About
Educational Philosophy

Classical Education

Truth, Goodness, and Beauty: Classical Education Basics

At its core, classical Christian education can be simplified to the following:

List of 2 items.

  • The Aim

    To cultivate wisdom and virtue within the souls of our children so that the love of God may abound more and more within them and the spheres that they serve within. Also that each student would not see disciplines as seperate isolated classes but one cohesive whole.

  • The Tools

    The Trivium, classical books, art and music, integrated curriculum, and idea/discussion-focused instruction.
At Grove City Christian Academy, we believe that “education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue, and since wisdom and virtue are cultivated when a soul is nourished on truth, goodness, and beauty, we must teach our children truth, goodness, and beauty.”

Trivium

Classical education involves introducing the mind to the “great ideas” through the “great books” in order that students can effectively join the “great conversation” of the ages. In order to help our students join in this conversation, GCCA employs the Trivium.

List of 3 items.

  • The Grammar Stage (Grades K-6)

    This stage is focused on laying foundational knowledge in all areas of study. Teachers employ developmentally appropriate methods such as memorization, recitation, and songs with grammar students. Our 4th grade  students begin their formal Latin studies during this stage of the Trivium.

  • The Logic Stage (Grades 7-8)

    This stage takes the foundational knowledge gained in the Grammar stage and expounds on it. Students in this phase are naturally argumentative and are beginning to ask difficult questions about their world. Analysis and critical reasoning are the chief mental acts of this stage. Therefore, our 7th and 8th grade students have two years of formal logic studies. Developmentally, logic students learn best through debate and discussion.

  • The Rhetoric Stage (Grades 9-12)

    This stage is the culmination of the Trivium.The student of rhetoric takes the foundational knowledge gained in the grammar stage and the analytical skills of the logic stage and begins producing and defending his or her own ideas. Thesis defense and eloquent written and oral communication are the hallmarks of the rhetoric stage. Our upper level rhetoric students use Aristotle's 5 Canons of Rhetoric to write and defend a thesis publicly.

A Focus on Interrelation of all Knowledge

Apart from obvious differences in curriculum and instruction, classical education differs fundamentally from traditional education in its focus on the interrelation of all knowledge. While traditional education teaches math, English, and history as separate isolated classes, classical education seeks to show the interrelation of all knowledge. Math relates to science which relates to logic. Literature relates to history which relates to art and music. Christian classicists take the connection further by pursuing the interrelatedness of all knowledge under the sovereignty of God through theology.

Classical education seeks to stir the heart and the intellect to invite curiosity and ignite a passion for learning. It is less about training for a specific, temporal vocation and more about learning to think and live with an eternal purpose and joy.

Recommended Reading

Grove City Christian Acdemy (GCCA) encourages you to read the following works to gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for classical, Christian education. Please note that although these works as a whole have influenced our philosophy, we do not hold to every element of the authors’ ideas in the core values or practices of GCCA.
A Christian education in the classical tradition.

Madison Ave Campus

301 N Madison Ave, Grove City, PA 16127
Phone: 724-458-5253

Mill Street Campus

105 Mill Street, Grove City, PA 16127
Phone: 724-458-5253