Exordium
The beginning of discourse…
Exordium is our all-school evening event during which all students present, by class, a very small sampling of what they've been learning. "Exordium" literally means "the beginning or introductory part, especially of a discourse." The word dates back to ancient rhetoricians, whose exordia were the introductory elements of their speeches.
With Exordium, we welcome parents and guests to the very beginning of the conversation about the learning and formation that's happening at ACA. What's more, this recitation gives students an opportunity to share what they've been mastering in class, and this practice is aligned with our belief that an education is not merely for the student's use or good, but education is a gift from God to be stewarded well and shared broadly.
Sharing and reciting knowledge is an important skill: It requires different mental faculties from writing or reading, typical ways of evaluating learning in the 21st century. A memorized and recited piece is more easily "accessed" in the student's mind than, for example, a string of words encountered in a novel. And learning to speak a poem or a jingle -- with clarity and expression -- is a foundational skill for all public speaking, useful for the student's entire life.
