Why Do We Memorize?

Recitation and memorization are important parts of a classical Christian education. We memorize often in the Lower School. We want to strengthen the mind and nurture the soul with meaning through the practice of memory. Through hymns, scriptures, poems, and more, our students are given worthwhile and lovely things to memorize, and we trust over time it shapes their hearts and minds in Christ.

Why Do We Incorporate Liturgy in the Classroom?
Our Lower School classrooms thrive on rhythms. These rhythms shape our classroom cultures and our students. One routine you may notice in a Lower School classroom is the use of liturgy. Liturgies are reverent recitations of good, true, and beautiful things. They provide students and teachers with opportunities to peacefully and joyfully engage with the beautiful things we are encountering. They promote discipline, order, and courtesy in our school day. Liturgy forms us, and we pray that God uses it to turn our students’ hearts and minds toward all that is lovely.

Why Do We Keep Traditions?

At Augustine School, we love tradition and have intentionally built traditions into our curriculum. Our school-wide and classroom traditions shape our culture and knit us together as a community. They are carefully chosen and passed down to reinforce the values we hold dear. Our 1st grade Knighting Ceremony upholds reverence and a heart of service. Our 4th grade Narnia Narratives encourage empathy. Our 3rd grade On-the-Nines events invite students to practice hospitality, etiquette, and the art of conversation. Traditions enrich our students’ learning and serve to create a sense of belonging and purpose. We hope Augustine School traditions - from events to celebrations, poems to liturgies - will become fond childhood memories for our students.

Why Do We Study Latin?

Some may answer this question by pointing to improvements in vocabulary or test scores, while others note how it trains the mind with order and rationality. While both are true, these are more like welcome side effects than the primary reason we study Latin. Latin was the first truly global language in the Western tradition. It needed to accommodate the Romans’ thoughts and interactions with its entire diverse empire. Furthermore, the Romans were deeply interested in intellectually rigorous fields like philisophy and theology. They needed an expansive language to engage their world. When we study Latin today, it infuses our own language, and thus our minds, with a grammar and vocabulary that enable and encourage us to think the biggest and deepest thoughts. We study Latin to expand our thinking and ultimately to grow in our pursuit of wisdom.

Why Do We Encourage a Love of Story?

One way teachers call students to delight in goodness, truth, and beauty is by telling great stories. Stories are a powerful tool by which we gather abstract ideas, like good and evil, into concrete tales of heroes and adventure. Stories train the heart to love what is good. At Augustine School, we love timeless stories and classic literature. These stories unfold character-building narratives that celebrate the joys of childhood while upholding the righteous pursuit of good, truth, courage, and wisdom. C.S. Lewis said that education is more than filling the mind and training behaviors. It must also cultivate the soul and train the affections. Nothing captures the imagination and shapes a child’s loves quite so well as an excellent story.