Ep 07 | Reads of Requirement: An Interview with Rachel Woodham
It’s generally accepted that children need good stories. It’s not generally accepted that good stories are the most important thing read to children. We moderns think of fiction as a treat, a bonus, or an escape; it’s nice but certainly not something we have to require for school. This is why many new classical moms find themselves confused while looking over a book list of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and The Secret Garden for next term. If education is about the future, then we have a question: Shouldn’t I give my children real stories to prepare them for the real world?
I’m joined by Rachel Woodham to discuss how stories are a better preparation for Reality and why every mother-teacher should create her list of Reads of Requirement for her home.
Footnotes for this episode
The Still Point | CiRCE Institute column
“Harry Potter, Read of Requirement”
“No Bottom: Delighting in Shakespeare with the Young”
Chance or the Dance?: A Critique of Modern Secularism, Thomas Howard
Brideshead Revisted, Evelyn Waugh
Everything Sad is Untrue, Daniel Nayeri
Bio
Rachel Woodham has been a classical educator for over a decade. Previously, she was a teacher and administrator at a local classical school. She currently homeschools her children and teaches in a Charlotte Mason co-op. She has a BA in Russian from Florida State University. Currently, she is a master's student of Philosophy and Religion in Harrison Middleton University's Great Books Program.
She and her husband, Jay, live in North Florida where they can often be found on the back porch discussing nature and grace. They have three lively children who enjoy digging holes and asking a great many questions. Their family worships at an Anglican parish.
Rachel writes about classical education for Circe Institute in her column, The Still Point. For musings about liturgy, literature, and life, you can subscribe to her Substack, Mud and Sapphires.
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