A Classical & Christian Education
At St. George we aim to support parents in their educational responsibility with a curriculum that:
Inspires students to acquire the virtues (Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, crowned by Faith, Hope, and Love) through the inspirational stories and prayers of great Christian men and women.
Engages students intellectually at each level, so that they achieve academic excellence as they work to master the skills of learning.
Encourages a school culture marked by wisdom, humility, and kindness, guided by teachers who model a life that is joyful and respectful of others.
"To introduce children to literature is to install them in a very rich and glorious kingdom, to bring a continual holiday to their doors, to lay before them a feast exquisitely served."
-Charlotte Mason
What is the classical difference?
Classical Christian Educators
DEMOCRATIC: Every student should attain the same level of achievement.
EXCELLENCE: Take each student to their highest possible potential.
SECULAR: Holds the 'spiritual' as personal and separate from education. Avoids deeper philosophical issues.
INTEGRATED: Education is necessarily tied to philosophy and religion in order to train thoughtful students.
VALUES-NEUTRAL: All moral positions are relative and hence all positions must be equally treated.
MORAL ABSOLUTES: Standards of right and wrong exist in all subject areas. Students are taught to make judgments accordingly.
TEACHES FACTS AND FUNCTIONAL SKILLS: Students primarily learn about subjects, particularly ones that help them 'get good jobs.'
TEACHES CRITICAL THINKING: Students learn to think beyond subject-matter. Content is not the goal - wisdom is.
PROGRESSIVE: Always experimenting with new techniques and methods.
TRADITIONAL: Hold to educational standards that have a clear record of success and weighing all new methods in the ancient balance.*
*David Goodwin, Discover Classical Christian Education: the Essential Guide for Parents, 7.
The Parts of a Classical Curriculum:
"The start of learning...lies in reading, but its consummation lies in meditation; which, if any man will learn to love it..and...be engaged very frequently upon it, renders his life pleasant..and provides the greatest consolation to him in his trials."
"It is in the seven liberal arts, however, that the foundation of all learning is to be found. Before all others these ought to be had at hand, because without them the philosophical discipline does not and cannot explain and define anything. These, indeed, so hang together and so depend upon one another in their ideas that if only one of the arts be lacking, all the rest cannot make a man into a philosopher."
-Hugh of St. Victor
All of the arts culuminate in Philosophy & Theology
The Trivium - Grammar, Logic, & Rhetoric
The Quadrivium - Math, Sciences, & Music
The Curriculum at St. George
The curriculum at St. George invites students to enter upon a life-long journey, to see the world that God made, through the wisdom of old books. Our curriculum derives from a number of sources: Hillsdale College, Memoria Press, Core Knowledge Sequence, and others. We believe in a whole-person educational method, where virtue is developed in mind and body, through training in the tools of learning as well as life skills, physical education, and the exploration of the natural world in the great outdoors.
K-2nd Curriculum
Children at this age, often called the "pre-Grammar stage", are beginning to learn their letters, building words and sentences. We use a variety of methods to guide them towards mastery of English grammar, including Orton-Gillingham based phonics, Bible memorization, as well as the immersive Latin program of Lingua Latina developed by Hans Orberg. We use Singapore math, and science is taught through hands on gardening and field trips. Music is learned in chapel, and children learn to develop their physical abilities through P.E. and outdoor play.
3rd-8th Curriculum
At these grade levels, there is an increased emphasis on Grammar and Logic. Students develop greater confidence in their reading ability, as they begin to encounter great works of literature by authors from Homer to C.S. Lewis. Latin grammar is formally taught. Latin and English prayers and Bible verses are memorized. An increased capacity for mathematical computation and Logic enables them to see the value in the life of the mind, and they begin to formulate their own answers to the great questions of life, of science and faith.
Contact us to learn more.
