What is classical catholic education? In short classical education continues a long liberal arts tradition in education that dates back to classical Greece and Rome. By liberal arts we do not mean an education in the Humanities which is bereft of scientific training. The “Liberal arts” historically refers, rather, to the seven liberal arts of the medieval curriculum (grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music) of which science and math play an important part. The liberal arts tradition has, through out the centuries, taken on various forms but it has always distinguished itself—as it does within the landscape of 20th century American education—by an insistence that the primary goal of education is the cultivation of human freedom. Cultivating such freedom would ential some degree of vocational and civic training, however, Liberal Educators see such concerns as secondary to a proper transcendental focus. As persons, human beings are distinguished within the created order precisely by their transcendental abilities; animals and insects have “tasks” and “societies”, but human beings are uniquely oriented to contemplation. An education institution that fails to recognize this essential difference between human beings and animals, fails to adequately develop the humanity of its students.
Classical Catholic education is then a “liberal”—that is, a “freeing”—education, but it also distinguishes itself in the what and how of education. By what I mean what is taught. At St. Theresa Catholic School we teach Latin (1st -8th grade). We also place a great emphasis on enculturating our children through a consistent and in depth exposure to Western history and literature. By how I mean how one teaches. For example, St. Theresa Catholic School, like any primary school, is concerned to enable our students to read and write but we are unique in the way we accomplish that goal. At St. Theresa Catholic School we model the elegance and structure of the English Language through the time honored—but sadly neglected—methods of poetry memorization and recitation, dictation, and copying. Certainly a classical catholic school will share some of the educational practices of other schools; nevertheless, classical schools are quite distinctive and are calculated to produce well adjusted, intellectually capable students.
Is classical catholic education geared only for certain types of students? Certainly not! Aristotle wrote “all men desire to know”; this is a statement we firmly believe. Of course students will always range in aptitude but we believe that far too many students underachieve. Students often are not expected to achieve and as a result, they do not expect success of themselves. Students are typically bored with school. Unfortunately, they have never been disabused of the notion that knowledge is valuable only in so far as it is useful. As a result it is hard for them to see the value in learning for learning’s sake. The older a students gets the more difficult it is to correct years of intellectual malformation. That is why we feel that it is important to have a classical school on the primary level. At St. Theresa Catholic School we shall instill a love of learning precisely because we do not love learning in so far as it helps us achieve some other end. We see that truth is beautiful in and of itself and we feel that it is our calling as educators to show children the beauty of truth. So many other schools seems to assume that truth is valuable in so far as it is useful—is it any wonder that students are zoned out?
Children are aware of the fact that eighty percent of what they learn in school will prove unnecessary for their vocational lives. No amount of trickery will fool them into believing otherwise. The key is to have them learn what Aristotle knew long ago: “To seek utility everywhere is most unsuitable to lofty and free natures.” In answering our question, I wholeheartedly say, yes, classical education is for everyone but the freedom, of which Aristotle speaks, is something students must acquire as they get older. Developing a love of learning takes time; important habits of the mind form when individuals are young; therefore, young people are most able to live out the lofty goals of classical education when they are habituated to love the truth at an early age. “All men,” by nature, “desire to know,” but many young boys and girls are intellectually uninterested because they have been habituated to be uninterested in intellectual matters. We believe your child is, by nature, intellectually curious and we offer an education that builds on that natural orientation. Classical education is certainly tenacious in its insistence on excellence but it equally insists that it is egalitarian and not elitist in outlook.
Why do we teach Latin? A few reasons. First we think Latin assists well in the study of English grammar. Second, because it prepares children to easily acquire the romance Languages. Latin comprises over 80% of each of these individual languages; therefore, one who learns Latin well has essentially learned all of the Romance languages. Finally we teach Latin because we want to enculurate our students through the study of Latin literature. Our students study Latin grammar 2ndthru 4th grade and in 5th grade they begin to read works in the original Latin. It is our intention to develop a life long appreciation and consideration of the Western literature and culture.
What about learning disabilities? Parents often wonder if private schools are able to match the assistance that many public schools offer students with learning disabilities. This is, of course, a complicated question. For children with significant learning disabilities, a good public school is hard to beat. However, in cases where the learning disabilities are not as pronounced, private schools like St Theresa Catholic School are able to offer the individualized attention students need to succeed. Our small family environment gives parents access to the teachers and the Principal as they work together for the good of the students. At St. Theresa Catholic School, we are open to the educational recommendations suggested to us by expert learning clinicians and are able to make accommodations, in most cases, for students who have specific learning styles.
What is the Ward Method? The Ward Method is a vocal music curriculum devised by Justine Ward in 1913. It has been recently updated by Music educationalists in a desire to transmit the beauties of the Ward Method to the next generation. In addition to teaching modern musical notation and song, the Ward Method is unique in that it teaches students how to sing Gregorian chant. For more information please see MusicaSacra’s website: http://www.musicasacra.com/ward-method-instruction
What are your class room sizes? At St. Theresa Catholic School we are committed to keeping the teacher student ratio as low as possible to maximize student learning.
Level Maximum Size
4K 22 students
(11:1 ratio [student:teacher] with full time paraprofessional)
5K-1 22 students
(11:1 ratio [student: teacher] with a full time paraprofessional)
2-4 24 students
5-8 26 students
Do you have technology in the classroom? Once a week, grades 2nd thru 4th have a special technology class. We want our students to be as comfortable with modern technology as they are in using a pencil.
What Math Textbooks do you use? We use Singapore Math Series Pre-K 4 thru 8th grade. The standardized Math curriculum of Singapore has attracted international attention because of its consistent track record of success. The curriculum has been implemented in numerous American schools with significant results. Singapore Math develops a conceptual understanding of Math and excellent problem solving skills through a strong curricular connection between concepts and manipulatives. Please see their website for more information. http://www.singaporemath.com/Default.asp
What is the schedule for Pre-K 4? The Pre-K 4 program is all day and mirrors the K-8th grade day. There is, however, more enrichment and less academic work in the Pre-K curriculum than there is in the older grades.
Do you have testing for admissions? For Pre K 4 thru 2nd grade, we do not have testing for admissions; however, children who wish to enroll in 3rd thru 8th grade must take an exam as part of the admissions process.