With the flip-top wooden desks and lack of computers or iPads, you could easily mistake my daughter’s classical school for something out of the 1950s. But it’s not a longing for the good old days that motivated my husband and me to make the counter-cultural decision to send our daughters to a classical school.
After five years of having children in a classical school, these are the reasons I am so happy my husband and I made the decision we did:
The Benefits of a Classical School
1. I don’t have to worry about whether the latest and greatest education philosophy is good for my child.
The time-tested methods of classical education are how great minds have learned for centuries. These days, schools and universities place such a high priority on critical thinking, but classical educators believe that you cannot truly think critically unless you have the facts and knowledge upon which to think. That’s why, during the early years of classical education—called the Grammar Stage—the focus is on making elementary-aged children proficient in reading, writing, math, and grammar. Memorization still plays a large role in classical schools: whether it’s math facts, poetry, or phonemes (i.e. phonics), the early years of classical education provide the foundation for being able to use logic and reason later on in school and in life.
2. There is little to no screen time at school.
Some people are turned off when they find out classical schools don’t pad their admissions brochures with specialized technology classes. But what good is a computer coding class in second grade if a child hasn’t yet mastered the basics of math? Proponents of classical education believe that a child who excels at math, reading, and writing can pretty much excel at any of the other subject or skill (including computers) later in his education and life. Besides, do schools really need to spend several hours a week (and a lot of money!) teaching children something they probably have already learned on their own home computers? I’m not convinced. For decades children have proven that they are usually way savvier than their elders when it comes to technology.
3. Children develop a true love of learning.
The aim of classical education is not perfection, but mastery. No doubt the curriculum is rigorous, but students who feel the accomplishment of mastering something difficult are much more likely to move onto something more challenging and more likely to enjoy it.
This fall, my kindergartner begged me to go to the Meadows Museum because they had a couple of prints of Albrecht Dürer, whose Praying Hands she had studied recently. She got frustrated a few times in class because it was difficult to try to recreate that print. But when she finally did complete it, she was elated and became eager to go see more of his prints in person.
Honestly, I’m not sure exactly what her amazing art teacher did to foster such a sincere hunger to learn and see more, but she did! It’s the same way with music and nature in classical schools—they are taught to always observe, and enjoy, the beautiful world God created around them.
4. Children learn to connect the dots, with history as their framework.
Growing up, I learned how to take tests well and include the things my English teachers were looking for in essays. But when I got to college, I realized I utterly missed the big picture. Classical schools teach in a way that allows children to naturally make connections between events and people in history.
Take, for example, the Texas history my daughter is learning this year. A typical social studies book with a passage on William B. Travis and a test on important dates and people at the Alamo could in no way impact her like the letter written by Travis at the Alamo that she memorized and can recite as passionately as if she were right there with him. Or the reading assignment of Johnny Texas, about a little boy who has to step up and care for his mother and baby sister after his father goes off to fight for Texas’ independence in Sam Houston’s army. Nor would she be able to accurately put a timeframe on this period if she had not already learned about the culture and history of colonial and pioneer periods in first and second grades.
5. They don’t read the latest best-selling children’s books in school.
You rarely hear of classically educated 4th graders who can’t easily pick up and read Little Women or The Black Stallion. Why? Because from the time they were in first grade, their teachers have not only been reading them rich, meaningful literature with beautiful imagery, but they, too, have been reading books with challenging syntax and diction.
There’s nothing wrong with the “filler” type books that publishers churn out these days, but a child who only reads books like Captain Underpants or Goosebumps for reading assignments may have a hard time digesting the complicated language of Hamlet and Pilgrim’s Progress in the eleventh grade or Hannah Arendt in college.
(Oh, and a bonus to the beautiful literature children read in classical schools? Their vocabularies are beyond what any SAT prep class could teach. I can’t help but chuckle when my oldest says things like, “Olivia and I had a quarrel at school today.”)
Below is a list of classical education schools and resources in Dallas. (Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments below!) Each school varies slightly, so be sure to do your own research. Note: Most applications deadlines are in January.
DFW Area Classical Schools
Coram Deo (Dallas/Flower Mound)
Covenant Classical School – Fort Worth
The Cambridge School of Dallas
Covenant Christian Academy (Colleyville)
The Highlander School (Lake Highlands)
Messiah Lutheran Classical Academy (Keller)
Two other classical education options in DFW:
Faith Lutheran School in Plano
Messiah Lutheran Classical Academy in Keller
Thank you for sharing the benefits of a classical education!
Thank you Emily! I will add those to the list!
Thank you for mentioning both Faith Lutheran School of Plano and Messiah Lutheran in Keller! I was going to say the same thing! My daughter has attended FLS for seven years – wonderful school, fantastic curriculum, Christian-focused education. We love it!
Thanks so much, Amy! So good to hear! Please share the post to spread the word about classical education. I had no idea what it was until we moved to Dallas and someone (thankfully) shared it with me!
My kids are getting a classical education at a Great Hearts charter school in San Antonio. Great Hearts also has a campus in Irving: http://www.greatheartstx.org/great-hearts-irving/
Good catch. My son attends Great Hearts Irving, a wonderful classical charter school.
Great – I will add that to the list. Thank you both!
Don’t forget The Highlander School in Lake Highlands.
Okay great. I will add that to the list, too! Thank you!
Added, thanks!
Covenant Christian Academy in Colleyville is also a Classical school in the area.
Thank you Shelia! I will add this to the list!
Lee, thank you for the great article. As a fellow Providence parent and an alumni of Cisterican (another school with a strict Classical approach) I couldn’t agree with you more. When I finished Cistercian in 12th grade and went to college, I found that my classical education had prepared me so well that I was able to earn enough hours for college graduation in 2 1/2 years. As a physician and a health care administrator working directly in the IT field, I can’t emphasize enough to parents to not be fooled by educators who think that having children on iPads at an early age is beneficial. It simply is not. It does help teachers who are overwhelmed by class size but quick screen refresh times and cartoon characters “teaching” math facts simply leads to children unable to sit and concentrate for extended periods of time or have meaningful interpersonal interactions.
Thank you, Ken, for sharing your experience and thoughts! I appreciate it!
Coram Deo also has a Collin County (North Plano) location. Prek-12.
DeeDee I did not know that, thank you!
Thank you for this great article.
Grace Academy of North Texas in Prosper is also classical offering Pre-K through 12th grade.
Thank you, Amy! I will add that to the list, too!
Legacy Classical Christian Academy in Haslet (N. Ft. Worth) is offers a great classical education.
Legacy Classical Christian Academy in Haslet (N. Ft. Worth) offers a great classical education. The teachers genuinely care and the students are respectful and helpful.
Hi Lee,
I was wondering if you are willing to share some thoughts about your daughter’s experience at Great Hearts now that the school year has ended? We have one child that was accepted for next year, so we are very curious as to other families’ experiences with the charter. Any additional information about grading or the overall environment would be wonderful to know! Thanks for blogging!