Language Learning in the Classical Tradition: My Chat with Dr. Christopher Perrin

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Last weekend, I attended my first-ever homeschool convention—the 2018 HEAV convention hosted in Richmond, VA. 

Thanks to the advice that I got from our Facebook group members, I was ready to make the most of it. I made a plan of attack for the exhibit hall, wore the most comfortable shoes that I own, and made sure to attend lots of sessions to soak up wisdom from the many homeschooling parents who have gone before me. 

One of the most inspiring sessions that I attended that weekend was Dr. Christopher Perrin’s Classical Education 101. While live tweeting the talk, I found myself unexpectedly distracted by my own emotions, so strongly was I moved by Dr. Perrin’s vision for education. Seriously, it was such a privilege to hear him speak, and if you’d like to listen for yourself, you can actually purchase an mp3 of his talk here (it’s number 022). Even if you’ve been classically educating your kids for years, it’s worth the five dollars: I think you'll find that Dr. Perrin’s passion for classical education will refresh you on your own journey towards truth, goodness, and beauty in education. 

Following that session, I had a chance to sit down with Dr. Perrin and chat with him about his experience as a language learner and teacher. Though he now serves as the CEO of Classical Academic Press and Director of the Alcuin Fellowship, Dr. Perrin was previously a teacher of Latin--and he's also studied Greek and Italian--so we had a great time talking about our shared love of languages. 

We recorded a very quick video of our conversation, which I invite you to watch or listen to here. You’ll get to hear about Dr. Perrin’s eccentric and memorable Greek professor, Dr. Dolan, how we can set balanced goals for our children’s language learning, and how he understands the connection between language learning and the development of virtue in our kids. 

I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did, and if you do, please leave us your comments!