Catalog has been revised and updated, with new curriculum added in the Grammar and Dialectic Stage, the Rhetoric Stage added, and new resources in the Teacher’s Math Resources page.

Logic Curriculum: Grades 7-9
The Logic page of CCH’s Online Catalog has been revised and updated, with new resources added.

Classical and Christian Education
This page, part of CCH’s Online Catalog, lists books which expound on classical and Christian education for homeschool parents. It has been revised and new books added.

“Why We Homeschool” Site of the Month:
Dinosaurs and the Bible
“An aura of mystery surrounds the dinosaurs,” begins Ken Ham’s essay on dinosaurs and the Bible. Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible? Do dinosaurs prove evolution? What about creation? What happened to the dinosaurs? These fascinating creatures are favorites of our children, but how do we answer their questions about dinosaurs and evolution? The answers are in Genesis, and because we homeschool, we are free to explore scientific and historic truth that, because it challenges their dogma, the high priests of the educational establishment in America have censored.

May

Nothing New Press’ Graduation Sale!
School is out for the summer, and the Millers’ oldest has graduated from high school (home schooled, of course)! We are extending our celebration of this momentous event to the home schooling community at large by holding our first ever Graduation Sale! From June 1 to June 14, 2001, every Nothing New Press title is 10% off. Orders must be postmarked by June 14, 2001, to receive the discounted price.

H. A. Guerber’s Histories
The second editions of The Story of the Greeks, The Story of the Romans, and The Story of the Middle Ages are now available. The second edition includes a new Publisher’s Preface, which discusses the origins of the Greek and Roman tribes as the history of the ancient world relates it, as descended from the sons of Noah. Also included are additional maps, and comprehensive timelines of all the events and persons encountered in the narratives, as well as bibliographies of historical resources. Even though the histories are expanded, the price is still the same!

Classical Language Curriculum: Grades 1-12
The classical languages -- Latin, Greek, and Hebrew -- section of the Online Catalog has been completely overhauled, new curriculum added, and Classical Languages for the Rhetoric Stage has been added.

Where have we been? About six or so weeks ago, our computers were hit with a virus -- the first we’ve ever had. It has been a trial to get it cleaned out of everything, and all our data and programs restored. But we are almost there. Just this week I have been able to access the website again. The final thing that is still not working is our e-mail, but we continue to work on it, and hope to have it up and running in the next few days or a week. :-)

March

Geography Curriculum: Grades 1-6
The Geography curruclum section of the Online Catalog has been completely overhauled, with new pages and many more suggestions and resources. The Teacher’s Resources section has been particularly expanded. The new page design replaces the old peach-colored pages, and conforms to the W3 Commission’s new standards. As the Online Catalog is completed and updated this spring and summer, all the pages will eventually sport the extra help and new look.

Overview of the Grammar Stage
While this page is not new, I have added a section, titled “Daily Drill,” which explains my simple system of drilling facts with my children during the grammar stage, taking just a few minutes per day. The Grammar Stage section is also being converted to conform to the W3 Commission’s new standards.

Favorite News and Politics Links
This new page from the Favorite Links to All Over lists links to quality news sites which conform to the founders vision of a free press for a free people, as a watchdog on government. Lose liberal spin and keep up with the events of the day from a conservative perspective.

“Why We Homeschool” Site of the Month:
Makers of Modern Schooling
Who were the makers of modern schooling in America? It’s not who you think. At John Taylor Gatto’s site, learn about the Fourth Purpose of American Schooling. In the colonial days of our country, the three purposes of schooling were to: make good people, make good citizens, to help children find their talents. But today, the fourth purpose has crowded out the other three. And it is the proliferation of that fourth purpose that is one reason why we homeschool.

February

“Why We Homeschool” Site of the Month:
AiG Creation Education Center
Evolutionary theory is the high priest of secular humanism, and the foundation of almost all science taught in the United States today, certainly in the public schools. This in spite of the fact that the theory remains unproven, that new data weekly shows up the flaws, inconsistencies, and scientific impossibilities with the theory, and in spite of the fact that more and more secular scientists are, privately and publicly, voicing grave doubts of the theory’s soundness. As homeschoolers, we can bypass the defunct dinosaur of a theory all together and teach pure science, unencumbered by the politically correct baggage of the age. The brand new Answers in Genesis Creation Education Center is just what the doctor ordered for lesson plans, information and ideas not only on creation science, but everyday science as well. February’s topic is weather.

January

FAQ: Getting Started
The answer to the question on CCH’s FAQ page: “I am just beginning homeschooling and am interested in using the classical model with my children. How do I get started teaching this way?”

FAQ: Scheduling the School Day
The answer to the question on CCH’s FAQ page: “I want my children to learn all twelve of the subjects discussed for each stage. But there are only so many hours in the day. How do I schedule the school day, without overloading myself or my kids, while still doing justice to the subject matter?”

FAQ: The Core of Classical Education
Another addition to CCH’s FAQ page, this time the answer to the question, “I can’t teach all the subjects possible. What must I include if I had to make a choice?”

FAQ: Classical Education and Girls
One of my first priorities for the new year is to complete CCH’s FAQ page as soon as possible. One of the most commonly asked questions, “Is classical education superfluous for girls who will grow up to be wives and mothers?” is addressed in this new article by Christine Miller.

About CCH
CCH was recently given Study Web’s Academic Excellence Award for CCH’s ideas on teaching art and art history, and the resources here, such as the Art History portal, which help facilitate that. We are very honored and humbled. The award has been posted on About CCH. About CCH as well as What’s New and several other CCH pages are also wearing the new website style, which reflect the new protocol established by the W3 Commission.

2000 Additions to CCH
At the turn of the new year we start over on CCH’s What’s New page with a clean slate. All of the additions and links made in the year 2000 can be found at this archive.