Classical Education
A Time-Tested Approach to Learning
Since its inception in 1962, Westminster School has prepared its graduates for successful and fulfilling lives through a classical education delivered in an exceptionally nurturing environment. Classical education is a traditional, time-tested approach that has instructed some of the greatest thinkers and innovators of the world, from Leonardo da Vinci to Isaac Newton, from Dante and Shakespeare to Rousseau and Thoreau. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and other founders of the United States of America, were all classically educated.
Three Stages of Learning
Classical education is defined by both methodology and content. It emphasizes mastery of the basic skills and tools of learning by age-related progression through three stages, known collectively as the trivium:
- Grammar (grades K – 4 at Westminster) - the study of the basic facts of a discipline – emphasizing knowledge;
- Logic (grades 5 - 6) - the study of the relationships of these facts with other facts – emphasizing skill; and
- Rhetoric (grades 7 – 8) - the study of the persuasive written and oral communication of these facts to others – emphasizing understanding.
“ . . . the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach men how to learn for themselves; and whatever instruction fails to do this is effort spent in vain.”
—Dorothy Sayers
A Classical Education for the 21st Century
Language, Literature and Civilization
Learning to Think, Question, and Communicate
Connections Beyond the Classroom
Education That Stands The Test of Time
Westminster School stands out from both public and private schools, holding high the standard of a classical education for the 21stcentury. Westminster’s adherence to time-tested educational principles in no way limits its commitment to meeting the needs of modern families and preparing children for a challenging and unpredictable future. Indeed, the principles of a classical education provide the best known means for doing just that. There is no magic bullet, quick fix, or easy road to becoming a thoroughly well-rounded, knowledgeable, capable, confident person of good character. But, there is a proven way, and Westminster School stands by its over six-decade history of delivering a classical education in a nurturing, forward-looking environment. The achievements of our graduates, both academic and personal, testify to the effective and lasting influence of this rich, carefully designed, and well-implemented approach to education.
