Serendipity is a funny thing. If I had not been force-marching my kids through heavy duty grammar complete with sentence diagramming, their progress through the study of logic would be troubled.
We set out to learn the next step of logic yesterday, beginning to study logical definitions.
We discussed that definitions have two levels: the genus and the differentia.
Immediately the kids recognized the distinction, mostly because they have been learning grammar and diagramming sentences. That previous ability enabled them to easily break a written definition into composite sections and see it diagrammed much the same way they learned to diagram complex sentences.
I have recognized such unexpected relationships in my own life, but never expected grammar to provide insight beyond writing ability and perhaps understanding the structure of foreign languages.
Many parents don’t see the value in trudging through heavy duty grammar or in learning to diagram sentences. I must confess that until recently, neither did I. I struggled to learn grammar myself.
I simply decided my children must learn the skills because the best writers I know of learned grammar and sentence diagramming at a young age. And so, if I want my children to write with ease and competence in a way that I cannot, then the most likely path towards accomplishing that aim is to have my children follow the educational path of those writers I truly admire.
And strangely enough, learning grammar leads to a better and more full understanding of logic and critical thinking.
The most exciting aspect to this discovery is the anticipation of further discoveries in store as we progress on our homeschooling journey. Life truly can be beautiful.
