Educational Philosophy
Engaging the mind. Forming the heart. Guiding the will.
Hybrid Model School
This unique school model utilizes a partnership between parents and qualified professional instructors to provide quality, cost-effective education. The model recognizes that parents should be the primary providers of their child’s character and faith development. Our model offers parents more time for imparting the values they hold dear while still providing the benefits of an organized educational community.
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K4
3 days at school - no home lesson days
K-5th
3 days at school - 2 days at home
6th-8th
4 days at school - 1 day at home
K4
3 days at school - no home lesson days
K-5th
3 days at school - 2 days at home
6-8th
4 days at school - 1 day at home
9-12th
4 days at school - 1 day at home
The Philosophy
Charlotte Mason's Philosophy
While we at Augustine believe that knowledge can be measured empirically, and is at times done so for good use, we are convinced there is so much more to education than the creative restraint and joy-vacuum that too quickly follows when teachers are ruled by data sheets, test results, and blank-slate empiricism alone. We also believe, in contrast to behaviorism, that life has a transcendent creator, and therefore transcendent meaning, both waiting to be discovered. Children are full human persons created in the image of the multi-faceted, sovereign, God, and bring much to the table in their mind’s innate capacity for ideas before they even encounter their first piece of didactic instruction and well beyond their own self-expression.
Because of these convictions, the Augustine Academy pulls its dominant educational philosophy and pedagogy from the work of 19th century British education reformer Charlotte Mason. A contemporary of Maria Montessori and other educators forming foundational ideas during industrialization, Mason held a firm belief in the child as a person, not merely a mind to be filled. From that stemmed the conviction that children are capable of doing the work of learning themselves, and teachers best fill the role of guide and framer, not interpreter and entertainer.
Mason believed that the best education encounters and engages the whole person with careful attention not only to the information they are mastering, but also to the formation of the person they are becoming. Her three-pronged approach to education includes attention to the child’s educational atmosphere (primarily making it one of joy and ready discovery, not rote drudgery), the discipline of good habits (emphasizing full attention, best effort, and learning for the sake of learning, in addition to habits of personal virtue), and living ideas (meaning exposing children to content that makes a subject come alive, not just dry facts).
Mason’s motto for students was, “I am, I can, I ought, I will,” and her hallmark is developing mature, whole persons, centered on rightly ordered relationships and fueled by a feast of excellent material. Ideas are paramount in the Charlotte Mason pedagogy, and each student is taught not what to think, but how to think. Nature study, dictation, study of original art and music all come alongside narration to form students with a rich love of learning, and thoughtful engagement in the world.
the vision
Classical Content and Tradition
The term classical is used frequently in educational circles to refer to any number of educational priorities, and not always the same ones. What is most often inferred from the words “classical education” is education that is somehow serious– usually because students are examining older texts, some which find root in the ancient Greek and Roman tradition, and others that are considered “classic” for different reasons. In other instances, the term “classical” is used to describe a three-part training of the mind known as the trivium: early years are spent absorbing facts, systematically laying the foundation for future study; middle grades are for learning to logically think through arguments; and upper grades are for learning to express oneself with the wealth of grammar and logic that has been learned.
At The Augustine Academy, we use the term classical education to refer primarily to the content that we engage. We are committed to familiarizing students with the fullness of a liberal arts education. Students will study across a breadth of subjects, exploring the best of the ancient and modern canon. We’ll also include classical Latin and conversational Spanish in our curriculum. Our education is also classical in purpose: to grow in both knowledge and virtue. Classical education is rooted in a belief that the world makes sense, and is knowable.
At The Augustine Academy, we use the term classical education to refer primarily to the content that we engage. We are committed to familiarizing students with the fullness of a liberal arts education. Students will study across a breadth of subjects, exploring the best of the ancient and modern canon. We’ll also include classical Latin and conversational Spanish in our curriculum. Our education is also classical in purpose: to grow in both knowledge and virtue. Classical education is rooted in a belief that the world makes sense, and is knowable.
Because of these convictions, the Augustine Academy pulls its dominant educational philosophy and pedagogy from the work of 19th century British education reformer Charlotte Mason. A contemporary of Maria Montessori and other educators forming foundational ideas during industrialization, Mason held a firm belief in the child as a person, not merely a mind to be filled. From that stemmed the conviction that children are capable of doing the work of learning themselves, and teachers best fill the role of guide and framer, not interpreter and entertainer.
Mason believed that the best education encounters and engages the whole person with careful attention not only to the information they are mastering, but also to the formation of the person they are becoming. Her three-pronged approach to education includes attention to the child’s educational atmosphere (primarily making it one of joy and ready discovery, not rote drudgery), the discipline of good habits (emphasizing full attention, best effort, and learning for the sake of learning, in addition to habits of personal virtue), and living ideas (meaning exposing children to content that makes a subject come alive, not just dry facts).
Mason’s motto for students was, “I am, I can, I ought, I will,” and her hallmark is developing mature, whole persons, centered on rightly ordered relationships and fueled by a feast of excellent material. Ideas are paramount in the Charlotte Mason pedagogy, and each student is taught not what to think, but how to think. Nature study, dictation, study of original art and music all come alongside narration to form students with a rich love of learning, and thoughtful engagement in the world.