Does anyone ever ask you the question: “What is this classical, Christian education all about?” One of the tasks that we have as a school family is to simply and clearly articulate the answer to that question.
I recently had opportunity to share the “basics” with several families who are looking at Freedom for the first time and asking that very question. Is it curriculum? Is it subject areas? Is it the Latin, Logic, and Rhetoric? What allows us to consider our (here’s the big educational term) “pedagogy” or instructional methods as “classical and Christian”? Certainly, the curriculum we choose and the classes we teach tie into this, but I believe it is important we understand that what makes us “Classical” is not necessarily the “what” we teach, as much as it is the “how” we teach, and the ultimate goals we have for our students.
I would suggest that most know there are three basic phases called the trivium (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric). We also know that our curriculum is a little different in its approach, but most importantly and what we are consistently working on as a school, is the methodology of education, with desired goals and outcomes in how we teach.
Consider the following quote from one of the most brilliant minds in recorded history, Albert Einstein. He was once was asked by a reporter, “What is the speed of sound?” and he answered, “I don’t know offhand. I don’t carry information in my mind that’s readily available in books.” The ability to think is more valuable than learning facts. This, in essence, is the most critical piece of a classical, Christian education. There are two basic tenets or components that we strive towards and work to implement in the classroom:
- We first and foremost want to view all subject matter through the lens of Scripture, making it distinctively Christian. The contrast to this would be: Learn material and then go to the Bible to see if it agrees or not. We will unashamedly filter all subject matter through the lens or filter of the Word of God. That is, as I like to say, a hill we will die on. Thus, when confronted with an idea like theistic evolution, we are going to direct our thinking first to what Scripture literally says on this critical area and then put “man’s teaching” to the test of Scripture.
- Secondly, we want to teach students to think and discern as they grow and mature in their walk and ability to interact with subjects in school, college, and life. As the tribe of Issachar, they “understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do.” Biblical discernment is a critical aspect we want our students to learn. The ability to think is more valuable than learning facts. I challenge our teachers that if the high majority of what students are learning at the upper levels can be “Googled,” we are likely missing the mark. Certainly, content is important, but what we do with that content is the way we assess learning on an ongoing basis. We want students who have the ability to think, discern, synthesize, and evaluate information from a Biblical worldview.
At the end of the day, content is great, but so is Google. We are striving to lay a foundation of Biblical truth and knowledge in the early years, and then cultivate a discerning mind as they move up the continuum of education at Freedom. It is our desire, as is a prevalent phrase in classical circles (Dorothy Sayers’ mantra) to give our students the “The Lost Tools of Learning.”
I trust this may help you a little in the journey of classical, Christian education. Thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow right along with the students in this journey of education and life.
