Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education

This author is amazing and spot of with his view on Catholic education and how to reorient our methods aimed at Christ and the Eucharist. It’s a beautiful book.

The wording in the book caused an aching in my heart and a deep longing to stir. But, I had issues with the authors precision.

I got this book for an online book club discussion, and I really enjoy it. The reader doesn't need to be Catholic to enjoy or gain knowledge from the book. Don't let that throw you off. The book also contains great history on education in general. This was a nice hidden gem of a find!

Excellent read on classical educational philosophy from a distinctly Catholic perspective! I found myself highlighting so much that I had to stop and restrict myself lest the entire book end up yellow. I definitely recommend this to Catholic parents and educators.

This book has challenged me as a homeschool mother, parent, and Christian. Caldecott explores the meaning of each part of the trivium, re-imagining what we call each one so that we can see their many facets and applications for education and for the soul. He then gives us a vision for classical education in today's world. One of his many strengths is the synthesis of the writings of great thinkers including Chesterton, Pope Bendift XVIII, Augustine, Aristotle, and educators such as Charlotte Mason and others. An amazing book!

This is the best book on educational reform/theory that I have read in many years. It's challenging in parts, but worth the effort. Of great interest: He recasts the traditional "trivium" in a Trinitarian framework. This isn't just a theory; it's a description of reality. He is describing something that is TRUE about language and humanity, something I am only beginning to comprehend. I'm going back through and re-reading it! I especially appreciate his nod to Charlotte Mason and her wisdom.

Catholic philosophy of education books tend to be thought provoking, this one is not an exception. It makes use of personalism, a philosophy that "gives priority to the person as distinct from the individual." The individual is a human in society (external), the person is a human's identity (internal). This approach is important because it requires teachers to take into account the collective and the person. As part of this, Catholic personalism values tradition because it purpose "is to serve the personal growth and development of man." Liturgy plays a key role in preserving tradition and man's development. The Protestant James K.A. Smith is nodding vociferously in agreement here. But, while this approach values tradition and liturgy, you do not need to worry about mindless repetition, because that misses the point of both. "True human memory is not mechanical repetition; it is an organic assimilation and appropriation." So, learning isn't some dull, lifeless activity within a Catholic personalism. What teachers should do is "make the content of the curriculum relevant to the everyday life of the pupil, it is essential not to shrink the content to match the pupil’s present experience, but to expand the life of the pupil to match the proposed curriculum."My primary critique of this book stems from the fact that I am not Catholic, I am protestant. So I think the author takes an overly idealistic view on children and doesn't have a proper view on how to interpret the Bible, this distorts portions of the book making them less helpful than they otherwise would be. There is also a strangely positive view of unschooling that likely stems from the highly idealistic view children.I'll end with the book quoting G.K. Chesterton.What modern people want to be made to understand is simply that all argument begins with an assumption; that is, with something that you do not doubt. You can, of course, if you like, doubt the assumption at the beginning of your argument, but in that case you are beginning a different argument with another assumption at the beginning of it. Every argument begins with an infallible dogma, and that infallible dogma can only be disputed by falling back on some other infallible dogma; you can never prove your first statement or it would not be your first.All arguments are ultimately faith based, whether they are religious or not. I greatly appreciate that the book acknowledges this fact. Many philosophy of education books could be improved if they followed in its tracks and did likewise. Protestant educators would be well-served in reading this book.

I chose this book to bring some of the classical perspective to my own classroom. It's an inspiring read and provides lots of great history and philosophy. Caldecott's perspective is built on some giants in the fields of philosophy and education. Recommended for any teacher or homeschooler that wants a unified vision for education.