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What
is Classical
Education?
Classical
education belongs to the authoritative,
traditional and enduring stream of education
begun by the Greeks and Romans, developed by the
Church through the centuries and renewed by
contemporary educators. Infused with the
liberal arts and sciences, classical education
includes the language arts of the trivium
(grammar, logic and rhetoric) and the
quantitative arts of the quadrivium
(mathematics, science, music and visual
arts). Students study great works of art
and literature, both old and new, by methods
best suited to their developmental stages.
As participants in the great conversation of
history's finest thinkers, students acquire more
than vocational skills; they prepare for their
roles as informed citizens, thinking Christians
and virtuous shapers of culture.
(Christopher
Perrin)
Why Classical Christian
education?
Imagine being able
to combine the proven educational techniques
used to educate the great minds of western
civilization with the foundational truths and
morals of the Christian faith. That is what is
achieved by a Classical Christian education. It
strives to cultivate wisdom and a love of
learning rather than just teaching facts
and skills. Key classical attributes
include:
+ A liberal education: meaning broad in
scope, rich in depth,
well-rounded
+ A view that man is to be crafted like a
work of art by a standard of
excellence
+ Trivium based curriculum: tools of
learning that are compatible with the stages of
development of
children
Grammar: the
memorization of facts and
information
Logic: the
organization of facts and the discernment of
truth
Rhetoric: the
‘full ownership’ of knowledge and clearly
expressing it to others
+ Utilization of classic written works
from the original great authors along the
continuum of history (The Great
Conversation)
+ Emphasize the connectivity and context
of subjects: the relationship of art, history,
music, language, philosophy, and
science
+ Development of character-building
habits: Attention, Obedience, Respect,
Responsibility, Reverence, Reflection,
Thoroughness, Punctuality, Service,
Self-control, and
Integrity
+ Mind-building teaching methods including
narration, chants, nature study, short lessons,
objective student evaluations, and minimal
homework
+ This rigorous education model can be
further enhanced by wrapping it with a
non-denominational Christian worldview;
“providing continuity between a student’s faith
and his rational mind.” Each child will be able
to see that he is hand-crafted by God and that
he is surrounded by a beautiful world waiting to
be discovered. With a Christian foundation,
Children will also be able to learn in an environment of
love, kindness, and joy, and they will
be able to enjoy a wonderful community.
For the children…Children
are our greatest responsibility. As we look
to the future, we do not know which careers
will be in demand or what problems our children
will have to face. However, today we have
an opportunity to help these precious children
develop into independent thinkers with the
faith, wisdom, character, and tools of learning
that will help them deal with the challenges
of the future.
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