Classical education is an intense course of learning that seeks to endow students with the ability to master any subject. Through an integrated and focused curriculum, this method supplies children with the tools necessary for higher academic achievement. One of the primary emphases of classical education is the development of language. Studies in phonics, Latin, and English grammar are critical to establishing the child's vocabulary and reading skills. Language is the medium whereby thought is transmitted. By perfecting language proficiency, this course of study increases the child's capacity to comprehend new material.

Classical education, however, does not limit its focus to language. On the contrary, the curriculum is both diverse and comprehensive. Our approach is practical but also historical.

During the Greco-Roman era, citizens are instructed in the seven liberal arts, which focus upon the development of language and knowledge of culture. Their schooling prepares them for future civic duties as well as for positions in local government. Some of history's greatest thinkers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle are products of this society.

In the Middle Ages, the seven liberal arts are further divided into two stages. The first, known as the trivium, comprises the disciplines of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Grammar teaches pupils the basics of language - vocabulary, rules, and syntax. Following this phase, they are then able to advance to the more complex forms of thinking and expression, which are encouraged in the logic and rhetoric phases. This classical education in the years that follow the Middle Ages produces such influential theologians as Luther and such notable scientists as Copernicus and Galileo as well as the Renaissance masters.

The second level of a liberal arts education is the quadrivium. As the name suggests, the quadrivium consists of four parts: astronomy, music, arithmetic, and geometry. Once students are proficient in these arts, they possess the academic maturity necessary to study for one of the three primary professions of that time: law, medicine, or theology.

Today, classical education continues to provide students with an accessible and impressive foundation of knowledge. By engaging pupils in a "conversation" with the past, classical education familiarizes them with the developments and culture of Western Civilization. Through this process, they become well-versed in works of literature, music, and art. Furthermore, their specialized language skills enable them to become proficient in just about any other subject. They more easily and quickly assimilate the vocabulary and grammar of foreign languages and comprehend the terminology used in the sciences.

In a day when many are searching for the newest educational trend, classical education endures as a time-tested method for teaching children. Through the centuries, it has proven to be both cross-cultural and timeless.

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Although the term grammar is typically used to describe the rules of the English language, every subject has a grammar - a set of rules or basic facts. Grammar is truth in the most straightforward manner. Listed below are the twelve subjects usually covered in the grammar stage - along with a brief description of each.

Art:	Shapes, colors, drawing, and picture and artist recognition
Bible:	The Ten Commandments, creeds, prayers, and Biblical stories
Geography:	Geographic awareness (local and global), maps, countries, and capitals
English Grammar:	Phonics, word classification, proper sentence structure, and spelling
History:	Time-lines of Western Civilization, literature, names, places, and events
Latin:	Pronunciation, vocabulary, translation, and recognition of derivatives
Literature:	Classic books and authors
Math:	Numbers, symbols, and tables
Music:	Piece and composer recognition and note and symbol reading
Oratory:	Enunciation, recitation, and oral narrations
Science:	Vocabulary, identification, classification, and history of science
Writing:	Tracing, copying, dictations, and narrations

The grammar for each subject lays the foundation for all other learning in that subject. An education built upon these concrete facts endures through adolescence well into adulthood. Children in their elementary years act as sponges, anxious to soak in the world around them. Therefore, it makes sense to fill that world with the solid truths that they are able to use for the rest of their lives. This stage should not be filled with the abstract. Young children cannot comprehend abstracts because they have not yet reached the physical or cognitive maturity necessary to process such information. Instead, they are ready to absorb what is simply placed in front of them.

One of the major teaching tools employed during the grammar stage is memorization. During the elementary years, children possess an enormous capacity to memorize. Not only do they find success in this challenge, but they enjoy it as well! Once a fact is committed to memory, the pupil owns it and is able to call on it during future stages of learning. Memorizing also benefits the child because it requires a certain degree of effort. The student learns that it is necessary to invest significant time and energy in order to achieve success. A proper work ethic developed in the beginning stages of education is likely to carry throughout an entire lifetime.

The value of a classical education begins with the proper foundation being carefully laid in the grammar stage. In addition to solid academic groundwork, Trinity Lutheran School welcomes the opportunity to teach your child the highest of all truths - salvation through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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One of the most talked about debates in modern education is that of whole language versus phonics. Trinity Lutheran School has taken a stand on the phonics side of this debate. We have done so simply because it is the best thing to do for our children. If you are interested in the research regarding phonetic instruction, please visit Spalding Education International for more information.

To understand the importance of phonetic instruction, it is helpful to examine the differences between phonetic instruction and whole language instruction. The pure whole language approach teaches children to recognize words in their entirety. On the contrary, the phonetic method teaches rules that pertain to combinations of letters and their corresponding sounds. Whole language instruction befits languages such as Chinese and Ancient Egyptian where every word is represented by a character. These pictorial languages can only be learned by association with a word to a character. English, on the other hand, is comprised of letters with assigned sounds. These letters combine according to a set of rules to form our words.

Children can and sometimes do learn certain words in English from a visual cue - the idea behind whole language teaching. For example, three-year-old children may recognize their names even though they do not know how the letters function. Instead, they know what their names "look like." These situations are rarely taught. Instead, they occur naturally as children encounter words repeatedly in their environment. This process of learning takes an extended period of time, and the quantity of words children learn is limited by this time and exposure. This method of teaching makes the students reliant on the teacher to bring words into the environment and shuts out words possibly omitted by the teacher. In contrast, when a teacher presents the phonetic rules to children, the children can use those rules to tackle any word.

Opponents of phonics instruction argue that English, although based on letter combinations, does not consistently follow a set of phonetic rules. To explain this misconception, it is necessary to look at the nature of the English language. English is a Germanic language with strong Latin influences. Both Germanic languages and Latin languages operate according to phonetic rules. The misconception that English does not follow phonetic rules comes from the wrong application of German phonetic rules to English words with Latin roots and vice versa. This misapplication is a result of watered down phonics programs which actually do more harm than good to young readers. A thorough, comprehensive phonics program teaches students when and how to apply phonetic rules and, therefore, is consistent and reliable. Here again, we see the students able to rely on their own knowledge rather than what has been spoon fed.

Children with a strong grasp of phonetic rules can apply them to new words they encounter as they read. This independence frees the children to read with a greater confidence and, therefore, more enjoyment. Our end goal is then met. Children learn not only how to read, but they learn to love reading. The Christian worldview then points us back to the original purpose for reading - God's Word.

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The question "Why Latin?" seems warranted. After all, Latin is a dead language. Why do we bother teaching our children something that is no longer in use? The answer is simple: although Latin is no longer in use as a free-standing language, it is very useful in learning and using the English language and other languages (especially French and Spanish). It also holds a place in the liturgical background of the church.

Many words (over half of the words in the English language) have Latin roots. Latin vocabulary is a decoding tool for English vocabulary. The long, difficult words in English are usually the ones with Latin roots. Students who have the Latin meanings well in their command starting in third grade have the advantage of using those meanings to decipher the difficult English words when they start to encounter them in seventh and eighth grades. This advantage has proven itself in above average verbal standardized test scores by students of Latin.

A Latin education finds an additional use within the liturgical background of our church. Our youth are able to access our liturgy in its original language. As the children sing "Agnus Dei," "Pax Domini," and "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," the language hardly seems dead.

By the third grade, students have a good grasp of the English language and reading skills, and yet they are still in the grammar stage - ready to ingest knowledge. They attach quickly to rhymes, chants, and jingles. Latin fits well into this learning method with chants of amo, amas, amat... In later years, when the grammar stage is past, students are not as willing to learn and recite these necessary chants, and the learning process becomes much more difficult and tedious.

Latin is a tool that helps our children grow into adults with broad vocabularies and a working understanding of our liturgy. It is time to throw away the idea that Latin is dead and let Latin breathe life into the learning of our children.

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