Why Classical Education?

There is no greater task for education than to teach students how to learn. Truly effective education cultivates articulate and thinking students who are able to develop facts into arguments and convey those arguments clearly and persuasively. The classical method develops independent learning skills on the foundation of language, logic, and fact. The classical difference is clear when students are taken beyond conventionally taught subjects and asked to apply their knowledge through logic and clear expression.

In 1947, Dorothy Sayers, a pioneer in the return to classical education, observed, “although we often succeed in teaching our pupils ‘subjects’, we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think.” Beyond subject matter, classical education develops those skills that are essential in higher education and throughout life: independent scholarship, critical thinking, logical analysis, and a love for learning.

While challenging students is certainly part of the classical method, education should also be enjoyable for the student. 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 and be taught in ways that complement their natural behavior. For example, young children in grammar school are very adept at memorizing. They enjoy repeated songs, rhymes, and chants. In classical education, the “Grammar” phase (K-4) corresponds with this tendency by focusing on the teaching of facts. During the junior high years, children often become prone to question and argue. Classical education leverages this tendency by teaching students how to argue well. We call this the “Logic” phase, and it focuses on the child’s developing abilities to understand the abstract, see cause and effect, use formal logic, analysis, and criticism. The final phase, “Rhetoric”, is applied during the high school years when a student’s interests shift from internal concerns to the external (how others perceive them). During this stage, students are taught to convey their thoughts so that they are well received and understood by others. Students are expected to concentrate on using their knowledge and reason to express their thoughts in clear, eloquent writing and speech. A typical classical secondary education culminates with the debate and defense of a senior thesis.

The classical method not only works within the natural tendencies of students, but it develops a true sense of accomplishment in students. We believe that a sense of self-worth comes from accomplishment, and the student who excels after working hard achieves a greater sense of accomplishment. By holding students to an objective standard, they gain a true understanding of their abilities. Keep in mind, we also believe that learning, hard work, and fun are not mutually exclusive. Learning should be a joyful endeavor, one that continuously presents a challenge.