A Classical Lutheran Education
Wisdom, eloquence, and virtue – these are the goals that a classical education cultivates within its students. The ancients knew that education should be about more than “basic skills” and mere competency. A good education transformed, elevated, and refined the mind and the soul. For thousands of years, the classical arts of learning were the standard for education. These arts were timeless and proven because they focused on the timeless and proven.
The Good, the True, and the Beautiful were objects of this sort of education. Eloquent confessors and wise leaders were its results. Our communities badly need just these sort of men and women. In an endless pursuit of the latest educational dogma, most of our schools no longer have the capacity to judge what is Good, True, and Beautiful, much less teach it. In forsaking the soul for the mind, they have forgotten how to educate both. Classical Education is a return to excellence in teaching, curriculum and expectations.
(The Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education – www.ccle.org)
The Holy Scriptures are the only rule and source for Christian faith and life. Jesus Christ as the center and focus of the Holy Scriptures is the golden thread that permeates all areas of study in the classical Lutheran education.
Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism will be taught in all grades. The historic Christian liturgy and hymns will be an ongoing source of training the mind and the life of the teachers and the students.
Classical education first of all is a matter of curriculum: the Trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric; the Quadrivium of numbers, numbers in time, numbers in space and numbers in space and time; great books; the transmission of the Western heritage. The classical tradition also includes specific teaching techniques, which lend themselves well to the classroom.
Classical Education involves dedicated effort by the teachers, with help from the parents, who guide the students through the Trivium and Quadrivium. The students are encouraged and challenged to excel in learning. Reading a wide range of books is pursued. Many and various resources are used.
Established in 2007, Mount Olive Lutheran School, A Classical Academy, seeks to nurture the soul and mind. Classical education is based on the Trivium and Quadrivium, a tried and tested approach to learning as opposed to educational fads that sweep in and out. It is a proven approach to learning through the progression of knowledge (grammar), understanding (logic), and wisdom (rhetoric), as applied to academics.
New students are welcome and enrollment is open to all. Class size is limited to fifteen pupils. Academic questions may be directed to Pastor McCall at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 656-6687. For enrollment information, contact Ms. Donna Johns, at 656-6687 or email businessmanager@mountolive.com.
