What is Classical Education?

Classical education has served mankind for well over two millenia. It was developed by the Greeks and Romans, transformed by the church, and became a building block of western civilization.

The three stages of classical education are
formally called the Trivium (Latin for three ways). The Grammar stage corresponds to elementary grades, the Logic stage corresponds to junior high, and the Rhetoric stage corresponds to high school.

The three stages of the Trivium may be appropriately thought of as overlapping spheres of instruction. We would miss the point of classical education if we failed to realize that the study of Grammar necessarily involves small amounts of Logic and Rhetoric. A child standing to present information gained from a purely rote method of instruction is still expressing his knowledge publicly, and this can be done poorly or well. Likewise, a student of Rhetoric will, on occasion, have need to memorize and make inferences between pieces of information, as he will for the remainder of his life. Our desire in teaching and learning classically (and Christian-ly!) is to integrate learning, to think systemically about critical issues, and to submit all knowledge to the lordship of Jesus Christ, who gives wisdom abundantly to all who ask for it.