“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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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!…
“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering,” wrote C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain, “and you find that you have excluded life itself.” Man has always suffered, and we have always tried to cope. The urge to understand suffering is what’s behind one of humanity’s richest literary traditions: tragedy. Whenever we see the term…
If someone asked you to define classical, Christian education, what would you say? I think most of us could provide a fairly decent definition of Christian education; well, at least I would hope so. But I fear that many of us would struggle to define classical education. Subsequently, our own children, the ones receiving this…
Is your child an excellent student? How did you answer that question? If you’re like most, your mind immediately evaluated your children’s report card grades and arrived at a response. You probably answered in the affirmative if your child receives mostly high marks, A’s and B’s, and perhaps you answered in the negative if your…
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) Today, there is a tremendous need for young people (and all Christians, for that matter)…