A Classical Education: Is it Old-Fashioned and Irrelevant?

Classical, Shmassical.  😊  Why would Trinity Prep be 'classical' in its approach?  Especially to many millenials, 'classical' sounds old-fashioned, anachronistic, a bit dusty, like a book laying on a shelf for years.  It may well have good content inside, but you haven't ever picked it up to read, and your life seems okay. What is the relevance of a classical education?

Fair question.  But first, we must define what we mean by classical education.  Different educators and schools define it differently.   What does it mean to us?
At Trinity Prep, a classical approach to education means we commit to:

• Teach history chronologically, and study it every year.  History provides the contextual framework for the present.  Without a solid foundation in history, people cannot accurately understand and assess current events.
• Study history because, as Solomon says, there is nothing new under the sun. Everything that will happen in our lifetime has happened before.  Students of history have opportunity to gain wisdom from studying the past to equip themselves for when they encounter similar scenarios in their future.  We can learn from all past events.
• Systematically teach the skill areas of math and grammar.  They are governed by rules upon which we can rely.  Consistent work in these areas will make students skillful in math, reading, and writing.
• Read good literature that is age appropriate and avoids unnecessary, scandalous components.  Great books may be popular books, but not all popular books are great books.
• Align our language arts literature choices with our history studies, at each level.  Good books can do double-duty by providing rich language lessons AND informing the students about the time period and people being studied in their History course.
• Develop written and verbal communication skills to clearly articulate the information and arguments we seek to present.
• Regularly assess comprehension (in 3rd grade and up) through weekly quizzes and homework, projects, and cumulative tests.
• Expose children to questions and ideas, to foster critical thinking; but expect that their worldview is formed in concert with their parents.  We are not their primary educators or trainers.
• Practice careful reading, analysis, research, investigation, and critical thinking.  Equip our graduates to sift through a deluge of data in search of facts and truth, which lay the foundation for understanding and wisdom.

We believe the purpose of a classical Christian education is three-fold:

1. To support the student’s FAITH and discipleship to Christ, so that s/he will be equipped to fulfill God’s destiny;
2. To discern TRUTH within the copious amounts of information readily available in this information age;
3. To identify, esteem, and practice VIRTUE.

We choose our activities and curricula to support these three purposes.
A classical education is equivalent to packing your car carefully for a long road trip, for all contingencies.  Yes, you can just get in the car, whip out your GPS app, and hit the road with a fair chance of getting where you need to go.  But if you get lost, break down, run out of gas, see someone along the route you wish to help, need to change your route, have an accident, or encounter dangerous weather . . . you will wish you had packed better.  Tools.  Food.  Water.  Change of clothes.  Maps.

In short, our lives, like car trips, contain detours and twists and turns that leave us with decisions to make and problems to fix.  A classical education is a good equipping for life's decisions.  When we add discernment, wisdom, and the ability to think critically to our faith in Christ, we are well-equipped.  And this is the purpose of a Christian, classical education.

Leslie Kent