Classical Education

Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. (Proverbs 9:9)

Overview

Trinity Academy’s view of classical education focuses on equipping children to learn; to elevate and to prepare them for life. One of the key intentions behind classical education is to distinguish between fiction and reality by training the mind how to think rather than what to think.

Trinity Academy integrates the two classical education systems found in the traditions of Western culture, classical liberal arts and mechanical arts. Classical education honors history, but does not reject present advances in any subject. The present is studied, sitting under the tutelage of the past.

Process

The classical approach employs rigorous mental discipline in learning. Classical education seeks to emphasize that all knowledge is unified. This means that every subject has relevance for every other subject, and thus the well-trained mind looks for the core principles of wisdom from which it can learn all subsequent knowledge. Practically this means that subjects are not taught in isolation but rather as an integrated whole. For example, a first grader or a fifth grader is not taught with merely the completion of first grade or fifth grade as the end goal. The goal of a classical curriculum is to ultimately transition the student into a self-teacher with an understanding of not only how to complete a course of study, but how to learn.

Trinity Academy focuses on organized and integrated learning of all subjects and provides the tools for clear thinking and persuasive expression. As students begin applying these tools, they will be introduced to the practical application of knowledge, logic, and rhetoric in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

• Early Years (Trinity Academy Grammar School) – Provides a strong emphasis on language; origins, structure, and proper usage; Introduces other subjects set against an historical backdrop.
• Middle Years – Develops skills in the proper organization of language and thought (logic and reasoning); Fills in facts and application in basic fields of knowledge
• Late Years – Teaches persuasive and effectual use of language and thought (rhetoric); Integrates the application of knowledge and understanding across varied disciplines.

Additional Reading

An Introduction to Classical Education by Christopher A. Perrin M.Div., Ph.D.