Classical Christian Education
A Liberal Arts Education
A classical education is a liberal arts education, meaning it is broad in its scope, taking into consideration how each discipline is intertwined with the others. A liberal arts education provides the student with the skills necessary to pursue any topic with relative ease because they have acquired the tools of learning. They know how to think and analyze various subjects and how to present what they know in an understandable and persuasive manner.
From the Classics
Classical education itself relies heavily upon the great thinkers and writers of the past. Languages of the past, such as Greek or Latin, contain many roots of contemporary speech and thought. To better understand our own language as well as the Scriptures, students at Veritas learn these languages.
Students are also instructed in a study of the classics. By the time a student has completed their Veritas education, they will have been exposed to works of “The Greats,” (Homer's Illiad, Dante's Inferno, Aesop's Fables, etc.) and are therefore able to take part in what has been dubbed “The Great Conversation.”
The Trivium
As for the overall methodology, Classical education teaches each subject in relation to all other subjects, so the student learns in each area amidst the backdrop of the bigger picture of God’s redemptive plan for His people. It involves a three-stage process based on the developmental characteristics of children. This three-step process is intended to provide children with the tools of learning that will prepare them to go on to specialized fields of study and will equip them to learn and to think for the rest of their lives. This three-stage process is called the Trivium.
The stages of the Trivium are:
- The Grammar Stage (grades K-5) children are taught the rules and facts of each subject, including Latin beginning in 3rd (spelling, grammar, multiplication tables, etc.)
- The Dialectic Stage (grades 6-8) - children are taught formal logic and learn to reason carefully. They learn to recognize valid and invalid argument from a biblical world view, making themselves less susceptible to manipulation and deception.
- The Rhetoric Stage (grades 9-12) - students are trained to bring all their learning together into one whole and to articulate eloquence, both orally and through writing. The goal of a classical education is training the minds of children so that they are able to learn for themselves and be able to eloquently express what they have learned in a persuasive and gracious manner.
Additional Resources
The following books are excellent sources for learning more about classical Christian education:
- Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Douglas Wilson
- Repairing the Ruins, Douglas Wilson
- Classical Education, Gene Edward Veith, Jr. and Andrew Kern
- Wisdom and Eloquence, Robert Littlejohn and Charles Evans