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Christian Education Symposium |
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
We live in Escondido, California, and have been married for a year and a half. We have one daughter in heaven and another child on the way. Fritz attended St. John's College in Annapolis and studied the classics. Christy attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara and studied English literature.
What gave you the idea for doing tutorials over the internet? How long have you been doing this?
Fritz was teaching local homeschoolers and saw that many had the ability to study the Great Books. However, there were not enough locally for him to support himself teaching, so he began to look for ways to connect with students around the country. At one point, he used conference calls as a method of doing this, but discovered that the internet was much easier and more economical to boot. He has been teaching online for about six years and he has been working with homeschoolers for eight.
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For what subjects do you offer tutorials? Who teaches the tutortials and what are their qualifications? Fritz teaches a five year Great Books program which is a survey of Western literature starting with the Greeks and ending with the moderns. It covers philosophy, theology, history, and poetry, among other things. He also teaches Saxon math (Algebra 1/2, I, and II) and Euclidean Geometry. Every other year, he offers a Shakespeare course. He has a B.A. from St. John's College and an M.A. in Religion with a Theology emphasis from Westminster Seminary. Christy teaches an English literature survey course. She has a B.A. from Westmont College and a California teaching credential. She taught in a public high school for five years. |
How do you address a student's learning style for on-line tutorials?
We do not spend time addressing learning styles. Our job is to give students an opportunity to read and discuss great literature. Not all students are ready for this task, as it involves a great deal of reading and writing, along with higher level thinking skills. We do our best to teach the literature in an engaging manner. Our assumption is that the child's parents will know when the child is ready to take our tutorials.
How old should a student be to take best advantage of a tutorial?
We do not accept students for the Great Books program until they are 12 years old. They may start earlier in our math classes. Some parents choose to wait until their child is 13 or 14 to begin GBT-it really depends on the child and we trust that the parents know their children much better than we do, so they know when their child is ready.
What skills should a student have to study the "Great Books"? How will a parent know that the child is ready?
A student should be a strong reader with at least a year of Latin or Greek (recommended, but not required) and basic writing skills. A parent can test his or her child's readiness by having the child read The Iliad or The Odyssey and ask comprehension questions.
What are the goals for a tutorial and what preparation is required by the student?
Our goal is to help parents teach their children at a junior high and high school level and to challenge and help students in their academic growth. Students are required to read the works assigned to them, write essays throughout the semester, and contribute during class discussion.
How much involvement do you expect parents to have?
We expect that parents will keep abreast of the material their children are reading, as well as whether or not the child is keeping up in class. We have yearly "Flings" which are four days of Shakespeare reading, debating, dancing, and fellowship and we heartily welcome parents to attend along with their children. We also have balls a couple of times a year, which are opportunities for homeschoolers to become civilized while having an enjoyable time doing old country dances. When people ask us about "socialization", we like to ask them, "Would you rather have your child socialized or civilized?"
Would you explain how the tutorial works?
Students log on at an appointed time to one of our classrooms. During classtime, the instructor lectures, asks questions, and starts discussions. Students are expected to contribute during class and will be called on if they are not contributing. Each student needs a microphone, a computer with 28k modem and 166 MHZ.
May a student receive college credit for any of your tutorials?
We do not give credit to students because we are not accredited. It would be too difficult for us to get accreditation in every state, so parents and their ISPs (Independent Study Program) will figure out how to give credit.
What particular doctrine, if any, do your tutorials support?
We support the truth of the Bible but we do not teach doctrine specifically in our classes. Fritz and Christy are personally Reformed Baptists and our affiliate tutors are Reformed or Lutheran, but we support any denomination that believes in solid Christianity.
What sort of "great books" do you study? Should Christians study books written by Greek and Roman pagans and if so, why?
We study the great books of the Western world, as mentioned above. We believe that Christians should study books by pagans, with a Christian perspective, so that they may refute the philosophies of the world with understanding. We want students to learn how to test everything with Scripture. Paul, who helped write the New Testament, was a very well-educated man and he quotes pagan poets in passages of Scripture. We believe that the world needs well-educated Christians who can present the Gospel while having knowledge about other belief systems.
How do you handle something like Shakespeare over the internet? Do you just discuss the play or do you recommend study using other media like movies or audiobooks?
Students are given parts and we read the plays during class. When we are done, we discuss what has been read. Students must also memorize 40 lines per play and recite them for the class.
Several other tutorial groups (Oxford, Alexandria, Schola, Rev. Steve Wilkins) are mentioned on your site. Would you explain the relationship between Escondido Tutorial Service and the others?
These other tutorial services use our server to teach their classes. We do not hire them or pay them for teaching. Each tutor is responsible for his own tutorial service.
How much does a tutorial cost?
ETS charges 400 dollars per tutorial per year.
How may interested parents get in touch with you?
The best way to get in touch with us is to send us an email at: gbt@gbt.org . Or visit us at our Web site: http://www.gbt.org
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