Primary Grades at ACA: Kindergarten through 2nd Grade
Did you know that the grade levels at ACA are divided into distinctive groups? If you are well-versed in classical education or just learning about it, you learn from the beginning that classical education is divided into three distinct stages: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These stages drive the curriculum and instruction for the teachers and shape how they approach teaching. At ACA, we follow these divisions, but we add in another division in the grammar stage. ACA places kindergarten through second grade into what is called the primary grades. Some classical schools refer to this stage as the pre-grammar or pre-polly stage. Why is this division made within the grammar stage? Think about the differences between a kindergartener and a second grader, or a five and eight year old. Pretty different, right? Recognizing this difference is at the root of dividing grammar into two stages. The primary stage at ACA focuses on primary skills, such as reading, writing, ciphering, and math. Once a student enters the second grade, that student is expected to be able to read in order to learn. In other words, students are expected to start getting information from reading. However, before students can read-to-learn, they must know how to read very well. At ACA, our goal is for our k-2 students not merely to pass a reading test, but to have mastery of reading before being expected to read-to-learn. This standard is higher than what would be found at a non-classical schools and public schools.
The same applies to the other primary subjects. Students need a solid foundation in these basic subjects in order to be built upon in the later grades. How can students be expected to learn critical thinking skills if their reservoir of knowledge is shallow? Or what if they lack basic reading, writing, and ciphering skills? They must have a solid foundation to draw from and from which to build. Recognizing the unique growing stage of a 5-7 year old makes this possible. There is a tendency to rush kids along in their education. If this foundational stage is skipped or shortened, the foundation will crack further down the road.
A few months ago, Alex Parker (kindergarten teacher) passed along a 2-part essay from Classis, the newsletter published by the Association of Classical and Christian Schools, and is posted on the Parents' Page of our website. I'm attaching both articles here again. Please take about 15 minutes to read these. Here, the primary stage is referred to pre-polly. If you have a 5-7 year old, please read this as it explains the importance of this stage before moving on to the grammar stage.
As parents, we are the primary educators of our children. We can't pass the torch completely to ACA once our little ones are enrolled in school! It's crucial to understand what ACA is doing and why, so we can further their education at home and, in turn, support our teachers.
“The Particular Prospects of the Pre-Polly Stage, Part I” by Tom Garfield, Classis.
“The Particular Prospects of the Pre-Polly Stage, Part II” by Tom Garfield, Classis.
Learn, Read, Question, Think: The Value of a Liberal Arts Education
Want to know what Edgar Bronfman, the former CEO of the Seagram Corporation, thinks about a liberal arts education? In his article published earlier this month at InsideHigherEd.com, he gives his answer: “My advice . . . Get a liberal arts degree. In my experience, a liberal arts degree is the most important factor in forming individuals into interesting and interested people who can determine their own paths through the future.”
What is a liberal arts education? It is considered education in all academic subjects, such as literature, mathematics, philosophy, and all sciences. It is very distinct and separate from professional, vocational, and technical education. In classical antiquity, a liberal arts education was considered what a person (citizen) needed to have in order to fully participate in and contribute to civic life.
In the article, the author argues (and I agree) that since technology and “cutting-edge practical knowledge” change so quickly, it is not beneficial to be vocationally educated exclusively in these areas. Instead, students need to develop an adaptable and critical mind, which is best done through a liberal arts education. The one thing, the author states, that cannot be replicated by technology is human creativity and imagination. Students with a liberal arts education can see the larger picture behind the data and think and write clearly and critically. In making his point, the author quotes Steve Jobs, when referring to Apple’s success, said it was a place where “technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities … yields us the results that makes our heart sing.”
Often in articles like this one about education, the emphasis is mainly on what the end result should be but lacks a new or practical insight on how to get there. In this article, the desired end result is more students pursuing a liberal arts undergraduate degree regardless of their desired post-college career path. The author inserts one or two throwaway sentences regarding the means to the end. Here, the author says, “We must push ourselves as a society to make math and science education innovative and engaging, and to value teachers and education.” Sure, it sounds nice. Everyone wants to be on the side of valuing teachers and education. A high level of commitment to and value placed in something doesn’t amount to much if you are committed to and value the wrong thing, in this case our country’s current approach to education. I think the author would have been well served to offer a different insight here – that maybe our approach to pre-collegiate education should change in order to produce kids who are capable of pursuing and earning a liberal arts degree in college. And, what does that look like? A classical education! By working through all the stages of a classical education, from grammar to logic to rhetoric, students are not merely filled with information, but taught how to think, read, and write - all from a critical and analytical perspective. Students are not only expected to regurgitate information, but to take in information, analyze it, and critique it. When coupled with a Christian worldview, students are encouraged to seek truth, beauty, and virtue; and to realize that these values are not subjective but can be known.
The author includes at the end of his article that studying Judaism has added to the fullness of his life. If we don’t understand our proper position in the world, why value education? Why understand the world? Being able to integrate a Christian worldview with education, like our students receive at ACA, is another key element to a fully rounded liberal arts education.
“Learn, read, question, think. In developing the ability to exercise those traits, you will not only be successful in business, but in the business of life.”
Read the article here: http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/10/17/liberal-arts-are-best-preparation-even-business-career-essay
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Leave a comment below!