Body of Values 4: Educational Excellence
Value number 4: Educational Excellence
Thoughts from Headmaster, Rebekah Hagstrom
Frustrated by the lack of highly academic Christian schools for our own children, my husband and I, along with several other people, founded Liberty to be both Christian and academically excellent. I firmly believed “As Christians we should be graduating the best educated students in the nation!” for them to gain respect and influence in society. Therefore, the goal from the beginning was for Liberty Classical Academy to become known as one of the top academic schools in the Twin Cities, but intentionally Christian.
Intentional Training
Academic excellence is claimed by many college preparatory programs. At Liberty Classical Academy, however, it refers to an intentional training of students’ minds to both think and learn on their own—a goal conspicuously missing from modern educational philosophies. Liberty goes well beyond the common educational practices of simply completing curriculum, dispensing content, and providing shortcuts to gain college credit. It stands in contrast to Advanced Placement (AP) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) methods of simply teaching to a test or directing learning towards a specific career module.
Liberty’s classical approach to education requires students to think, discuss, evaluate, debate and share, regardless of the subject matter, as well as learn the content. Its classical teaching method develops students who think deeply, speak articulately, learn effectively, and lead, regardless of their college or career choices.
Classical Education
The distinct stages of a classical education lead students along a continuum of academic development second to none. The broad framework of the traditional liberal arts: Math, Science, History, English, Art, Music, Drama, and Physical Education serve as the foundation. The integration and interaction between subjects builds on this foundation to fully develop a student’s understanding of each one. The broad base of English and History serve to provide a human perspective and fodder for invention in Math and Science. Adding Logic, Rhetoric, Languages, and Biblical integration induces students to apply the art of argumentation, writing and speaking to view topics from multiple perspectives.
Liberty holds students accountable to high standards in writing, speaking, respectful dialogue, and debate. This enables them to more effectively apply their mastery of subject matter. Physics, Calculus, enlightenment philosophers, and authors such as Dante, Milton,Tolkien, and the like, have all proven invaluable for developing students’ gifts to the maximum of their potential. Liberty has alumni studying and working in medicine, engineering, aeronautics, architecture, computer technology, business, music, teaching, and more. Liberty seeks to provide students the academic tools to maximize their intellect, talents and abilities for God’s glory. From this foundational K-12 education, they earn the respect of their peers while bringing Christian influence into the marketplace of ideas.