What is Classical Education?
Classical education gives students the tools of learning needed in order to think well, and for Christian classical educators, the end goal of thinking well is Godly wisdom. Furthermore, classical education, a time-tested approach to learning, is designed to delight and inspire. Classical education is built upon the three-part "Trivium", which works with students' natural developmental tendencies. In the Grammar Stage (Elementary), students utilize their love of facts, memorization, and stories to amass information. Next, the Logic Stage (Middle School) captures young adolescents' natural inclination to debate. Students explore the logical implications of ethical and moral questions, and learn to do so winsomely. Finally, older adolescents enter the Rhetoric Stage (High School), where their desire for independence manifests in creative, eloquent communication. Each stage of the Trivium is intertwined; similarly, subjects are not taught in isolation, but integrated in order to create complex, abstract thinkers. This approach allows students to develop the ability to find common ground, so that like the Apostle Paul, they might reason well (Acts 17). At Cornerstone, we fully embrace this educational model, placing Christ as the arbiter and originator of truth, beauty, and goodness.
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