Scenario 1A: Your 7-year-old asks, “Dad, why do trees have bark?” You take out your smartphone, open the Google app, and hand it over. Your 7-year-old enters, “Why do trees have bark?” About 112,000,000 results come up in 0.64 seconds, and your child navigates to the first entry. Text, photos, and ads flash before her […]
On December 6 we celebrated the feast day of St. Nicholas. Dr. George Grant provides excellent background for the tradition of Santa Claus, reminding us who St. Nicholas really is and what his life means: The fourth century pastor who inspired the tradition of Santa Claus, may not have lived at the North Pole or […]
One characteristic of any school that calls itself “classical Christian” is the teaching of Latin. Providence students begin learning Latin in 4th grade, and they continue to study Latin into Rhetoric School. Why? Are we stubbornly clinging to an obsolete language out of some elitist commitment to rigor? You know, ivy on the walls, dead […]
Here are five Thanksgiving-themed quotes from the eminently quotable G.K. Chesterton. Whatever our circumstances – whether times of plenty or privation, calm or chaos, satisfaction or struggle – this old friend reminds us always to look to our Heavenly Father with thankful hearts and lips. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of […]
I minored in history in college, and one of my professors was, um, memorable, in his own way. The class was called “The Age of Reason,” and we were supposed to be learning about the Enlightenment in the 18th C. However, this professor had dedicated his scholarly life to studying 18th C. French gardens, and […]
What is success? Our culture is consumed with a particular vision of success. But this vision of success often is counter to what the Bible teaches about our purpose as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. What ought we to believe about attaining success? Are you successful? Is our school successful? How will we know […]
He was called the gadfly of Athens for good reason, pestering 5th century Greeks with endless questions. Ultimately, the Athenians shut him up by giving him hemlock to drink, ostensibly for polluting the minds of Athenian youth. But his quest for wisdom remains and is embodied in anyone who admits his ignorance in order to […]
Let’s be honest. Many people think you are irresponsible – or even foolish – for sending your children to a private school. In 2013 Slate published an article that highlighted just how foolish (and rotten) one author thinks you really are for sending your children to a private school. In “If You Send Your Kid […]
I’d like to share an article by Christian philosopher and teacher Carl R. Trueman from First Things blog called “Teaching as Joyful Rebellion: Thoughts at the Start of the New Academic Year.” I love how Trueman describes classical Christian education as “an act of rebellion in this present age.” Have you considered that by going […]
One of the best things about school life is its rhythms. The sun sets on an old year and a new one dawns, with new faces, new possibilities, and a fresh start. That’s not something I take for granted. I enjoy starting fresh each fall because the new year offers a chance to do things […]