Classical Education

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Classical education is founded in the liberal arts tradition of the Trivium and Quadrivium. Students move from concrete facts to robust philosophy in the "subjects" they study. The teacher serves as a mentor in this endeavor and becomes the living curriculum for the student. Equipping students to learn rather than spoon-feed facts is the major difference between this and traditional approaches.  

Christians should love truth, and seeking truth should be the foundation for  good education. Classical instruction trains the student to learn facts, wrestle with what is true, and conclude truth from a biblical foundation. Classical education is the pedagogical approach that instills this process in the student and is thereby one of the best philosophies of education for the Christian student.  

The Trivium is comprised of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These tools of learning are implemented through various subjects, whether a story, a butterfly, or a historical period of time. Students learn the concrete information of the "subject," then puzzle with the material to derive more information, and finally are able to draw conclusions and eloquently present in writing or speaking the information they have puzzled through.  

Classical Christian education is known for its teaching of Latin, but many people assume it is because it is an old language. Latin is the preferred language in classical education because of its deep history and its well-ordered structure.  Not only is latin foundational to the "romantic languages" but its structure reinforces "English," a language in which the students are already fluent. Rather than continuing in English grammar, throughout the primary years, Latin builds on the "fluency" foundation that students have and broadens their understanding of language as a whole.