Repeatedly I hear Robi Marshall stress that children can learn much more than most people think they can learn when given a motivating school and home environment and high expectations. No wonder our schools provide a vigorous learning environment, classical pedagogy and a liberal arts curriculum in the classroom and at home.
Learning at classical Christian schools compares better to rock climbing than canoeing among the mangroves. It takes confidence, training, equipment, skill and encouragement to reach the top where graduates consistently find success pursuing their post secondary goals. Aware this means teachers cannot lower the bar, parents support with encouragement and refuse to wilt when their children experience temporary lapses in pursuit of the summit – do not look down – just keep climbing! Classical pedagogy subscribes to a timeless approach to developing a sharp, disciplined mind while educational content embraces the seven liberal arts and theology. The students learn the grammar or knowledge of each field of study. They progress to think logically and reason skillfully and then to persuade artfully through rhetoric. Moreover, they study mathematics and the sciences as reflections of the created order known to the Greeks as the quadrivium, the arts as an expression of humane soulfulness and theology as the queen of the sciences. Finally, they view the body as integrated as part of human fullness through health, conditioning, athletics, and hopefully a good sized garden. The view from the top is worth the climb.