About Us
Providence Classical School Interpretation of “Classical
Christian Education”
Christian
Education, by nature, is based on the worldview of the educator.
This worldview may either be explicitly or implicitly acknowledged.
Either way, this worldview addresses life’s most important
questions regarding our origin, how we should live and our
responsibility toward others. An educator’s worldview
will determine how different subjects are approached and
the perspective of those subjects that the pupil is given.
At Providence Classical School, our worldview is based on God’s revelation
to man as given to us in the Bible and through the person of Jesus Christ.
This worldview acknowledges God’s creation of all things and His supreme
authority over His creation. With our belief in this worldview, we confidently
instruct students in academic, moral and social issues with a mindset of submission
to Christ. This attitude of submission demonstrated through biblical living
not only influences our curriculum, but also the way the school is administered
and the way we interact with our staff and each other.
PCS is absolutely committed to the fundamentals of the Christian
faith, while acknowledging and respecting differing views
on secondary doctrinal principles and personal convictions.
As such, the student body and staff of PCS are composed of
families from a number of evangelical churches. We are united
together in harmony through a commitment to consistent personal
adherence to the Gospel of Christ.
Classical
In the western world, our heritage follows from the ancient
Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. This heritage consists of our
laws, social customs, intellectual and theological history
and educational philosophy. With this heritage, early Christians
developed an educational methodology that is based on what
has been called the Seven Liberal Arts. This methodology
was refined and used throughout the Middle Ages with remarkable
success.
The first aspect of this educational methodology is called
the Trivium. The Trivium contains the approach by which students
are given the tools to learn. The Trivium is composed of
three parts: the Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric stages. Within
the Grammar stage, students are taught the particular details
of a subject. In the Logic stage, students are taught the
reasoning which links the details together. Within the Rhetoric
stage, students learn to apply the Grammar and Logic building
blocks to develop skills of critical thinking and effective
expression.
The Trivium educational philosophy is based upon the observation
that children have an innate affinity for staged learning.
Following this approach, each discipline is divided into
the three parts of the Trivium and taught in that context.
In this manner, Providence Classical School students learn
according to their innate age appropriate abilities. Therefore,
a classical approach is composed not only of subject content,
but also of a specific methodology for the mastering of that
content.
Presently, Providence Classical School offers the Grammar
stage and the beginning of the Logic stage. As the school
grows in the future, we will offer the full Logic and Rhetoric
stages of learning.
Education
Modern educational thought may be characterized as chaotic,
not only regarding the methodology of education but also
with respect to which disciplines should be taught to support
a lifetime of continued learning. At Providence Classical
School, our perspective on educational content is guided
by a commitment; a commitment to support and serve parents
in their God-given responsibility to educate their children.
From that perspective, educational content at PCS is guided
by what a consensus of parents would say is most important,
a strong emphasis on “the basics.” The basics
include language, mathematics, science, history, art and
music. We seek to ensure that students entrusted to us fully
master these subjects. This is in opposition to a more broad-based
approach that would place less emphasis on these subjects
in order to include more peripheral topics, especially regarding
social concerns. By focusing on basic core educational content
using the classical teaching methodology, we will not only
impart knowledge to the students, but also give them the
tools they will need to extend their learning experiences
far beyond our school.
What do we mean by Providence Classical
School?
We believe it is the Providence of God that brought together
a community of like-minded Christian parents who have a great
desire to intensely train their children’s hearts and
minds to glorify God. This intense training begins in our
children’s hearts at very young ages. Respect, honor
and obedience are key components that are put in place before
the formal training of their minds. Academics at Providence
Classical School are challenging and rewarding. Providence
Classical School seeks to train a generation to learn, think,
and act in ways that bring glory to God. The uniqueness of
Providence Classical School is two-fold. First, we provide
training in academics that lines up with a Biblical worldview.
All Teaching is filtered through the Biblical mandates of
Scripture. Our challenging schedule of academics promotes
perseverance, diligence, and endurance. Classical Christian
is our method of providing our students with the tools of
learning. Second, we provide an atmosphere where morals and
Biblical principles for living are elevated. We seek to be
an extension of the Godly home where both husband and wife
are committed to raising servants of God. This is accomplished
through the application of Biblical principles of parenting.
Parents are responsible before God to bring up children who
live out Biblical commands. What an awesome task for parents!
The community serves to support, encourage and build up one
another in that task.
Providence Classical School has endeavored to train the
minds and the hearts of our students to be prepared to serve
their generation with skill and zeal for God. Our desire
is for our students to be learners for life and leaders for
Christ.
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