What is Classical Education?

Classical education is an intense course of learning that seeks to endow students with the ability to master any subject. Through an integrated and focused curriculum, this method supplies children with the tools necessary for higher academic achievement. One of the primary emphasis of classical education is the development of language.

Studies in phonics, Latin, and English grammar are critical to establishing the child's vocabulary and reading skills. Language is the medium whereby thought is transmitted. By perfecting language proficiency, this course of study increases the child's capacity to comprehend new material.

Classical education, however, does not limit its focus to language. On the contrary, the curriculum is both diverse and comprehensive. At Messiah, we employ a total of twelve subjects in our Grammar School to ensure our commitment to high scholastic standards. Our approach is practical but also historical.

During the Greco-Roman era, citizens were instructed in the seven liberal arts, which focused upon the development of language and knowledge of culture. Their schooling prepared them for future civic duties as well as for positions in local government. Some of history's greatest thinkers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle are products of this society.

In the Middle Ages, the seven liberal arts were further divided into two stages. The first, known as the trivium, comprised the disciplines of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Grammar taught  pupils the basics of language - vocabulary, rules, and syntax. Following this phase, they were then able to advance to the more complex forms of thinking and expression, as encouraged in the logic and rhetoric phases. This classical education produced influential theologians like Luther, notable scientists like Copernicus and Galileo, as well as the Renaissance masters.

The second stage of a liberal arts education is the quadrivium. As the name suggests, the quadrivium consisted of four parts: astronomy, music, arithmetic, and geometry. Once students became proficient in these arts, they possessed the academic maturity necessary to study for one of the three primary professions of that time: law, medicine, or theology.

Today, this same classical education continues to provide students with an accessible and impressive foundation of knowledge. By engaging pupils in a "conversation" with the past, classical education familiarizes them with the developments and culture of Western Civilization. Through this process, they become well-versed in works of literature, music, and art. Furthermore, their specialized language skills enable them to become proficient in just about any other subject. They more easily and quickly assimilate the vocabulary and grammar of foreign languages and comprehend the terminology used in the sciences.

In a day when many are searching for the newest educational trend, classical education endures as a time-tested method for teaching children. Through the centuries, it has proven to be both cross-cultural and timeless.