Classical Christian Education (CCE)
The resurgence of classical Christian education through recent decades has evolved through several phases, each of which is intentionally cultivated in NCCA.
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Inspired by Dorothy Sayers’ essay The Lost Tools of Learning, NCCA focuses content and pedagogical practices in alignment with students’ natural stages of development, known as the Trivium (Latin for “three ways”). Knowledge is gained in the Grammar phase, understanding that knowledge occurs more deeply in the Logic phase, and then this understanding is applied through wisdom in the Rhetoric phase. These three sequential phases–Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric–respectively correspond with the biblical concepts of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom (cf Prov 24:3-4).
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Classical Christian Education generally, and NCCA specifically, aligns students’ understanding and reasoning with God’s Word. To do this, theology is not merely one subject among others but thoroughly integrated into all subjects. Proverbs teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov 1:7) and of wisdom (Prov 9:10). Therefore to know anything well, it must be known in light of the authority of Scripture.
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In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he commands to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Phil 4:8). We become what we behold, so we desire students to behold time-tested, excellent works displaying the transcendentals of truth, goodness, and beauty. Whether it’s studying Latin and Greek, learning rhetoric and ethics from Aristotle, or going ad fontes (to the sources) to read the great books of the past, our students enter the great conversations of the past.
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We focus on virtue, not mere vocation. We’re not in the business of making Christians into better businessmen, tradesmen, parents, and teachers. We’re making future businessmen, tradesmen, parents, and teachers into better Christians, equipped with the wisdom and virtue to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. Lewis said “Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’; aim at Earth and you will get neither.” Likewise, aiming at virtue glorifies God and prepares for the next life, but it also prepares students with the wisdom and virtue to live well in this life. To paraphrase Lewis, when you aim at heart-level virtue formation, you get head-level academic formation thrown in.
Three Stages of Learning (the Trivium)
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Grammar School (K-6th)
Throughout these formative early years, students begin developing virtue and discovering the joy of learning through play, songs, exploration, memorization, recitation, and building knowledge.
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Logic School (7th-9th)
Logic-stage students move beyond merely memorizing facts, exploring the relationships between ideas, asking thoughtful questions, developing sound reasoning, and growing understanding.
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Rhetoric School (10th-12th)
Students develop and demonstrate wisdom through academic rigor, meaningful discussions, and worldview formation, preparing students to lead, serve, and shape the culture around them.
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Here are the reasons we believe a distinctly Christian education is vital:
We desire to trust in the Lord and not lean on human understanding, acknowledging the Word of God in all of our practices (Prov 3:5-7). Scripture is ultimately authoritative and sufficient for all of life (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:3,20,21).
We believe that a Christian environment is the most conducive environment to developing disciples and an accurate understanding of truth, goodness, and beauty (Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 15:33; Ps 1:1-2; Phil 4:8).
We believe that God's character is revealed not only in His Word but also in every facet of the creation. Therefore, we teach that all knowledge is interrelated (integrated) and can instruct us about God himself.
God wants us to love Him with our minds, as well as with our hearts, souls, and strength (Matt 22:37). Therefore, we seek to individually challenge children at all levels and teach them how to learn, by using the centuries-old, proven classical method, incorporating instruction in Latin.
We want to help parents teach their children that all they do should be done "heartily, as unto the Lord” (Col 3:23). Therefore, we seek to encourage quality academic work and maintain high standards of conduct. This necessarily includes biblical discipline principles.
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NCCA emphasizes Classical Christian education (CCE) using a time-tested educational system which establishes a biblical worldview (or paideia, cf Eph 6:4) in the liberal arts tradition. This classical model is designed to free (or liberate) students to learn how to think, rather than merely what to think, in the stage of development most suited for that student’s particular age.
In the 1940s the British author, Dorothy Sayers, wrote an essay entitled The Lost Tools of Learning. In it, she calls for a return to the application of the seven liberal arts of ancient education, the first three being the Trivium – grammar, logic, rhetoric. For thousands of years of Western education, these disciplines have been considered essential for:
Training students in reasoning (formal logic) and persuasion (formal rhetoric).
Engaging children in “the great conversation” through the historical Great Books.
Preparing each recipient to flourish as a human and contribute well to society.
Cultivating individual virtues and collective cultures.
Developing understanding of the transcendentals of truth, goodness, and beauty.
Classical education is a time-tested method for these objectives, preparing students for lifelong learning and the pursuit of future endeavors with excellence. NCCA is committed to graduating disciples of this caliber who are equipped with the freedom and virtue to slay dragons.
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NCCA operates in loco parentis – a Latin phrase meaning “in the place of a parent”. We believe that the Bible clearly instructs parents, not the church or state, to "bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4). The church’s commission is essentially to spread the Gospel and train believers (Matt 28:18-20). The state has been directed to enforce God’s laws and protect the innocent (Rom 13). The church trains parents and the state protects families. The family raises and educates children (Eph 6:1-4). Therefore, under the delegated authority of the family, we seek to teach and discipline in a manner consistent with the Bible and a godly home environment.
We want to help parents teach their children that all they do should be done "heartily, as unto the Lord" (Col 3:23). Therefore, we seek to encourage quality academic work and maintain high standards of conduct. This necessarily includes biblical discipline principles, which we encourage from the parents of our students. We have a full K-12 program because we believe that as long as a child is under the parents' authority and undergoing formal education, he should be trained biblically (Deut 6:6-7; Prov 22:6).