Classical studies stick to basics
STAMFORD — “Jane Eyre” in eighth grade. Shakespeare as the spring play. No technology. Latin taught in classrooms.
These are some of the trademarks of a classical education, a movement that promotes an education based on ideas from early Western culture. It focuses on reading, math and history as well as teaching students how to learn.
“A classical curriculum is time-tested,” said Kimberly Quatela, principal of Regina Pacis Academy in Norwalk, a classical Catholic school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. “It’s looking at not just teaching particular content, but how to think. It’s
looking at the education of a whole person.”
Regina Pacis Academy was founded in 2005 as Anchor Academy by parents who wanted a classical Catholic education for their children. The school, which started with 23 students and four teachers, filled an educational gap in the area, drawing students from Fairfield and Westchester counties.
But since Regina Pacis only educates students through eighth grade, there are no classical Catholic high schools in Fairfield County. Now parents are trying to change this by starting Cardinal Kung Academy, a division of Trinity Catholic High School that would be housed in the parish hall of Saint Bridget of Ireland on Strawberry Hill Avenue.
The Diocese of Bridgeport will announce this week whether the school has reached the minimum of 15 students enrolled to open in the fall.
Stamford resident Barbara Logsdail was one of the founding families of Regina Pacis Academy after discovering a classical Catholic homeschool curriculum she liked for her children. However, she wanted her children in a traditional school setting where they could interact with other students.
“I had six children that were all schoolaged,” Logsdail said. “We just couldn’t find an education situation that was working for our family. We were looking for an authentically Catholic education. We loved the classical education policy for forming children.”
Logsdail, along with other families interested in a similar education for their children, came together to start Regina Pacis with the help of the National Association of Private Catholic Independent Schools. But space constraints prevented the facility from including a high school.
Now Logsdail is hoping to send her youngest daughter, now in seventh grade at Regina Pacis Academy, to Cardinal Kung Academy. Many of her older children went on to study at Catholic high schools and colleges that embrace elements of classical education such as Providence College, Catholic University of America and Thomas Aquinas in California.
“Classical education forms the person to lead a productive life and understand why they live that life,” Logsdail said.
“We just don’t look at classical education for the job they’re going to do. But whatever they’re going to do, they’re going to be much more prepared.”
According to Quatela, classical education “focuses on the building blocks of knowledge.” Kindergarten through sixth grade focuses on teaching students the basics of reading and writing and how to put ideas together, while seventh through ninth grades focus on teaching them logic. Students learn rhetoric in grades 10 to 12.
“A lot of times, (parents) are seeking foundations,” Quatela said. “They want to know students are learning reading, writing and math foundations . ... It is hearkening harkening back to the basics. The old way is not reverting to something old. It’s something classic.”
Students at Regina Pacis learn time tables, handwriting and grammar. The curriculum is heavily focused on books and teaching students to love reading. Starting in third grade, students at Regina Pacis begin reading the likes of “Stuart Little” by E.B. White. By eighth grade, students are reading Keats, Tennyson and Mark Twain.
Alexandra Kimball, who teaches seventh and eighth grade Language Arts at Regina Pacis, said the students, who are now reading “Jane Eyre,” are more than capable of understanding Bronte’s prose about Jane and her relationship with Mr. Rochester.
“The eighth-graders are totally ready for this book,” Kimball said. “They get a lot. Jane starts off at 9 and they’re not much older than 9 and then she’s 18 and they’re not much younger than 18.”
Kimball said she allows students to write in the book to keep them engaged. She then uses sticky notes to respond to their reactions. Each of the eight students in her class are assigned a motif to look for throughout the book, such as colors, birds, justice and dreams.
Kimball studied at St. John’s College, which is known for its Great Books curriculum. The Maryland school has no majors. Instead, students study and discuss original texts in seminar-style classes traditional of a classical curriculum. Students at St. John’s study Greek, French and their ancient texts, as well as math and science based on the original work of Archimedes and Galileo.
Kimball said her own experience with classical education at St. John’s taught her how to think and form ideas, something she tries to bring to her classroom at Regina Pacis.
“When you’re engaging with these more difficult, older books, the skills you’re learning is staying still, paying attention, really listening both to the book and the ideas,” she said. “It’s a constant looping method of practical skills.”