Recovering the lost tools of writing has not been a simple, straight line. Andrew Kern and the CiRCE Institute have poured years of study, teaching, conversation, and close examination into our passion to help you and your students know, understand, and use the timeless tools of Rhetoric and persuasive writing.
There is profound joy in studying the Ancients and seeing how they clearly identified and communicated basic truths about how we see, know, and communicate truth. We believe that the Lost Tools of Writing will help your students know and communicate the truth. We also know that modern education has blurred the truth and confused the methods. As Christian classical educators, we are committed to training our students in wisdom and virtue, teaching our students how to think about the world God has created, the people He put in it, and our relationships to all of His Creation. This is sometimes difficult to both measure and map out
Difficult as it might be at times, training in wisdom and virtue is our goal. Here at the CiRCE Institute we are constantly striving to encourage parents, teachers, administrators, and students in this pursuit. We believe that the Lost Tools of Writing is a valuable tool for all.
That’s why we’re announcing a brand new edition to the program. It’s been retooled, redesigned, reinforced. And we believe it’s a great step forward.
But why another edition?
We are committed to helping students learn the art of writing, and in our own continuing education and practice, we too learn more about this art and the teaching of writing. We know that with each Lost Tools of Writing edition, we have clarified the tools of the Ancients for today’s student. We want this curriculum to be ever clearer and more accessible because we whole-heartedly believe that this curriculum can transform the thinking, reading, writing, and communication of your students.
The foundational ideas in the Lost Tools of Writing remain unchanged. We hope and pray that with this new edition, these tools will be clearer and easier for you to communicate and use. We appreciate both the simplicity of these tools and their complexity. When you are teaching students to think and communicate ideas, one reassuring truth is that there are forms, skills, tools, and basic principles to learn and use right away, immediately changing the way your students think and write about their reading. Another truth of the art of communication is the complexity of these ideas. We hope that with this 5th edition, you will be both encouraged and assured and equally inspired and challenged. Once you are a little ways down this journey of writing, you value the forms and structure while seeing the beauty, the variations, the creativity, and the memorable words of a master.
