Why Continue a Classical Christian Education through High School?
What adolescents need more than anything is Christ. If there is one time of our lives where we need the grace of Jesus telling us “This is who you are!”—high school is it.
Our church school (Trinity Classical School) is a K-12 school that many families in our church utilize, and so I’m writing to those families, but the principles apply broadly towards finishing high school with a Classical Christian Education. You’ve maybe asked, “Why should I stay at TCS through the High School, the Rhetoric School?” Even if your kids are younger, this is certainly something you have probably already thought about. But I want to offer some things to consider as you make these decisions with your family. Four reasons to consider staying at TCS all the way through.
Approaching education pragmatically means we primarily think about getting jobs, or getting into the right university, or nice buildings and facilities. Of course that is all attractive. But one of the key principles of Classical Education is resisting this pragmatism.
Avoid the Dangers of Pragmatism
Our culture approaches life pragmatically. We don’t think in terms of what is right or wrong, or what is pleasing to God or displeasing. We mainly ask, “What works, what makes me happy, comfortable, and wealthy?” Pragmatism often guides even Christian thinking about education.
But Christianity is not pragmatic. We live our whole lives for God’s glory, so we obey God even if we don’t understand why or think it might hurt. We do what he says even if it seems like it won’t work. This principle comes from our Lord: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). Or as CS Lewis put, “Aim at heaven, and you’ll get earth thrown in; Aim at the earth and you’ll get neither.”
How many of us have experienced that in our life? Do what God says, even if you don’t see the reason—and you often find yourself blessed.
Approaching education pragmatically means we primarily think about getting jobs, or getting into the right university, or nice buildings and facilities. Of course that is all attractive.
But one of the key principles of Classical Education is resisting this pragmatism. What does it mean to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness in education? St. Augustine, the church father who maybe more than anyone else, helped build the Western World, said education had two goals, teach people to (1) read the Bible and (2) tell other people about it (see his On Christian Teaching). It turns out if you focus on doing just those two things well, you actually shape a young life in an incredibly holistic manner: morally, intellectually, spiritually, socially, and vocationally.
So the first key is avoiding the temptation of pragmatism.
Make a Principled Decision
To not be pragmatic means to make decisions on principle. Families at TCS have already done this. A family would not follow the road less traveled of classical education if it didn’t come from a place of deep conviction.
How do you go about making a principled decision in education? Consider the following thought experiment.
I invite you to clear away all the options before you: TCS, public schools, running start, tuition, sports programs, and college credit. Clear all of that away, and imagine you have a blank slate. And you are sitting around with the people in your life who you trust the most, who you are raising your kids alongside, who love God’s word and his kingdom and the Gospel. And you come together and say, “What do our kids need at this crucial time in their lives so that they grow up into oaks of righteousness and pillars in our community? What do they need to be wise and loving and faithful Christians? What do they need to be thoughtful and confident?”
Your deepest principles will rise to the surface. I can almost guarantee you would come up with something that looks way more like TCS than a public school or Whatcom Community College. In fact, that is exactly what TCS is: a group of families putting into action their deepest convictions.
There is a reason that we avoid pragmatism and act on principle (especially when our children are in 8th grade!) because of a third reason to consider staying at TCS all the way through.
Know Their Frame
The Scriptures say that the compassion of a father is in that he “knows our frame; remembers we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). To understand the frame of our children is to know what they are strong enough to face at that age. It is common for people to say, “Oh I wanted to give my children a foundation of Christian education, maybe elementary or middle school. But then they should be ready to go out into the world.” Is the frame of a fourteen year old truly ready for the world? Again a thought experiment is helpful.
Remember back to when you were an 8th grader: all those zits and cracking voice and braces, saying awkward things at just the wrong time. (Or if you have an 8th grader now, watch how often they misread the room trying to be funny.) When you were an 8th grader you were not ready for the world. Our kids are not ready to go out into the world either. They are still being equipped to serve the Lord with confidence and courage. This is the time where massive changes are happening in their life. If there is one time when you want people who love the Lord discipling and pouring into your children it is during adolescence.
Another thing that parents often say is, “Well, I want my kids to be missionaries in the public schools. They are called to be salt and light.” I really sympathize with that desire, and love the impulse to share the love of Christ with those who don’t know him.
What adolescents need more than anything is Christ. If there is one time of our lives where we need the grace of Jesus telling us “This is who you are!”—high school is it.
But a key part of being a missionary is to be called. Has your child really felt the Holy Spirit tell them, “Jesus has called me to go into the public school and tell all those kids they are sinners who need to repent and trust in Christ?” Likely not. Most Christian high schoolers are trying to make some friends and not be ridiculed for their faith. If I could say this gently, I’m afraid many parents using this reasoning are really just finding a way to justify not having to pay for school. Of course money is a real issue!— and I don’t mean to minimize it. But if that is the real issue, let’s say that. (And work together to make that less of an issue.)
Again some might say, “Yeah, but these kids are pretty impressive by the time they are entering 9th grade.” It’s true we have some pretty impressive secondary school kids in our church and school. I have an 11th grader and a 9th grader, and I am so grateful for the conversations they are able to have with me. They are truly amazing young people, and many others like them are in our community. But this leads to a final reason to finish out the full program at TCS.
Let Them Shine in the Rhetoric School
The thing to understand about TCS is our curriculum is carefully designed to build on itself. Grammar prepares for Logic, Logic prepares for Rhetoric. It is in the Rhetoric School that they finally get to do the thing they have been preparing for all these years—taking this knowledge of God, his world, history and beginning to write and speak and debate about it.
To cut that off early is like having a football player go to practice all summer and then not let them play in the game. Just this past week I was a judge in the annual speech competition. I was so impressed with these young people and what they are capable of. They are confident, articulate, and faithful to the Scriptures. Let’s not cut this program off early.
What ties all these reasons together?
What adolescents need more than anything is Christ. If there is one time of our lives where we need the grace of Jesus telling us “This is who you are!”—high school is it. If there is one time you need grace covering your shame, if there is one time you need Jesus shaping your view of the world, if there is one time you need him helping in your weakness and awkwardness—it is adolescence.
So we want you to know, TCS has been built as a full K-12 program. We are avoiding the dangers of pragmatism, and approaching education in a principled manner, knowing the frame of our adolescence, but also wanting to give them the opportunity to shine. We hope that you would stay with us all the way through.
