April 21 - Message tuesday

It is not often that I throw out to you much about philosophy of education, but I’m feeling a wee bit philosophical today, so I hope you’ll indulge me and keep reading.

 Last week I attended the kindergarten open house at the Children’s Center in Langley, and was able to present our school alongside representatives from the public, Waldorf, Wellington and Calyx schools.  I truly enjoy this yearly ritual as it gives me an opportunity to connect with the remarkable people who serve in leadership at each of these schools.  Every year we comment to one another and the parents who attend how fantastic it is that our small community offers so many quality choices for education, each of them meeting the needs of students in their own unique way. 

 It causes me to pause in my day-to-day-get-it-done world and think about what makes ICA different from the other school choices.  Being the only faith-based school is an obvious distinction, but I realize it truly goes well beyond that to our core philosophy and goals of education. 

 At the foundation of the classical model of education is the method, the Trivium, made up of grammar, logic and rhetoric, which gives us the how-to, but it is the pillars of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty that are the reason the Trivium exists.  We desire to teach our children Truth, Goodness, and Beauty so that they themselves may become True, Good, and Beautiful.  We strive to cultivate the the intellectual virtues (truth), the moral virtues (goodness), the physical virtues (beauty).  This is the beginning and the end of classical education.   

 The only way a student can understand truth, goodness, and beauty is if these virtues are made visible through presentation and discovery and he/she is then practiced in their imitation.  This idea informs our decisions as a school on curriculum, programs, staffing, discipline, and beyond.

I can’t say we have yet arrived at our ideal.  We are certainly on our own quest as a school to refine our practices, procedures and product.  What I do know is that we are not a “Christian” version of a government school.  We are different at the core. 

 Stopping to recall this philosophy gives me inspiration and joy for the journey.  I’m delighted to be able to be a part of such an undertaking, and grateful to the parents and staff who I get to join on the quest!

 Attached to this musing, you’ll find the 4th Quarter Quests, the standardized testing schedule that shows you when your child’s class will be taking their tests, and of course the news-filled Message Tuesday publication for this week.

Thanks for reading! 

 Sincerely,

Brenda