Orange County Classical Academy will develop exceptional citizens who are keepers and defenders of the principles of our freedom, while also instilling intellectual and personal habits and skills upon which responsible, independent and productive lives are built.
Mission
The Mission of the Orange County Classical Academy is to develop students in mind and character through a classical, content-rich liberal arts and sciences curriculum that emphasizes the principles of scholarship, moral character, and civic virtue.
Virtues
The program in the lower grades focuses on six pillars of
Instruction in the classical virtues (prudence, justice,
temperance, and fortitude) is introduced in the upper
grades as a continuance of the elementary character
program and a necessary support of the classical
curriculum.
Classical Education Primer
Classical education guides students to love that which is true, good, and beautiful. Historical facts are taught so that students come to a natural understanding of how morality has shaped the world from ancient history until now. Students are led and taught to see how people, decisions, and discoveries have created the world we live in today. Teachers provide unbiased instruction without an agenda, and they guide students to consider what those facts mean, encouraging students to ask questions. It is that spark of curiosity and a desire to know WHY which begins to instill a love of learning for our students. Critical thinking develops naturally, as students deeply consider what they’ve learned and try to make connections to their lives and what matters to them. They also practice critical thinking as they analyze subjects like math, Latin, and grammar. Classical education is very different from postmodern ideology, which supposes that individuals have the right to decide what is right or wrong, that there is no ultimate truth, and that everything is relative.
What is Classical Education?
As the name suggests, Orange County Classical Academy is distinctively classical. And what is that? Much may be said in response. What follows is a brief outline of what a classical education is and what it is not. Details about the curriculum and specifics about school policy may be found on the school website. The points here focus on the most basic aims and attributes of a classical education.
Classical education is for everyone. It operates on the belief that there is a body of knowledge human beings ought to have in order to be educated people.
It’s well-rounded; seeking knowledge in all subjects to become fully human.
Our particular kind of classical education recognizes that our country was built on an idea — that all men are created equal and endowed with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We strive to uphold that idea by giving as many students as possible the opportunity for a classical, or human, education.
Our goal is to help public school students in the country be educated in the liberal arts and sciences. Classical education begins with a specific idea of who these students are and what they need. It fosters humanity’s innate curiosity about ourselves and the world we live in.
The classical liberal arts help us understand ourselves.
The sciences help us understand the world around us.
A classical education is a humane education. Classical schools are not assembly lines, and students are not products to be assembled. Classical schools are communities dedicated to the cultivation of human souls. They do not settle for robotic knowledge, but seek to stir students’ imagination.
A classical education is a liberal education. It is an education fitting for free citizens and one that fits them to be free. It liberates from the double bonds of ignorance and vice. It transcends the confines of one’s own time and place.
A classical education is a traditional education. The core of the Western tradition is our common heritage, and it is a precious one. To transmit the accumulated wisdom of Western civilization—to persuade students that it is their duty to tend that inheritance and to transfer it to future generations with interest—that is the work of a classical school.
A classical education is an innovative education. It proceeds from the conviction that the surest path to progress is knowing what has come before.
A classical education is ambitious. It aims at more than college admissions or job skills. It sows the seeds of human flourishing.
A classical education is humble. It frankly acknowledges that education is work and requires a good will. The reward, however, is great. Wisdom and eloquence, imagination and a sense of poetic beauty, friendship and virtue—these are not insignificant gifts to give a child.
A classical education is one in which the classics feature prominently. The greatest books, as well as the greatest works of art and music, whether old or new, are well-written, and contain profound insight into the questions that have occupied the noblest minds of every generation.
A classical education is a language-rich education. Facility in language is the precondition for progress in any subject. To this end, classical schools continue to emphasize the medieval “Trivium”—grammar, logic, and rhetoric—as well as the study of Greek and Latin.
A classical education stresses memorization. The curriculum is knowledge-rich. It proceeds on the belief that it is difficult to think well with an empty mind.
A classical education celebrates mystery. It holds that not everything real is quantifiable. Classical schools seek to tap students’ sense of wonder and to draw them toward wisdom.
A classical education relies on story. Stories have a unique power to stir the imagination and illuminate the truth.
A classical education is student-centered. That is, it is an education focused on the formation of each student’s intellect and character.
A classical education is also teacher-centered. That is, it supposes the need for those who have greater wisdom and knowledge to share that wisdom and knowledge with those who have less.
A classical education employs a varied pedagogy. Socratic dialogue, seminar, lecture, experiment, recitation, models for emulation—all have their place. The ends are fixed, but the means vary.
A classical education prizes order. The object of the education is a well-ordered mind and heart, and every effort is made to reflect this order in the environment, from good manners to a well-adorned campus.
What a Classical Education is Not
At least in the case of classical charter schools, classical education is not elitist. Historically, classical education was reserved for the upper classes. But that is no longer the case. Charter schools are public. Unlike private schools, anyone may enroll. No tuition is charged, and no tests are given to determine eligibility. If there happens to be a waiting list, the order of admission is decided by lottery. Classical charter schools offer a classical education to anyone who desires it, without consideration of social status, race, or income.
Classical education is not stifling. It is true, classical schools are characterized by the old-fashioned belief that students should memorize a great many facts. But the learning of facts is merely preparatory. Lower-order thinking is for the sake of higher-order thinking. Of far greater importance are the creativity and good conversation made possible by virtuous habits and a well-stocked mind.
Classical education is not faddish. The last century has seen an endless parade of education reforms, during which time ever-increasing spending has met with persistently lackluster results. Classical education made possible the greatest achievements of Western civilization, not least its science and technology, material prosperity, law codes and free institutions. Classical schools think it wise to keep hold of the goose that lays the golden eggs.
A classical education is not outmoded. The ends of a classical education did not cease to be relevant with the twenty-first century. A classical education is in every essential point a timeless education. Its aims are good for every person and at all times.
