Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning by Oliver DeMille

Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning Reviews

• 
  Heather

  Okay, now I see what I'm supposed to do! Sort of. This book explains a little better the 'ingredients' to a Leadership Education or Thomas Jefferson Education. I thought some of the ideas fantastic and either have implemented them with great success or will be adding them in shortly.
  
  I came away from reading this book (and the other two) foaming at the mouth though. The authors are SO heavy handed - YOU MUST DO THIS, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DO THIS. Everything was an absolute and COULD NOT BE CHANGED or it was not Leadership Education. That just rubs the wrong way. But then I found a small section where they talk about how other people have made changes and modifications and it's still Leadership Education. Huh?
  
  I think the harsh and demanding tone of these books can cause a lot of guilt in persons not able to fully 'comply'. I'm pretty sure the Founding Fathers, which they repeatedly bring up, were educated in similar yet very different manners and it still worked out okay.
  
  For example, they state that the parent MUST continue their education and set the example by studying. Good. I'm all for that. I love to study. But then they go on to say that you need to get that education outside the home and talk about the wife who got her Master's degree with 3 young children at home. Not good. I truly believe that education is good and necessary and even fun. But I completely disagree with the necessity of a parent leaving the home for long hours every day and putting in long hours of study at home during the early years of a child's life. I think it dangerous and irresponsible of the authors to DEMAND that women leave their children like this. You can educate yourself at home. That's the whole principle behind this method! They also pooh-pooh money issues saying that if it's important you'll find a way. True. But there are also many other important things that must be paid for when raising a family. I think it's okay to suggest, but not demand.
  
  They also claim you MUST not have your computer in the main living area because it will detract from learning. Hmmm....what about the dangers of having the computer in a secluded room where one might be tempted to look at inappropriate things? We feel it more important to have the computer in the main area where there is constant traffic. We do have rules about its use though and it's not on when 'learning' is happening. Unless we want to look something up and then I'm all for checking out pictures of constellations or bacteria or whatever.
  
  The authors also encourage you the parent to lead a parent's group or Mom School, take your older children to their 'weekly lesson', take them to their weekly or monthly group meeting, do this and do that. It seems like there's no time to just be a family - you're running all over the place doing all sorts of things. I think it ironic they recommend this when both authors have suffered serious health problems from doing too much. I think it's important that families spent MORE time together and that doesn't include driving all over the place.
  
  Lest you think I hated this book, I didn't. It does have some great ideas. But overall I found it preachy and rigid and I can see much potential for guilt and harm.
• 
  Darcy

  Glad I read this book (well, 2/3rds of it, anyway) as it introduced me to some very inspiring and enlightening ideas regarding education. At first, I thought I had found exactly what I wanted in an educational philosophy/method. However, the more I read, the more I found that the author's stance that there is only one right way to educate a child (if you want to raise a child with the potential to be a "leader") bothered me. I don't agree with that. The book left me with the feeling that I was being asked to convert to a religion, since the author makes it very clear that if you deviate from his methods AT ALL, you will have likely have failed your children and they will never be leadership material. There seems to be a near religious zealotry in this book. This is, of course, my opinion. I personally do not believe that there is one right way to educate a child, even if the goal is to shape a child with leadership qualities. I would not choose to adopt this educational philosophy as a whole for use in my own home, for more reasons than just the bothersome zealotry bit (I have found other philosophies/methods that feel more natural to me), but there are many excellent ideas and pieces of the overall philosophy that I think would be great to take as I want. I would definitely recommend the book, as it may strike a chord with someone else and be just what they need, and because it does have a lot of great ideas and inspiration. Also, I am learning that you cannot know what suits you until you have exposed yourself to various ideas and have found those that do not suit you. I also know that what suits me in the end, or anyone, will likely be a compilation of various aspects of various philosophies/methods. And I believe that how I choose to approach education with my children will likely change over time and/or be different for each child. The more I have learned for myself and the more I know about different approaches to teaching and learning, the better able I will be to shift and adapt as needed or desired.
• 
  Angela Boord

  There's some good advice in this book for homeschoolers who find themselves pulled toward unschooling and classical at the same time. I actually would have given the book 3.5 stars if I could have, because I think it contains decent and practical information, and I certainly liked it better than The Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion.
  
  Unfortunately, some of their good advice gets lost in the way they've structured the book. While "simplicity" is supposed to be one of the hallmarks of a Thomas Jefferson education, they've divided their "core" and "love of learning" section into at least 55 "ingredients". In reality, these are tips to making a relaxed, unschooly yet classical education work with young kids, especially in large families. If they had labeled these tips as "tips" instead of "ingredients", or perhaps consolidated a few (particularly those involving housekeeping, scheduling, etc.), I think it would have felt a little less complex. Also I was disappointed to see that they spent such little time giving practical tips for what they call "Scholar Phase", which is what I think is the part of their educational philosophy that is the most intriguing, and is certainly the most at odds with the "our kids are teenagers so now we have to run them through a standard curriculum approach to high school" that you commonly run into. So that was a little disappointing, although I understand that a child who hasn't been in the habit of making his own choices and having a hand in his own education as a younger child probably won't know how to be independent (at least at first) as a teen. (That's a pretty broad generalization, though.)
  
  Another thing that really distracted me was their tendency to give aspects of normal life capitalized labels and acronyms. For instance, mom and dad getting together to talk about the coming week and the kids is renamed the Family Executive Committee (FEC). When you get bogged down in and annoyed with your studies, you are not just bogged down and annoyed with your studies, you have entered the state of Dissatisfaction (which, of course, gives the writer in me all sorts of ideas.)
  
  But overall I really appreciated their emphasis on inspiration and invitation as a means to education rather than assigning work, and it was interesting to see how similar what they do is to what we do in our home, although we've come to it in our own way.
  
  
• 
  Nola Tillman

  I learned about a Thomas Jefferson education maybe six years ago (based on the date of my review of the book), when my oldest was six or seven. Like many, I wondered about how to best implement it. For years, I think I followed the essence of a TJed, but I stalled out and went traditional when my younger two started schooling, which coincided with my new role as a single working mom.
  
  I strongly believe in most of the principles of the initial book, and for those who want step by step instruction, this provides it. I'll admit, however, that I recently read the blog 'Why I don't TJed', or whatever it is called, and found myself agreeing with its author on several fronts.
  
  To start with, it's interesting to me that the author has built such an industry out of what was initially described as 'simple' - there are how many ingredients and rules? And I agree, this codification has surely shifted for today. Do I really believe Jefferson's parents sat down each week to discuss his schooling in a formal meeting (a point that I strongly agree with the aforementioned blog). Not that it's a bad idea, but I just don't think there was a written contract between Jefferson and his mentor. Between apprentice and master, yes.
  
  There was something that made me twitch through this recent read, and what finally solidified it was the reference to Robert Kiyosaki. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of RK, check my review of Rich Dad, Poor Dad if you don't believe me. However, RK teaches you to build an industry, to have residual income by writing, etc, and to me, the TJed format seems much that way - books to support a college, seminars to teach you everything, and even your very own, must be renewed certification system. On top of that, the author began teaching this 'new' system before his first kid was out of the house...and mind you, while he was unemployed.
  
  All of that said, I think the general underlying concepts are sound. I haven't spent a lot of time researching child-led education, but it's something I've long agreed with, and postponed only because it's crazy-difficult as a single working mom of four. But the underlying effort for me resulted in a 13 year old who loves to learn.
  
  Now, as for this book. The underlying message is sound and fairly well explained, but the actual process is crazy-complex - so complex that you really do need to attend a couple of seminars to figure it out. The writing is good, but somehow both precise in steps and vague in action. It really does leave you wanting more, it does use a lot of fear-mongering to make the reader concerned that they will be one of the failures described, and it really did seem to over complicate things.
• 
  Raven

  For someone who is considering homeschooling her children, this book was amazing. Abounding with inspiration and ideas, I can tell that this is a book that I will return to again and again. This will be a book I open if I ever need a reminder about my long-term goals as I raise and educate my children and when I am looking for extra motivation. Although I am not sure if I will choose to implement all of their ideas, their educational philosophy resonates with my ideals and will provide a strong scaffolding as I work on our home and family life. At times, all of their ideas and "ingredients" can get a bit overwhelming. However, the authors do try to make it clear that we are the own experts of our homes and children and that they are simply trying to show what has worked for them and for others and what they believe will work for anyone committed to leadership education.
• 
  Rachel

  Really REALLY struggling with this book. I like a lot of the ideas in the book but as one who is purporting to be a leader/mentor in his teachings, all I could think as I read this was, "I am so glad I am not married to this man"! The heavy handedness and the demands I do not find healthy. At all! I also found the book to be very wordy and lengthy and again, for one who talks about not having your students get the glazed look...... I got the glazed look.
  
  I am of the LDS faith and worry that those who read this book who are not of the LDS faith will judge the rest of us by these writings. Please do your research before you form opinions. There were so many things in this book that I did not agree with.
  
  Like all things I read, I am taking what I deem to be good from this book, putting it to use, and as for the rest...... glad I have the option to choose!
• 
  Celeste Batchelor

  Update: This is hands down the best book for explaining how to implement Leadership Education (aka TJED) in the home. I use it extensively all year long.
  
  A companion to "
  A Thomas Jefferson Education" and a must read for home educators. Fantastic book! I could not put it down and now use it as a firm basis for how we educate our children at home.
• 
  Shannon

  I FINALLY finished this book - mostly because by the time I got to scholar phase (the section on scholar phase, not the phase itself :) ) I felt so frustrated with everything I felt the book was telling me I had to do, but wasn't doing, or wasn't doing correctly.
  
  I think I should have read the Appendix first. :)
  
  It reassured me that there is no one way to do Leadership Education - and that the things that we have prayerfully decided to include (or not to) are acceptable.
  
  The book in general is very, very useful in particulars and specifics for anyone trying to implement TJEd.
• 
  Nicholeen

  This is a great resource for mapping out your child's education for the year! I use it often.
  
• 
  LaRae

  I liked the second half far better than the first. I didn’t feel like I was getting much out of it, but I did glean a lot of good information from the second part.
• 
  Christy Peterson

  Several times in Demille's first book,
  A Thomas Jefferson Education, Oliver DeMille mentions that he is often asked, “How do you do it?” He responds that it is done simply by reading classics and discussing them. To do TJed right, it is much more than just reading classics and discussing them, although just doing that is a great education. Leadership Education is a whole book about “how to do it.” To raise leaders, many of the ingredients and “custom made ideas” from this book are needed.
  
  Several years ago, I read the two articles that make up the framework of Leadership Ed. This is a nicely revised and expounded. A classic to study over and over, incorporating a little at a time.
  
  This is a must have guide for those of us wishing to get off the conveyor belt.
  
• 
  Jennifer

  This is a compilation and update of several TJED articles and it includes new information. I was really inspired by it and will re-read it many times over. The articles I noticed that were included are: Recipe for Success (my TJED bible), Transistion to Scholar, Scholar Phase, and then several new articles. My favorite chapter of new info was The Leadership Education Continuum.
• 
  Jamie

  This book is an educational classic for me. I have been reading it every year for almost 5 years. I love going back to see what I have underlined or commented on and see what new ideas stand out to me. It is practical and encouraging.
• 
  Abby

  An excellent practical look at imolementing the TJEd educational philosophy. A must read for anyone looking to educate their children or themselves in the leasership way.
• 
  Molly

  I was excited to start reading this book, but it did not deliver what I hoped it would. There were so many lists of "ingredients" and "keys" and "steps" and "things to avoid" and yet at the end I was still confused about what my children would be *doing* all day. I almost didn't finish it, but I'm glad I did because one of the final chapters was one of the most helpful in understanding the heart of what they were saying. The main point I am taking away is that we need to get our kids off the "conveyor-belt" of education today and look at what our individual children need at the various stages of their growth (which I was pretty much already doing, but it helped me identify things that help with that). I was fairly unmoved by his call for a new generation of true leaders to be raised up through this method of education (which as I say seems both too specific and too vague at the same time) in order to retain our freedoms. While reading this book, I also read about some of the unwise decisions made by DeMille and it does make me question what such a man says is the best method for raising wise children.
• 
  Jill

  I'm so glad to finally have access to an in-depth look at how to be a TJeducator. The explicit spelling out of phases (Core, Love of Learning, and Scholar) with all the interim periods and suggestions for activity and freedom from conveyor belt mentality really impacted my mind and heart. I feel freer to do our own thing and not be so tied to a curriculum. At first that's a scary feeling as you realize you get to provide your own structure and inspiration (which definitely can include curriculum so long as it's not used to cookie-cut another child's learning with it), but the freedom to explore and inspire opens up so many doors of education that would be totally ignored and undiscovered otherwise.
  
  The epilogue is truly necessary information and brings clarification and practical application to the brilliant form taught by the DeMilles.
  
  
• 
  Kris Irvin

  I love, love love this book. I am learning so much. I am learning what my education should have been like - what I wanted and did not get from public school. I am learning new parenting (and marriage-strengthening) methods, ideas, tools and techniques. I am learning that it's okay that I didn't get what I needed as a child - I can get it now. This book is very, very inspiring.
  
  My only complaint is that so many of the TJED stories/ideas/methods seem like they revolve around families with many children. Since Toby is my only, it seems like lots of these don't apply to my situation. I'd like to hear more about only child families implementing TJED methods.
  
  Finished tonight. The last 100 pages lost me somewhat, but I think I will revisit them in a year or two.
• 
  Emily

  Leadership Education is essentially a book answering the question the DeMilles have fielded time and again: how exactly to you DO Thomas Jefferson Education in your home. They do have a lot of good ideas of how to set up a family culture of learning, good relationships, responsibility for the home, etc. However, there are just far too many of these "ingredients." Every home is different, and they write too strongly that anyone wishing to raise their children to be good people and future leaders must do all that THEY do. Still, it was worth reading as I try to create a good "classroom" in my home.
• 
  Julie

  This is a great book if your looking to homeschool or to gain more control over your childs education. I am planning to homeschool and this book will be a great guide. The book talks about raising leaders instead of following the generic plan the US governement has implemented because they think they know what is best for your child to learn. Children all learn differently and may not do as well in a structed invironment that is set out for them to learn something they are not currently interested in.
  I would also suggest reading this book if you want to improve your home life, even if your children are in school. There are so many great ideas about managing time and your home.
• 
  Jamie

  Excellent book that has helped connect the dots between several homeschool styles I like. We are eclectic in our approach to home education, incorporating at different times and ages, a mix of unschooling, interest led schooling, and Charlotte Mason; leadership education ties these together for me. More importantly, it helps me have a clearer picture of what I want to accomplish, and how. In short, recommended food for thought for all homeschool families. My only gripe is a somewhat know-it-all tone of writing, and heavy emphasis in college as the only way to complete a "scholar" level education.
• 
  April

  I had a very base knowledge of tjed before reading this book. I now have more ingredients for a tjed home than I can handle, yet the few suggestions newly implemented have completely revolutionized our homeschool model. An "end"goal of tjed (knowing your mission) sits so comfortably with the overall subject base of "the classics"-- as this sense of purpose is itself a classical theme. I appreciate their definition of a classic being interpretted by each individual instead of giving a set list of books. Overall, it left me excited to learn more about, and experiment with leadership education.
• 
  Diane

  This book will be an indispensable resource for our family for many years. Even if you're not homeschooling, there are so many principles that a family would benefit from in this book, from helping children transition as they mature to practices that can be exercised within a family to encourage a true love of learning. I think it also worth noting that the authors manage to address the state of our public school systems without being overly negative or condescending.
• 
  Lekeshua

  Thoroughly enjoyed this read. I felt like my darkest and deepest thoughts on education were brought to life. It's the education I believe we all need and this should be required reading for everyone so they can give it some thought. Now to get over the conveyor belt hangover and let go to the education I want for myself, my children, my grandchildren, etc.
• 
  Leslie

  This book has given me so much insight to education and phases of learning. I am only 90 pages into it. I have to put it down and let it sink in. I will pick it up again when I have implemented the first "12 ingredients" of leadership education. A MUST READ for homeschooling families.
• 
  Sanz

  My favorite part of this book was the "ingredients." I also enjoyed the parts on raising young adults vs. raising teenagers.
• 
  Crystal

  Amazing book! Really transformed our home and I need to read it again just to get it all to sink in.
• 
  Jen

  This book isn't just about education, but parenting. It's mostly about homeschooling leaders, child led learning, but your own learning. Lots of good stuff in here.