About Classical Education

We believe that we are called and directed by God to prepare our children to be the leaders of the faith in the next century. Therefore, we sought a curriculum that would train for the future by teaching about the past, develop articulate and knowledgeable individuals, and teach from the perspective of a Christian worldview. Classical education cultivates thinking, articulate students who are able to develop facts into logical arguments and to convey those arguments clearly and persuasively. It fosters the development of independent learning, critical thinking, and logical analysis essential to the spread of Christianity. Classical education is a methodology that develops a child's mind through rigorous academic standards with a dedication to order, respect, and discipline. It challenges children by using teaching methods that cater to their natural abilities during different stages of childhood development.

The classical approach developed over thousands of years from its beginnings in ancient Greece and Rome to widespread use in Western civilization through most of the nineteenth century. This is a system that educated most of America’s founding fathers and the great minds of Western civilization. Its revival in recent years can be attributed to Dorothy Sayers, Douglas Wilson, Charlotte Mason, and the homeschool movement.

The real power of Classical Christian Education is in teaching all subjects from the perspective of the Christian worldview. Classically educated students will not distinguish between "God's creation" and "science", between "God's order" and "mathematics", or between "Church history" and "world history". Throughout the curriculum, an inseparable association exists between "subject-matter" and "spiritual matters". Facts, whether scientific, mathematical, historical, or otherwise, can only represent Truth if they are taught in the context of a Christian worldview. Using the classical method to teach a Christian worldview is more than including a Bible class in the curriculum; it shows the natural world and its history through the lens of God's influence and direction.

Classical learning is language-focused, in that learning is accomplished primarily through words, written and spoken, rather than through images (pictures, videos, and television). This requires the mind to work harder in translating symbols into concepts. Because all knowledge is interrelated, a classical education uses history as its organizing outline. It focuses on the four major periods of historical development: namely, Ancients (Egypt, Greece, and Rome), Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and Modern Times. Most subjects are linked to this study of history. For example, the sciences are also studied in a repeating patterns that roughly corresponds to the periods of scientific discovery: biology, classification and the human body (ancients), earth science and basic astronomy (early Renaissance), chemistry (early modern period), and then basic physics and computer science (very modern). Classical methodology lends coherence to the study of history, science and literature—subjects that are too often fragmented and confusing. The repetition of the pattern widens and deepens as the student progresses in maturity and learning.

Disciplining and challenging students is a vital part of the classical method. However, we believe that education is inherently enjoyable for children. The classical method is based on the philosophy that students should be encouraged to do what they naturally enjoy during particular phases of their life. A sense of self-worth comes from their accomplishments. By holding students to an objective standard, they gain a true understanding of their ability rather than an artificial, self-centered appreciation for one's self.