Community life
A place of learning
Character formation, the proper ordering of our hearts and minds, requires culture and community as much as curriculum.
The community we inhabit shapes our way of relating to the world and to one another. A true and abiding love for God and neighbor is a work of the Spirit. It is learned, in thought and action, by attending to what is good, true, and beautiful. At The Classical Academy, we are concerned about the entire learning environment, from teacher modeling to peer culture and interaction, even to the rhythms of the day. We are committed to developing a community, in and between classrooms, that is filled with joy, wonder, and gratitude, where we might sing with creation about the glory and majesty of our Creator and Redeemer.
*May vary depending upon snow days.
Partnering with parents
The God-given responsibility for training and educating children lies ultimately with parents.
The Christian school exercises delegated authority as an extension of the family. This covenantal relationship can be successful only as far as the established goals and vision of the school are supported by parents in their own households.
This informs decisions like the four-day school week (see further, below). We invite parents into the school day and into the ideas that are shaping students by encouraging school visits
and participation, honest communication with faculty and staff, and discussions at home about the materials and books discussed in class.
We hope that this parent partnership will not only support and strengthen the work of the curriculum in the student's life, but that parents will also find their own hearts and minds strengthened by the classical curriculum.
“The souls of children are waiting for the call of knowledge to awaken them to delightful living.”
— Charlotte Mason
TCA Distinctives
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Four-day week
Our four-day model is intended to promote a strong family culture and to provide regular, intentional rhythms of contemplation and rest for the entire community. TCA is not a hybrid-school or a co-op, but a full-time private school, meeting four days/week. Parents do not have responsibility for teaching new information to their students while at home. Students will use the 5th day at home as an opportunity to learn to order their time and their workload and to grow in independence and responsibility for completing their tasks. The additional day also affords families the chance to supplement classroom learning with activities or outings designed to promote family culture and support the learning happening in the classroom.
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Uniforms
TCA will require students to wear a simple uniform. The fundamental purpose of the school day is learning, and so uniforms become a way for students to signify their readiness to be taught. Uniforms promote unity within the school community, reduce distraction and concern with clothing and status, and train students to approach their schoolwork with seriousness and full attention.
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Use of technology
Our classrooms will be largely free from technology. We seek to apply stable educational principles to the rapidly changing technological options available to students today. We desire to release students from the effects of frequent distraction caused by technology, training them to think deeply, engage fully with their community, and develop the intellectual virtues and skills necessary for a rich education. Additionally, we believe that students learn best when immersed in the real world, and so we are committed to students interacting directly with the material, the teacher, and other students, without the use of mediating devices.
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Spiritual formation
TCA believes that a focus on piety provides a an expansive understanding of the integration of faith and learning. The whole day will be cloaked in prayer and gratitude, joy and humility. Our days will begin in prayer, recognizing our dependence on God for life and learning, and it will end in doxology, giving thanks to God. Even study–especially study–is an act of faith, the diligent, humble commitment to learning.
