A school that “shares our values?”
We often hear from parents who are looking for a school that “shares their values.” And to be honest, we often represent ourselves that way—as a school community “committed” to a common set of “values” and with shared “desires” for our children. So, what’s wrong with that? Well, nothing. And everything. In the 1987 essay How […]
The Kairos of Classical Education
Thank you for being here this evening. And welcome everyone, especially to all of our new families – we are thrilled to have you as part of the CCA community. It is hard to believe that it is already time to begin again. Last year—our founding year—went by in a blink. At least it did […]
The Good Roots of a Good People
Classical education, done properly, is about love. It is about teaching our scholars to love the right things, in the right way, and in the right order. Indeed, as Augustine tells us, “it is a brief but true definition of virtue to say, it is the order of love….” And part of having virtue is […]
Divine Gratitude, not Self-congratulation
Tue 4/30/2024 3:45 PM As we approach the last day of our first year of school at Columbus Classical Academy, it is tempting to reflect on all that we have achieved. After all, it has not been easy, and much, indeed, has been accomplished. Faculty, staff, parents, scholars, board members, donors, and community members all—individually […]
The Wonder of the Resurrection
Sometimes just sharing the better words of better writers is the very best we can do. So, Happy Easter to all: “They took the body down from the cross and one of the few rich men among the first Christians obtained permission to bury it in a rock tomb in his garden; the Romans setting […]
Money, Politics, and the Future of America
That may seem like an odd title for a note in a classical school newsletter. After all, isn’t classical education concerned with the eternal over the temporal, the lessons of human history more than the political demands of the present? What do modern elections and national interests have to do with teaching children virtue—the Good, […]
The Classroom as a Philosophy of Education
What should a classroom look like? How should it be arranged? And what belongs on the walls? Is it the teacher’s responsibility, or should students have some say in creating the “learning environment” they like best? Many educators today will give you one of two answers: The classroom either belongs to the students, or it should be about the […]
Books: A Classical School’s Obsession
Why are classical schools obsessed with books? Isn’t a picture worth a thousand words? And aren’t there advantages to the use of screens, like keeping children engaged? Books are at the foundation of a classical education, not because technology lacks any utility or value at all, but because screens in particular—electronic image carriers—are largely at […]
On Why Classical Education is Good for Every Student
Are you inclined to think that the “life of the mind” is for scholars and savants? Have a nagging suspicion that classical education is for the leisure class and the literati, but not for the ordinary, American citizen? Nothing could be further from the truth.
On the Foundations of Self-Government
View children as “little angels?” Believe they are naturally good, needing only to be encouraged to grow? This is the false foundation of progressive education—and it has profound implications for self-government. Thinkers like Rousseau, Froebel, and Dewey changed the course of education in the West, introducing terms like “kindergarten” (a “garden of children”) and planting […]
