At Whitefish Christian Academy we believe there are tried and true ways of education that have remained tried and true for a very long time and for very good reason.
In a classical and Christian education we are thereby connecting ourselves to an enduring and long-standing academic tradition of deep, rigorous thinking and thoughtful, purposeful living that has cultivated many of the best thinkers and doers in every age.
Classical refers to the classical era, to the influences of the Greco-Roman thinkers and writers that so markedly shaped western civilization. More broadly, classical refers to the great written works that have become “classics” in their respective disciplines; these are the cornerstones of a classical curriculum. In the context of education, Christian refers to our worldview that God created the world and everything in it, and as a result, there is order and meaning in all that we study. And in the same way, Christian means that our in-depth study of those great classic works always leads us to a richer, fuller understanding of Christ Himself.
At the heart of a classical Christian education is this eternal goal: To form wise and virtuous young men and women. To arrive at wisdom and virtue, what we teach (our curriculum) and how we teach (our pedagogy) determine the effectiveness of our academic endeavors at the Academy.
Here below you’ll find the principles that guide our course of study and pedagogy at Whitefish Christian Academy, and how both what we teach and how we teach orient us toward wisdom and virtue.
The WCA Curriculum
You’ll find the Academy Curriculum is Historically Grounded, Integrated, Rational, Rigorous and Well-Ordered.
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The WCA curriculum is historically grounded in two senses. First, it is time-tested. Many of the greatest minds and movers in history were classically educated; Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo da Vinci, Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglas, and Albert Einstein all received a classical education.
Second, the WCA curriculum emphasizes a robust and comprehensive teaching of history and literature, from the ancients to the present day. Classically trained students gain an unmatched understanding of the history of ideas, people, and events that have brought us to our modern experience, and read the Great Books – pieces by Homer, Plato, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and more – that generations of scholars have deemed the best, most significant literary works. Formal Latin and Greek study, an important distinctive at the Academy, culminate in the student’s ability to more intimately comprehend those great works by reading them in their original languages.
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A classical education is a true liberal arts education, holistic by nature. All disciplines – math, science, the humanities, fine arts, and physical education – are taught interconnectedly, providing important, interdisciplinary context to all that our students learn. Ultimately, teaching in all disciplines points to Christ, through whom and for whom all things were created.
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The interwoven nature of a classical and Christian education provides the groundwork for coherent and harmonious study. Since God created the world and everything in it, students learn with the confidence that truth is discoverable, and that all that they study has purpose and meaning.
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A WCA education is exacting and thorough. Systematic, in-depth study – as opposed to cursory, scattered study – produces excellence. Our students are guided towards mastery of their disciplines. Rigor also produces virtue; classical, Christian education calls one to strive against his own ignoble tendencies, to do what is right in pursuit of higher goals.
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Socrates once asserted that “the object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful.” The Academy curriculum teaches students to prioritize rightly – to order their affections appropriately. What’s more, WCA students genuinely love to learn, and in their work seek to understand God and the world around them more clearly. Importantly, Academy students are taught to identify and love what is true, good, and beautiful in all that they study, and to learn with an abiding sense of awe and wonder.
The WCA Pedagogy
You’ll find our pedagogical approach thoughtfully implements Synthetic Thinking, Narration, The Socratic Method, Reverence & Respect and Thoughtful Mentorship.
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All knowledge is connected. As Karen Glass, author of Consider This, states, "Seeing the universe as a wholeness, and understanding that all things are connected to other things, and ultimately to God, and to yourself, might be called synthetic thinking."
At Whitefish Christian Academy our pedagogical approach is synthetic in nature. Our approach is that of a traditional liberal arts education, so to speak. Students are encouraged to make valuable connections between their studies - findings in science to those in mathematics; readings in history to paintings in art, and so on - and in that way see all knowledge as connected.
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In education narration refers to the practice of having a student "tell back" that which he has read or learned. The student may do this orally or in writing, but the intention is that "Every pupil should acquire the habit of acting as a teacher." (Comenius, The Analytical Didactic)
Narration achieves two key things. First, it forces the learner to fix special attention on that which is most important. Then secondly, by bringing those important, central points into focus, the learner arranges those points into clear, articulate words.
Most importantly, then, narration makes that newly acquired knowledge one's own. The student who narrates is taking new information, and when re-written or re-told in his own words, that new information finds a longterm residence in the student's heart and mind.
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Wherever possible, WCA teachers employ the Socratic Method, a time-tested teaching technique that involves a vigorous, interactive conversation between the teacher and her pupils. The asking and answering of questions stimulates critical thinking and helps students discover answers on their own.
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At WCA students are treated as whole persons, as individuals created by God in His image. Academy teachers humbly embrace their roles as educators, and recognize the weight of responsibility entailed in the instruction of young men and women. Academy teachers also handle the time-tested material that they teach with reverence and respect, understanding that all great works and discoveries point to eternal truths about God and man.
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Academy teachers partner with a student’s parents to, as the Proverb instructs, carefully “train a child in the way he should go.” That means faculty model the high character to which they call their students, and instill the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, courage, industry, patience, kindness, charity, and humility in their students. As a result, WCA faculty engender a restful, safe environment, in which students may ask freely and explore boldly.