Classical
Classical - Core Value #2
CLASSICAL expresses our educational philosophy. We believe our job is to teach students how to learn not just what to learn. This results in individuals who are skilled, self-directed, life-long learners.
At Grace Academy, the art of learning is mastered through classical education as students are taught to:
Eagerly Gather Information
From day one, we want students to know that the world is their classroom. Our goal is to teach them to always be listening and observing. Yes, they will learn by sitting in a classroom, and reading great books, and memorizing math facts. But they will also learn by playing at recess, exploring in the woods behind their house, and staring up at the stars at night. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”. As much as possible, we want to instill a love of learning into our students.
Critically Discern Excellence
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” It's not enough to blindly take in information. A critical tool in classical education is to teach students how to take what they observe (their knowledge base) and evaluate it to discern what is excellent. To determine what is good and evil. Or sometimes, even harder, to determine what is good, better, or best. The more students develop critical thinking skills, the more we can trust them in life to appropriately apply truth in whatever circumstances they find themselves.
Lovingly Proclaim Truth
As students grow and develop, it's exciting to see them read a book or watch a debate on television and apply critical thinking skills. To see them sift through information, measure it against God's Word, and to see excellence rise to the top. The end goal now of classical education is to teach students to effectively communicate. Armed with truth in their minds and a passion in their hearts, students learn to use truth to shape the world around them for God's glory keeping in mind that if the delivery is not respectable, compassionate, and filled with love, they will lose their power of influence and their opportunity to change the world for Christ. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (I Corinthians 13:1)