Blog
In late 2023, ACES launched an ambitious project to develop a classical curriculum package suited to our Australian context that could be adopted (and adapted) by schools. As many of you are aware, a number of sample curricula – some quite detailed and practically ready to pick up and use – already exist in the United States. While purchasing these are helpful in the short-term, what we really lack is a comprehensive curriculum that specifically addresses Australian concerns and, more pointedly, that maps on to the Australian Curriculum.
- Written by: Jonathan Hili
Denise O’Hagan
‘All poetry, as discriminated from the various paradigms of prosody, is prayer.’
-- Samuel Beckett
I never bent my head to tread the short
flight of stone steps down, carefully, or
noticed that they were damply uneven,
dipping in the middle. The silence and
cool never closed their clammy arms
around me, nor did my eyes adapt slowly
to take in the gloom. The single light-bulb,
wire-looped from the peeling ceiling, and
suspended in front of her raised portrait,
never swayed before me. Yet technology
proves an efficient conduit: I enlarge the photo
little by little, notice more. On the low-slung
Conor Ross
Early in October, ACES hosted an immersion course in conjunction with Beautiful Teaching, “Teaching History Classically” with Mark Signorelli leading. Mark has over twenty years of experience as an educator and is the headmaster of Lumen Gentium Academy, a classical Catholic secondary school in New Jersey USA.
Veronika Winkels
Wandering into a newsagent today you will find magazines covering fishing, motorbikes, science, politics, history, new technologies, and more. But the monopoly is still held by what are generally described as ‘women’s interests’: rows and rows of publications about weddings, homes and gardens, cake decorating, craft, health and wellbeing, and, of course, cuisine, couture, and celebrity gossip. How then, could any woman browse these well-stocked sections and still see a gaping hole? Because there is one—where a publication dedicated to the philosophical and cultural contributions of, and impact on, women ought inhabit.
On Saturday 28 October 2023, ACES had the privilege of hosting a stall at the “Benedict Conference”. The gathering was quite sizeable: around 400 in person, with an online streaming presence too. It was held at Australian Catholic University (Cathedral Hall, Melbourne) and principally organised by Fr Dean Mathieson, parish priest of St Joan of Arc, Brighton (Victoria). The focus of the conference was the life and thought of Pope Benedict XVI and how these reflected the transcendentals: truth, goodness and beauty. Accordingly, there was a degree of overlap between the speakers’ presentations and classical education.
- Written by: Jonathan Hili
Patrick Long
‘We believe that teaching is an art and that teacher need to be formed in their craft.’
Beautiful Teaching
When we go ‘through the wardrobe’ in the world of Classical Education, to borrow a phrase from Autumn Kern, we start to look for a map to navigate this wonderful world – I won’t suggest who might be the fawns or White Witches within! It is easy to be overwhelmed by what’s Classical and what is not, what the ‘good bits’ are in more progressive models that can still be used, and so on. Fortunately, Beautiful Teaching, founded by Adrienne Freas, exists to help us find our way this new world of education.
Elizabeth Matheson
Over the past decade, our understanding and interpretation of Australian history has undergone a profound transformation. This remarkable shift has sparked both curiosity and skepticism. Nearly a decade ago, during a casual luncheon, I was taken aback by a confident statement made by an acquaintance. They asserted that indigenous Aboriginal Australians were sophisticated farmers, challenging my understanding of their hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Intrigued and skeptical, I embarked on a journey of investigation, delving into modern scholarship and ultimately creating the book "The Australian History: Pre-History to Settlement," along with a student guide. These resources aim to empower Australian students to explore history, cultivating well-rounded and enlightened learners. A key aspect of this educational approach is fostering critical thinking, logical reasoning, and a deep understanding of the world's intellectual heritage.
Elizabeth Matheson
As a society, we have drifted from instilling concrete virtues in our children, opting instead for a message of tolerance and values. In current times, values are hazy and ever-changing. Instilling concrete virtues in our children has never been more crucial. One way to nurture children's moral imagination and provide them with a moral road map for life's journey is through the timeless magic of classical fairytales. These tales, rooted in Christian beliefs, carry profound themes that can shape young minds and guide them towards becoming virtuous individuals, fulfilling the potential God intended for them.
Elizabeth Matheson
As parents, transitioning from traditional schooling to homeschooling can be a challenging and emotional process. Having been a teacher in schools for almost twenty years, the idea of homeschooling my own children would have seemed incredulous to me when they were born. However, due to declining academic achievement, lack of traditional virtues in education, and progressive educational philosophies in schools, exploring all available options becomes crucial. Looking back, I have no regrets about embarking on this wonderful adventure called homeschooling. In fact, my only regret is not doing it sooner! The success of my homeschooling journey is not solely mine; it relies on accessing resources and seeking assistance where needed. Connecting with others on the same journey is vital for advice, support, and fostering meaningful connections.
Elizabeth Matheson
Educators and parents are aware of the significant issues plaguing our current education system, despite the substantial resources dedicated to education in Australian society. There are multiple factors contributing to this state of affairs, including the teaching methods employed (progressive, student-centered) and the diminishing focus on a comprehensive knowledge base (reduced to modern progressive sensibilities). Additionally, the overemphasis on well-being, which is often poorly defined and disconnected from the development of traditional virtues, has further exacerbated the problem. These areas have been treated in isolation, resulting in a disjointed, disengaged, and disillusioned education system for educators, parents, and students alike.
Zachary Pavlou
Winston Churchill spoke these words in 1943 while advocating for the faithful restoration of the House of Lords exactly as it was before its bombing in 1941.
"We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us."
Conor Ross
While appearing to be strange bedfellows, using mathematics to teach English is worthwhile and has a long history stretching back to the classical schools of rhetoric. To couple letters and numbers might appear to many educators as a strained partnership, a view that is probable due to the pervasive tendency of modern schools and universities towards over-specialisation and relativism. While admitting that respective fields of study should have a practical degree of autonomy, this autonomy does not supplant the fundamental principle that undergirds all fields of knowledge – namely the unity that belongs to all truth. “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe," wrote the naturalist John Muir, an observation also reflected in Charlotte Mason’s definition of education as “the science of relations.”
Catherine Wesselinoff
“Beauty will save the world.”
The words of a madman – or of an oracle? My new book - The Revival of Beauty: Aesthetics, Experience and Philosophy - explores two duelling schools of thought: Anti-Aestheticism and Beauty Revivalism. For the former, these words are lunacy: for the later, prophecy.
In his perennial novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis’s character of the Professor bemoans the state of modern progressive education. “Logic!” he cries, “Why don’t they teach logic at these schools?” Despite there being many teachers who have read the book and re-read it to their children or students, this pointed question hasn’t really sunk in and continues to go unaddressed. The pursuit of logic vanishes like a summer fog in the clamour of educationalists, politicians and social commentators demanding a greater curriculum focus on literacy, numeracy or – God-forbid! – STEM.
- Written by: Jonathan Hili
Michael Connors
As a current graduate student in the great books program at St. John’s College, Annapolis, U.S., I am regularly asked to give an account of what liberal arts education is, and to justify its relevance. I believe that an investigation into the relationship between the terms of liberal education and the liberal arts will help illuminate their relevance and key benefits offered by their advocates.
