What is Classical Education?

Classical education is a return to timeless beliefs about education.

1. An approach to instruction that acknowledges objective standards of truth, goodness, and beauty.

We do not teach relativism. An example of this principle is instruction in virtues. Virtues are ideals: Everyone should pursue them. Virtues are standards for life that we should all answer to. Everyone should seek to live with justice, courageousness, prudence, integrity, honor, etc.

2. The primary purpose of an education is to flourish as humans.

Career and college readiness are the future byproducts of an excellent education, but they are never to replace or supersede our focus on an education that seeks to raise virtuous citizens. Career and college readiness have their time and place. Let the education of the youth be an education for their entire life. The “Good Life,” or “the life that is worth living,” is much bigger than profit or prestige. It is a life that leaves an honorable legacy.

3. A good education is worthwhile for its own sake.

Education is necessary to be capable of experiencing the fullness of life. A good education is not complete at the graduation of a student. A good education is the beginning of a lifetime of learning. Without the type of education that lasts a lifetime, we will not be as well equipped to raise our posterity and to preserve the best of our civilization.

Classical education is a return to timeless outcomes and methods of instruction.

Classical education teaches students how to be articulate and logical thinkers, writers, and speakers.
Classical education teaches students how to be attentive observers and listeners.
Classical education is committed to systematic and explicit early childhood phonics and second language instruction. These approaches are proven to be more effective than contemporary commitments to “sight-word” instruction as the primary means to mastering language.
Classical education is committed to reading classics that teach us more about living virtuous lives, and inform us about the ideas that have helped form the civilization we benefit from living in today.
Classical education is committed to instruction in Singapore mathematics, a system that is rooted in research with a proven track record for student achievement. This model of mathematics follows the classical pattern of “truth-perception,” as students learn mathematics in an intentional pattern of concrete to pictorial to abstract representations of concepts. Students learn to be creative problem solvers with the stamina to tackle intricate problems.

Classical education is an education in the liberal arts and sciences that uses time tested curriculum and methods, and is rooted in the most basic goal for education since ancient times: to equip students with the tools for learning, so they are able to think and learn for themselves, and in doing so to develop the kind of inquiry that allows them to discover for themselves what is good and true and beautiful.

An education at Southeast Ohio Classical Academy:

Aims to cultivate moral character and civic virtue
Aims to instill appreciation and discernment of the good, the true, and the beautiful
Recognizes that the Western and American traditions are our precious heritage and transmits the accumulated wisdom of Western civilization (yet not at the expense of that which is good from other civilizations).
Aims to cultivate human flourishing in the individual, in communities, and in our nation
Includes the use of classical books and art, as well as the reading of primary source documents in history
Concentrates study on the core academic disciplines: history, literature, mathematics, and science
Develops an appreciation for the visual and performing arts
Maintains a strong emphasis on language, literacy, writing, and mastery of the English language

Teaching in a Classical School

Our vision is to cultivate a faculty who are passionate and expert in their discipline and who pursue their own intellectual interests and curiosities, because these are the kinds of teachers and habits we want our students to be able to emulate. We expect that our faculty will not only be expert in their discipline, but also devoted to the art of teaching, kind hearted, and enjoy spending time with their students.