“A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century”

The conveyor belt was first introduced into the world of manufacturing in the late 18th century. It was 1st used in mining, and then Henry Ford implemented the 1st conveyor belt assembly line.  It was a fantastic invention during a manufacturing boom, which helped to increase factory output.  The concept behind the conveyor belt soon spread to the education system.  Much like cars moving through an assembly line, our children are rolled along their education journey begin given the required information and moved on to the next lesson.  The issue is, our children aren’t products.  

Anyone who has paid attention to the field of education in the last ten years knows that it is on life support.  Oliver Demille wrote A Thomas Jefferson Education in 2000.  Many of the issues addressed in this book have escalated to a level of crisis.  The premise of the book is that our education system is poorly designed.  Instead of trying to teach the children, we need to inspire them to have a desire to learn on their own.  Demille suggests that our current system is set up as a conveyor belt–moving all students through the same subjects at the same pace, regardless of readiness or interest.  A TJE is based on the education of our founding fathers and other great leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Aristotle, who all learned through the study of classics and with the guidance of mentors.  

The goal of a TJE is to teach students to take responsibility for their own education and to become great thinkers and great leaders.  Our current system produces trained workers who cannot think critically, leading to the leadership crisis we are witnessing today.  How do we move away from the conveyor belt system and to one that focuses on creating leaders?  Demille states that we need to study classics.  If we can’t find schools that do so, we need to create them through homeschooling. 

 We need to break away from the government issued academic schedule.  Instead, we must realize that children from 0-8 years learn best through work-play.  They need to explore, investigate, observe, listen, discuss, and participate in daily activities.  They should focus on life lessons such as right/wrong, good/bad, true/false, and routines.  Having children younger than 8 sitting and working at desks for the majority of the day squashes their natural desire to learn.  Between the ages of 8-12, Demille states students should develop a love of learning.   This is easier to accomplish when they have been nurtured and educated in a work-play manner.  From 12-16 years, they should be accountable for their own education.  They should take ownership of their self-paced schedule with deadlines, expectations, and responsibilities outside of school.  By 16-22, students should be working towards, or in, a higher academic education.  

Throughout each phase of learning, students need mentors.  Parents are essentially the first mentors.  We guide them in work-play and then move on to the love of learning stage, where we set examples of work and learning.  Discussion is a very important aspect of a TJE.  Mentors should encourage students to ponder, think, read, write, listen, discuss, debate, analyze, research, and explore.  They should be of high moral character and more advanced in the field of study than the student.   Mentors should help students set goals and inspire them to achieve those goals.  In order to be a successful mentor, one has to become a lifelong learner.  They need to focus on quality, not quantity.  Education is not about checking boxes for completion but instead creating leaders, critical thinkers, and life-long learners.  

A TJE describes how to use the classics as the backbone for all education.  Although it was written 25 years ago, the same issues exist (along with various new concerns).  More people have become aware of our crippling education system since 2020.  The issues stretch far and wide from primary schools to colleges and universities.  The overall idea of a TJE follows a classical education, which has grown in recent years within private schools and homeschool groups.  

Takeaways: 

Can’t study all of the classics.  Choose some.

Hillsdale College has free online courses

Write and narrate about what you’ve studied

Each day, journal about what you've learned: The age-old question of “What did you learn today?” will finally have an answer.  

Cars and devices should be produced in an effcientmanner–moving parts along a conveyor belt makes sense.  This concept however, should not transfer over to our children.  An handmade piece of furniture takes time, patience, and thought.  It isn’t mass produced.  It’s unique and in the end a priceless heirloom. Shouldn’t our children reflect this level of worth? 

Review by Jenny Gwinn