What makes our education unique?
It’s at the heart of our school’s name – Paideia Classical Christian School. Paideia was the word the Greeks used to describe the formation of a whole human being – instruction in the liberal arts, training of the body, and the formation of character. At Paideia, our aim is to shape the whole person – body, mind, and soul – for the glory of Christ and his kingdom.
An education conducted in submission to Scripture and aimed at developing a Christian worldview. We want our students to recognize that all that is good, beautiful, and true in the world finds its source in God. Students consider the ideas and beliefs they encounter in light of the truth of Scripture. We desire to submit ourselves in all things to Jesus Christ.
An education attuned to the three stages of learning–grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
The Trivium
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Grammar School (K-6)
In our Grammar School, we build a foundation for future learning through children’s love of story and the ease with which they memorize. Grammar students memorize songs, chants, and rhymes, Scripture verses, and information from all subjects.
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Dialectic School (7-9)
Students in our School of Logic are asking “why” questions in earnest. We harness this tendency by training students in the basics of logic and through Socratic discussion in the classroom.
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Rhetoric School (10-12)
Students in our School of Rhetoric practice articulating their own ideas winsomely, persuasively, and graciously. This happens in every class through Socratic discussion, class presentations, written papers, and speeches. Students’ education culminates in thesis projects.
Education as Formation
At Paideia, we take the long-range view of our students when considering their educational experience. Our challenging academic environment is designed to educate the whole student, cultivating wisdom and virtue by emphasizing truth, beauty and goodness in the teaching process. The portrait of who they become when they graduate looks beyond their years here at Paideia and focuses on what they will need as individuals to live life well. For us, it’s not simply about what they will learn and how we teach them, but who they will become.
Few investments have more potential than your children’s education. The way they perceive the world, the depth of their character and how they approach life are all influenced by their education. As a classical Christian school, we begin with the end in mind so that we can help prepare our students for success in life and we are thankful your family is a part of our school community.
In light of this long-range view, we choose our curriculum carefully so that our students meet both ancient and contemporary authors, along with artists, composers and important figures in history. Because our curriculum is not bound by time, we do not judge a book by its publication date but rather by its ability to reflect truthfulness, goodness and beauty. As our students’ study and learn from the great ideas contained in these texts, they learn to imitate their best aspects and they gain experience in sorting out the true from the false as they hold it up to the light of God’s truth.
We choose our teaching methods carefully by taking the best educational ideas from the past, those that have been tried, proven and true, so that we can accelerate the present. The singing, chanting, discussing, memorizing, writing and speaking our students experience are all intentionally chosen to develop and practice the “tools of learning” they need to become life-long learners.
We choose our end goals carefully because our students will eventually enter society as adults who need to be ready for all that life has to offer. Throughout their time with us, we provide our students with a broad base of knowledge that aims at maximizing their humanity. We are focused on developing the whole person – their heart, mind and soul because we believe that a well-educated mind and a strong character, infused with a deep faith in Christ, are essential to equip each student to affect transformative change in their community and beyond.
Why Classical?
A Parent’s Guide to Classical Education
As a classical school we employ a time-proven method of education rooted in the liberal arts tradition, the central focus of which is the Language Arts (grammar, logic, and rhetoric). The goal of this approach is to educate students, not primarily in what to think, but in how to think: thoroughly, maturely, and biblically.
The following is a description of classical Christian education from The Association of Classical and Christian Schools (our accrediting organization):
I. Age-specific K–12 learning
Classical Christian schools use the children’s God-given strengths at each stage of growth to help them learn; young children enjoy memorizing, singing, and rhymes, so a solid foundation is laid in each subject of study at this age; junior-high students are inquisitive, so we develop their ability to reason and discern truth; and high-school students want to talk, so we teach them how to present their ideas persuasively. The process results in graduates who know what they believe, why they believe it, and how what they believe can positively impact the community around them.
II. Time-tested method and content
Classical Christian schools develop skills to equip students to be lifetime learners by teaching students that every subject is comprised of certain defining facts with an orderly organization of the information, and a concise and persuasive way in which to present the acquired material. This method of instruction has been in use for hundreds of years, and is the means which produced most of history’s great thinkers; it is the new “old-way” of educating students with a long history of success. Graduates are familiar with reading, writing, Latin, logic, math, science, rhetoric, and the fine arts resulting in gracious, knowledgeable, and thoughtful men and women.
III. Christ-centered curriculum
Classical Christian schools teach all subjects based on the principle that God is the Creator of all that exists, and therefore all knowledge is interrelated and points back to Him. Biblical standards of conduct are applied in all arenas of school life, acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. The schools acknowledge that God has given parents the responsibility for the education of their children and that the schools instruct those students under the parents’ delegated authority. Most graduates remain faithful to Christ even through college and have a heart to serve others.
IV. Academically rigorous
Students are capable of achieving much more than is commonly thought, and therefore classical Christian schools have high expectations for student learning. Students learn to love the subjects that their teachers love and cheerfully follow the godly example of their instructors. Students with a classical Christian education experience the personal satisfaction that is inherent in mastering a difficult task.
V. Nurturing community
A classical Christian school is a community of parents and teachers who share a commitment for teaching children to love learning and growing in godliness. Smaller class sizes ensure that teachers know their students and are better able to serve them individually. Students know they are loved and not just another face in the crowd while openly manifesting deep appreciation and respect for their parents and teachers.