The Classical Difference

I’ve been sweating school choice since Piper’s infancy. That’s six, solid years of angsty obsessing (despite the 365 mentions of “Fear not…” in the Bible and a cocktail of anti-stress supplements) over where she’d go to school. My husband grew up in public school. I grew up in private. A house divided, we were still seeking the same things: A safe, positive learning environment, a strong educational foundation and a nurturing community. Seems reasonable, right? Then the pandemic hit – and everything went to hell in a hand basket. Literally.

Coming out of post-pandemic hibernation, the education system emerged with a renewed, frenzied push for woke indoctrination, rather than traditional schooling. Unless your head is in the sand (which is a safe place, trust me, I get it), you see it everywhere. So after fervently exploring and weighing the options, we landed at Covenant Classical Christian School (CCCS) right here in the heart of Forest Acres. And it’s been a choice we’ll never regret.

Every lesson, whether it’s science, history, grammar, math, music or art, is brimming with logic and reason, virtue, wonder and beauty — thanks to a remarkable team of teachers who love the subjects they teach, and are committed to academic excellence and well-balanced play. The students at CCCS get three recesses, because that’s what children need. They need (supervised) time outside with friends to scuff up their shoes while their imaginations run free, and their innocence is protected from cultural lies and propaganda.

Instead of drag queen story hour, our first grader is having Fairy Tale character discussions of virtue and vice. Instead of learning the pronoun alphabet, she’s learning sentence structure classification and writing expository paragraphs about dogs (and other age-appropriate topics) in cursive. Instead of forced exploration of gender ideology and sexual identity, she’s memorizing Psalm 139, so she’s reminded again and again that she’s fearfully and wonderfully made. Rather than being told that she’s an oppressor, she’s having thoughtful dialogues about ethical issues. She’s learning the whole history of racial injustice in our country and coming home heavy-hearted with compassion and conviction for our nation’s cruel past. Recently, Piper loaded into the car appalled and said, “Mom! Did you know people used to treat people differently just because of the color of their skin!? Isn’t that awful?” I can already see the palpable changes in her sweet, six-year-old heart.

An image bearer of Christ, she is the future, being equipped daily with the budding understanding necessary to be courageous in a world of conflicting ideas. Our current culture tells us WHAT to think, rather than HOW to think. Contrary to that trend, the classical Christian education equips students with the skills to think independently and critically. The students are challenged academically and encouraged to excel but also guided to be respectful, self-disciplined good humans.

If you’re like us and are prayerfully forging a different path for your children — a family who wants to ensure your kids have access to a superb education, top-notch academic standards, Christ-centered character building, smaller class size, passionate teachers and staff, and a (more) affordable private school price, I’d urge you to consider Covenant. The school is now enrolling K-12 for 2023 -24 and host open houses regularly<a href="http://<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCCCS29204%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0orhgV8xuoRp89YHfPH51MPUHah9MyEafXfbeumYWUg3KppurfHoU2QQKU5FQMkcul&show_text=true&width=500&quot; width="500" height="472" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share">.

If this doesn’t vibe with you at all and you’re happy where you’re at, fantastic! We don’t all have to think the same to be friends (thank the Lord for that). But if you DO have questions – or are on the fence – let’s chat!