What do we mean by Classical?
The education system called “classical education” was developed over two millennia with the goal of producing wise young minds. This education produced great thinkers, leaders, and scientists like St. Augustine, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Isaac Newton, and our country’s founding fathers.
Classical education begins with the Trivium, which contains three parts: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. These stages correspond with how children naturally develop intellectually. These disciplines are not taught as subjects but rather as a method for learning all subjects. The chief goal of classical education is to master the tools of learning, so the student can master any subject.
- Grammar (Grades K – 6): Students are taught the basic facts in each subject. Students are excited about new facts and can memorize easily. For example, they memorize math tables, grammar rules, and presidents using enjoyable songs, chants, and motions.
- Logic (Grades 7 – 8): Students are taught to ask questions respectfully and to put facts into logical order. Students learn to judge, critique, and debate facts they have been taught. Formal and informal logic are taught during this stage.
While we are very intentional about our children receiving a great education, our heart’s desire is that they will love the Lord with all their heart. At St. Stephen’s, the children have been taught by teachers who love the Lord and teach from a Christian worldview.
Rick and Shannon Dennison
What do we mean by Christian?
At St. Stephen’s Classical Christian Academy we not only help students master the tools of learning, but we also help them to become disciples of Christ. The entire educational experience is infused with the reality that God is great and we are privileged to be called to fellowship with Him and to learn His ways.
God is the author of truth, so we teach all subjects from a Christian perspective. Students at SSCCA learn that there are absolute standards of truth, goodness, and beauty that God has revealed to us. These attributes can be found in God’s Word and His natural revelation that is embedded in the cosmos He has created. It is our privilege as creatures created in His image to be able to discover, through our education, knowledge and qualities that are useful to us and pleasing to our heavenly Father. When immersed in an environment where students are held to high standards of excellence both academically and behaviorally, the anticipated results are students who mature to be wise and virtuous disciples of Christ.
The classical method inspires students to love learning. Because this education compliments how a child develops intellectually, students are more apt to enjoy what is being taught. This love for learning translates into an investigation, contemplation, and pursuit of knowledge that lasts a lifetime.
Excerpts on this page used with the permission of Veritas Academy.
