Never before, I think, have I seen a roundup of news stories on classical education that so strongly suggested we are in the middle of an education movement that is, well, moving, and in a growth direction. Consider:
The Week is not pleased to see new UK PM Boris Johnson’s rise, but they do credit it, in part, to his classical education: “If there were ever any doubts about the contemporary value of a classical education, Boris should put them to rest,” they write.
This morning, Stoicism was trending on Get Pocket: As in, How to use stoicism in the workplace for peace of mind.No note on doing something similar with sophistry. Maybe that’s next.
Here in Colorado, Dr. Joy King will speak on radio about why you should learn Latin. Meanwhile, in Greece, Cambridge Classicist Dr. Jennifer Wallace talks about the impact Ancient Greek language and history has had all over the world. Even today, “English-language literature is constantly being enriched in recent years with novels on themes drawn from Greek tradition, mainly from mythology and landmark historical events,” said Wallace. Well put. Her dismissal of Brexit, on the other hand, seems a little less incisive.
A little news from rapidly growing home school umbrella group Classical Conversations: they have Named Memory Masters (that’s an award for kids who memorize). Great Heart Academies has put out a press release that their graduation rates and SAT scores are higher than the national average. Well, yes but … if there is a classical school in America that doesn’t have higher graduation rates and SAT’s than the national average, I’d be very surprised. Still, thanks for spreading the message.
North Hardin Christian School in Kentucky, organized under the umbrella of a local Baptist church, will switch the the classical education method, noting the problems modern students face in the area of critical thinking and politics. Which reminds me of the story from these pages, Classical Education can help with the problem of fake news.
Meanwhile, in Michigan, Zion Lutheran School will switch to a classical model in 20-21. And in Central New Jersey, St. Ann School in Raritan is to adopt the classical method this year. In response to the change at St. Ann, Barbara Stevens of the Diocese of Metuchen said “the (classical) approach is gaining momentum” on the east coast and around the country.
South Bronx Classical IV broke ground in New York. This school is already established at a temporary location and reports that they have P.E. every day in elementary, as well as arts and music classes. Yes, that’s classical elementary school, Bronx IV.
Meanwhile, in other classical school construction news, private academy Trinity Classical School in Santa Clarita California moves up, securing funding for a new 16.1 million dollar campus. The school was founded in 2001 and has graduated seven high school classes.
