The Core

by Leigh A. Bortins

In the past, correct spelling, the multiplication tables, the names of the state capitals and the American presidents were basics that all children were taught in school. Today, many children graduate without this essential knowledge. Most curricula today follow a haphazard sampling of topics with a focus on political correctness instead of teaching students how to study. Leigh Bortins, a leading figure in the homeschooling community, is having none of it. She believes that there are core areas of knowledge that are essential to master. Without knowing the multiplication tables, children can't advance to algebra. Without mastery of grammar, students will have difficulty expressing themselves. Without these essential building blocks of knowledge, students may remember information but they will never possess a broad and deep understanding of how the world works. In The Core, Bortins gives parents the tools and methodology to implement a rigorous, thorough, and broad curriculum based on the classical model, including:

- Rote memorization to cement knowledge
- Systematic learning of geography, historical facts, and timelines
- Reading the great books and seminal historical documents instead of adaptations and abridged editions
- Rigorous training in math and the natural sciences

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Parenting, Teaching, Family, Christian, Philosophy

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Leigh A. Bortins is the founder and CEO of Classical Conversations, Inc., whose enrollment is 20,000. She hosts a weekly radio show, Leigh! for Lunch and lectures widely about the importance of home education at nationwide conferences and seminars. She lives in West End, NC.

Reviews

[William Lawrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some really great points about the importance of knowledge and building memory, completely squandered by socio-political-religious philosophies and failures in logic. The author is bent on ripping on every aspect of public (and private!) education all in favor of homeschooling, when the reality remains most American families can't afford to homeschool. Many simply can't and some simply shouldn't. Bortins judges education based entirely on test scores and anecdotes.

Major stretches in logic include comparing the percentage who read "Common Sense" in the late 18th century society to the number who watch the SuperBowl in today's society. And? I'm not saying there isn't a literacy concern, but she's comparing a world that only had reading. They lived in candlelight and rode horses! The author points out that China and India graduate hundreds of thousands of engineers, while we only graduate 70,000, but those two places also have two billion people between them. Says education costed us nothing in the 1950s, when that's simply not true-- teachers were sill paid a salary. Of course, it's going to cost more today than it did in the 50s-- a house only cost $7,000 then! Inflation. Argues that less than 50% of Americans graduate proficient in reading and less than 15% graduate proficient in math, when that's simply not true because they wouldn't be graduating. In fact, kids take far more math than they did in the 50s or even the 90s. Then she goes on to say that only 60% of high school seniors graduated in 2006, when in fact a 60% rate only existed in a hand full of southern red states; Overall US grad rates were 74% in 2006 and have since climbed to over 82%. The author throws out these fabricated numbers without any citations and expects her readers to believe it? And she's arguing about facts and literacy? The real kicker-- all of the above happened on just one page of her book (p. 30)!

So even a broken clock is right twice a day. Where I agree: building memory skills is important, knowledge is important, and history is very important. But Bortins goes on to exclaim "I am a big fan of testing" even though over testing and the type of testing we do is seen as the American problem resulting in deficiencies in historic knowledge, social awareness, and ultimately less reading of books. Standardized testing doesn't truly measure knowledge and memory the way a fill in the blank or essay test does.

Though I don't personally subscribe to the idea we need to teach grammar in the whole sense that Bortins argues in order to read and write (like knowing the name of everything under the hood to be able to drive the car), Bortins' chapters on reading and writing are probably her best. Schools and parents could use some of these ideas to reinforce other approaches. The geography and history chapters also had something to offer with a few neat lessons. The chapter on science unfortunately seems to culminate with knowing how to skin a rabbit. And Fine Arts should hardly be called a chapter. In chapter eleven she reveals her education schedule that starts with Bible study in bed. There are only about three hours dedicated to learning; not to say that time is everything (Finland's school days are kept to a minimum). The big problem I have with this book is tying the importance of knowledge and classical education approaches to religious doctrine and homeschooling. We can value knowledge and integrate classical approaches without the latter.

Bortins blows her ethos in the first part of the book with those uncited claims and fabrications and never makes up for it the rest of the way. Based on the first thirty pages, I'm surprised St. Martins even published this.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I haven't finished reading every page of this book, I've read enough to say that it's easier to read than the other homeschool book on classical education: The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. When I read Susan Wise Bauer's book, I walked away feeling like a classical education was something that sounded intriguing, but difficult (if not impossible) for me to implement. Bortins makes everything feel more achievable and does a great job of articulating the value of classical education and how it differs from most educations received in today's school system.

If you're looking for a book that will offer lots of curriculum choices, go with The Well-Trained Mind. But if you want to know what a classical education is and get an overview of what it could look like in your home (whether you homeschool or send your children to school), this book is readable, encouraging and inspiring.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that I can see rating lower in time as I read more books about classical education (update: after reading The Well-Trained Mind, I did lower my rating from 3 stars to a rating of 2 stars: it's okay). The author has a pleasant writing style and presents the philosophy of a classical education in a pretty convincing manner. I'm wondering though, where are the citations? She makes dozens of claims and references to statistics throughout the book, but doesn't provide exact sources. If she cites a source for the statistic, she doesn't say exactly where to look it up.

For instance, she brings up literacy rates a few times from the NAPAL, but I found conflicting data tables on their website than what she presented. (The tables I found showed just the opposite of what she wrote, which made me question if she misinterpreted the data.) It would have been nice to know where she was exactly getting her data from rather than trusting her at her word throughout the book.

Overall it was a very interesting read, but I feel fell short of what it could have been. The research and presentation of her position should have been taken more seriously. Her arguments might hold up in a coffee shop discussion group, but when you're publishing a book like this, you not only have to really know what you're talking about, but you also have a duty to present the entire picture to the reader.

For instance, she praises rote memorization, which is probably a great skill that could help expand the overall capacity of how much information someone can retain. However, she never mentions that the reason rote memorization is part of the classical teaching curriculum is because thousands of years ago they did not readily have access to pen and paper. It was out of necessity that students needed to memorize many mundane details, not a philosophy that this was a superior method for the brain in developing its learning abilities. Why not mention the historical reasoning for rote memorization? Perhaps she opted to omit it since it might weaken her position, or perhaps she was not aware of the history. Either way it doesn't matter, that's just an example of how this book fell short of what it could have been.

I would recommend this if you're interested in the topic, but it should be a supplement to other material on the subject, not the end-all be-all source.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are considering homeschooling with the classical method/trivium and are persuaded by arguments appealing to your tendency to brag and feel smug and snidely superior, this book might be helpful to you. Otherwise, don't waste your time, there are other books out there which cover far more practical ground without the snotty tone. Also, dear author, so your child can identify Millard Fillmore on sight? Big deal. There's a lot more to a comprehensive education than the rote memorization of not terribly intriguing facts that Bortins seems to prefer. I thought the whole point of the trivium was to nurture critical thinking skills, not train your children to spit out Sir Walter Scott passages on demand to thrill and impress your friends at the Neoconservative Homeschoolers Ice Cream Social.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is likely a result of being more immersed in the writings of Charlotte mason. Bortins places a heavy emphasis on rote memorization, which I’m not against, but education as “the science of relations.” If students don’t have a relationship with the material, rattling off a fact will not have the same impact. I recognize that she says students will make those connections later, but in my experience, my children learn much better through narration (developing a relationship with the subject matter). We did CC for a few years, and my kids never discussed the facts we were learning with others. However, when we switched to CM narration, they wanted to talk about what we were learning allllllll the time. I think memorization has a place, but the neoclassical movement may overemphasize that.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really lays the foundation for a elementary classical education. It's well laid out. First, she explains what a Classical Education is and then goes on to explain how to education your child classically. She devotes a chapter for each core subject and then has one for fine arts.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Core, by Leigh Bortins, is a book about how to give your child a classical education. It is written for the elementary aged school child, primarily with home-educators in mind, although someone whose children were in public school would probably benefit from it too.
It is a well written, and fairly easy to read manual. A guide to an overall view of classical homeschooling. It is not really a step by step handbook as the Well Trained Mind or the Latin Centered Curriculum are, this one is less defined- more basic.
I have read most of the Classical Education guides out there, and this one is a little different.
The Well Trained Mind, The Latin Centered Curriculum and Teaching the Trivium are all 'how to' guides with a curriculum guide. This one is more of an apology for classical homeschooling with a few ideas and guides for the how-to.
A good book, well worth the read for anyone interested in classical homeschooling and trying to implement it with the elementary aged school child.

[Rebekah McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book about why the classical method is laid out the way it is, with practical insight on how to homeschool. I’m excited to start the semester!

[Kaiden Tolkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough. Very helpful.

At times I found Bortins a bit arrogant, which was a turn off. Still, she’s incredibly bright and this is a fantastic explanation of classical ed and how it can be practiced by anyone, even those sending their kids to (or teaching in!) public schools.

Things I’ll take into my teaching:
- the goal is NOT learning everything but knowing HOW to learn anything
- memorization is the key to a well trained mind
- middle schoolers want to be with friends and love to argue. Harness this by encouraging group work and facilitating debates to hone in their logic and reasoning skills
- never flatter your students. They see right through it (and Proverbs has a thing or two to say about it...). Offer encouragement, then constructive feedback
- learning cursive IS an important skill because it encourages attention to detail and emphasizes that beauty, not just functionality, is valued
- math and English are the same at their core. They both use symbols to convey meaning and both have a grammar and logic for ordering these symbols into things of value and beauty (I don’t hate algebra anymore 😭)
- GEOGRAPHY ought to be used like a “coat rack” to hang knowledge from other subjects on. Encourage students to plot Civil War battles in an atlas. Locate the world’s coral reefs on a globe. Calculate the circumference of the Tropic of Cancer. Draw a map of Wordsworth’s Lakes District (Holy crap I love geography!!!!!!!!)
- in science, learning the intricacies of species has power. “We feel more intimate with the creation we can name.” (Dang there’s a paper on Adam in the garden there)
- use the common arts to make science real!

Hooooray I’m excited to teach

[Ardyth]

Bought this because I heard it has great guidance for drawing maps from scratch, and I need that. While we did enjoy doing Draw the World: An Outline of Continents and Oceans, I would like us to draw our region (Southeast Asia) as well as major physical geography features, and don't love the other books in that series for these particular goals.

The map drawing portion does offer an interesting, low stress approach which I think I will try.

But I hate the philosophy behind most of this book. Loads of people are into it, given the Classical Conversations brand is still going strong... but, for me, facts without context are yuck.

YMMV.

[Taylor Moxley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content is good and I agree with most of the author’s arguments in favor of a classical education. However, the way the author presents her perspective comes off a bit like a classical education through homeschooling is the only way to give our kids a valuable education and teach them to love God. I cannot support the ideal that this is the best path for every child and family when it comes to a spiritual and general education.

[Marks54 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once you start reading this, it becomes clear that the intent of this book is to introduce the ideas of a "classical" education to parents considering home schooling for their children. The book is clearly written, moves along well, and does provide some distinct ideas for what to do if home schooling is chosen. I have little doubt that, if followed through, this book can contribute to a successful home schooling experience. The author, who is an active blogger on these topics, has successfully presented what she set out to present.

So why did I say this was only "ok"?

The problem was that I had higher expectations when I bought the book. I had read about it in some review that linked it together with some additional works on the role of classics in education, mostly about the continuing rationale for an undergraduate program. Well, when I got around to this book after reading the others, such as by Martha Nussbaum, it did not stand up well in comparison.

To start with, the idea of "classical education" here is ambivalent. On the one hand, there is homage to the three part medieval curriculum of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. But, then in practice, these become three general approaches to learning basic subjects : 1) learn the foundational elements and components of an area and the basic rules of order (and repeat them a lot to burn them into memory); 2) learn the logics of manipulation and practice them a lot - learn to write sentences and paragraphs (and to rewrite the paragraphs of the greats); 3)finally, learn to present what you have learned to others, with style and effectiveness - ah... Cicero! These ideas are all well and good and I do not wish to argue against many of the points that Bortins raises. On occasion, I used them in helping my four children - now all largely grown -- to read more and think more critically. The problem is that this sort of "classical" education is different from the original medieval model, in ways too difficult to go into here. Along with this basic ambivalence, references to other versions of "classical" education come up as well. Bible study is mentioned liberally. Colleges that offer a "great books" curriculum - St. John's, for example -- are also featured. Again, these are fine, but to throw these models into the mix together as "clasical" without trying to clarify the differences is not in my opinion very effective.

There is a more troubling contradiction here. The motivation for home schooling, although never entirely clear, has much to do with the perceived (and often very real) failings of public "specialized" approaches to primary education. This approach is supposed to reintroduce and reinforce rigor and thoroughness in education that will over time lead to better prepared students. But throughout the book, Bortins is playing the cheerleader to parents interested in doing this. So, a real question is what type of an education to the parents need to make this work? If parents were brought up in a limited non-classical environment, if they have not read the great books, if they do not know Greek, Latin, or other more modern languages, then how can they effectively teach their children? Bortins seems to suggest that parents should just do their best, learn while they do this job, and not worry, since everything will work out given sufficient effort and proper motivation. But isn't that the same criticism that is often directed at public schools -- under educated and under prepared teachers who have not mastered the very subjects they are trying to teach? Why can this be surmounted by home schooling? If "classical" learning is really a lifelong pursuit, then can it really be picked up on the fly? Bortins is silent on this contradiction.

Another problem I had was that the book discusses forms and processes and steps to take, but talks very little about the actual content ideas. To put it bluntly, this does not read like a book written by a classically educated thinker/writer. I was interested to know what she thought a difficult philosophical problem was - at one point she was happy that one of her sons had picked up and started a philosophy book during their regular home reading times. Well, what book was it? What did he think of it? What did Bortins do/say to guide her pupil in working through difficult issues or resolve difficult issues such as arise in classic philosophy texts?

The author is careful not to be on the wrong side of the PC police and delicate topics are not gone into -- race, sex, family stability, values as an aid to personsl decisions, etc. You know, just the topics that are important in raising young students. I understand the need to be careful.

Net net, I expected much more from this. Much of the material was on the order of "God, mother, and country" agreeable at general level with all the difficult issues left to the details. That is not helpful. I realize that she wasn't trying to do this, but that is why the book was only "OK" for me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the chapter on Geography. I want to do more actual drawing of maps rather than just coloring them in. The rest of this book sort of bugged me because there is so much emphasis on memorization. Memorizing facts hasn't been, at least at my house, the "fun" or "exciting" experience that she makes it out to be in the book. My kids learn better by being immersed in a subject and reading and reading about that subject rather than just sitting to memorize a bunch of facts or timeline as she describes in this book. We do memorize poetry, scripture and some dates but certainly not an entire timeline.

I think Susan Wise Bauer in the Well Trained Mind or Charlotte Mason have a more enjoyable (for everyone) approach to Classical Education.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, practical introduction to why educate your children in your home, using the classical model. Much of the material will be repetitive for those that have read similar books, but the strengths in this book are that it is short, yet gives good examples of the expectations for each stage of the trivium, as well as material to cover.

Bortins is good at encouraging parents that they can give their kids a great education using the classical model, and also creative in how to actually do it.

This is an excellent, short introduction and survey of what classical Christian homeschooling is all about.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for further research into the classical model. Useful, and I didn't really notice the haughty tone noted by other reviewers. There were some great suggestions and ideas incorporated throughout. A fine overview of the model that takes a lot less time to read than does "The Well-Trained Mind"! (But you really should read WTM, too...)

[Tammy Schilling · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book isn't awful, but I feel like it suffers the need of a stronger editorial hand. The author's style is supposed to be, I think, conversational...to me it comes off as a bit rambling and lacking in organization. I think perhaps she tried to do a bit more than she was able and didn't quite make it there. I honestly sympathize. I have been classically homeschooling for 20 years and when people ask me about it, I feel like what I say sounds a lot like this book. You get a little bit of philosophy, a few examples and anecdotes, and a handful of practical hints. It's all in there, but it's not organized nor is it strong in any of those areas.

I'm not really sure who this book would be good for. If you are new to homeschooling or classical education in general, I don't think you will find much (or at least not enough) that is practically useful to you. I would say a new homeschooler might get something out of the first half of this book.

If you are an experienced homeschooler looking for a way to practically implement classical education, I would look at Memoria Press and Susan Wise Bauer materials. Also the Classical Conversations community model is actually very doable and practicable (which might not seem the case to readers of this book).

If you are an experienced homeschooler, and especially an experienced classical homeschooler, looking for a deeper look at educational philosophy I would suggest the books Norms and Nobility and Climbing Parnassus.

I suppose that's the problem with this book. It's not that there is anything awful about it, but it seems to have tried to be all things and ended up being nothing in particular.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for understanding the Classical method. I would say though, if I had to pick between this and The Well Trained Mind, I would go with WTM.

I would consider the methods in this book a supplement, and not a full curriculum. I don’t think memorizing a history timeline is enough, and not much advice was given on actual history books or history curriculums to use. You know the actual meat you’re supposed to digest with that history timeline you memorized so you would have proper context.

I see the benefit of memorization, but to me those facts are supports. They help you understand and move through the actual material you are dealing with. This book may come off as, “memorize facts and that’s enough”, when it really isn’t.

The most useful part of this book to me is the chapter on geography and maps. That’s an area I’d like to improve in my homeschool and I thought the method described was excellent.

I have never done Classical Conversations. I’ve seen some negative opinions given on YouTube and various blogs, and while that may have (probably) skewed my perception of this book a little - I did my best to read and digest the content of this book outside of the context of “this is Classical Conversations”. I think there’s a lot of good stuff here, and I think it could be used to supplement a good curriculum.

[Jenna Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are about to enter our second year of classically homeschooling and I feel so encouraged and empowered to proceed after reading this book. Resources and practical applications for homeschool families and also some ways families that cannot homeschool but would like to implement classical methods alongside their children’s schooling elsewhere can be found in the pages of this book. Really enjoyed the read, got a lot out of it, and will definitely be reading again even if to just reference different subjects. Have sticky notes with you or a place to jot down applications you’d like to implement in your home. Definitely one I would recommend to families who want to take on the classical method of educating their children.

[Molly Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was thankful to read this book, as it was helpful in understanding a bit more of classical education and even the specific purposes of Classical Conversations. She made a few sweeping generalizations, which is unfortunate, and her writing sometimes lacked organization or a clear direction. However, it was an easy read and a helpful one.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super insightful in the realm of classical education - the foundations and reasoning behind why classical education works. This book has reminded me of my WHYs.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was helpful for me in better understanding the approach used by Classical Conversations (the homeschool curriculum my children use). I'm thankful I read it.

[Melissa Lawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time through. The first time I read it, I was new to classical schooling and overwhelmed so nothing really stuck with me. Now that I know how it goes I felt like the hook was a better tool to help me use my time better homeschooling my kids.

[Brianna Jade Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to implementing classical education for many subjects at home. An easy read, but densely packed with information and resources. An invaluable homeschool guide!

[Nathan Douthit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It made me excited about educating my children. I will say that there is a nostalgia and emphasis on some prior “golden ages” that is almost certainly misplaced.

[Jennifer Moughon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leigh continues to remind us of the purpose of education along with consistently equipping us, the most important and influential teachers in our children’s lives!

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I wish I’d read this years earlier. This information would have greatly changed the way I educated my older children. I’m now quite excited about moving forward in my youngest child’s homeschooling journey. I highly recommend this book to all parents. Which also leads to recommending that if you are considering homeschooling, that you check into Classical Conversations.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with real life principles and ideas for keeping education classical while using materials available today.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been very eager to get my hands on this book. I've never seen it on a good sale so I've always told myself, maybe later. Then I discovered the library had it, so I figured I'd pursue it there. This morning when I was headed to pick it up from the holds desk a friend listed it for sale on-line and I got very excited. I decided to borrow it from the library anyway just to see how excited I could get.

Well, I'm not excited anymore. I read The Conversation last week for review and knew I wanted to read The Core. (Think Core = Elementary, Question = middle, and Conversation = high school) I really enjoyed 'The Conversation' but I wasn't enthralled with The Core. It has the argument of what and why I'm doing what I am. But it doesn't have the meat that I was looking for.

In general I can tell you that I am extremely enthusiastic for the Classical Conversations Act & Facts History and Science Cards and love using them in our homeschool. I also have really enjoyed going through The Conversation and thinking toward the future with a lot of practical advice. Yet The Core left me unfulfilled and if you're trying to find a Classical Christian Education guide while considering the elementary primary years I do not think that this is it. I much prefer the Latin Centered Curriculum and The Well-Trained Mind, 3rd edition. Climbing Parnassus is next on my to-read list.
This review was originally posted on www.CreativeMadnessMama.com

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in very accessible prose and is more a lengthy essay on why classical education is important than a reliable how-to guide. Ms. Bortins does a great job of making a case for a classical approach to education and her passion is inspiring. For that reason alone, I would recommend this book to anyone dissatisfied with the education their child is receiving. It provides such an optimistic view of teaching children how to learn, and learn well. There is a certain element of marketing for Ms. Bortins organization but it didn't read as much like a brochure as I expected it to do. Most importantly, I feel inspired to tackle another school year at home with passion and new ideas and excitement.

[Cheryl Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking the abstract notions of the Classical model and making them concrete and even manageable is the premise of this book, and the author's company, Classical Conversations. I found this book to be highly readable, and even comforting, encouraging, while being engaging and even a little admonishing. As Leigh lays out the Classical model in terminology and in terms of practicality, she also gives you insight into our historical and current educational history. Sometimes this may feel like a revelation, sometimes like a friend's good-natured slap in the face.

I recommend The Core to anyone wanting to understand home education and anyone who wants to step into the Classical philosophy of educating. This is a great starting point for both interests and endeavors.