‘Tis the season for making resolutions and writing goals for the New Year. Everything from weight loss to paying off debt captivates the imagination of mankind on January 1 of each year. If you’re anything like me, you have a few personal and family goals in mind as well.
For many families, a long standing goal is for their child to “get a classical, Christian education”. That is a worthy goal and certainly indicates a desire for wanting the absolute best for your child. That is my goal as well, and has been for all three of my children.
But how do you know if you’ve attained that goal? When do you cross it off your list? Many parents think that it is achieved once the child graduates from a classical, Christian high school.
But I would propose that the attaining of the goal isn’t indicated by attendance at that very special ceremony or the conferring of a diploma. The “getting” of a classical, Christian education isn’t about crossing a finish line. The “getting” happens actually on a daily basis, year after year.
That book you read aloud to your little one at night? When you choose rich literature over cheap kid books, your child is getting a classical, Christian education. The ride home from school? When you talk about argument the students had about the causes of the civil war instead of everyone staring morosely out the window, your child is getting a classical, Christian education. On the weekend? When your family pursues worship at a good church instead of sleeping in and then scrolling Instagram, your child is getting a classical, Christian education.
Your daily conversations, your daily entertainment, and yes, where you go to school or how you choose to homeschool, these decisions are what gets your child a classical, Christian education. If that is your goal (and I’m going to boldly say it absolutely should be!), then think about what happens daily. It is in the process, the little decisions here and there, that achieve that classical, Christian education.
Two of my children have graduated from Libertas Academy already. Did they “get” a Classical, Christian education and are they done? Yes and no. That’s the beauty of such a rich feast of an education. It is never done, and continues throughout all of our days when we choose depth over what is shallow.
In 2024 and the years to come, I hope that your children get a Classical, Christian education through Libertas Academy. But even more so, I hope they get one in the car ride home and in the conversations at bedtime. That is where the real “getting” happens.
Happy New Year!
Holly Kalton
Head of School, Libertas Academy
