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TCA Core Values

The Classical Academy's Core Values

Our
Core Beliefs and Values
Mission Statement
Instructional Philosophy
Commitments
Behaviors and Practices
and
Vision for Exemplary Citizens
 

This document is the culminating product of a two year process involving a board subcommittee comprised of board members and administration. During this time the conversation was expanded to include inputs from TCA’s original founding board and steering committee members, past and present board members, and all of TCA’s current administration leadership.

This document is adopted and approved on December 6, 2010 by the current board members with the support of TCA’s administration. It is our intent that it will serve as a compass and guide for keeping TCA on its originally intended course in the present and future.

The foremost measure of our success now and in the future is how well we live up to the words of this document, and to a lesser extent by test scores, number of students enrolled, number of students on our waitlist, and other outside measures of success.

ROOTS

MISSION STATEMENT
The Classical Academy exists to assist parents in their mission to develop exemplary citizens equipped with analytical thinking skills, virtuous character, and a passion for learning, all built upon a solid foundation of knowledge.

CORE BELIEFS AND VALUES

We believe that all human beings deserve dignity and respect.

  • We value children as persons and therefore will regard them as full human beings.
  • We value a culture of respectful, civil interactions between adults in all situations and at all times as we seek to teach our children to do the same.
  • We value the wisdom and life experience of the senior citizens in our community.

We believe in the self-evident truths as found in the Declaration of Independence “…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

  • We value the fact that freedom isn’t free and honor the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve or have served in the Armed Forces.
  • We value our responsibilities even above our rights when it comes to serving our fellow man and seek to foster a culture of service to others, both inside and outside of the TCA community.
  • We value cultivating virtuous character and each citizen’s responsibility to uphold the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States of America.
  • We value personal economic liberty expressed through altruistic, free enterprise economic systems.

We believe that all students should be educated in a way that equips them to be exemplary citizens.

  • We value a liberal arts education with an emphasis on the study of the Western tradition and its ideals of democracy, equality before the law, property rights, political rights, and religious freedom.
  • Additionally, we recognize and value the achievements and contributions of many peoples, cultures, and nations.
  • We value an education that recognizes man as spirit, mind, and body.
  • We value an education that inspires and uplifts the individual through the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness across the disciplines.
  • We will help students understand the relationships and limitations of the domains of science, philosophy and religion.
  • We value an education that instills traditional values through the study of quality, time-tested history and classical literature.
  • We value an education that nurtures a passion for learning that will last a lifetime through the context of human relationships and a foundational knowledge base.
  • We value an education that cultivates virtuous character including excellence with honor, moral courage, compassion and relational grace.
  • We value an education that fosters rich creativity, complex analytical thinking, and discernment while exploring the marketplace of ideas.

We believe that parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children.

  • We value a staff that recognizes the honor, gravity, and responsibility that has been entrusted to them by parents and respects the domain of the home in areas such as sex education and religious upbringing.
  • We value parents who treat staff as our most important asset by respecting their authority in the school domain, and teaching their children to do the same.
  • We will be counter-cultural where the culture encourages indulgence and will hold higher standards of civility and decency than are typical in the culture at large.

TRUNK

Instructional Philosophy

Classical Ideas

  • Trivium – the grammar, logic, and rhetoric developmental stages of learning
  • Lifelong pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness
  • Literature and ideas that have survived the test of time

Socratic Approach

  • The teacher masterfully guides learning through questioning.
  • The students do the work of learning and perform the act of knowing.
  • Seminar format is also used particularly in upper-level inspirational subjects such as history, literature, and science.

Charlotte Mason Philosophies

Education is an Atmosphere where all members of the TCA community will endeavor to foster and nurture a warm learning environment for children of

  • compassion, encouragement, and support
  • passion and interest in the material being taught
  • expectation of good work with a high level of academic mastery
  • intrinsic motivation where external rewards are used sparingly and with caution
  • self-esteem produced through genuine accomplishments rather than trivial, artificial praise

Education is a Discipline where children acquire authentic character and freedom by learning ♦ the musts in life

  • submission to authority, whether to parents, teachers, coaches, or to the wisdom of the past
  • healthy habits of spirit, mind, and body formed thoughtfully and responsibly
  • that correction, done with kindness, is a form of invaluable feedback

Education is a Life where inspirational ideas and truth are recognized to be the real food for the child’s mind and are provided through

  • “living books” written by experts with a passion for their subject matter; expansive vocabulary with complex sentence structure
  • original primary and secondary source documents to gain historical and experiential perspectives
  • field trips and visits by classroom guests who are experts in their field
  • meaningful hands-on activities particularly in math, science, and the arts
  • composer, picture, and nature studies where listening, observing, and drawing are emphasized

Education is the Science of Relationships where the teachers masterfully facilitate and support healthy beneficial relationships between the child and

  • home (parents, siblings, extended family)
  • teachers and other school staff
  • other children
  • people of the past and present through the study of history
  • the text through the study of quality, classical literature
  • the elderly
  • nature through science and mathematics
  • the arts through composer study, picture study, and applied fine arts.
  • the community, nation, and world through service and current events

BRANCHES

Commitments

As one school with multiple campuses, TCA is unified by the following commitments:

We adopt Uniform/Dress Code policies to:

  • Increase safety by >allowing for quick recognition of non-TCA students >discouraging cliques based on attire
  • Reduce distractions
  • Minimize social status issues
  • Foster a healthy attitude of respect and humility
  • Improve academic achievement

We commit to open communication with our stakeholders.

We respect family values, faith/religion, and time.

We defer to parents for sex education of children.

We let kids be kids longer.

We commit to stay small – both class size and school size.

We strive to be a community of character by teaching and modeling virtuous character explicitly from kindergarten to graduation rather than considering ourselves to be a “school of character” or claiming that we “have great character.”

We partner with parents to recognize and embrace adversity, including struggle and even failure as healthy opportunities for each student’s growth.

We give only purposeful, measured homework, appropriate for grade level and only as needed within the specified reasonable limits (allowing for the fact that some children will need to take more time).

We provide a program of well-rounded education for all children including:

  • Logic instruction
  • Foreign Language beginning in kindergarten
  • The Arts
  • Classical Literature
  • Physical Education
  • Athletics and Activities opportunities at secondary
  • A balance of inspirational (i.e., literature, history) and disciplinary subjects (i.e., mathematics, grammar)
  • Accurate history emphasized over social studies
  • Mathematics
  • Science taught as both an inspirational subject and a disciplinary subject
  • Phonics-based reading instruction beginning with phonemic awareness
  • Systematic grammar and writing instruction
  • An emphasis on free market economics
  • Competent self expression through public speaking skills and expressive, persuasive writing
  • Formative and summative assessment which focus on the actual accomplishments of each individual student
  • Limited group projects; when allowed, assessment should reflect individual accomplishments rather than a group grade
  • Appropriate handling of controversial issues respecting age appropriateness; presenting various sides while respecting family values
  • College Prep high school graduation requirements (Core subjects of English/Literature, Foreign Language, Math, Science, History, and Social Sciences along with philosophically appropriate electives)

We enlist parental support through giving of volunteer time, talent, and financial contributions.

We value staff members who believe in TCA’s Beliefs, Values, Mission, Instructional Philosophy, Commitments, Behaviors and Practices.

We employ staff who model professional excellence, who are coachable, and are self-motivated to improve. We expect staff to foster and maintain positive relationships with students and parents.

We host prospective parent meetings where an honest, accurate picture of TCA and its Core Beliefs and Values, Mission, Instructional Philosophy, Commitments, Behaviors, and Practices are presented in order for parents to make an informed, thoughtful decision about the fit for their family.

We aspire to embrace one another without regard for disability, ethnicity, gender, or religion.

LEAVES

Behaviors and Practices

TCA seeks to bring its philosophy to life through:

  • A healthy conflict resolution process
  • Consistent discipline policies and practices
  • School calendars that reflect and balance respect for student learning, staff, and family needs
  • Philosophically driven compensation plans based on real performance
  • A board committee focused on staff appreciation
  • Periodic re-commitments before students enter 6th grade and 9th grade
  • Patriotic celebrations such as the Veterans’ Day Assembly
  • Home support for students to complete studies in a timely and acceptable manner
  • A curriculum review process which allows for parent input
  • Limiting use of personal electronic devices and cautious use of internet and media in instruction
  • Small group interactions such as Titan Teams, to ensure that every student has at least one key relationship with a staff member
  • Intentional character conversations
  • A capstone Senior year experience weaving together Rhetoric, Literature and Civics supported by a rich program of special events and traditions.
  • The graduation tradition of parents handing diplomas to their own child

FRUIT

Vision - Exemplary Citizens

Throughout his or her life, the exemplary citizen seeks to produce fruitful work by: nurturing a Spirit which is:

  • honorable, compassionate, humble, and full of grace and integrity
  • courageous to make a stand for what is right
  • desirous to serve others
  • growing in virtuous character
  • grateful
  • “hungry” for what is true, beautiful, and good
  • hopeful and optimistic
  • capable of handling emotional distress
  • able to give and receive love
  • able to produce fruitful work

continually feeding a Mind which is:

  • attentive, analytical and discerning
  • passionate for life-long learning
  • growing in its foundation of knowledge
  • respectful of the rights and responsibilities of his/her citizenship
  • able to recognize life-giving ideas

and caring for the physical needs of his or her Body through doing the “musts” in one’s life such as:

  • good nutrition
  • regular exercise
  • other healthy habits