Parents are increasingly exploring classical education for their children. In fact, classical education in the United States is growing at a rate of 5% annually. As the number one state for school choice, it’s no surprise that classical education is generously offered throughout Arizona.
If your children aren’t rising to their potential in traditional schools, they may find inspiration, motivation, and a match to their specific learning styles in a classical education setting.
Much of this education model’s appeal lies with the trivium; the three stages of learning called the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. They coincide with the growth of children’s mental development and cumulate in effective critical thinking and persuasive communication.
Likewise, classical education’s emphasis on character development, and intellectual and moral virtues is a strong magnet for parents. Embracing the “whole child” concept of education produces scholars with confidence, integrity, and strong morals.
Listed as a top school by the U.S. News & World Report, the Leman Academy of Excellence is a tuition-free classical education school. It’s available for scholars to attend in person or virtually with the highly ranked Leman Virtual Academy. In addition, Leman Academy ranked in the top 10 schools in the state’s business opinion poll, Ranking Arizona. Clearly, of all the great charter schools in Arizona, Leman Academy is a leader in education.
Taking a Closer Look: What is Classical Education?
Classical education is a method of teaching that dates back to ancient Greece. It was continued in the Western world, including in the United States, up until the 1940s when the Progressive Movement inspired major changes in the way we educate our children. As of the 1980s, a return to classical methods has been growing with the establishment of charter schools as well as within private schools.
The trivium is the set of three age-related teaching stages upon which classical learning is based:
- In the grammar stage, the first of these three, children from ages five through eleven quickly absorb massive amounts of information. They build a bank of knowledge across various subjects such as math, language, science, history, and geography.
- During the “middle school” ages of twelve and thirteen, classical education scholars engage with the logic stage of the trivium. At this time they begin the abstract thinking skills of analyzing, comparing, contrasting, synthesizing, and discovering relationships within the facts they learned during the grammar stage.
- In the rhetoric stage of the trivium, which coincides with the high school grades, scholars use the information they learned in the grammar and logic stages to form opinions, communicate their ideas clearly and persuasively in writing and speech, form well-reasoned arguments, and use critical thinking skills.
Foundational and critical thinking skills, cultural literacy, as well as character development are embedded within classical teaching.
Is Classical Education Available in Arizona?
In Arizona, you will find that classical education is taught in both charter and private school settings. Not all charter and private schools use this model, but many do. However, the classical method is not taught in traditional public schools.
Keep in mind that charter schools in Arizona are public schools, paid by the same funds as traditional public schools, and thus are tuition-free.
The Leman Academy of Excellence, Arizona and Colorado charter schools for children in grades K-8, lead scholars in developing excellent academic, character, and communication skills with the trivium. Leman offers scholars an enriched curriculum including art, music, P.E., Spanish, and Latin. Kindergarten scholars begin mathematics at the first-grade level and continue a grade level ahead through Algebra I in the eighth grade. Older scholars recite poetry, participate in debates and Socratic circles, study cultural literacy, and learn the art of reasoning and argument via the study of logic.
With schools like Leman Academy leading our youth in academic excellence, it’s easy to see why classical education is becoming a highly sought-after choice for families.
Why Choose Classical Education?
Using the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages of the trivium teaches scholars how to learn. To be lifelong learners, people need to memorize and retain new terms, symbols, and steps to problem-solving. They then feed this new information through their sense of logic; e.g., how does this new information compare with what was known before? How do each of the “parts” work to make the “whole” work? By comparing, contrasting, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating, people then conclude ways this new information is beneficial to them and others. The trivium is a model for lifelong learning.
To demonstrate the trivium’s effectiveness, let’s look at a couple of examples to see how knowledge and values expand from grammar through the rhetoric stages:
Grammar scholars learn how to paint. They experiment with the color wheel and apply different shades of color. They learn the names of artists and discuss their masterpieces. In the logic stage, scholars discuss how shape, color, angle, shade, and shadow create effects in artwork. They analyze, compare, and contrast the works of artists within the same and different historical periods of art. In the rhetoric stage, they write essays on neoclassical art and its influence on the French Revolution.
In another example, grammar stage scholars discuss justice and the maintenance of fairness. They discuss Plato’s Republic, memorizing key quotations to become familiar with justice in Plato’s world. At the logic stage, scholars question the assumptions they made about justice in the grammar stage. They compare Plato’s ideas to Aristotle’s notion of justice by reading and discussing their writings. In the rhetoric stage, scholars write and deliver speeches about how justice should be implemented within a specific context.
It’s argued that with technology to help people find answers quickly, students no longer internalize what they are taught. For example, many traditional schools no longer require their scholars to memorize their addition and multiplication facts because “they can use a calculator.” More importantly, scholars in these settings are not challenged to think about what they are learning. Instead, they are told what to think, and to remember it so they can pass tests.
Classical education, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of that setting. Classical scholars examine different facets of an issue, leading them to make wise decisions and apply moral standards in the ways they live and interact with others. Thus, the classical education model prepares scholars for life.
Leman Academy’s Approach to Classical Education
If you seek a classical education setting for your child, consider the Leman Academy of Excellence, with tuition-free charter schools in Arizona and Colorado. Scholars either attend Leman in person or access it from anywhere in the state with the Leman Virtual Academy. Well-grounded in the trivium, scholars delve into history, literature, philosophy, and character development with virtue-based instruction. They study mathematics; periods of history including ancient, medieval, and modern; English with literature, grammar, and writing; science with biology, earth science, chemistry, and physics; geography, Latin, and Spanish. Scholars also participate in art, music, and physical education.
How to Enroll in Leman Academy
For schools in both Arizona and Colorado, the enrollment process is simple. On the Leman Academy website’s toolbar, you’ll see the application “Enroll” listed. After you click that, you’ll be taken to a page where you click the button “Enroll Now.”
Next, if you are new to the site, create an account. You will then answer whether your child is currently enrolled in Leman, and if you have any other children enrolled. Click to continue and follow the step-by-step instructions in providing information about you and your child.
You will create a ParentVue login, and click “Begin Registration” in the open enrollment message on the Message Page in ParentVue. Click “Begin New Registration” and follow the prompts to register your child.
Conclusion
Prepare your children to be lifelong learners with classical education. They’ll acquire a well-trained mind in how to learn, how to think independently, and how to make wise decisions. Remember that Leman Academy is a tuition-free school for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Discover the treasures that await in the Leman Academy of Excellence. Visit their website to learn more and begin your enrollment process.