You'd Think I'd be a TJEd Dad

I should probably be a dad that would really be excited to do TJEd. On the bookshelf I have The Founder's Constitution, which is a five volume compilation of writings of the Founders. I have two copies of Cleon Skousen's The Making of America (one to loan out and one to always have at home). I have the Great Books series, which my wife and I read out of (she more than I). I have over 60 Loeb classic books, which are classics with the original language (Latin or Greek) on one side, and an English translation on the other. I have more Great Courses from the Teaching Company than I care to mention, and have gone through a large number of them. And I have a problem of acquiring books and reading them, of all different types and genres although only a few are fiction. I say all this not to impress but only to indicate my heavy interest in the classics, in constitutional studies, in great literature. I don't claim to be an expert or be particularly gifted in any of those fields, but it is where I spend a lot of my time and effort. Based on an introductory exposure to TJEd, I should be a prime candidate. It should be right up my alley. So what's the problem?

Actually, the reason I don't like TJEd may be because of the things I listed above. I was already convinced of the importance of knowing the classics and I already new something about the Founders and the Constitution. I was already converted on these issues, so to speak. But not only that, I already had some knowledge of them. So when I read 'A Thomas Jefferson Education' a lot of red flags went up and many things disturbed me. Something was fundamentally wrong I could tell. When I read 'Leadership Education' by Oliver Demille and his wife, I was really disturbed. I have hesitated writing this blog because I often thought that perhaps it didn't really matter, that some things may be off but on the whole it's ok. Whenever I thought that, I just read over some things I had highlighted in those two books and I become highly motivated to give my opinion.

When I was learning about firearms - how to shoot, how to care for firearms, and how to do all this safely - I appreciated the guys that would tell me what I was doing wrong, or if there were things I could do better. I was glad they would tell me not to use that kind of ammunition, or handle the firearm that way, or clear a malfunction like that. I was also glad they just told me what they thought about certain calibers and certain models, because trial and error is often not the best approach to learn about firearms, especially safety, and you can learn from anyone, not just experts. With firearms, it's different than giving advice on hiking boots or paddle strokes in a canoe. Opinions carry more weight because the activity is more serious. At the range, you expect guys to speak up if they see something they think might be harmful. The range is not a place to take offense or be overly-sensitive, because the stakes are high and no one is going to correct you just because they have anything against you. They'd rather shoot. In fact, if you or anyone else does something potentially dangerous, it may affect their ability to practice their shooting. And that's why everyone is there: they want to improve their marksmanship, safely and effectively.

This is how I feel about this blog. I feel like a shooter on the range, and I look down the line and see these other people doing something that doesn't look real safe to me. I want to spend my time helping my kids learn and to learn myself, not be a shooting line officer. But if I see something I think may be harmful I need to say something. I know that in the homeschooling world, and also the LDS world, we need to support each other and not create contention. This is why I think there's been so little written on TJEd outside TJEd. People just want to be nice and let people do their own things. To me, this would be comparable to being at the range and observing people not shooting well because of bad technique. But what I observe now is more than just bad technique. The TJEd movement is starting to affect me and there are some things that look harmful to me, so like a good shooter on the range, I am going to speak up. Obviously people will judge whether my concern is real, or large, but I am going to give my reasons and make my case. But this is also not a time to be overly-sensitive. The fact that someone says there is something to be concerned about does not mean that person is trying to be mean, or has nothing better to do. Obviously this is concerning enough to me that I am spending time reading the books and writing this blog. I'd much rather be reading Caesar or doing math flashcards with my kids. But I have a duty.

I have boiled it down to a few reasons why I don't do TJEd. It takes a little bit to explain each reason, though. I can't do it in a few statements and have them be very convincing. I also need to back up what I say with quotes from the TJEd books and other sources. If Oliver Demille had to take a whole book (actually more) to state his case, then I shouldn't be expected to write my ideas in a few short statements.

Enough with the introduction...on to my reasons...