About
We use the term “scholar” instead of simply “student” for the sake of communicating the chief goal of the education at our schools. Our aim is quite simple: to train the next generation of children, the dear little scholars, that they may know Christ and him better so that they may serve the world they live in to the glory of their heavenly Father.
Our faculty is dedicated to the cultivation of Christian virtue and gifting the scholars with the sources of God’s truth as handed to us from the sacred Scriptures, church history, and even the revealed natural knowledge that surrounds us. Our classical school and sister schools strive to be distinct so that we do not seek to conform to the philosophies and “urgent needs” of the world.
Goals
Rather, our curriculum materials have loftier goals: 1) to prepare the next generation of scholars for academic success; 2) reflect the best our world has to offer (the good, true, and beautiful); 3) promote a positive view of the good and wonderful things of Western Civilization without sacrificing a central Christian doctrine; 4) provide avenues for appreciating our place in the world and context that which we live (perhaps called “civics”); 5) understand our place in a world ravaged by sin and grow in the faith in our savior Jesus Christ who gave us atonement of our sins and justified us before the Father in heaven.
The Classical Difference
Thus, our classical school gives the young scholars a different education—a better education. An education centered in a Christian worldview and that does not shy itself away from the present challenges of so called “progressivism” and the destruction of the family, church, and state. In fact, we do the exact opposite. Our curricula specifically seek to give the tools and knowledge necessary to carry on God’s teachings of the primacy of the estates that He instituted. Thus, this school centers itself in the Gospel and revolves its curriculum around it. We understand that, as Christians, we do not sit in judgement over the Word, rather the Word is set in the place of judging our education, curricula, and the goals of our classical school.
For the sake of brevity, let this suffice that the features of classical education are embedded into this curriculum. One may begin to see the philosophy of a Lutheran classical education and the rationale behind it. The curriculum revolves in an understanding of the trivium and quadrivium. The trivium is organized around grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The quadrivium is organized around arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy. Classical education approaches education from the vantage point of clear and logical thinking, trying to cultivate a habitus in the scholar that will carry them for a lifetime of learning.
Curricular Transparency
We strive to be transparent in our exercises, our expectations, and especially what we plan to expose to your scholar. From every subject, we endeavor to provide enough information that you begin to recognize the worth and the goals of a Lutheran classical education at Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy.