Cornerstone Principal

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  -Romans 12:2-

One of the great joys and opportunities associated with education as a ministry is the ability to partner with the Christian home while directly engaging parents (both new and old) in rich discussions centered upon our unique educational model.

Our covenantal Christian philosophy of education is unlike any other as it separates itself from other models through our commitment to classical education as influenced by former British educator and author Charlotte Mason.  The result is a school philosophy, curriculum, and culture unlike anything else in the entire southwest.

In this article (loosely broken into two parts), I will comment about some of our distinct approaches to education, designed to encourage our children to become both lovers of Christ and lovers of learning.  As a quick reminder or overview Cornerstone’s approach to education is distinctively…

Covenantal

Covenantal does not seek to replace the believing parents and local churches in the process of educating and disciplining their covenantal children but, rather, to come alongside and partner with them in this essential task.

Christian

All subjects at Cornerstone are taught from a Biblical worldview perspective so that the children may understand that God is the King of everything, from science to music to history, and that His Word is the absolute source of truth.

Classical

The classical philosophy of education is reflected in our focus upon history, classic literature, timeless masterpieces of art and music, and Latin instruction. Additionally, Cornerstone students fall within the grammar stage of the classical ‘Trivium,’ so the curriculum emphasizes memorization of facts in each of the content areas in preparation for the later stages of learning (logic and rhetoric).

Charlotte Mason-inspired

The philosophies of nineteenth century British educator Charlotte Mason are evident throughout Cornerstone’s curriculum in the form of narrations, recitations, copybooks, nature studies, and short lessons.  All of these tools are employed to encourage students to become lifelong learners; our primary aim is for students to want to learn for the sake and enjoyment of learning, not simply to earn a grade or to regurgitate answers on a test.

Comprehensive

Cornerstone aspires to provide a ‘rich’ education, the type that C.S. Lewis described as “a proper study for princes.”  All children thrive on a diet of worthy ideas, and these ideas are found primarily in living books and our Western cultural heritage.  Our students are also trained in the habits of the heart- attention, respect, and responsibility- so as to bring focus to the art and craft of their own learning.

In summary, at Cornerstone we remain committed to the idea that education teaches children the art of learning; it trains the mind in how to think well.  Dorothy Sayers once said, “Is not the great defect of our education today…that although we succeed in teaching our pupils ‘subjects,’ we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think: they learn everything, except the art of learning.” 

Having reviewed Cornerstone’s distinct approaches to education (Covenantal, Christian, Classical, Charlotte Mason-inspired, and Comprehensive), let’s now take a deeper look at some of the key and critical differences between our Classical Christian model and most modern education models of learning.  Consider the contrasts in the following areas:    

Excellence versus Democratic:

At Cornerstone we believe in excellence and setting the bar high, with intentional efforts made to take each student to their highest possible potential.  We operate under the unwritten philosophy, “No child HELD behind.”  Modern education, however, is largely ‘‘democratic,’’ and ‘‘egalitarian’’ in its approach, instead focusing on the notion that every student should attain the same level of achievement.   

Western versus Multicultural:

We recognize and embrace the great contributions of our Western-cultural heritage both in America and around the world, including its triumphs and failures, the expansion of Christendom, and the work of the church over the last millennia and a half.  Modern education tends to be very critical of our Western cultural roots, and strongly emphasizes that imperialism, slavery, and historic Christianity, as “what is wrong with America” with little or no balance.      

Universal versus Naturalistic:

The foundation of our classical education approach is rooted in the humanities, arts, and sciences to bring a full perspective to the learning environment and future discussion tables.  Modern education tends to take a more naturalistic approach, heavily emphasizing math and science at the expense of art, literature, and history.   

Integrated versus Secular:

At Cornerstone education is necessarily tied to religion and philosophy in order to properly train thoughtful students.  Secular education holds the “spiritual” as being personal and attempts to avoid the deeper or larger philosophical issues (especially ones that may be Judeo-Christian in nature).

Idealism versus Values-Neutral:

In Christian education we believe that standards of right and wrong exist in all subjects.  The Bible teaches us that there are moral truths and our students are taught to make decisions accordingly.  In modern education, all moral positions are relative and hence all positions must be equally treated.  The result has been modern education’s attempt to be ‘everything to everyone.’ This has had disastrous results in terms of moral standards and consistency from subject-to-subject.        

Integrated Subjects versus Broken into many Subjects:

In keeping with our roots, we believe that all subjects should be taught through an integrated Biblical worldview so that students understand the whole as well as the parts.  In developing a philosophy and method of education Charlotte Mason once called this, “A science of relations.”  Modern education tends to break knowledge into pieces so that it can be more carefully studied and thus better understood.

Critical Thinking versus Facts and Functional Skills:

We want our students to learn to think beyond just subject-matter.  Facts and information are not the primary goals- wisdom and eloquence are.  We want our children to engage big ideas.  This is in contrast with modern education where students primarily learn about subjects, particularly ones that help them “get good jobs.”

Traditional versus Progressive:

We hold to educational standards that have a clear record of success and also utilize the ancient Trivium as a tool in our daily pursuit.  Most modern education is always experimenting with new techniques and methods.  A new “cure-all” of sorts.  Some may even refer to this as the flavor of the month, or the educational winds of change, that seemingly come and go from year-to-year, reappearing and catching new fire every couple of decades.         

Engaging and Challenging versus Entertaining:

We want our students to meet a high standard and to enjoy the sense of achievement.  They should develop a lifetime love of learning simply from the joy and rigor of learning itself.  Pop culture (and modern education almost by default) entertains the student in hopes of engaging them in the learning  process.  The result of this type of entertainment and constant amusement is boredom with the basic daily or little things found in life, something we should frown upon as Christians.       

In closing, I hope this article provides a nice outline while enhancing further discussion about who we are and what we believe, in terms of our approach to education.  Christian and classical education should challenge all Christians (students and adults alike) to be lifelong learners, and to make the transition between the gathering and analyzing of facts and figures to engaging and tackling the bigger ideas, while also attempting to answer the big questions of our age through a Biblical worldview lens.    

In Him,

Mr. Jeff Jones

Cornerstone Principal

Sources:Classical Christian Education: The Essential Guide for Parents (www.TheAmbroseGroup.org)

 

 

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