Classical Conversations Spruce Grove

We examine the words, thoughts, and actions of the past and present, of Christians and non-Christians, of neighboring and distant cultures—all in order to stand like Paul and be “all things to all men,” ready with an answer for the hope within us (1 Corinthians 9:22, 1 Peter 3:15).

Classical Conversations graduates have been known to study abroad, join the military, serve in the mission field, start families, play college sports, attend universities, enter the workforce, or start their own businesses. We’re proud of their accomplishments, but we believe their success goes even deeper. We want them to consider choices and consequences, accept discipline and duty, and pursue a life balanced by prayer and action. Students who have wrestled with proper uses and expressions of freedom are prepared to seek truth and love others, wherever God leads them.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life,” our Lord Jesus taught of himself (John 14:6). Parents must pray unceasingly for the grace and mercy needed to better reflect the image of God. Our children look to us to demonstrate how to love God with our whole body, mind, and soul.

Can an education be both classical and Christian?
Scripture tells us that we are a mind, a body, and an eternal soul. In a medieval education, tools like grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric prepared students for conversations of eternal significance about humanity and divinity, body and soul, and life in this world and in the world to come. As we employ these lost tools of learning, we hope to strengthen our children in the Christian faith, preparing them to recognize and articulate the gospel in all areas of life.

Words, thoughts, and actions are analogous to the classical arts of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. God has perfectly equipped each one of us to obey Him. To give your children a better education, you must give them more than content.You must teach them the timeless art of learning a little at a time.

Foundations
Children ages four to twelve practice the art of grammar in the Classical Conversations Foundations program through naming, attending, memorizing, expressing, and storytelling, which serve as building blocks for later learning. The first step in learning anything is to learn the subject’s vocabulary. Young children love repeating songs, chanting rhymes, and pronouncing big words.

Essentials and Challenges A, B, and I
The second step in learning anything is to sort, compare, and understand the words and basic ideas. We learn these skills through more abstract activities, such as debating, refuting, and discussing. Most children between the ages of ten and thirteen enjoy this process. The Classical Conversations Essentials program and the first three years of the Challenge program hone the art of dialectic through questions, persuasive writing, discussion, and debate.

Challenges II, III, and IV
The third step in learning anything is to communicate winsomely in word or deed what you have learned. Abstract thinking is now put into practice as students solve problems, write original papers and speeches, and lead discussions.Young adults usually enjoy this process because they long to express themselves and be creative problem solvers. The later Challenge programs are designed to help students practice these skills across many subjects. As a Capstone Event, students write and defend a senior thesis.

The classical education community allows us to strengthen clear thinking skills while learning to love our neighbour. For harmonious community, we must put others before ourselves, just as we practice at home with our family.

At Classical Conversations, we eagerly celebrate the differences in educating our children and embrace the opportunity it gives us to love one another. The timeless arts of human learning found in the Christian, classical tradition can be adapted to your unique circumstances.

The classical education community—along with our church, our neighbours, and our extended family—is central to our families’ interests and well-being. We need their example and encouragement as we learn to enjoy our responsibilities as parents.

Classical Conversations communities meet one day per week.You’ll find a great balance of accountability and flexibility to help achieve your family’s goals. You remain the primary educator, tailoring assignments at home to challenge your children in areas of strength or to support them in areas of weakness.

We raise our sons and daughters to become brothers and sisters in Christ. Parents have the divinely appointed duty to love and train their children in the way they should go, embodying Christ’s love in all things and in every circumstance. Just as we commit to studying God’s Word as a family throughout our lives—we should commit to studying God’s world as a family.

The good news is that you are already well on your way! As a parent, you have been influencing your child from his or her arrival. Classical Conversations believes that you are the very best educator for your child. We believe this so strongly that we offer a host of parent equipping services.

The pursuit of truth requires self-denial, courage, and perseverance. Your community will be there to help as you and your student wrestle with ideas, words, and deeds. We are committed to helping you be a great educator all the way through high school.

You are capable of educating your children. In fact, you have already been at the task since teaching your children to walk and talk. Your children did not learn to walk and talk because you are an expert in the mechanics of walking and talking but because they were designed to learn to walk and talk. You were there to point the way and help them along the path. They watched. They listened. They learned. Children walk and talk because they are God’s image-bearers and have been created to learn. They were designed for it, and they were given parents to help them do it.

So you’ve already begun the journey of educating your children, and now you may wonder what the future holds and whether you are up to what may feel like a new task. As your children grow, you can grow right along with them, and you don’t have to do it alone. Through Classical Conversations, you will gather teaching tools and encounter mentors along the way. Tutors and Licensed Directors in your local Classical Conversations community will provide support and accountability on a weekly basis.

God has hidden His truth and beauty in every subject. It is our pleasure as families to discover Him as we learn. Our studies should prepare us to reason clearly, speak eloquently, calculate accurately, and write persuasively so that we have the ability to know God and to make God known.

How do you teach your child to experience and examine God’s creation? By learning alongside them in a community with a common goal. Classical Conversations empowers you to guide your child’s educational development at every age (and equips you, too!). Our Christ-centered curriculum is rooted in the classical model and is in tune with the way children naturally learn.

The classical learning model incrementally shapes how children think and learn by building on how they naturally develop. We begin in the early years with children’s natural inclination to imitate others. Your child builds a rich vocabulary “grammar” by repeating and chanting rhymes and songs. As your child grows, we help you channel his or her curiosity into asking questions and investigating through dialogue “dialectic”. Finally, we provide opportunities for your maturing student to become a critical thinker and problem solver through writing and conversation “rhetoric”.

Together is the best way to learn. Here, you belong to a close-knit group of parents and students developing lifelong friendships and lasting skills, side by side. Your local community gives you and your child a weekly touchpoint for connection, guidance, and growth. As your child’s teacher, you’ll work alongside equipped parent-Tutors who are poised to offer wisdom, provide direction, and build relationships. Simultaneously, your child will learn the value of teamwork, personal accountability, and essential academic habits.

Email us at [email protected] to learn how our local classical, Christian community could help you achieve your goals for your family.