Our mission is to equip future Christian leaders with the spiritual and academic tools for life-long learning, and to enable them to think, reason, and communicate well from a biblical worldview.
What is Classical Education?Classical education utlizes a three-stage approach to education known as the Trivium. The intent of this approach is to educate through a paradigm that mirrors a student's strengths as they progress through various stages of development. The three stages of the Trivium are Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. |
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Grammar Lower School
Grammar Stage (K-6th) - This stage develops a strong foundation of each subject through the mastery of basic skills, or the “grammar” of each discipline. Through the use of songs, rhymes, games, and the like, we capitalize on the students’ natural ability to learn large amounts of information.
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Logic Middle School
Logic Stage (7th-9th) - This stage develops the analytical mind. By developing strong logical reasoning skills, we capitalize on the students’ natural urge to question the validity of ideas.
During the Logic stage, we study the classic literary works of the Western culture (it should be noted that this is not simply an indiscriminate love of such literature but a biblically informed assessment of how those works and the ideas contained therein have influenced the Western world, whether positively or negatively). Additionally, the study of informal and formal logic begins, where we cultivate clear thinking and reasoning skills as well as sound argumentation. Students will learn to recognize poor argumentation and logical fallacies and will be able to avoid them in their own written and oral works. |
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Rhetoric High School
Rhetoric Stage (10th – 12th) - This stage develops the art of effective and persuasive speaking and writing. Through the formal study of rhetoric, we capitalize on the students’ natural desire to speak their mind and be respected. They learn how to express their own ideas in a cogent manner.
The formal study of rhetoric consists of the student learning and mastering the skills of invention, arrangement, style, memorization and delivery of ideas. Following from the Logic stage, we continue the study of the classic literary works of Western culture (it should be noted that this is not simply an indiscriminate love of such literature but a biblically informed assessment of how those works and the ideas contained therein have influenced the Western world, whether positively or negatively). The culmination of an FCS education (12th grade) is characterized by the public presentation and defense of a thesis. The thesis defense is a demonstration of the student’s ability to take a particular topic or body of information, master the basics (grammar) of it, to understand that information and formulate sound arguments (logic) in favor of or against it, and be able to deliver an organized, coherent, and compelling presentation of that body of knowledge (rhetoric). |
| Integration of Subject Matter Although subject integration is a facet of classical methodology, it deserves special attention. Odds are good that most adults, in our educational experience, have had little to no experience with the degree of subject area integration employed in the classical model. Most adults (and most students today) have an educational experience wherein specific subjects are taught entirely independently of one another. For example, the literature teacher, the history teacher and the geography teacher may not have an idea what one another are teaching at any given time. Perhaps the literature teacher is teaching modern British literature while the history teacher discusses early Egyptian history and the geography teacher teaches American geography. This approach places a tremendous burden on the student to achieve synthesis of thought. On the other hand, if all three focused on the same time period and geographical region (and better yet, if the same teacher taught them all), a synthesis of thought would be possible to an exponentially greater degree. Moreover, in a Christian school, theology can and must be incorporated, thus providing a cohesive body of thought that is all the more rich. This is but one example of a great many benefits to a thoroughly integrated curriculum. Fellow educator and headmaster Dr. Christopher Perrin is the publisher for Classical Academic Press. In a short booklet entitled Introduction to Classical Education: A Guide for Parents, Dr. Perrin had the following to say about curriculum integration: “Knowledge is more like a web than a chest of drawers; there are no subjects that are unrelated to others. Literature, history and theology for example are quite intertwined. Anything from the past (in any subject) can be history; anything committed to creative or excellent writing can be literature; and any subject considered in relation to God and biblical teaching can be theology. Until the 19th century, educators understood and taught knowledge as a web, rather than as separate departments.” Dr. Perrin’s analogies of the chest of drawers and the web are good ones. When subjects are taught as compartmentalized, disconnected and independent disciplines, they are liable to remain that way in the student’s mind. When they are taught in relationship to one another however, then all are indeed intertwined, all bring to bear on one another, and limitless connections can be made. So if Dr. Perrin is right and this is how education was approached up to the nineteenth century, why are we stuck in the rut of teaching compartmentalized subjects when a much more thorough and robust education is to be had? Perhaps we have simply become too easily satisfied. Perhaps C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory was right: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about…when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." Let us abandon our mud pies and take hold of the infinite joy set before us! |
| The Authority of Scripture We believe Scripture to be the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience (although the light of nature, creation and providence do manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, so as to leave men inexcusable, Romans 1:19-20). The protestant reformers also held a high view of Scripture, and from that belief they came to hold the doctrine of sola scriptura. Today that same disposition toward Scripture must govern the Church (and by extension, her schools). The verses that demonstrate the efficacy and sufficiency of Scripture are numerous, and a few references are appropriate. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” Peter, in his second letter (1:3-8), tells us of the manifold blessings that come through the knowledge of Christ as revealed in the Scriptures: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Finally Paul, in the tenth chapter of Romans, demonstrates the centrality of preaching and the gospel as God’s ordained means of bringing about salvation for the unbeliever (vv. 13-15, 17): “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’…So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” So we see that Scripture alone can be the source of Godly wisdom, and accordingly the Bible must govern every discipline. |
| Standing on Truth Our desire for our students at Founders Christian School is an integrated, comprehensive, and synthesized education. Because the student’s doctrinal understanding is intimately related to his understanding of all things, including academic pursuits, a hodgepodge or superficial approach to doctrine is not sufficient. Many schools fail to communicate a consistent message in this regard. Christian schools in general are willing to teach authoritatively in areas such as science, mathematics, history, and even literature. However, when it comes to the area where God has spoken to us the most clearly—through His Word—many if not most Christian schools shy away from teaching authoritatively and take the approach that all views deserve equal consideration. We send a convoluted message to our students when we communicate to them (through our practice) that in areas of general revelation, such as math and science, we may teach authoritatively, but that in the area of greatest importance—in the area of special revelation, we must not dare to teach authoritatively. The fourth chapter of the gospel of John tells us that true worshippers must worship “in spirit and in truth.” In order to do this, we must know the truth, and in order to know the truth, it must be taught. As a ministry of Founders Baptist Church, we subscribe to the Statement of Faith and Doctrine of Founders Baptist Church, and will teach in accordance with and not contrary to said statement. Having thus been provided with a robust doctrinal foundation, by the grace of God students will be able to grow into spiritual maturity so that they “may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” |
24724 Aldine Westfield
Spring, TX 77373
281-602-8006
Office Hours:
Monday — Friday: 8:00 am — 4:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
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