{"id":27807,"date":"2026-03-05T18:01:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T18:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/classicaldifference.com\/?p=27807"},"modified":"2026-04-26T19:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T19:17:16","slug":"x-factor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicaldifference.com\/x-factor\/","title":{"rendered":"Education’s “X Factor” – Parents!"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

I <\/span>recently visited the social media account for an ACCS school alumni to get details about an event. At the beginning of each and every post was a quote from a classic book. And I remember wondering, \u201cWould our world be different if everyone did that?\u201d<\/p>\n

It would at least require deeper consideration of a post\u2019s content, and might improve the social network world just a little bit. More importantly, it would point to a deeper way of life where we\u2019re connected to other people and times. A life that is part of a greater story. A life where words matter.<\/p>\n

On an opposite note, most of us were taught to say \u201cthank you\u201d and we diligently require it of our children. Why? Because regardless of how you feel, expressing thanks brings a reality home\u2014you are not owed, others are important, say the right thing regardless of how you feel. What would change if \u201cthank you\u201d were removed from our cultural practice?<\/p>\n

The point is this\u2014seemingly minor and even unnoticed patterns can make a big difference. You might have heard the term \u201cX factor\u201d\u2014that hard-to-define ingredient that makes the decisive difference. It\u2019s the variable that separates \u201cgood\u201d from \u201cgreat\u201d or explains why something works when the obvious factors don\u2019t fully account for it. Schools spend energy on curriculum, teacher training, and planning of all kinds, with an estimated 16,000 hours spent by each student in school, and yet headmasters consistently say that parents are key. In my many years as a headmaster, I\u2019ve seen the X factor over and over in people, in teams, in schools, and in families. And I agree with my peers. When it comes to classical Christian education, the X factor is parents.<\/p>\n

And that brings us to this issue of The Classical Difference, where we explore ways parents can be the X factor in their kids\u2019 classical Christian education\u2014the force that brings it home and gives it the highest impact. Being the X factor means, at its root, being intentional about the rhythms of your family life. We hope to provide encouragement, ideas, and practices to help. It might mean instituting small practices\u2014akin to saying \u201cthank you\u201d consistently. Or it might mean being open to new ideas\u2014like adding a classic quote before every post, or asking our kids to read a commonplace from their most recent entry every night at the dinner table (commonplaces are a journal of quotes we keep as we read). Most of all, it\u2019s a call to reignite an awareness our culture is losing\u2014that the home is our central place, the foundation of our communities, where our unique story unfolds. It\u2019s also a call to remember that while the current at your classical Christian school can help to carry your children to the destination you hope, the captain is still you.<\/p>\n

Small adjustments lead to vast trajectory changes over time. Hopefully, the experiences shared in this issue will bring your own ideas to the surface, and chart a more intentional course. And not to worry\u2014no calendar items added! \u2724<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/classicaldifference.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Goodwin-Signature1.png” title_text=”David Goodwin Signature(1)” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” width=”36%” module_alignment=”right” custom_margin=”-10px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

David Goodwin
\n<\/strong>The Classical Difference<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f6f2e9″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

“All tends to the return of the simple truth that the private work is the great one and the public work the small. The human house is a paradox, for it is larger inside than out…”<\/p>\n

~ G.K. Chesterton
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]\"\"<\/span><\/i>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Forging the American Mind<\/span><\/em>
\nA Year-by-Year Guide for Classical Christian Education<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pre-order on Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Transforming K-12 Learning: Practices for Teaching Virtue and Wisdom<\/span><\/p>\n

By David Goodwin<\/span><\/p>\n

A followup to the #1 New York Times bestseller <\/span>Battle for the American Mind<\/span><\/em>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]\"\"[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]John Milton\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Historical Milton (download)<\/span><\/p>\n

View the Book<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]\"\"<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Francis Bacon (download)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Promus of Formularies and Elegancies<\/span><\/p>\n

View the Book<\/a><\/span>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]\"\"[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Ronald Reagan (purchase)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Notes: Ronald Reagan’s Private Collection of Stories and Wisdom \u2013 A Presidential Retrospective of Intimate Thoughts and Inspiring Quotations<\/span><\/p>\n

View the Book<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]\"\"Thomas Jefferson[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Thomas Jefferson<\/p>\n

The Commonplace book of Thomas Jefferson, a repertory of his ideas on government
\nView the Book<\/a>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently visited the social media account for an ACCS school alumni to get details about an event. At the beginning of each and every post was a quote from a classic book. And I remember wondering, \u201cWould our world be different if everyone did that?\u201d It would at least require deeper consideration of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[421,70,22,31],"tags":[256],"yoast_head":"\nEducation's "X Factor" - Parents! - The Classical Difference<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/classicaldifference.com\/x-factor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Education's "X Factor" - Parents! - The Classical Difference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I recently visited the social media account for an ACCS school alumni to get details about an event. 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