What is Classical -or Liberal - Education?
VIDEO: What is Catholic Liberal Education?
VIDEO: From Greeks to Geeks: The Classical Liberal Arts as the Best Foundation for STEM
Q. So, what is Classical Education?
A. For millennia, education was seen not as mere job training but as a search for wisdom and virtue. The term “liberal education” (another name for “classical education”) has its roots in the Latin word for free, liber. The aim of liberal education is to set a person free, using knowledge as the key. When a child is surrounded by the true, the good and the beautiful, they are unrestricted to discover their full potential. A growing trend in many schools is to direct children towards subject specialization earlier and earlier in their education. We believe, however, that it is far more important to educate broadly and completely; to nourish a child's intrinsic sense of panoramic yearning and to help them develop and habituate the skill of critical thinking. Through this broad lens, students are then emboldened to develop their God-given strengths and talents with which they can serve God, society, their communities and their future careers.
Q. What is Catholic Liberal Education?
A. The term “Catholic liberal education” is simply a description of the full vision of human formation according to the mind of the Church. It is desirable and accessible to everyone who has a soul. The Catholic Church took up this classical tradition in the liberal arts and sciences and ordered it toward Jesus Christ. "Classical” education is a kind of shorthand that speaks to the origins of the tradition; “Catholic liberal education” speaks to its end—freedom in Christ. Different schools choose different labels, but they are all reclaiming the same path to human flourishing. These schools are at the forefront of an exciting renewal of Catholic education across the country. What began in small pockets is now spreading to entire dioceses. With a 2,500-year proven track record, this gold standard of education produced many of the keenest minds and the holiest saints in history. It works.
Q. Why is this type of education desirable for children?
A. Modern educational approaches have degenerated into a factory model driven by standardized testing. Cram, test, forget. By emphasizing fragmented facts and skills over rich content, they fail even by their own metrics to form students who can think well, speak well, and write well. Education becomes a dull chore rather than an adventure of discovery. By contrast, Catholic liberal education engages children in a lifelong love of learning by teaching them to investigate the meaning and purpose of all created things. With the ancients, we recognize that wisdom begins in wonder. Children become motivated to hone the skills needed to pursue knowledge, and to see all things through the eyes of faith. They gain confidence and hope.