A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille

Look at me, reading a non-fiction book!  I'm quite proud of myself.

Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Newton, and countless other great leaders received their education through the use of two things:  a great mentor and an in-depth study of the classics.  Oliver Van DeMille (who, coincidentally belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints--I had no idea until I ran across a quote by Neal A. Maxwell), founder of George Wythe University, makes the assertion that these great leaders became great because they learned from past great leaders and their writings.

I'm warning you, this book will probably really change the way you think about how you raise and teach your children.  And although DeMille's principles are probably best used in a home school setting, there are definitely some jewels of wisdom in this book that can be used by public school parents and teachers to make us all better statesmen.  (By the way, a statesman, by his definition, "doesn't mean being famous or even involved in government; it means that you demonstrate virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage in whatever you are called upon to do.")

I love his idea of reading books with your children, then discussing and writing about them afterwards, asking probing questions and applying the lessons learned from books like Great Expectations and Jane Eyre to real life.

Here are a few quotes that really rang true to me:
"As students become familiar with and eventually conversant with the great ideas of humanity, they will learn how to think, how to lead, and how to become great.  The classics, by introducing the young mind to the greatest achievements of mankind and the teachings of God, prepare children to become successful human beings, parents and leaders in their own time."

"If we will let them, the classics can teach us lessons without the pain of repeating certain mistakes ourselves. . . . As we read we experience despair, heartache, tragedy--and we learn to recognize what causes them and avoid it in our own lives. . . .First we are caused to think about the characters in the story, then about ourselves, then about people we know, and finally about humanity in general."

I loved the beginning and middle of this book.  There were parts towards the end that I felt were perhaps a bit excessive, but it was a fast read and well worth the time I spent in it.  I hope you enjoy it too!  (And thank you Leslie for the recommendation!)