Unlike the public school system, Classical Christian Education trains the whole child – the heart as well as the mind.
Students are trained to know God, to see His hand in each subject, and to get to work from a place of wonder and awe.
St. George Christian Academy brings glory to God by equipping students to think critically; to love learning; and to see truth, goodness and beauty in all things.
Distinctive Qualities of Classical Christian Education
The Trivium
The first distinctive feature of Classical Christian Education is the Trivium, which was a method of the medieval liberal arts tradition. It offers what are called, "the tools of learning." Trivium is a Latin word meaning, "the place where three roads meet." These three roads are: Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric. These are not just subjects - they are methods. In 1947, Dorothy Sayers suggested lining the stages of the Trivium with each of the major stages of a child's development. This became the model for Classical Christian Education. (You can read her lecture "The Lost Tools of Learning" below!)
In the Grammar stage (elementary), students have a large capacity for absorbing information through memorization, song, and movement. In the Logic stage (Middle School), students typically want to argue and to know why and how things work. In the Rhetoric stage (High School), students work to find their voice.
Classical Christian Education notices the way that God has made children, and teaches them accordingly.
Great Books
Integration of Disciplines
Integration of Disciplines
Classical Christian Education uses the great books of western culture - not just Christian books. We believe God created His world with truth, goodness and beauty, and that - since He is the source of beauty - his fingerprints are in everything that that is beautiful. The person who studies these beautiful works in light of God's revelati
Classical Christian Education uses the great books of western culture - not just Christian books. We believe God created His world with truth, goodness and beauty, and that - since He is the source of beauty - his fingerprints are in everything that that is beautiful. The person who studies these beautiful works in light of God's revelation grows not just in knowledge, but in wonder at the beauty of their Creator.
Integration of Disciplines
Integration of Disciplines
Integration of Disciplines
Classical Christian Education integrates all subjects, so that each subject relates to another, and exalts Christ. For example, English and History do not stand alone - they interact with each other. Beyond that, Scripture is used to inform how we view the content that is studied.
The goal of Education
Integration of Disciplines
Whole-Body Approach to Music
We believe school and education are often two very different things. Many public school administrators struggle to answer the question: Why do we learn? The answer here is simple: To honor God, and to grow in virtue, wisdom, worship. We don't believe education is just to get ready for college or a career. It is much richer than that.
Whole-Body Approach to Music
Whole-Body Approach to Music
Whole-Body Approach to Music
The Kodaly Method uses whole body movement and hand motions to teach the early grades the grammar of music. This prepares them to begin learning an instrument, to sing and to engage in a lifetime of fully formed music proficiency.
Art
Whole-Body Approach to Music
Latin
Studying and imitating the great artists of western society, in all their various forms, is crucial to a Classical Education. As with everything, the Trivium is the predominant method for teaching art. At the Elementary level, students learn the grammar of art, then the logic (the 'why'). Finally, in the rhetoric stage, students learn to make something beautiful of their own.
Latin
Whole-Body Approach to Music
Latin
We study Latin as the language of the church and theology. Its structure also serves as a key to learning many other languages easily. Students will be able to learn other languages far easier later on in life!