Classical Christian Education

Classical Christian education is an approach to learning which emphasizes biblical teachings and incorporates a teaching model known as the Trivium, which consists of the three stages of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

Classical education complements a child’s natural development stages. Young children can memorize information easily. So, in the early years, we incorporate songs, body movement, recitation, and exploration to enhance learning. This sets them up for success in their next stage of learning.

In middle school, students tend to ask “why” as they grow in their critical thinking skills. You may have noticed how they love to debate! So, we cut with the grain of the student and introduce formal logic giving them lots of opportunity to practice this skill in all other subjects.

Once a student reaches high school, he becomes more self-aware and considers how others perceive him. It is now time for teaching rhetoric, the art of presenting ideas, and to cultivate wisdom in the student. The young adult is now capable of using this broad foundation of knowledge to carefully consider the moral implications of his actions upon the world around him.

In short, classical Christian education leads all students toward extraordinary outcomes. We graduate students who know how to think for themselves, are confident, articulate and defend their ideas and beliefs winsomely, and engage in the world around them with respect and responsibility.

Educational Philosophy (Click to Expand)

The educational approach of Cary Christian School, Inc., as defined below is fundamentally different from government-operated education both in philosophy and content. Cary Christian School recognizes that an excellent education is founded upon disciplined, eager attention to learning; that this discipline rests upon the student’s moral character; and that this moral character can only be developed through a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. In support of parents’ God-given responsibility for educating their children, Cary Christian School seeks to:

      1. Provide a clear model of Christian life through its staff and board members (Matt. 22:37-40);
      2. Encourage every student to begin and to continue to develop a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20);
      3. Teach all subjects from a biblical worldview as parts of an integrated whole with the Scripture at the center (II Tim. 3:6-17);
      4. Provide students with a classical education, in which grammar (the fundamental facts and rules of each subject), logic (the ordered relationship of particulars in each subject), and rhetoric (the expression in speech and writing of the ideas of a subject) are emphasized in all subject areas;
      5. Encourage all students to develop wisdom, discernment, and a love for learning. Children will be taught how to learn for themselves and how to express what they have learned; how to think rather than simply what to think;
      6. Provide an orderly and safe atmosphere conducive to attaining these goals. Concerning the teaching of origins, we affirm that God created everything out of nothing and that He created it good. Christians have differed as to the age of the earth based upon the Genesis 1 account of creation. Various interpretations which affirm the inerrant character of Genesis 1 can be held by faithful Christians.
Organizational Philosophy (Click to Expand)

The mission of this organization is academic excellence within a biblical worldview. To carry out this mission, Cary Christian School, Inc., adheres to the following principles:

      1. Commits to operating with efficiency and excellence;
      2. Maintains respect for the individual and insists upon graciousness in all interactions at every level of the organization;
      3. Encourages a decentralized form of administration where decisions are made and responsibility is taken for those decisions at the lowest possible level of the organization. This organizational principle of delegation is intended to reduce administrative overhead and empower the individuals involved in a particular process to have the primary input to improve it (Ex. 18:13-27);
      4. Regards parents as customers of Cary Christian School and teachers as having board-delegated authority in the classroom;
      5. Encourages parents to be active supporters of the educational process;
      6. Commits to resolve disputes that arise out of or relate to its organizational documents by biblically based mediation (Matt. 18:15-20, I Cor. 6:1-8).

If necessary, legally binding arbitration shall be in accordance with the Rule of Procedure for Christian Conciliation of the Institute for Christian Conciliation. These biblical methods of dispute resolution shall be the sole remedy for any controversy or claim arising out of the Articles of Incorporation or the Bylaws of Cary Christian School, Inc.

What does classical Christian education look like at Cary Christian School? Find out in these articles from our blog, “The Forum”:

Learning How to Learn: The Senior Thesis

“The thesis is there to prove that we are no longer just students, absorbing information from other people. In the thesis project, we find our own sources and reach our own conclusions…we truly have to create something.” This, according to one of our graduates, was the highlight of Cary Christian School’s senior thesis project. After…

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Teaching from a Biblical Worldview

As a young girl growing up in a small North Carolina town, I loved playing school and having the complete and total attention of the many stuffed animal students that filled my living room classroom. I knew at seven years old that I wanted to be a teacher. God graciously allowed that dream to become…

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Why Study Rhetoric?

There is perhaps no more misunderstood or misused liberal art than rhetoric. As a “subject” taught in classical schools it is a mystery for those looking in from the outside. What could possibly even be taught in such a class? In a world where the term “empty rhetoric” is a redundancy, why would you ever…

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“You Teach Logic to Middle Schoolers???”

“You teach logic to middle schoolers???” This question is the most common response I receive when I tell people that I teach eighth grade logic. Others include, “Isn’t that a contradiction?” “They’re too young and wild to study logic!” and my favorite, “That’s got to be a fallacy.”   The answer to these questions is another question. I am…

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Making Memorization Fun: Songs, Jingles, & Chants

The Presidents Song The Capacity Song As the introverted-est of introverts, I never once answered the question of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with anything that would require me to do anything in front of anyone. I wanted to be a mailman or a librarian. Furthermore, the last thing I…

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Pursuing Sacramental Moments

During my first year as a teacher, there was this moment. We were discussing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the students were trying to prove they were smarter than Edmund. They were adamant that they would not have fallen for the lies of the White Witch. They were all confident that her…

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Not a College Prep School

Cary Christian School is not a college prep school. Wait, what? Now, before any of you begin to question the robustness and efficacy of our academic program here at Cary Christian School, let me explain. A plethora of college prep schools exist here in the Triangle area. Each of these institutions, through the implementation of…

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Read Well, Live Well: Learning Virtue Through Great Literature

“Education is teaching our children to desire the right things,” Plato asserted millennia ago. Classical Christian educators, faculty, and parents herald this idea, yet struggle to identify the “right things.” As college applications and standardized tests loom over the Upper School, it’s easy to buy in to the cultural norm that tells us these are…

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Praying for Student Success

“Dear Lord: please help my son to make all A’s, ace the SAT, pass his AP exams with flying colors, and get accepted into a prestigious university. Amen.” What do you think of a prayer like this? Would you pray it for your son or daughter? Some might find it to be asking too much.…

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Biblical Worldview in the Grammar School

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” – James 3:1 Both the most important responsibility and the greatest privilege we have been given as teachers is to present everything we teach from a biblical worldview. Our hearts long to praise…

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Musings from a Logic Teacher

I teach logic to eighth graders. If ever there seemed to be a fallacious statement, wouldn’t that be it? But really, what better time to teach students how to argue well and effectively than when they are in the “Pert Stage”? If ever there is something fourteen-year-olds as a group can do well, it’s argue!…

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