To some, the thought of students in desks facing the front of the room seems like the beginning of the quintessential scene in a time-period film straight from the depths of a boarding school in centuries past- a dower faced old person (man or woman -you pick the trope) sedately manages their class with a rod and cruelty – like they are a warden of sorts in front of prisoners. The classroom, dimly lit, smells of dank mustiness emanating from the wood of desks from olden days; children wait on tenterhooks for the instructor to leave the room just for a bit of reprieve from the oppression.
Sometimes classical schools get a bad rap for being overly rule heavy or too stodgy – places of drudgery – all work, and no play. Order is something a classical school needs. Done poorly, it can be gruesome and narrow, harsh, and cold wielded and maneuvered as a means to overpower.
You see, routine and order are the conduit to learning and joy. Classes start and end in a timely fashion – each day has a schedule that is followed. Teachers consistently practice classroom routines for smooth transitions and efficient use of time so when I roam the halls of Columbus Classical, I see teachers in command of their classrooms calmly relaying a concept or asking a great question. I see hands go up, animated faces, and the bright eyes and cheery faces of scholars taking in all that they can. I hear calls and responses, songs, and chants wafting through the hallway – even a geography lesson, globe in hand, outside the restroom – because learning, review, and practice can happen anywhere in the building. I even hear giggling.
What is the difference between preconceived notions of a classical education and the thing we actually do at Columbus Classical Academy then? Well, one is to replace the sour images we may hold with the truth of what classical education is – a ‘focus on the foundations of grammar, logic, and rhetoric in teacher-led classrooms.’ Then, remember we use the well-crafted Program Guide from Hillsdale College’s K-12 Office – it is integrated and sequentially built for continuity and completion – this takes routine and order to accomplish. Finally, see the humanity in our charges and work to help them know that thing which they are – to love what they ought and understand the world around them through the lens of Goodness, Truth, and Beauty – these things draw hearts to the eternal because order without humanity subverts the transcendental.
Such an endeavor must be consistent, there should be order and respect- a calm that allows the thoughts to sink in, take hold, and ideas to form– there’s joy in that – there is safety in that – there is confidence building in that. When scholars know the expectations, understand they are seen and loved, that they can explore and adventure under the keen tutelage of adults who also love to learn, they thrive – no hardened school-warden needed.
