What is TJed?

In my homeschooling I have been greatly influenced by a book called A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century, By Oliver Van DeMille. This approach is commonly referred to as “TJed.” In my community several families who also have been influenced by this book have banded together and started a homeschool group for support and social outlets. We are open to all, and although the majority of the group does follow the principles described in DeMille’s book, not everyone does. We have often had people come for a park day or two and not come back. That is fine, if we are not a good fit for their family, I would encourage them to keep looking.
Recently we had a new family come to our park day. The question of what is TJed came up. The group turned to me and asked “Flora, what was it you said the other day? You summed it up well.” “I did? If it was good, someone should have written it down!” So I will try to sum it up and write it down.
“TJed is a classical, mentored approach to education incorporating the principals of freedom with accountability.”
That is my one sentence answer. The problem with a one sentence answer is that it produces more questions. I’ll try to answer some of those later.