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Since their marriage in 1989, Oliver and Rachel DeMille’s educational experiences and philosophies have combined and developed into a dynamic, holistic worldview, evolving into what is now popularly called “Thomas Jefferson Education,” “Leadership Education,” or simply, “TJEd.”
They are the parents of five daughters and three sons–one of whom has multiple disabilities, and several with varying degrees of dyslexia and giftedness–making their experience as home educators broad, varied, challenging and rewarding.
The DeMilles’ insights are informed not only by dealing with the unique needs, learning styles and gifts in their own home, but through their experience in mentoring and consulting with schools and families on virtually every level, and around the world.
Oliver DeMille
Oliver DeMille is the founder and former president of George Wythe University, a founding partner of The Center for Social Leadership, and the author of A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the 21st Century.
Oliver overcame learning disabilities as a child–he did not read fluently until he was almost 11 years old–to become a model student, garnering awards, recognition and scholarships in everything from athletics, fine arts and science to foreign language, writing, and forensics, and graduating as the salutatorian from his high school.
As a university student, Oliver went on a search for a truly great education — experiencing private and public universities, technical and religious schools, corporate and international educational institutions, prestigious colleges and worthless diploma mills; he literally sampled the best and the worst that modern education has to offer, and virtually everything in between.
As a result, he found a small Bible school where he worked closely with mentors and studied the Bible and the great classics in many fields. Although Coral Ridge Baptist University was not regionally accredited, he was so excited by the quality of his studies that he left a large, well-respected university to focus full time on his classical education. He earned the B.A. in Biblical Studies (May 1992), M.A. in Christian Political Science (December 1992), and Ph.D. in Religious Education (May 1994) at Coral Ridge Baptist University.
He has written and spoken extensively about the traditional education system versus his intense mentored-classical experience with Coral Ridge and his mentor–Dr. W. Cleon Skousen. After his Coral Ridge studies, he returned to Brigham Young University and completed the B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Aerospace Studies, graduating Magna Cum Laude (1994). He then devoted his time to refining the educational design and curriculum of the fledgling liberal arts school he founded, George Wythe College (now University).
Presently, he devotes a majority of his time to writing. Oliver is a popular author, keynote speaker, and business consultant.
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Rachel DeMille
Rachel Pinegar DeMille is the wife of Oliver DeMille and his frequent collaborator. Rachel is the owner of TJEdOnline.com and the author of “This Week in History” educational supplements for the home and classroom.
Rachel’s educational history was rather the opposite of Oliver’s, but with similar outcomes: whereas he had learning disabilities that hindered his early progress, she began playing the piano at age three, and was reading fluently by the age of four. Her facility with learning extended from math and science to foreign language and the arts, and she spent her early years in gifted programs. However, as she grew, she found it difficult to “fit in” to the system, and increasingly found that her best educational experiences were outside of the classroom–either through personal study, or with the guidance of caring and challenging mentors.
The youngest of six children, Rachel observed the upbringing of her nieces and nephews, and was deeply affected by the philosophies of her next oldest sister and her husband, who were homeschooling their children through the classics. She recognized the pattern of classics and mentoring that had been her own ideal, and determined to pursue a similar course in raising her own family.
Rachel is the co-author of A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion, Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning and the audio series Core and Love of Learning: A Recipe for Success. She is an accomplished musician, writer, literary editor, public speaker, consultant and momschool organizer.
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