Christ in all things.
The Oaks School is intentionally Christ-centered in both curriculum and culture, acknowledging that God is the starting point for truth and all knowledge.
Our Christ-centered curriculum means much more than a Bible class or a weekly chapel service. Rather, by integrating the Scriptures throughout the curriculum, we present the Lord as the One in whom all knowledge is united. This approach requires that all subjects, whether, history, art, music, literature, mathematics, or science, be taught in the light of God’s existence and His revelation to humanity through His Son Jesus Christ.
Classical education is a time-tested and proven educational method which observes a three-part process of training the mind. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts, systematically laying the foundation for advanced study. In the middle grades, students learn to think through arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves. This classical pattern is called the trivium.
In the elementary years, students are introduced to the grammar, or facts, of each subject while they are young and delight in memorizing, absorbing and reciting. This critical information encompasses the needed building blocks for the subsequent phases of learning.
In Middle School, as minds become more inquisitive, curious, and prone to question and challenge, students learn how to organize facts and data into well-reasoned and cogent arguments. Their capacity for abstract thought begins to mature. Students begin to develop the ability and skill to reason and debate, discerning and distinguishing between true and false statements.
The final phase of a classical education, the “Rhetoric Stage,” builds on the first two stages. At this point, the high school students learn to write and speak with force, clarity and originality. The student of rhetoric applies the rules of logic grasped in middle school to the foundational information learned in the early grades and expresses conclusions in clear, convincing, and elegant language.
