Classical Education

What is American Classical Education?

In a Hillsdale classical school, teachers lead students toward moral and intellectual virtue by means of a rich and robust course of study in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue.

 

A Well-Rounded Course of Study

In Hillsdale classical schools, students receive a well-rounded education in a broad set of core disciplines that culminate in the liberal arts and sciences. All students study literature and mathematics, history and the natural sciences, the fine arts, Latin, and physical education because the K-12 years are the years in which we are still acquiring general knowledge about ourselves and the world around us. The successful development of literacy and numeracy and a solid foundation in the core subjects is necessary before advanced or specialized training and study.

Rooted in Human Nature

But the study of the liberal arts does more than prepare the way for specialized training. A classical education teaches us to seek knowledge of the nature of things, especially the nature of man and of the universe as a whole. Human beings are that part of the universe who seek to know where we stand within it, and who wonder about its ultimate origins and character. We are also driven by a desire to know ourselves—to understand our nature and purpose in life.

A Study of the Human Good & the Natural Order

The surest guides for this quest are the great works of literature, art, ethics, and politics that mankind has produced, which prepare for and direct our pursuit of the human good, along with the serious study of mathematics and the natural sciences, which teach us about the principles and causes of the natural order. Together with the study of history, which teaches us to know ourselves by understanding our place in the unfolding of the human story, the serious pursuit of knowledge across all subjects equips us for fully human lives.

Classical education liberates us in the true sense. It frees us from ignorance and confusion, from prejudice and delusion, and from the wild passions and fanciful hopes that can degrade and destroy us. It liberates by making us more fully rational, allowing us to see the world clearly and honestly. In revealing our nature, it necessarily reveals what we need by nature—what is right and good for us.

Moral Formation

For these reasons, classical education provides, in part, moral education. Rather than do violence to human nature in a vain attempt to remake it, a classical education cultivates human nature so it can grow properly and flourish. By teaching students to cultivate moral virtue, it guides us into freedom by making us self-reliant and responsible, capable of governing ourselves and taking part in the self-government of our communities.

Civic Education and Thoughtful Patriotism

The serious pursuit of a classical education shows us that the life of the mind and the existence of education itself depend on the existence of civilization—not to mention political order, security, and freedom of thought. A thoughtful study of history shows us how difficult these goods are to achieve, gives us an appreciation for how rare and precious our own American circumstances are—and shows us how important it is to preserve them.

In studying the origins of our country and its history, in all of its triumphs and tragedies, students acquire a mature love for America, one which appreciates our unprecedented founding, a product of reflection and choice, and measures the health of our republic in light of the standards set forth in our founding documents. From that knowledge, we become citizens capable of judging rightly what ought to be preserved and what changed, and in making this judgment we fulfill a central part of our human nature, becoming free citizens.