Portrait of a Graduate
- True education should be directed toward the telos, or purpose, of the cultivation of persons in wisdom, virtue and godliness. It is not primarily a transfer of data to prepare for a specific task or function in the current economic order. Education is the formation of people toward a particular end, not primarily the development of self-expression. We all must conform ourselves to the model of Christ, to learn to love what we ought to love, and to dislike what we ought to dislike. We desire to prepare students for, as John Milton put it, “all the offices” of life, whatever their future various callings may be, and they will be various.
- Instructing is mentoring, and is essentially a master-apprenticeship relationship. Students learn how to be learners, and about how to be all the things we desire of them, by watching their instructors.
- Imitation in academics is a powerful force. Students learn how to do things with excellence by looking at and trying to imitate excellent examples.
- The liberal arts are for all. Music, art, languages, math, and science are human endeavors, and the study of them is a chief means toward becoming fully human.
- The best curriculum is that of what might be called the ‘Great Poieses’ (works, creations, productions) of Western Civilization in literature, ideas, maths and sciences, music, art, drama, etc. (This does not mean, of course, that other civilizations are not worthy of study. On the contrary, by equipping students to understand their own civilization from the roots up they are better prepared to do the same with others later. Their education should not end after Ordo Amoris Classical or university, after all—which is another idea we firmly believe in.)
- Education ought to be Christ-centered, shaped by a biblical worldview integrated into all of life, since Christ is Lord of all of life.
- Grammar, logic, and rhetoric are distinct subjects, but also are valuable tools for learning, and approaches to instructing.
- Participating is more valuable for students than mere spectating. Opportunities for participation for many students is more important than special opportunities for a few.
- The desire for, and willingness to work toward, excellence should be the norm for academia. Our culture values high quality and high expectations in academics, activities, and behavior.
- God has created us to live in a word-centric way. Scripture is the word of God and is the standard for faith and practice. Christ, of course, is the Word, and so is the center of all things, but as humans we also have language at the core of our being.
- All education, whether it is acknowledged or not, shapes the student in some way. Through our Portrait of a Graduate we attempt to be self-conscious about what our goals are in this shaping process.