Featured Lesson Designer
Keys to the Past
An Interview with Regan Barr
To the average observer, archaeological artifacts may merely be some interesting “old stuff,” but to an archaeologist, they are the keys that unlock the door to the world of people and cultures of the past. Interestingly, according to archaeologist Regan Barr, lesson designer of Classical Archaeology available to members of SchoolhouseTeachers .com, archaeology offers a balanced view of history and makes it “come to life in vivid color.” He shared some excellent information with me in a recent interview.
TOS: In your opinion, why is studying archaeology important for homeschool families?
Regan: I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “The victors write the history.” You could just as easily say that “the wealthy write the history.” It’s important to remember that only those from the wealthiest families had the time and means to get a good education and then have the leisure to spend their days writing. If you depend on literature alone, you’re seeing history through the eyes of the monied elite. But archaeology is no respecter of wealth. Through archaeology, we see how people from all strata of society lived. We also find that those wealthy writers distorted things, and sometimes, they worked from hearsay and just got it all wrong. If you want to have a balanced view of the Classical world, talk to an archaeologist.
TOS: What tips can you offer homeschoolers who are interested in pursuing a career related to archaeology?
Regan: The first thing I would say is this: although there are people of faith working in archaeology, the discipline as a whole has a very secular mindset. Guard your heart. The second thing I’d suggest is to learn the pertinent languages. We were blessed to study in the University of Cincinnati’s Classics department, which was interdisciplinary. They offered degrees in history, philology (Greek and Latin), and archaeology, but every student had to take a certain number of classes in the other disciplines. Everyone studying archaeology had to take Greek and Latin, and pass timed reading exams in French and German. Most archaeological reports aren’t translated into other languages; you have to be able to read them in their original language or pay for someone to translate them for you. Plus, what are you going to do if you dig up a Greek or Latin inscription? Wait until someone who knows those languages wanders by? The third thing is don’t be afraid to get hot, sweaty, and dirty. Working on an excavation is hard work with early mornings. And most of the time, the archaeologist in the trench is either directing workers or documenting everything that is done and found in the trench. When you’ve excavated a trench, all you’re left with is a hole in the ground. If you haven’t kept very detailed records, you’ve just ruined that bit of evidence. No one can ever re-excavate that trench again, so it’s important to glean every bit of information from it. Your documentation should allow you to reconstruct every stratum and object from your trench.
TOS: Would you please share a little about your family’s homeschooling journey?
Regan: None of our three children set foot in a public schoolroom. Other than
several homeschool co-ops that we were involved in, they were never in a traditional classroom until they went to college. And I’m happy to say that all three graduated with honors and are now doing things they love to do. One thing we were never afraid to do was let our children pursue things they were passionate about. Our daughter, who is now a senior graphic designer, was always doodling in the margins of her notebooks. We welcomed that! And we weren’t afraid to swap curriculum if one wasn’t working for one of our children. That’s the beauty of homeschooling! You are free to find something that works for your student. Why struggle through a curriculum that isn’t working just because you paid thirty dollars for it? One last thing that was a big part of our homeschool experience was travel, whether just down the road or around the world. When our youngest was eight years old, we began leading Lukeion Homeschool Family Tours to the Classical World: Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Those were some of our best experiences together as a family and our children learned so much more on those trips than they did from a book. We led tours for a decade, and we can say with certainty that traveling abroad is one of the most mind-expanding things you can do with your family. I like to joke that when we first told our children we would be traveling to Italy, they thought it would be like traveling to Kentucky. They were amazed at how much older everything was in the Mediterranean! There’s nothing like being in a culture where people speak a language that you can’t understand. And yet, when you get to know them, they’re just like us. They love to laugh, share a good meal together, and experience new things.
TOS: If this conversation has sparked your interest, be sure to check out Classical Archaeology at SchoolhouseTeachers.com. This course may be just what your student needs to help history and events of the Bible come to life!
If you’d like more information about designing lessons for our site, please email the Executive Manager at stmanager@theoldschoolhouse.com.
