Christian and Classical: a philosophy of education.
If you try to please everyone, then you end up pleasing no one; one size does not fit all – especially when it comes to schooling. Cornerstone is not trying to please everyone. We strive to be a Christian and Classical School of excellence.
One of our mottos is a question, “why not the best?” It is a question we pose in order to reach out to the discerning parent. It is a question that we ask ourselves as well. Why not the best for our children, our community and our Lord, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Articulating our philosophy of education guides us in the many decisions that we make as a school: from what we teach, to how we teach, and to whom we hire to teach.
Christian: learning how to live.
For Christian parents, faith is not an afterthought, or something to check at the school door. The grade school years are vital for character and spiritual formation. Cornerstone endeavors to be a help to parents – to work with them and support what they are trying to teach at home and church, to be the third leg of the proverbial stool.
What does it mean to be a Christian school? At Cornerstone it means 1) teaching the Bible and teaching it as the word of God. It means 2) teaching reverence and respect for God and the things of God. Each day begins with chapel. Respect for oneself and for others begins with reverence for God. It means 3) that we teach and apply Christian morals. It means a safe and wholesome environment in which the Golden Rule is taught, and children are treated with kindness and respect. It means 4) that we teach a Christian worldview as not only the foundation and integrating principle of all that we teach, but also the highest aspiration for a life of learning.
Classical: learning how to learn.
The most important thing that a student can learn is how to learn. It’s the principle that it is better to teach someone how to fish than to give him a fish. It is what makes Classical education so powerful and the best foundation for a life of learning. A Classical education equips students with the tools of learning.
The Classical schooling movement is a revival movement. It is the return to tried and true methods of learning. It is a revival of Liberal Arts education. The first three “Arts” of learning (Liberal Arts) are called the “Trivium:” Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.
In a classical school Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric are subjects, but they are also levels in schooling corresponding to grammar, middle, and high school. Additionally, they are the tools of learning. Each subject has its Grammar, the basic information and rules. Each subject has its logic, the theory – the reasons why. Each subject has it rhetoric, the ways that a subject is practiced or expressed. As a student progresses through his grammar, middle, and high school school years he progresses through the grammar, logic and rhetoric of his subjects.
Whether the next step is work, military service, vocational training, or college, a Cornerstone graduate is well prepared to learn.
If you try to please everyone, then you end up pleasing no one; one size does not fit all – especially when it comes to schooling. Cornerstone is not trying to please everyone. We strive to be a Christian and Classical School of excellence.
One of our mottos is a question, “why not the best?” It is a question we pose in order to reach out to the discerning parent. It is a question that we ask ourselves as well. Why not the best for our children, our community and our Lord, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Articulating our philosophy of education guides us in the many decisions that we make as a school: from what we teach, to how we teach, and to whom we hire to teach.
Christian: learning how to live.
For Christian parents, faith is not an afterthought, or something to check at the school door. The grade school years are vital for character and spiritual formation. Cornerstone endeavors to be a help to parents – to work with them and support what they are trying to teach at home and church, to be the third leg of the proverbial stool.
What does it mean to be a Christian school? At Cornerstone it means 1) teaching the Bible and teaching it as the word of God. It means 2) teaching reverence and respect for God and the things of God. Each day begins with chapel. Respect for oneself and for others begins with reverence for God. It means 3) that we teach and apply Christian morals. It means a safe and wholesome environment in which the Golden Rule is taught, and children are treated with kindness and respect. It means 4) that we teach a Christian worldview as not only the foundation and integrating principle of all that we teach, but also the highest aspiration for a life of learning.
Classical: learning how to learn.
The most important thing that a student can learn is how to learn. It’s the principle that it is better to teach someone how to fish than to give him a fish. It is what makes Classical education so powerful and the best foundation for a life of learning. A Classical education equips students with the tools of learning.
The Classical schooling movement is a revival movement. It is the return to tried and true methods of learning. It is a revival of Liberal Arts education. The first three “Arts” of learning (Liberal Arts) are called the “Trivium:” Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.
In a classical school Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric are subjects, but they are also levels in schooling corresponding to grammar, middle, and high school. Additionally, they are the tools of learning. Each subject has its Grammar, the basic information and rules. Each subject has its logic, the theory – the reasons why. Each subject has it rhetoric, the ways that a subject is practiced or expressed. As a student progresses through his grammar, middle, and high school school years he progresses through the grammar, logic and rhetoric of his subjects.
Whether the next step is work, military service, vocational training, or college, a Cornerstone graduate is well prepared to learn.