Providence Classical Christian School

Academics

Our vision is to graduate young men and women who are socially graceful, spiritually gracious, and academically curious, equipped to learn and think for themselves according to biblical principles.

Classical Education

 

Classical education is a proven method of teaching which structures learning in accordance with the God-given stages of child development. At Providence, our curricula are taught through a proven three-part approach called “The Trivium.” This approach enables students to first gain knowledge, then understanding, and finally wisdom in accordance with their maturing abilities.

 

The first phase is called the Grammar Stage (roughly grades K-5), which provides students with the necessary tools and facts of learning in a variety of subjects such as history, science, Latin, math, music, grammar, and reading.  Memorizing through chants and songs equips students with the foundational building blocks of learning while their minds are most receptive to memorization and observation.

 

In the Logic Stage (roughly grades 6-9), students take the mastered information from the Grammar Stage and bring it into ordered relationships. Students begin to apply logic to assess the validity of arguments and learn to view information critically with a more discerning mind. This stage of dialectic learning takes advantage of a student’s need to know how and why in addition to what. 

 

In the Rhetoric Stage (roughly grades 10-12), students learn to articulate eloquently and persuasively, and to use the tools of knowledge and understanding acquired in the earlier stages.  This is the point at which the strength of a classical education is made fully visible. In addition, students take a tour through Europe as a capstone experience to their rhetoric years, and conclude their senior year by writing, presenting, and defending a thesis to a panel of faculty and expert judges.

 

Along with the trivium approach, a classical education at Providence incorporates a strong core liberal arts curriculum as students study the great works of the Western World. Our focus on the core curriculum includes Latin in grades 3-10; ancient and modern history; science classes including biology, chemistry, and physics; math courses including calculus; logic; two years of rhetoric; six years of art; music theory and choral music at every grade level; and literature including Homer, Milton, Shakespeare, Dickens, and Twain.

 

For more information regarding the foundation of the Classical Education movement please see the attached essay by Dorothy Sayers' - "The Lost Tools of Learning".