Academics

Classical Christian Methodology

Spring Hill Christian Academy believes that God's truth is all-encompassing, and we as His creation seek to learn from it. Education begins with respect for the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Parents are given primary responsibility for educating their children, so Spring Hill Christian Academy serves as a resource for them.

Our curriculum and instruction integrate Christian history and Scripture in natural ways, so that students can develop a Christ-centered worldview and cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit. To achieve this goal, we use the time-tested methodology of the Trivium, which reflects the biblical model of Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom.

The Grammar Stage

During a child's early years of learning, they become familiar with the fundamentals of life - from the ABCs and 123s to memorizing dates in history and mastering the vocabulary of art and music.

This stage is mainly focused on providing them with knowledge and understanding that will be useful later in life. Memorization, recitation, and absorption are some of the skills they develop, typically through 6th grade.

The Logic Stage

At the Logic stage, students are encouraged to delve deeper into history and ask why events occurred. They work on understanding the nuances and factors influencing world wars, culture's impact on art and music, and more.

By taking a closer look at the information they've gathered while in the Grammar stage, they can gain a better understanding of the past. This detailed examination of history helps students prepare for future interactions by giving them a clearer picture of how things have happened in the past.

The Rhetoric Stage

In this stage, students have gained the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to draw upon their wisdom in difficult decision-making. The Hebrew word for wisdom translates as ‘skillful fingers’, reflecting the importance of practical application.

Learning at this stage covers grades 10-12, and encourages students to think critically about conflicting principles and how they impact their decision making.

Classical Christian Academics By School Level

TRIVIUM:	GRAMMAR
Age:	Birth to 11
Level:	Primary Elementary K-6
Stage:	Memorize & Absorb Foundation
Focus:	Knowledge
Goal:	Reading, Writing, & Arithmetic The Building Blocks of learning & the Cultivation of Good character & habits.
Method:	Memory through Music
Example:	Facts about The War of 1812

TRIVIUM:	LOGIC
Age:	12 to 15
Level:	Middle School 7-9
Stage:	Argue & Reason Framework
Focus:	Understanding
Goal:	Building on facts, students learn to analyze information. Using laws of logic they learn to think critically about what they are reading and learning.
Method:	Writing & Rules of Logic (written expression of thought)
Example:	How and why the War of 1812 was fought

TRIVIUM:	RHETORIC
Age:	16 to 18
Level:	High School 10-12
Stage:	Communicate & Express Finish
Focus:	Wisdom
Goal:	Application of rules of logic to the foundational information learned in grammar stage to form and express their own thoughts & ideas in a clear, engaging, and elegant way.
Method:	Speaking & Debate (oral defense of thought)
Example:	Should the War of 1812 have been fought: what I think and believe

Going Deeper

At Spring Hill Christian Academy, we seek to educate the whole person by instilling in children a wonder and curiosity about learning. This is done by following the natural stages of development by first filling the mind with facts and information, then providing the tools of logic which give the structure to organize and analyze information, and finishes by equipping students to form and express their own thoughts in a truthful yet winsome way.

Why Christian?

All truth is God's truth because He made all things. Therefore all knowledge & wisdom finds it's source in God. As Christians, we approach the education of children as a primary task of faith given to us by God in Deuteronomy 6. Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. These commands I give to you are to be written on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk (to them) about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lied down and when you get up.

As parents, our primary calling is to teach our children who God is & who they are in light of what God says about us. As educators, we are "in loco parentis" which means when you turn your children over to our care, we are acting in your stead and we are responsible first before God and then to you - the parents to make sure that we teach and train your children in truth, beauty, and goodness.

Why Classical?

Over the past several decades, both parents and educators have come to realize that something is amiss in our educational system and they yearned for something more. This desire for more found it's answer not in something new but something old, ancient even, Classical Education. Modern Education focuses on teaching subjects or what to think but actually fails to teach students how to think.

They learn about so many things, much they should not know, but never actually learn how to learn. Classical Education has given us the greatest minds, artists, poets, inventors, scientists, theologians, philosophers, etc. because it creates thinkers and then invites them into what Mortimer Adler calls the "Great Conversation". Classical education seeks to develop life-long learners who are independent thinkers and can successful enter, navigate, and even change the world for good.

What About Technology?

Classical Education is language focused which mirrors God who is The Word, so learning is accomplished primarily through written and spoken words. On the other hand, technology is very visually driven which not only develops different habits of thought it has been shown to actually wire the brain in a completely different way.

Language-based learning is much harder work as it requires the brain to actively understand and translate symbols into ideas and even images but visual-focused learning is passive and primarily receptive. There are many studies that now link screen-based media and digital communication to many neurological, academic, and social developmental issues. Likewise, studies now show that "un-plugged learning" is necessary for a child's brain to fully develop.

At SHC, we are not anti-technology; we just believe the child's brain and physical abilities need to be developed before they depend on technology as their source for learning and information. What this means practically is that computer-assisted learning at SHC begins in Middle School and we also have a no-cell phone policy. Students may have cellphones at school for emergencies but they are not to be on them during school hours; we seek to purposefully prioritize being present, face to face interactions, and developing inter-personal conversational skills.