Not all online schools are created equal. If you’ve ever worried about whether your child will feel connected, engaged and valued in an online classroom, you’re not alone. The good news is that the best online education has progressed dramatically, and when delivered with excellence, the learning experience can be just as rich—if not richer—than traditional schooling.

Before you choose an online school, here are five key questions to consider if you are looking for an education that is both academically rigorous and deeply engaging.

1. Does the school provide live, interactive instruction with engaged teachers and classmates?

Many online schools rely heavily on pre-recorded lessons, leaving students to learn in isolation. But education is meant to be a conversation, not a solitary endeavor. At Wilson Hill, every class is taught live by master-level teachers who don’t simply lecture—they engage. Students ask questions, participate in lively discussions and interact with their peers in ways that mirror the best aspects of a traditional classroom. Real-time engagement allows teachers to assess student understanding immediately—whether through verbal explanations, chat box responses, whiteboard work or polls—helping ensure students fully grasp concepts before moving forward.

2. Do students and teachers see each other throughout the entire class? 

Imagine a classroom where no one ever turns on their camera. It’s hard to build relationships when you’re just a name on a screen. That’s why Wilson Hill requires webcam participation—but not in a rigid or impersonal way. Seeing one another allows students and teachers to connect on a deeper level, read facial expressions and engage in more natural, meaningful conversations.

It’s not solely about accountability; it’s about fostering authentic human connection in an online setting.

3. Is the school using advanced technology to enhance learning?

Technology should never be a barrier to learning—the right tools should make the educational experience more interactive and engaging. An excellent online school uses modern tools that encourage participation and creativity.

At Wilson Hill, students collaborate using live video conferencing, breakout rooms, interactive whiteboards, game-based learning platforms for review and more. Science classes aren’t just about a textbook or watching someone else do a science lab—students conduct labs together, guided by the teacher—turning their homes into real-life laboratories. Learning should be hands-on, even in a virtual world!

4. Do teachers truly see and respond to students as individuals?

In a traditional classroom, a discerning teacher picks up on subtle signs—confusion on a student’s face, an unasked question or a spark of excitement about a new topic. That kind of attentiveness shouldn’t be lost in an online setting.

Wilson Hill Academy teachers are trained to be highly responsive, ensuring that students feel heard, supported and challenged in all the right ways. They don’t simply grade assignments—they build relationships with students, creating an environment where curiosity thrives.

5. Do students interact and build friendships with one another?

Education isn’t primarily the transfer of knowledge; it’s a formative process that shapes not only what students know, but also what they love and who they become—fostering a deep sense of wonder for God and His creation, a spirit of inquiry and analysis, winsome communication and the ability to collaborate and solve problems effectively.

At Wilson Hill, students engage in Socratic discussions, solve problems together on whiteboards and collaborate in breakout rooms. They don’t passively consume information; they actively contemplate, discuss and debate, sharpening one another as they pursue Truth. Through these interactions, students not only deepen their understanding but also develop meaningful friendships that often last well beyond their years at Wilson Hill.

Outside the classroom, Wilson Hill students connect in meaningful ways through organizations like the House System and Junior Classical League (JCL). The House System cultivates a strong sense of belonging and mentorship, with students participating in friendly competitions, creative challenges and leadership opportunities. Similarly, JCL brings together students with a passion for Latin and Greek, allowing them to bond over shared interests, participate in national competitions and build friendships that extend beyond academics.

Not All Online Schools Are the Same

If you’ve heard concerns about “too much screen time” or had a negative online learning experience in the past, we understand. At Wilson Hill, we believe education is about relationships, so we use technology intentionally to foster real connection between teachers and students and bring learning to life.

Are you interested in giving your children a community where they can form deep, life-giving friendships? Download your free guide to Wilson Hill to discover the lifelong benefits of being part of a like-minded community that supports your family values and prepares your child for the future.

The post 5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Online School appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Pitching business ideas Shark Tank style…

Running around the house on a scavenger hunt…

Recreating famous paintings live on Zoom…

These are just a few monthly activities Wilson Hill students enjoy in our beloved House System. While silly on the surface, House traditions like these play a vital role in fostering the genuine, enduring friendships that contribute to our school’s vibrant community. 

Wilson Hill’s Four Houses and the History of the House System

Starting in 7th grade, all students join one of the four Houses named after esteemed Christian authors: St. Augustine, Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis and Flannery O’Connor. Each House has its own personality and flair, reflected in a unique crest, Bible verse, and quote from its namesake author. Yet, all four share a common goal: fostering fellowship.

Though many may associate house systems with Hogwarts, the tradition actually dates back centuries in British boarding schools. Originally designed to provide refuge, pastoral care, friendship and frivolity for students away from home, this system remains a powerful way to build community today—including at Wilson Hill.

At Wilson Hill, each House is guided by a faculty advisor and two student leaders who organize activities and lead meetings, fostering community and camaraderie. In the Austen House, the leadership team is called the Knights, derived from the House members’ nickname, Austenites. Since St. Augustine was passionate about setting people’s hearts on fire for the Lord, the Augustine House refers to themselves as the Arsonists. 

In the Lewis House, the team uses the name Votary since, in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, Lewis calls himself a “votary of the blue flower.” The blue flower was a symbol used in German literature to represent the longing for God that Lewis calls joy. Finally, Flannery O’Connor spent time in an art colony named Yaddo, which inspired the O’Connor House to borrow the name as a reminder to create beautiful things for the O’Connor House and for the Lord. 

Houses formally meet six times a year for competitions, games and devotionals, but they maintain community all year long with constantly buzzing community boards and special projects, like the O’Connor House’s weekly video series Pridelings’ Tidings or the newspapers regularly produced by the other three Houses. 

But silly games and creative competitions are only one reason students love their Houses. This system thrives because the Houses instill deep, genuine bonds of friendship between our students. 

 My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.                                                                                                      —Jane Austen 

Christ as a Foundation for Friendship 

Taylor, a student at Wilson Hill, says she often gets the question, can you really make friends in an online school? On her blog for fellow homeschooled students, she wrote an entire post on this topic. In short, her answer is a resounding yes. 

“The first friends I made at WHA were through being a part of the Austen House Newspaper as a graphic designer in ninth grade,” she writes in her post. “Being a part of this team gave me the opportunity to meet with other students outside of classes and build community in a low-pressure environment. One of my friends from this experience was even in the same class as me, so we were able to get to know each other in both settings.”  

Lauren Thomson, class of 2022 Augustine House leader, deferred to the words of Jane Austen when reflecting on her own House experience, “My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.” 

Each House certainly provides good company, and even more meaningfully, each House points students to Christ. In Confessions, St. Augustine wisely wrote, “You only love your friend truly, after all, when you love God in your friend, either because He is in him, or in order that He may be in him. That is true love and respect. There is no true friendship unless you weld it between souls that cling together by the charity poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

It is in this spirit that our House System operates, and we hope that this sentiment is reflected in all friendships cultivated at Wilson Hill. 

Our classes are live on purpose to foster a vibrant classroom environment where students can delight in learning, delight in God and delight in each other. Lively classroom discussions, extracurricular activities and in-person celebrations allow students to form meaningful relationships built on the enduring foundation of Christ. 

When families list the reasons why they return to Wilson Hill year after year, the community is often at the top of the list, and our House System is integral to that community.  

Are you interested in giving your children a community where they can form deep, life-giving friendships? Download your free guide to Wilson Hill to discover the lifelong benefits of being part of a like-minded community that supports your family values and prepares your child for the future. 

The post How our House System Builds Lifelong Friendships at Wilson Hill appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

In most of our lives, there’s the public story, and then there’s the other one.

Here’s a chapter from my public book: Some of you may know my husband Rob nearly died of a brain aneurysm in May of 2021. Since we have many friends and family members in various places, not to mention our global homeschool community, I shared much of our journey on Facebook. 

After a truly miraculous summer of recuperation, Rob returned to work as a full-time physician three months later in September. We still celebrate his recovery and attribute his healing to the grace of the Lord, along with many prayers on our behalf.  

But you might not know we’ve had two aneurysms in our family. 

Answered and Unanswered Prayers 

Twenty-eight years ago, in the summer of 1996, our then-eight-year-old son, Jeff, suffered a brain aneurysm that left his life hanging in the balance for months. It happened “before the internet,” so much of the account of his excruciatingly slow recovery is in my journal. 

Like Rob’s situation, the Lord also brought Jeff back from the brink of death in answer to many prayers, but He has not answered our prayers for Jeff’s complete physical restoration in this life. There are weeks and months of empty pages in my journal in which any desire to capture a mother’s still broken heart was overridden by the daily exhaustion of caring for a special needs child who couldn’t sit up, eat or talk while I tried to care for, let alone enjoy, our three-year-old daughter. 

As we brought Jeff home on December 20 that year, still with many medical needs, including a brain shunt and tracheostomy, we experienced a mixture of gratitude and trepidation as we sought to comfort our son and ourselves, but the future seemed gray and dim. How could we answer our son’s questions when we didn’t have the answers ourselves? I knew my “faith glasses” needed a new prescription, and Christmas came to the rescue. In the moments of contemplation of the ordinary people involved in the Christmas story, the Lord began to correct my vision. 

Looking Forward to the Second Advent

I had to understand that as much as it was proper to look back at what Christ has done at Christmas and afterward, we also needed to look forward to what has not yet happened, to the entirety of the hope of Advent. I needed to live in the truth of not just the first Advent, but also the second Advent. 

The Lord didn’t show me these things overnight, but, eventually, a better view both behind and forward has helped us live in hope today. We have learned to comfort ourselves with the entirety of Scripture. Of course, we love to reflect on the miracle of the incarnation, ”God with us.” We worship the baby in the manger, then look beyond the Nativity and pause in wonder at the suffering servant and resurrected Christ. We point ourselves to his second return as reigning King. We need the promises of a new heaven and earth, not the least of which includes a body for our son made whole again. (Philippians 3:20–21)  

Looking forward helps us be ready for Christmas.

The Daily Call to Respond in Faith

This corrected view also transforms ordinary daily living. As we come upon the Christmas season year after homeschooling year, we long not to be exhausted at the thought of Christmas, but we, having barely finished the turkey leftovers, often allow our human limitations to overwhelm us. 

But even these ordinary limitations, as well as the grief and disappointments of life and the effects of sin in the world and our family, have helped me love the Christ of Christmas more. 

The account of the people in the first chapters of Luke gives me the most encouragement as a mother. I love to contemplate what the chosen of God were doing the day before their world changed.

Take Zechariah and Elizabeth, “walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” (Luke 1:6) Mary, a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph. Shepherds, watching their sheep. Weren’t they simply walking in simple faith and obedience? Weary with grief and without much hope that circumstances would change, did they encourage themselves with the Scriptures and God’s promises?  

In the days just before the angel’s visit, I wonder if Elizabeth was overwhelmed with the sorrow of unfulfilled longing for a child. Whether for his longing or simply out of a desire to relieve his wife’s sorrow, we know Zechariah prayed for a son. I wonder how many times they comforted themselves by reading or reciting Malachi 4—I’ll let you look it up. And then perhaps Elizabeth, in obedience, took a meal to the poor or a new mother, living out the Proverb, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25) Can I do the same? 

Just as daily living and walking in faith today rarely get social media attention, I think of the many unwritten chapters and verses of women and men responding in faith despite great sorrow while they carried out the ordinary tasks of life. Can I do the same?

After John was born, Elizabeth and Zechariah had to live the often ordinary routine of raising a son as tired older parents. (Is it just our family, or has anyone else joked about a young John popping grasshoppers in his mouth to impress his elderly parents?) Neither Elizabeth nor Zechariah are included in the later gospel accounts, so I have to assume that John suffered the grief of losing both of them. And would his cousin Jesus have comforted him with the genuine hope of His arrival? Can I live in that hope? 

Preparing Our Hearts for Advent

My prayer for us this Christmas is that we might be ready for Christmas in a new way this year. I know my Advent vision continues to need adjustment. We are the people waiting for a better country, a home where righteousness dwells. We are, in many ways, like the faithful ones in Luke, waiting for the complete consolation and redemption of Israel. What if today is our “day before?” 

As we celebrate our Lord’s first Advent, we rejoice that the Scriptures have been partially fulfilled. May we all live today, this Christmas, and into the New Year in the hope of their completion. May all the celebratory “things”  fade to their proper place so our Lord finds us eagerly and expectantly awaiting his arrival! 

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

—Isaiah 9:6-7

Leah Coll teaches Latin 2 & 3 at Wilson Hill Academy.

The post Why I Need the Truth of Advent at Christmas—and Every Day   appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

As parents, Thanksgiving provides the perfect opportunity to show our children the true hope and joy found in giving thanks—even in seasons when we don’t feel particularly thankful.

We might not associate giving thanks with sacrifice, but the Bible and history provide ample instances when giving thanks was coupled with great tribulation and sacrifice. After a divisive election season and tragic natural disasters, it feels all the more appropriate to dig deeper into what genuine, active thanksgiving looks like.

Looking Back to Contextualize Our Present 

It is not easy to focus on “thanksgiving” when we are experiencing hardship or turmoil. And yet, this is exactly what the Continental Congress did in 1777 as it was forced out of Philadelphia by the occupying British army. The delegates voted “to set apart Thursday, the eighteenth Day of December next, for Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise.” They focused on history, based on their “obligation to God for benefits received” and a reliance on Him to “continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence.”

The words of the psalmist in Psalm 116:12 and 17 come to mind here:

What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
…
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.

Dwelling on the Faithfulness of God

By stepping back from any current trial and remembering God’s historical faithfulness with thanksgiving, we gain perspective and grow in faith. One man who did just that is Martin Rinckart, who served his small church in Saxony during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). In addition to a wartime refugee crisis, his flock also suffered the ravages of famine and an outbreak of the bubonic plague. Thousands died in his village and the situation was as bad throughout northern Germany, though Martin himself was spared. In 1636, the height of the crisis, he wrote this famous thanksgiving hymn, set to music by J.S. Bach:

Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.

What did he sacrifice? By choosing to give thanks to the sovereign God in the midst of these crises, he “sacrificed” his own sovereignty; he admitted his own total inadequacy to “fix” the problems and simply went about loving his neighbor as best he could in the circumstances. Also, notice that his “thanksgiving” was active—done with “heart and hands and voices.” One way we express our thanksgiving to God for what he has done is by actively loving our neighbors. This, too, might be considered a “sacrifice.”

Inviting Our Children to Participate in Active Thanksgiving

As we approach this Thanksgiving season, let us remember with great thanksgiving the wondrous things God has done throughout history and continues to do today in our lives and around the world. Because of His character, we can approach the present and the future with peace and hope.

So let us sacrifice our own feeble attempts to maintain our independence and sense of control, and let us make that sacrifice active in the way we serve and love those around us. Even younger children can enter into this “active thanksgiving.” 

A worthwhile dinner table conversation might include asking family members to think of a specific trial they faced at some point in the past and consider how, with the benefit of hindsight, they can see God’s provision for them in that trial. Then use those insights to motivate a specific act of service for someone you know as a way of actively expressing your thanksgiving to God.

This Thanksgiving, let us all reflect on the faithfulness of God through past generations and say with the psalmist, 

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord. 

—Psalm 116:17

The post The Value of Dwelling on God’s Past Faithfulness  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

We have all seen the headlines: Younger generations are facing record-high rates of anxiety, depression and loneliness. 

And unsurprisingly, research pins much of the blame on teen screen time. Despite owning pocket-sized devices connecting us to anyone around the world 24/7, people have never felt lonelier. 

As parents and educators, this is troubling. God designed us to know others and to be known. 

Since 2014, we have offered a classical Christian education online—on purpose. We clearly believe the internet can be a positive tool that allows families to make the best educational choice for their children. We have even argued that leveraging technology and embracing innovation (within reason) has always played a role in classical Christian education.

But how do we reconcile the data that says screens negatively impact our children with the positive stories of students thriving in our community?

The Real World vs. the Virtual World

In Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation, he posits there are two worlds: the real one and the virtual one. Children are under-protected in the virtual world, he contends, and overprotected in the real one. 

Of course, what happens in the virtual world has very real implications in the “real” one. To define and thus differentiate the two, he offers four descriptors. The real world, which has existed for millennia, is embodied, synchronous, one-to-one and has a high barrier to entry, meaning it requires social investment. The virtual world, in contrast, has only existed for a couple of decades. It is disembodied, asynchronous, one-to-many and includes a low barrier to entry and exit.

Thinking about screen time through this lens helps us distinguish between beneficial and harmful ways to engage online. If the traits of the real world can be extended to the virtual one, then we can create a positive online community for students with the same benefits of the “real world.” 

At Wilson Hill, we see technology as a valuable tool to build a positive, productive learning environment that nurtures real relationships. How do we accomplish this? Using the language of Haidt’s framework, we create an environment that is embodied, synchronous, one-to-one and requires an investment from participants. 

A successful online education is embodied.

Haidt writes that, in the real world, relationships and social interactions are “embodied, meaning that we use our bodies to communicate, we are conscious of the bodies of others, and we respond to the bodies of others both consciously and unconsciously.” 

Texting or trading messages on Instagram misses the richness of human expression and tone. When we sit with our family around the dinner table, we look at each other’s faces and body language, acutely aware of a tense furrow, an impatient sigh or the lighthearted tone accompanying a joke. 

Wilson Hill classrooms not only allow but encourage this type of interaction. Cameras are always on, and students actively engage with each other and their teacher.

A successful online education is synchronous. 

An embodied environment is also synchronous, where people respond in real-time to each other, recognizing subtle cues and taking turns speaking. Synchronous communication forces us to engage with the person we’re talking to. So much online communication is the opposite: It allows you to center yourself in the conversation, respond at your own convenience or ignore some messages altogether. 

That’s why our courses are synchronous. Students might be joining in different time zones, but they are in class together—live. They can perceive the human nuances that are missed in a video recording and enjoy community in real-time.   

A successful online education is one-to-one. 

God designed us to be in relationship with each other, but how meaningfully can we engage with dozens of people asynchronously at the same time? One virtue of in-person education is the capped ratio of interaction. Our classes are designed with a set class size to encourage engagement between peers and with the instructor in real time. 

New families at Wilson Hill often comment on how lively our classes are. Online learning does not have to mean a group of students silently taking notes while a teacher lectures on a screen. Our students ask questions, debate, collaborate in small groups, conduct lab experiments,  deliver live presentations and more. 

A successful online education is high-entry. 

This last characteristic is key to building an authentic virtual community. Haidt writes that the real world takes place “within communities that have a high bar for entry and exit, so people are strongly motivated to invest in relationships and repair rifts when they happen.” 

At Wilson Hill, we are invested in a common goal, and we share a common value of community. Our students know and are known by their classmates and teachers. If a student is not in class, their absence is felt because their presence contributes to the entire group. 

Many of our families regularly travel to see each other in person and maintain regular contact outside of school. Every year, we gather at LINK for our in-person celebration and greet each other as if we have always enjoyed in-person community. 

We don’t have to sacrifice the rich benefits of a classical Christian education to learn online.

It’s not an accident that these rhythms formed. We intentionally designed Wilson Hill to meet the needs of families looking for a virtual option and to foster a vibrant community. 

As parents, we want our children to enjoy the beauty and goodness of healthy friendships with their peers. We want their minds to feast on literature and wrestle with new ideas. As an online school, we believe technology is not an obstacle in this pursuit but a helpful tool that makes this possible. 

Fortunately, we don’t have to choose between screens and a classical Christian education; we can engage both well with wisdom and discernment.  

Are you interested in learning more about what a Wilson Hill education could offer your family? Download your free guide to Wilson Hill to discover the lifelong benefits of being part of a like-minded community that supports your family values and prepares your child for the future. 

The post What Kind of Screen Time Is Actually Good for Children?  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

During her commute to work, Wilson Hill co-founder and former teacher Dr. Marie Owens noticed many children loitering outside during school hours. Perplexed and concerned that so many children regularly skipped classes, she started researching her city’s public schools. 

She was shocked at the statistics she found. Her local school system was failing students, and Black students were disproportionately impacted. In 2017, 80% of Black public school students in her city tested lower than their grade level in math; 66% tested lower than their grade level in English.

She couldn’t ignore these statistics. As the co-founder of a classical Christian school and a homeschool parent, she knew the rich benefits and blessings that can come from this educational model. 

“I used a classical model homeschooling my children,” Marie said. “It cultivated a sense of wonder in learning, and I thought this could be a key to bringing new educational hope to my community. Every child deserves the opportunity to flourish.”

In 2021, Marie and her husband officially opened Charleston Classical School to provide a high-quality classical Christian education to students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. 

The generational impact of a classical Christian education 

Though our settings differ—CCS is a brick-and-mortar school while Wilson Hill Academy serves families through online learning—we share a common goal and educational philosophy. The classical Christian model points students to the unchanging truths of Scripture. Students are trained to love what is beautiful, good and true—absolutes rooted in the triune God. 

We want our students to succeed academically, but, more fundamentally, we want to consider who they are becoming and how their education is molding them. The end goal of this model of education isn’t perfect test scores or rote memorization; instead, students are prepared to live fruitful lives in the service of the Kingdom of Christ. 

This is the double blessing of a classical Christian education: its present and future generational impact. For students at CCS, this is especially significant. 

Since its creation, CCS has operated on a sliding-scale tuition basis, allowing families to give their children a high-quality, Christ-centered education who otherwise might not be able to afford the cost of a private Christian school. By making a private education financially accessible to students from varying socioeconomic backgrounds, Marie is hopeful not only about enhancing the lives of families now but also sparking community-wide transformation. 

“The parents of our first students have expressed their gratitude, astonishment and relief to see their children progressing so well,” she said. “Moms who have older kids in government schools are particularly excited to see their young children learning so quickly. Despite several ESL (English as a second language) challenges, our students have flourished. You know something is going well when children are sad on the last day of school and ask all summer, ‘When can I go back to school?’”

If not for CCS, many of these students would not receive the individualized attention they need to thrive at school, which would set them up for a future of limited options. Now, with the support of gifted, compassionate teachers in a nurturing, Christ-centered environment, the trajectory of their future changes—which also changes how they will lead, serve and parent. In turn, the entire community experiences the benefits of Kingdom-minded leadership. 

Join us in making a classical Christian education accessible to more students.

Wilson Hill has joyfully supported CCS since its creation, and we look forward to continuing our partnership. We firmly believe in its mission and in modeling to our students what it means to be a good neighbor—whether that neighbor lives next door to us or across the country. 

Without state funding, CCS relies almost entirely on private donations and grants to make this education affordable for all families. Many Wilson Hill families were among the first to pledge support and help CCS reach its initial goal of $400,000 to open its doors in 2021. 

In the three years since, CCS has continued to grow and earn community recognition. This year, the school was a finalist for the Yass Prize, which recognizes achievements in “sustainable, transformational, outstanding and permissionless education.” 

But CCS still needs our support to continue pursuing its mission, and we’d like to invite you to join us. You can support them by making a direct contribution or by asking your employer about matching donations.

We’re encouraged by Marie’s faithful submission to God’s call on her life and excited to continue watching the inspiring story of CCS. Thank you for joining us in making high-quality, Christ-centered education more accessible! 

Are you interested in giving your own children an education that prepares them for college and beyond? Registration is open! Enroll your children in one class or a full course load today to give them a rich, biblically grounded education.  

The post The Joy of Partnering with Charleston Classical School  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Schools can make lofty claims about their educational philosophy and its long-term impact on students, but the true test of an educational model is the students it produces. That’s why we believe one of the best ways to learn about Wilson Hill Academy is through our graduates. 

Above all, our goal is to equip students to live purposefully for the Kingdom of Christ both now and in the future. The way Wilson Hill alumni serve their communities, pursue careers with excellence and faithfully follow the Lord reflects this mission far better than any claim we could make. 

We are so proud of our 2024 graduates, and we look forward to watching all that they will accomplish in college and beyond. We are confident they will be a blessing to whatever field and community God calls them. 

Two of these graduates recently addressed our school at our annual in-person celebration, LINK, as their class’s valedictorian and salutatorian. Their reflections on their time at Wilson Hill capture why a classical Christian education helps families thrive: the robust academics and genuine love for learning, the master teachers who bring their subjects to life and point their students to the unchanging truths of Scripture, the lifelong friendships and the emphasis on living for Christ and His Kingdom. 

Watch their speeches below to see the fruit of a Wilson Hill education and how it prepares students for their futures. 

Meet Wilson Hill’s 2024 Valedictorian, Caleb Brooks Vogel.

After six years at Wilson Hill, Caleb graduated last spring as a National Merit Finalist and now attends Patrick Henry College. During his time at Wilson Hill, he especially appreciated his philosophy, geography and linguistic arts classes and his favorite books included Les Misérables, The Divine Comedy and The Screwtape Letters, each of which he believes every classically educated high schooler should read. Outside of his studies, he enjoys playing the piano, running cross country and track, reading and pondering philosophy. Above all, Caleb says he aspires to learn about, glorify, and enjoy the Lord in all he does.

Meet Wilson Hill’s 2024 Salutatorian, Emma Jane Roberts.

After graduation from her seventh year at Wilson Hill, Emma plans to continue her education through Liberty University’s online business program. 

Caleb and Emma are just starting their adventures beyond Wilson Hill, but many students have gone on before them. Learn about life after Wilson Hill in our two-part series featuring nine students who are currently in college or pursuing their careers: Life After Wilson Hill Part I and Part II. 

Are you interested in giving your own children an education that prepares them for college and beyond? Registration is open! Enroll your children in one class or a full course load today to give them a rich, biblically grounded education.

The post Meet Wilson Hill’s 2024 Valedictorian and Salutatorian  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Stories can take us to amazing places, introduce us to fascinating characters and reveal important truths about humanity. Lucy Fujiwara discovered a passion for reading as a young student herself and loves sharing the joy of reading with her students as a teacher.

Lucy grew up in the state of Washington, where she developed a love for the outdoors. As an undergraduate, she studied English and classical Christian education at Grove City College in Pennsylvania and then taught 1st, 4th and 5th grades at a classical charter school in Phoenix, Arizona. She now lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, golden retriever and new baby girl, where she enjoys taking walks with her dog, sipping a good cup of coffee and curling up with a good book on a rainy day.

Lucy will be teaching Don’t Miss These Books 3 and encouraging her students to love great books and stories, establishing an essential foundation for future courses in the language arts (Don’t Miss These Books 4, Language Arts 1–4 and The Great Conversation). In this class, third-grade students enjoy opportunities to explore ideas and use their imagination. During class discussions, Lucy will guide her students through the world of each book, seeking truth, beauty and goodness as they view each story in the context of God’s Word. 2024-25 books include Charlotte’s Web, Misty of Chincoteague, Farmer Boy and more.

We visited with Lucy to ask her a few questions before the start of the school year.

WHA: What’s your favorite part of teaching?

Lucy: My favorite thing about teaching is the students—specifically, getting to share my love of reading and books with them and seeing the joy and excitement in their eyes as they enjoy the wonders of a good story. 

WHA: Where can we find you when you’re not in the classroom?

Lucy: I love to be outside—preferably near water. The ocean is my favorite, but I’ll take a lake or river as well. I like going to new coffee shops and bookshops. I love to read, bake cookies, and go on walks with my husband, daughter and dog. I also love to travel and would rather take a long road trip than fly! 

WHA: What’s your favorite food?

Lucy: My favorite food is grilled cheese and tomato soup — especially on a rainy day. I also love chips and guac!

WHA: What’s your favorite book from third grade?

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

WHA: Which character would you be in Charlotte’s Web and why?

Lucy: I would definitely be Charlotte! I strive to be full of grace and wisdom like she is and want to be a loyal friend like her as well. She is such a virtuous character.

Lucy can’t wait to welcome her students to Don’t Miss These Books 3!

If you want to give your children an education that delights in learning and is rooted in the truth of Scripture, there’s still space available for the 2024-24 school year. Whether you enroll in à la carte classes or register for a full course load, you can save your children’s spots today.

The post Meet Lucy Fujiwara, Don’t Miss These Books 3  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Last month, we published a blog post about life after attending Wilson Hill Academy. In that post, we shared reflections from Wilson Hill graduates on the impact of a classical education rooted in Scripture.

It is evident from their experiences that our students leave Wilson Hill with a love of what is beautiful, good and true. The disciplines they learn as they study God’s word, read classical texts and learn about our world through the lens of biblical truth equip them to become men and women who live in service of the Kingdom of Christ. 

These graduates are a fraction of the many who have left Wilson Hill to lead thriving, God-centered lives. In this second installment of our series on life after Wilson Hill, meet four more graduates who have experienced the enduring value of a classical Christian education.

How did your education at Wilson Hill prepare you for your life beyond high school?

Many Wilson Hill graduates pursue a university degree once they graduate. Annelise, a 2021 graduate, found that the critical thinking skills she learned at Wilson Hill equipped her for success at California State Polytechnic University.

“When I got to college, I was leagues ahead of my peers because I had been taught to think and taught to write in high school,” said Annelise. These skills gave her a distinct advantage as she pursued a highly technical advanced degree.

Many Wilson Hill graduates share similar sentiments. “The rigor, self-discipline, and curiosity cultivated during my time at Wilson Hill prepared me for the most challenging parts of my undergraduate studies,” said Abby, class of 2020.

Another student, Abigail, from the class of 2018, said that in college, she read several of the same classical medieval and modern texts that she studied at Wilson Hill. Because she had read the books before and understood the central issues thanks to classroom discussions, she could fully immerse herself and dig even deeper into the content the second time around.

Aside from academic rigor, Wilson Hill graduates also profess gratitude for habits that were instilled in them through the classical Christian curriculum at Wilson Hill. Abby said that after graduating, she entered college with practical tools to pursue God, which served her well when she attended college in a learning environment that didn’t always support her faith.

“My Wilson Hill Academy courses prepared me for college very well. I was able to build upon the solid foundation of my high school background to succeed in my college-level courses.” 

—Abigail, Wilson Hill Class of 2018

How did your Wilson Hill experiences specifically equip you for your career?

Regardless of whether our graduates feel called to university or another career path, their Wilson Hill education prepares them to glorify God and pursue excellence in everything they do.

“I always assumed I would attend university after high school, but due to various COVID restrictions, I made the decision not to attend college at all,” said Campbell, a 2021 graduate. “Instead of going to college, I began working on a construction crew. I dedicated myself to doing my very best on the job, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the youngest supervisor in the company’s history.”

Campbell attributes this success to his Wilson Hill education. The discussion-based literature courses he took enhanced his critical thinking and equipped him with the communication skills needed to be successful in his trade.

Regardless of whether students pursue higher education or immediately enter the workforce, they find that the most useful skills they gained at Wilson Hill go beyond academic knowledge.

What do you love most about what you have pursued since high school graduation?

When students develop a love of what is beautiful, good and true at an early age, their world broadens—transforming the way they approach their studies, friendships, hobbies and faith. Through their education at Wilson Hill, students gain a profound appreciation for biblical truth, and also for classical literature, beautiful art and other disciplines that express what is good in our world.

Campbell shared that his knowledge of classical literature has given him the ability to relate to people in his life, even though his career doesn’t rely on many academic disciplines.

Abigail said that Wilson Hill helped her to deepen her passion for dance and Latin, giving her the tools to continue pursuing both as an adult. “I am grateful for the Lord’s providence in providing the gift it has been to return to disciplines that I love,” she said. “It has also been delightful to come full circle in my journey after Wilson Hill Academy.”

Likewise, Abby said that at Wilson Hill she learned how to invest in relationships in academic, professional and personal settings. These relational skills allow Wilson Hill graduates to become vibrant contributors to academic, professional, social and spiritual discussions.

“My experience at Wilson Hill gave me the courage to initiate relationships with professors in college, which played a crucial role in my personal development as a disciple.”

—Abby, Wilson Hill Class of 2020

Having experienced the fruit of investing in relationships, students like Abby have the relational skills to thrive in the workplace and be a light to their coworkers, while also developing deep and meaningful Christian relationships in their churches. 

What are you most thankful for about your Wilson Hill education?

At Wilson Hill, we equip our students academically, spiritually and emotionally. By investing in our students as whole people, we help them form lifelong disciplines that will bless their lives long after graduation.

Annelise, who is a student athlete, says that she is thankful that she learned how to balance a variety of work, academic and athletic pursuits at an early age. Now, in college, she loves the challenge of balancing all the parts of her life and can do so successfully. She says, “It is hard to maintain my grades and a spiritual life and social life while pursuing an athletic career, but I feel well-equipped.”

Abby believes that her time at Wilson Hill gave her a safe space to wrestle through hard questions before launching into the world. She is thankful for teachers that both affirmed and challenged her, broadening her perspective on learning. She says that the lessons she learned have stuck with her to this day and impact the way she interacts with the world.

Many Wilson Hill graduates express gratitude for the training they received that transcended the classroom. They are thankful that in addition to learning to read, write and think critically, they learned habits that have carried them confidently into adulthood and helped them to pursue Christ’s Kingdom above all else.

If you missed part one of this series, click here to read more stories and reflections from Wilson Hill graduates on how their classical Christian education has shaped their present and prepared them to confidently approach their future endeavors. 

If you’re interested in giving your own children a Wilson Hill education, registration for the 2024-25 school year is open, and spots are filling quickly. Register today to save their spot. 

The post Life After WHA: Meet Our Alumni, Part 2  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Can you imagine studying a subject as rich and technical as biology but restricting yourself to a narrow ideology that ignores truths about the way the natural world works? 

If this sounds familiar to you, you’ve probably heard mainstream educators commenting on science in Christian schools. “Beware of learning science in a bubble!” they caution.

But who is really learning in a bubble? 

When science is taught out of context by ignoring the true story of life, our planet and all that inhabits it, we limit ourselves to simplistic mechanical explanations for what we observe. When we study science in the context of biblical truth, we see God’s good design and His plan for redemption unfolding in the most minute processes and in the most powerful forces governing our world. 

Experiencing God’s Character Through His Design  

Biology students at Wilson Hill Academy enjoy a front row seat to see God working out His story in His living creation. We marvel together at His creative power as we learn how the magnificent molecule of water splits and sparks a series of reactions in photosynthesis to produce sweet sugar.

We mourn as we see the effects of creation’s fall when a change to a single DNA nucleotide—amongst eight billion—leads to the debilitating sickle cell disease. But we also witness the merciful hand of God when we observe how He designed genes that allow the production of medications for humans by tiny bacteria. “It’s always amazing to me that we can take a human gene, inject it into bacteria, and that bacteria becomes a factory for making medicines like insulin for us,” says Sylvia Chen, an honors and AP biology teacher at Wilson Hill.

Over the course of a year, students increasingly appreciate how biology reveals the spectacular arch of God’s redemptive story.

____________________________________________________________________________________

When we study science in the context of biblical truth, we see God’s good design and His plan for redemption unfolding in the most minute processes and in the most powerful forces governing our world.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Equipping Students for College-Level Science Courses

In AP Biology, a College Board-approved course, Wilson Hill students engage with textbooks and curriculum that approach science from a secular point of view. We study the secular scientists’ unifying theme of evolution—that random atomic and molecular interactions created life and continue to drive our living world. To be fair, if the starting premise is that God does not exist, evolution may be the best explanation for our living world, but we know that is not the full story. Biblical truth enables us to burst that bubble.

In college, Wilson Hill’s AP Biology students are well prepared to speak with credibility about technical concepts such as the right-handed twist of DNA or the trophic cascades of the North Pacific ecosystem. They also are able to explain how each of these beautiful systems point to God.

“Tess tells me every week how much AP Bio class has prepared her for college work,” says Sandra, a parent of a Wilson Hill graduate. “She still uses her notes from her class to better understand the material in lecture and in lab. She tells me that even some of the slides are identical to the ones used in this class. She is at Texas A&M in College Station, where academics are stringent, and 4.0s are tough to come by. She has a solid B+ in BIO 111, which I think is awesome!”

Rachel, another Wilson Hill graduate, said taking AP biology at Wilson Hill gave her the confidence she needed to “ask questions, do research and dig deeper” in her science courses in college. “AP Biology prepared me for university as a pre-law major by equipping me to participate with the scientific community and the important conversations happening there,” she says. “AP Biology helped establish an understanding of life and helped prepare me to engage in discussions with peers about societal issues such as environmental concerns, gene editing, and evolution which are topics that span all areas of study.”

The Lifelong Gift of Learning Science in Its True Context

Far from learning in a bubble, Wilson Hill’s AP Biology (and all our science courses) bring a richness to science that cannot be found in basic college courses. Students learn science in its true context, allowing them to see and appreciate the intricate and beautiful true story of life.

Wilson Hill students combine their scientific knowledge, their study of different worldviews from Great Conversation courses, and their practice of the art of persuasion from rhetoric courses, preparing them to be effective ambassadors who can enter the scientist’s world and speak winsomely the Truth that all the beautiful systems we observe in our world point to God.

After all, the greatest delight anyone—especially a biologist—can experience is to worship the Author and Redeemer of all Creation—God.

We pray that the words of Philippians 2:10-11 are true of all of our students and that their studies lead them to experience great joy in the Lord and His good design: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

If you want to give your children an education that is rooted in the truth of Scripture, there’s still space available for the 2024-24 school year. Whether you enroll in à la carte classes or register for a full course load, you can save your children’s spots today.

The post How AP Biology Points Students to the Character of God   appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

What are students being trained to love—and to what end? 

When we addressed that question (and the merits of a classical Christian education) in a previous blog post, we concluded that Wilson Hill students are trained to love what is beautiful, good and true—absolutes rooted in the triune God of Scripture.

Above all, we want to raise up men and women who live fruitful lives in the service of the Kingdom of Christ. The unique blessing of a classical Christian education is in its ability to transform students in the present and impact generations to come, instilling habits and forming disciplines that will last a lifetime. 

We recently reached out to several Wilson Hill graduates to see the immediate effects of their Wilson Hill education and hear how they have navigated the transition from high school to college and careers.  

How did your education at Wilson Hill prepare you for your life beyond high school? 

“After leaving WHA, I felt ready to tackle college life, having received so much wonderful instruction from my teachers,” said Isabel, class of 2021. She attended New Saint Andrews College, and now, she and her husband are expecting their first child. 

Isabel explained that her experience at Wilson Hill improved her writing, public speaking and ability to connect well with other students, preparing her for a smooth transition into college.  

“WHA helped me become adept at interpersonal communication which helped me grow connections with other students, professors and people in the workplace much more easily,” added Evan, class of 2019. 

Multiple graduates emphasized college readiness, including one class of 2019 student who  commended her Wilson Hill education for “over-preparing” her, making college assignments feel like a breeze. 

“To this day I still feel like I learned the most from high school rather than from both colleges I have attended,” said Sarah.  

“The rigor of WHA completely prepared me for my pre-med program,” said Benaiah, class of 2023 and a current freshman at Bob Jones University. “The high expectations leveled upon me in high school allowed me to prepare for the high expectations that are being leveled upon me in college. The pre-med program at my school is extremely rigorous. 99% of students get into medical school. If I hadn’t needed to learn how to study well in order to pass my classes at WHA, I would not be the 4.0 student I am today.”

I honestly cannot emphasize how life-changing WHA was for me. I don’t know who I would be without it.

—Kieran, Wilson Hill Class of 2023

How did your Wilson Hill experiences specifically equip you for your career? 

“Wilson Hill prepared me to research well, discuss well and ask questions well,” said Sarah. “Being able to research on your own is a major part of college and post-college careers, and being taught to find information for yourself and having an ad fontes approach to learning really helped.”

This spring, Sarah is graduating with a degree in natural science with minors in social studies, Bible, geology and environmental science from Cedarville University.  

“I was blessed to do some paleontology work as a senior capstone project and was able to present that research and win an award for it at a national geologist conference,” she said. “I now hope to pursue a master’s degree in museum sciences and continue my love for history and paleontology.” 

What do you love most about what you have pursued since high school graduation?

“I love working in a field that provides meaningful changes to people’s lives and helps them survive and manage their condition after dealing with a myocardial infarction,” said Evan, who attended Oklahoma Christian University and currently works as a biomedical researcher. 

Also studying to work in the medical field, Benaiah said he loves getting to “experience and observe and learn about the glory of God that can be seen and observed in nature and in the human body.” 

Wilson Hill alumni enjoy volunteering at LINK 2024 Field Day.

What are you most thankful for about your Wilson Hill education?

From gifted teachers who influenced their current fields of study to lifelong friendships, the graduates we spoke to emphasized the ongoing impact their time at Wilson Hill has on their present season of life. 

“The teachers were formative for me,” said  Benaiah. “I could name teacher after teacher who I’ve come to love and who has poured themselves into my education.”

“I am so thankful for the connections and friendships I was able to make through WHA and the opportunities the school provided for us,” added Sarah. “Our professors were humble and kind enough to treat us as academic peers. It really goes a long way when those you respect treat you with respect in return. It increases your own humility and provides the confidence to pursue things you initially may have thought you weren’t old enough or qualified enough to do.”

“WHA showed me the value of a Christian community,” said Kieran, class of 2023. “When I transitioned from this [environment] to a secular community college, it was a shock to the system. I had never been in a place where I was not surrounded by Christians all the time, but now I’m in a school where I only know a handful of Christians. Because WHA emphasizes teaching students how to think and because they provide deep-rooted theology and spiritual care, I was able to better navigate this new community with confidence in my relationship with Jesus. I honestly cannot emphasize how life-changing WHA was for me. I don’t know who I would be without it.” 

Look for part two of this series soon, where you can read more stories and reflections from Wilson Hill graduates on how their classical Christian education has shaped their present and prepared them to confidently approach their future endeavors. 

If you’re interested in giving your own children a Wilson Hill education, registration for the 2024-25 school year is open, and spots are filling quickly. Register today to save their spot. 

The post Life After WHA: Meet Our Alumni  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Is my child missing out by attending a virtual school? 

After sending her three older children to Wilson Hill, Allyson Alden never thought she would be asking that question. 

She first learned about Wilson Hill when her oldest was a senior in high school. With a busy schedule and children in 12th, 10th, 8th, 5th and 1st grade, Allyson didn’t feel equipped to teach all of her children. 

Wilson Hill felt like the perfect solution to an increasingly challenging homeschool dilemma. 

“We started with Wilson Hill for academic reasons, but we did not realize that we would build relationships as well,” Allyson said. “We have had some of our children’s teachers in our home for meals; we have traveled halfway across the country to meet online friends in person many times; my children have had friends come from other states and other countries to visit them.”

For eight years, their family loved everything about Wilson Hill: the academic rigor, flexible schedules, genuine friendships, in-person community at LINK, gifted teachers and discipleship. But once her youngest, Noah, was the last child at home, she wondered if he’d feel lonely going to an online school without his siblings as built-in classmates. 

While our WHA journey began for academic reasons, the relationships that we have built along the way came as an unexpected surprise!

—Allyson Alden, Wilson Hill Parent

Allyson and her husband chose to send Noah to a local private Christian school for his freshman year of high school. 

But they quickly felt the loss of Wilson Hill. Even a respected brick-and-mortar option couldn’t replace the flexibility, rich community and academics they had come to expect and love. 

“It was strange no longer being a Wilson Hill family, but we thought that would be best for Noah,” Allyson said. “We still talked about WHA often. We still communicated with friends from WHA that we had met over the years. We talked about LINK.”  

By February, they decided to return to Wilson Hill for the 2024–25 school year—and Noah can’t wait!

While many families transferred to virtual school at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a testament to the rich community and gifted teachers at Wilson Hill that families like the Aldens have intentionally chosen to return to the virtual model. 

We’ve seen the positive long-term impact that Wilson Hill has on students and families, which is why we’re passionate about partnering with families to invest in students now for who they will become in the future. 

We also believe school isn’t just about what happens in the classroom; it’s also about friendships formed outside designated learning time. As the Aldens can attest, it’s possible to build lifelong friendships regardless of distance. 

“We are looking forward to renewing old friendships and making new ones,” said Allyson. “We are excited to host WHA families in our home again. We are excited about connecting with friends in person as we travel to different parts of the country. And we are excited to go to LINK again; we will see you in 2025!”

If your children have ever attended Wilson Hill, you know what a special community our teachers, staff and students create every day. There’s still space available for your children to be part of this community in the 2024–25 school year. Save your children’s spots today to give them an education that challenges them academically, strengthens their faith and offers them lifelong friendships.

The post Why We Returned to Wilson Hill After a Brick and Mortar  appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Perfectionism is the natural outcome of an achievement-driven culture. When students are competing against their classmates to be accepted into top colleges, they must strive to develop the perfect resume. Who has the most—the most volunteer hours, the most unique extracurricular activities, the most expertly crafted personal essay—and, thus, who is the best? 

Learning ceases to be the object, replaced by the drive for achievement. And the mark of perfection is a moving target, always out of reach.  

Wilson Hill student Taylor Bledsoe recently interviewed author and professor Dr. Thomas Curran on the topic of perfectionism for her podcast, Aiming for the Moon. In their conversation, they explored the origin of perfectionism and its pitfalls, particularly for teenagers and students.  

Perfectionism, Dr. Curran says, consists of two main elements: high standards and a harsh, unrelenting inner critic. The latter separates the natural and worthy desire to master a subject from the crippling drive to be perfect. 

Aspiring to grow and develop nurtures a deeper love of learning, but if we are unable to embrace fallibility, perfectionism can actually hinder growth. 

“At root, perfectionism comes from a deficit of thinking,” he says. “I’m not good enough … I must go about the world concealing those imperfections from other people.” 

As educators and parents, we can anticipate the pernicious effects of perfectionism. And, more importantly, as followers of Jesus, we know our identity is not in our achievement but in Christ. 

It is our crucial task, then, that we raise students secure in their identity in Christ and unafraid of failure. 

What We Miss in Pursuit of Perfection

Cicero wrote that nothing is at the same time both invented and perfected.

When we pursue perfection, we miss the beauty of tinkering with an idea, the uncertainty in testing a hypothesis and the joy of discovery. Thomas Edison famously quipped, “I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

Perfectionism often pressures us to work too long on tasks and shifts our focus away from delighting in the work itself, making the outcome (in the case of students, the grade) the goal.

“You can’t fail at something you didn’t try,” says Dr. Curran, which is a protective mindset that can lead many students to remain in their comfort zone where they can safely excel.

This pursuit of safety often leads to a discomfort with feedback. As believers, we are called to grow and learn in community. Wise feedback is God’s loving and wise provision for us. Yet, in our pursuit of perfection, we miss the immense benefits of counsel.

Finally, we also fail to discern our own abilities and capacities as we prioritize perfection over considering our gifts and limitations, missing the joy of how God uniquely created us.

Perfection is Ultimately the Idolization of Self

To effectively counter perfectionism, Dr. Curran says, we must embrace our humanity. 

For Christ followers, recognizing our humanity is humbly recognizing our position in relation to God. He is holy; we are sinners. He is the Savior; we are in need of saving. He is perfect; we are not.    

In our culture, workaholism and perfectionism are trophies of achievement. When we glibly call ourselves perfectionists, we might think we’re signaling our commitment to excellence or even a desire to maximize God’s gifts. 

Yet, more likely, our perfectionism is the pursuit of an idol, the service of some image of ourselves that can never ultimately be satisfied. Perfectionism is concerned with external results like grades rather than the enduring internal formation of the heart and mind. This robs students of any joy of learning and glorifies the self, instead of God as the Creator and giver.

Perfectionism, if understood as something like an obsessive concern to “get it all right,” is not the ethos of the children of the Kingdom. It is akin to the spirit of the prodigal son’s brother, not the prodigal son himself.

2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us, “​​But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Embracing our fallibility as humans not only releases us from the pressures of perfectionism; it also points us to the sufficiency of Christ.

We Are Defined by What We Love

We are defined by what we love, not by what we achieve. 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal,” says Matthew 6:19-21. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

As educators, we want our students to invest in what lasts. At Wilson Hill, we train our students to love what is beautiful, good and true—absolutes rooted in the triune God of Scripture.

We can’t protect our students from failure—nor would we want to. Instead, we can nurture a deeper love of learning and continually point them to Christ—not their achievements— as the anchor of their identity.

The post Combating Perfectionism in a Classical Christian Education appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Choosing an educational model is a weighty decision, and the ever-increasing options can become overwhelming. From brick-and-mortar schools and hybrid models to homeschooling, endless avenues promise to give your child the best education.

However, not all educational models are equal, nor do they share the same goals or produce the same results.

Despite the perceived incongruity of an ancient educational model thriving in the 21st century, the classical Christian model has experienced a resurgence in the past 50 years. Its time-tested goals, curriculum, and instructional methods have guided students for two millennia and continue to provide a robust educational experience for students today.

To explore the hallmarks of a classical Christian education and why it’s remained relevant, it’s important first to examine the goals of any education and how education shapes students.

The Central Goal of Education: What are students trained to love?

All education instills values in students, giving them a framework to interpret the world around them. Curriculum and methodology choices both influence what a student is trained to value and even love.

The critical question to consider when assessing any educational model, then, is what are students being trained to love—and to what end?

For a non-classical Christian school, the answer to this question can vary widely and change as cultural values shift. The U.S. Department of Education defines its mission as promoting “student achievement” and “global competitiveness.” How schools interpret that mission and choose to implement it through their curriculum and state standards can lead to vastly different educational experiences and outcomes.

College preparation is a common end goal for many schools. For some, education might be even simpler than that: a box for students to check on the way to the next phase of life.

In contrast, the classical Christian model is guided by the unchanging truths of Scripture. In Greco-Roman society, beauty, goodness and truth were considered cosmic values that led to order and flourishing. As these cultures converted to Christianity, their values were not abandoned but embraced on a deeper level as attributes of God: He is beauty, He is goodness, He is truth. Apart from knowing God, we cannot truly experience any of these values.

We want to train students to love what is beautiful, good and true—absolutes rooted in the triune God of Scripture.

As educators, when we only focus on test scores and the immediacy of college or vocational training, we miss invaluable opportunities to help students learn to think wisely from a biblical worldview, cultivate virtue and become winsome communicators.

Yet, it is important to remember that, apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, these worthy pursuits are fruitless. The end goal of a classical Christian education is not simply to produce well-rounded students versed in the Great Conversation taking place between scholars, writers, philosophers and theologians across time.

As Christian educators, we want to consistently point students to the truth of Scripture—not as an afterthought, but as the essential foundation upon which everything else we learn is built. We must model a different approach to learning where students are encouraged to place their identity in Christ, not grades or the accumulation of knowledge, lest we become puffed up, as 1 Corinthians 8 warns.

Above all, we want to raise up men and women who live fruitful lives in the service of the Kingdom of Christ. To do this, we cannot rely on our strength but abide in God’s love as we encourage our students to do the same.

Curriculum: What are students learning?

A classical Christian approach to curriculum is much more than including a Bible class in our course catalog or inserting Bible verses into lessons. All of our master teachers anchor their teaching to Scripture, allowing the truth of the Gospel to inform how we learn and not the other way around.

Ephesians 6 instructs fathers to bring up their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The Greek work used in this verse is paideia, which has no direct English translation. It is often interpreted as a worldview but the concept has a much richer, wider-reaching meaning.

The Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) offers a helpful definition to understand the full implications of paideia:

 At its core, paideia motivates our decisions and behavior through our affections. Because it influences each person in a culture, paideia forms a culture. How do we think? How do we vote? Do we marry? Do we have large families? Small families? Do we do productive things? Start a revolution? A million actions lie on the surface. Layers of influence and supposition lie under each decision. Paideia lies at the deepest level. It is the blueprint of thought, affections, and narrative through which every one of us views every thing. Because it is the building block of culture, it determines the future of a people.

 

The curriculum we use to teach students can profoundly influence the way they live their lives now and in the future—even impacting generations to come.

A fundamental element of the classical Christian model is the Trivium, an approach dating back to the Middle Ages that emphasizes the arts of language, reasoning and expression. In Dorothy Sayers’ famous essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” she proposes pairing each stage of the Trivium with a stage of development.

Taken together, the concepts of paideia and Trivium inform how we thoughtfully sequence our curriculum to ensure students are reaching age-appropriate milestones:

• Grammar School: Grades 4–6

  • In grades 4 through 6, students focus on learning essential tools to establish a strong, rich foundation for the rest of their education.

• School of Logic: Grades 7–8

  • Grades 7 and 8 equip students with tools to become logical thinkers.

• School of Rhetoric: Grades 9–12

  • In grades 9 through 12, students combine their grammar and logic skills to become skilled, persuasive speakers.

Some of the core elements of our curriculum across grades include:

• Integration of all subjects with Scripture at the center
• Emphasis on the tools of learning
• Thoughtful sequencing
• Master teachers who love God, love their students and love their subjects
• Excellent and time-tested content
• Cultivation of wonder, inquiry and a love of learning
• Training in scholarly habits: observation, imitation, recitation, analysis, virtue
• Socratic discussion
• Persuasive speaking and writing

Methodology: How do students learn?

With a growing national emphasis on standardized testing, educators are often forced to “teach to the test” instead of helping their students truly master a subject. This informs how time is spent in the classroom, which can leave less room for curiosity, creativity, reasoning and discovery.

At Wilson Hill, all of our courses are designed to equip students with tools of learning that they can apply beyond the boundaries of any individual classroom.

True education is more about considering questions than memorizing answers, so while the content in each course is important, students should expect to learn how to grapple with that content, not just remember it until test time.

A hallmark of the classical model, Socratic discussion is a fundamental tool for helping students learn how to think, not just what to think. Unlike other educational models, Socratic discussion encourages students to consider the logic of their arguments when answering a question or respectfully countering a peer’s assertion.

Our small class sizes provide a learning environment where students are encouraged to ask questions and actively participate in class conversations.

What is the end result of a classical Christian education?

Education is formation. Just as the goal of education guides curriculum and methodology, the outcome reflects a model’s merits. While we want our children to succeed academically, more fundamentally, we want to consider who they are becoming and how their education is molding them. 

The classical Christian model calls students to excellence, not from an expectation of perfection but to pursue an abiding love of learning and a deeper love of God. We believe students richly benefit from an education that gives them a greater understanding and appreciation of how God has worked and continues to work for good in men and His creation throughout time. 

As students nurture a growing understanding of His call on their own lives, they develop an excitement to pursue that calling to glorify Him. According to studies by the ACCS, students who attend classical Christian schools are more likely than their peers at non-classical Christian schools to read their Bible, attend church and pray regularly. 

The blessing of a classical Christian education is in its ability to transform students in the present and impact generations to come, instilling habits and forming disciplines that will last a lifetime. Regardless of what students pursue beyond Wilson Hill, they graduate equipped to face the challenges of the third millennium armed with the wisdom of the previous two. 

The post How to Discern if a Classical Christian Education is Right for Your Children appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Do you know the difference between an entomologist and an etymologist? Wilson Hill Latin and Greek students do, especially since they recently took the National Classical Etymology Exam.

The National Classical Etymology Exam tests students on their ability to understand English vocabulary words based on their understanding of Latin and Greek. Students compete with other students across the country, and those who do well on this exam are awarded medals by the National Junior Classical League. This year, Wilson Hill students earned 91 medals! But medals or not, understanding words well is its own reward, which is one reason classical languages hold a central place in a Wilson Hill education.

How Words Shape Ideas

Understanding words well is essential to understanding ideas, which is true for every subject, from astrophysics to zoology. (Notice the Greek roots there? Aster for star and zoion for animal.) Well over half of English words contain Greek and Latin roots, and that percentage grows larger as the English words grow longer. While it is impressive to be able to decipher complicated vocabulary words on the SAT or the NCEE, Wilson Hill students enjoy more significant benefits from studying Latin and Greek—benefits that strengthen their understanding across the curriculum.

WHA students study vocabulary in all their Wilson Hill classes, and not a week passes without Greek and Latin students studying etymology. Their vocabulary work helps students recognize that words have external definitions that extend across cultures and history, and this perspective profoundly affects how students understand ideas throughout their coursework. Contrast that approach to learning with today’s postmodern methods that too often require students to deconstruct texts—and the words they are made of—as part of a process that rejects objective truth and encourages students to create their own meaning.

Growing Appreciation for Classical Literature

Understanding words well is foundational to the loftier task of understanding literature, another primary emphasis in WHA’s Latin and Greek courses. Wilson Hill’s advanced Latin students present a Latin Poetry Recital each year where they showcase their abilities not only in translating Latin but also in discussing and enjoying the text as literature. Likewise, WHA Greek students present an annual Greek New Testament Night. Our Greek students study Ancient Greek, which encompasses that of Biblical (Koine) Greek. This means WHA students learn to read Homer and the New Testament in the original. The Greek New Testament presentations are especially meaningful, as WHA students research and present topics combining their Greek knowledge with their love for Scripture.

Learning to Love Classical Languages

Sharing how much WHA students learn to love classical languages, former Wilson Hill student Joanna Toft recently wrote to her former WHA Greek teacher Matt Colvin to describe her experience last summer at the Joint Association of Classical Teachers’ summer program for Greek students in England:

     Attending JACT was one of the best and most demanding experiences of my life. There were 300 students in the program, and almost all the non-beginners were either already enrolled or about to begin study at Oxford or Cambridge. … Due to the structure of high schools in England, the English students (even before entering university) had already completed an in-depth study of Classics, and it was a bit daunting at times to be with such advanced students. The program has three levels—beginning, intermediate, and advanced—and there are further gradations in each group. I was placed into a high intermediate level (as most of the advanced students were already at university). Five of the eight people in my group were already at Cambridge, but I managed to hold my own well while remaining aware of areas in which I could continue to improve and advance.

     We read excerpts from Herodotus, the Iliad, the New Testament, Oedipus Tyrannus, and Ajax. … The leaders also organized two plays—a comedy and a tragedy. I managed to snag a role in the chorus of Ajax, which we performed in the original Greek with meter on the last day of the course. This was one of the highlights of the program for me, though it required a lot of rehearsal time. … In short, I had a wonderful time and am so grateful for the rigorous and thorough grammar study that your class provided. This foundation was essential for my ability to keep up with everyone else.

 

Classical languages are alive and well at Wilson Hill! Our students still need to sit for the National Latin Vocabulary Exam, the National Latin Exam, and the National Greek Exam before we get our final 2023–2024 medal count. Even so, Wilson Hill students earned over 350 medals last year, which is impressive by any standard. Soon, we look forward to celebrating their enthusiasm for Latin and Greek and all they have learned and achieved this school year!

The post The Enduring Value of Studying Latin and Greek appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Virtue is a commonly touted aspiration of a classical education—for good reason. An education that forms virtuous students is desirable.

What happens, though, when we make virtue the goal instead of a natural byproduct of the educational process?

Overemphasizing virtue as a measurable outcome can become a dangerous path for classical Christian educators. If we only focus on producing outwardly moral students, we might miss a precious opportunity to impact future generations.

More importantly, we risk communicating a works-based approach to morality, forgetting that “it is God who works in [us], both to will and to work for His good pleasure,” and that while we may be able to clean up the outside of the cup, we need God’s cleansing work to really change us.

Virtue as a Generational Concept

Language continually evolves, so it’s essential first to define virtue. When discussing virtue or developing virtuous students, people often think of an external characteristic.

Historically, virtue has taken on many meanings. By the mid-1800s, the word “virtue” was increasingly supplanted by the word “morality” in published works. The concept of virtue as a Gospel trajectory was replaced by the pursuit of morality in itself. Looking good became more important than being good.

But virtue is so much more than just moral excellence—though it certainly is that as well.

In the same way that a bowl of realistic plastic fruit might look delicious but yield zero nutritional value, outward morality is empty without Christ as the end goal. Biblical images of fruit and fruitfulness are always generational. We will know a tree by its fruit in the same way that that fruit will “reproduce after its kind.” We are called in our lives to “bear fruit, and fruit that remains.” The Holy Spirit bears His fruit in our lives in the form of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

So when we talk about virtue, we are talking about fruit that reproduces what is true of God in our lives. We are to expect God to perform that reproductive work in us, and as that happens, the “fruit” attracts others to Christ as they see His work in us.

The Danger of Glorifying the Past

In classical education, we are sometimes guilty of trying to recapture the glory of ancient Greece and Rome. We look backward to uphold the great thinkers and writers of the past to emulate their many virtues.

There’s merit, of course, in studying the traits of virtuous men and women in history. But if virtue is something we try to develop ourselves—or encourage our students to develop in themselves—it’s just plastic fruit.

If our virtue doesn’t come from God working in us, it’s empty. Only through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit can we experience genuine, enduring virtue. Empty virtue certainly does not lead to generational impact. As Christ’s followers, we must think of virtue not as something of the past but through the lens of its long-term future impact. Fruitfulness is generational because God’s purposes for us on earth are generational.

But perhaps an even more immediate concern is all that we miss in the present when we pursue virtue through our strength. A life of striving sorely lacks the beauty of a life shaped by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we model a life dependent on the Holy Spirit for our students, we free them from the burden of a works-based faith.

“When we model a life dependent on the Holy Spirit for our students, we free them from the burden of a works-based faith.”

4 Ways to Avoid Teaching False Virtue in the Classroom

So, as educators, how do we avoid the trap of teaching empty virtue? How do we create an environment that nurtures an enduring virtue instead of simply graduating outwardly moral students?

First and foremost, we model humility. As educators, teaching should always be in the service of our students, not to display our own knowledge.

We know our audience. Language matters deeply, and it is our job to avoid misunderstandings or contribute to devaluing concepts like virtue.

We acknowledge that God is the one at work. If we are faithfully pointing our students to truth—including the truth that all truth is rooted in the character of God—we can expect virtue as a byproduct, but we ourselves cannot bring it forth in our students.

We remember that our students are not our homework. We must be careful to remember that the presence—or lack—of virtue is not a reflection of our teaching. Once again, God is the only one who can develop enduring virtue.

If we treat education as a way to puff up knowledge and human virtues, we’re setting our students up for failure. Only when we point them to the truth of the gospel can we leave a Kingdom legacy that will last.

The post Is Virtue a Goal or a Byproduct of Your Classical Christian Curriculum? appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

For many, the words “classical education” bring to mind medieval images: candlelit libraries with soaring ceilings enclosing shelves full of ancient (and dusty) leather-bound volumes; strange tales of ancient wars and mythical gods; deep philosophical treatises by Plato or Aristotle; or the ruins of antiquity in Athens and Rome.

With the resurgence of classical Christian schools over the past 30 to 40 years, a new generation is learning to appreciate both the beauty and the practical wisdom that arise out of these images that can be discovered through a classical education.

And yet the tenets of a classical education feel increasingly at odds with our modern approach. The “ed-tech” sector has been booming for the past two decades. It has never been easier to find engaging content from the comfort of our virtually connected homes, but where does a classical education fit in this evolving framework of education?

Gone are the shelves of ancient volumes, replaced by pages of sponsored links displayed by the ubiquitous search engine; and increasingly, mediated by artificial intelligence engines which convincingly present summaries on any topic. Innovation, a word whose very etymology shouts “new!” is everywhere. What does an educational model rooted in antiquity have to do with “new?”

Charting a New Path: Online Classical Education

There are now almost 500 member schools in the Association of Classical Christian Schools. Each has its own particular approach to implementing a classical Christian education, but with one exception, they all share one thing in common: a physical space within which education takes place.

At Wilson Hill, we are the outlier, offering 100% live classes with master teachers in all 50 U.S. states, several Canadian provinces, and more than a dozen other countries through the magic of the internet.

We clearly believe the internet can be effective as an educational medium. We also remain convinced that the classical Christian education model is the best way to raise students who delight in beauty, goodness and truth.

To resolve the supposed incongruity of those two statements, we need to stand back and take a look at a key hidden assumption: the notion that technological innovation is somehow antithetical to education.

The Longstanding Role of Technological Innovation in Education

Education has always benefited from technological innovation. Once the oral tradition was replaced by written languages—an innovation—we were able to learn from those in previous generations or distant lands much more easily. Technological advances in the material sciences gave us cheaper and more durable options, replacing clay tablets or cured sheepskin. Technological advances in transportation resulted in ever wider distribution of ideas. Printing presses, and especially the invention of moveable type, continued that expansion of influence; the volume of available materials continued to grow as the cost continued to fall.

These kinds of innovations led to the establishment of the great “universities” of Europe—centers of learning intended to cover the universe of truth. More recent advances in book binding, phototypesetting and now the “e-book” are just continuing this trend. So, if anything, education is among the chief beneficiaries of technological innovation.

“Technological innovation is not antithetical to a classical Christian education.”

The Danger of Too Much Innovation

That said, there certainly are threats to education within all of this innovation. G.K. Chesterton once said, “I can trust the uneducated, but not the badly educated.” And with all this innovation, there are plenty of opportunities to become badly educated these days!

According to HealthIT, there were 1.9 billion websites on the internet by August of last year. It is easy to see how the wisdom of the ages can get lost in that noise.

Here is where the essence of a classical education shines forth. One of the classics of the modern resurgence of interest in classical Christian education is Dorothy Sayers’ essay, “The Lost Tools of Learning.” In it she advocates for a “tools approach” to education—teaching students how to think rather than what to think.

Teaching a Classical Education as Christ Followers

But to address the implied challenge of the original question, how can we successfully combine “online” and “virtual” with “classical” and “Christian” when it comes to education?

For us at Wilson Hill, this is not a difficult question. We go about that task just as faithful Christian educators have done for centuries. We love our students. We love our subjects. And most of all, we love our Lord.

We are merely leveraging technology as we do that, enabling master teachers to engage effectively with students regardless of location, and to guide them as they seek to gain wisdom from those who have gone before us that can apply to the challenges God brings our way in the future. And as with previous technological innovations, the internet allows us to deliver this education much more broadly and at a much lower cost.

A classical Christian education is not focused on reclaiming the glories of the past great civilizations, but rather on preparing third-millennium Christians, both this generation and those to come, to live faithfully in the present. And that “present” includes not only our present version of technological innovation, but other innovations that we can scarcely now imagine.

The post How to Retain the Integrity of a Classical Education in the Digital Age appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Do your children spend all day working through their courses only to stay up late finishing schoolwork?

Are too many weekends consumed with studying? And are family activities set aside to complete school projects?

School at home promises more freedom and time together, but for many families, the boundaries between school work and family time become increasingly blurred. You can design and implement a thoughtful homeschool plan and still find yourself supervising schoolwork around the clock.

A commonly touted benefit of homeschooling is that you can integrate life and learning. However, there does need to be a beginning and an ending to schoolwork and assignments. Otherwise, the gift of educating your children at home can burden the entire family. What was supposed to bring you together can instead strain your relationships with your children.

A quality education should not have to come at the expense of healthy family relationships and rhythms. It’s possible to nurture a genuine delight in learning while also enjoying treasured time together!

Below, seasoned homeschool moms Shawna Barr and Jessye Wilden share their proven strategies for reclaiming your family time and finding homeschool rhythms that support your family goals.

4 Practical Strategies to Take Back Your Family Time

As parents, we want to give our children the best of everything: an excellent education, extracurricular activities, opportunities to explore their passions and more. But when these good desires come at the cost of rest and family time, the whole family suffers. 

In today’s culture that rewards busyness, it requires an active fight to make space for play and rest in our families. You can implement these four strategies for all ages and grade levels to help your children work smarter, not harder, and restore more time for rest in your family schedule.

Audit your children’s school schedule.

What is a reasonable amount of time for students to complete an assignment? That’s the question you need to assess alongside your child. While every child and course is different, a general rule is one hour of schoolwork per hour of class. If your high school students have 15 hours of classes each week, they should spend roughly 15 hours outside of class completing assignments, studying and reading.

If they’re spending double or triple that amount of time (or barely hitting 15 minutes of work per class), it’s time to sit down and identify why there’s a gap. Review each class and each assignment, asking your child how long each will take to complete. Whether their answers are realistic or wildly unrealistic, this will give you a clue about how they think about their work.

Shawna started this practice when her high-achieving daughter stayed up later each night to finish her high school work. Together, they realized her extracurricular activities combined with upper-level class work was too much. Something had to go. Editing her schedule allowed her to finish her homework in a reasonable amount of time and enjoy time with friends and family. Shauna has continued this practice with her other children and helped moms like Jessye do the same with theirs.

Just as you would note how much money you’re earning and spending to make an adequate financial budget, determining where and how your child spends time is the first step in reclaiming your family time.

“A quality education should not have to come at the expense of healthy family relationships and rhythms.”

Audit your children’s work environment.

When you homeschool, your home doubles as a place for learning and rest, work and play. While this blurring of home and school is a beautiful part of your child’s education, it also has its challenges. A child’s environment plays an essential role in focus and productivity, so after you complete a time audit, also consider your student’s work space and create any necessary boundaries to eliminate distractions.

On average, entering deep focus mode takes 20 to 30 minutes after starting a task. So, how can you help your child avoid the temptation to make a snack every 20 minutes or check messages from friends? This will look different for every family and every student. Sitting in her bedroom might help one child concentrate while sitting at the dining room table with screens facing out could benefit a child who needs more accountability.

Create school boundaries—and stick to them.

Once you know how long your children should spend on schoolwork and the environment that best suits their needs, you can create boundaries to hold them accountable to finish their work in a reasonable amount of time.

This will look different for every family. In Shawna’s family, school is finished by 4 p.m. every day, and her children aren’t allowed to complete any assignments past that time or on the weekend. This deadline has forced them to use their time wisely to complete everything on time. It has freed them up as a family to enjoy hobbies, spend time together, serve their community and rest well.

Allow your kids to fail. 

While it’s painful in the moment—for both students and parents—failure is a necessary part of learning new rhythms and study habits.

After Jessye’s family implemented a boundary of no school after 5 p.m., it took time for her children to adjust and actually believe in the firmness of their new school schedule. When her daughter ran out of time to take a chemistry test, Jessye held the boundary they had set and encouraged her to email her Wilson Hill teacher explaining why she couldn’t finish the test. It was a painful lesson, but the experience helped her daughter spend her time more wisely and initiated a helpful conversation with her teacher.

Watching your children suffer the consequences of their time-management habits or even fail is difficult. Still, it’s a valuable opportunity to help them say no to distractions in the present to say better yeses to family time and playtime in the future after their schoolwork is complete.

It’s also a chance to empathize with their pain and help them strategize for success in the future: “I’m so sorry you ran out of time to submit your discussion board response. I know you’re stressed about how it will affect your grade. Let’s figure out why you didn’t have enough time and adjust our schedule or environment next week.”

If you want to nurture a true delight in learning, responding with grace and kindness in the face of failure will point your children back to the truth that their identity is not in their grades or academic performance.

Preparing Students for Fruitful Lives 

As parents, we want to see our children succeed academically, and we also want to prepare them for a fruitful, balanced life beyond graduation. Helping them establish productive work habits and rhythms of rest now will equip them to be diligent employees, servant-hearted community members and present spouses and parents in the future.

At Wilson Hill, we ultimately want to prepare students to live in service of the Kingdom of God. We want to partner with parents to raise up young women and men who work for the glory of God and will be bright lights wherever they go after graduation.

The best way we can accomplish this is to continually point students back to the truth found in the gospel. Rather than follow the culture around us in worshiping grades, academic success and busyness, we can help our children find ultimate satisfaction and rest in their Creator.

The post 4 Strategies for Reclaiming Family Time in Your Homeschool Schedule appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Reading is a lifelong adventure in exploring new ideas, worlds and stories. Through reading, we can continue to converse with the great thinkers and writers of the past, allowing their ideas to form and shape us even today. 

In a classical Christian education, books are a primary tool in helping students develop a biblical worldview and become critical thinkers and effective communicators. Students who foster a true delight in reading will enjoy a lifetime of learning. 

Reading well, however, is very different from simply skimming a page. It is a muscle that needs to be developed and stretched.   

Even for the voracious reader, a heavy academic reading load can prove challenging. For students of all ages, reading can become a chore to check off a box. A 50 to 100-page assignment can become an anxiety-producing task that spills into late nights or weekends, a beast to conquer. 

As a student, it might be tempting to solve this dilemma by skimming or even turning to online summaries, but educators who want to nurture a love of learning must help students become better readers, not necessarily faster readers.

In his bestseller How to Read a Book, philosopher Mortimer J. Adler writes, “One reader is better than another in proportion as he is capable of a greater range of activity in reading and exerts more effort. He is better if he demands more of himself and of the text before him.”

As educators and parents, our task is to help our students demand more of themselves and of the text—but not at the cost of their health or enjoyment of reading. 

Below, John Choi, an instructor at Wilson Hill who teaches The Great Conversation 5 and Rhetoric 2, shares effective principles and strategies for helping students successfully navigate challenging reading assignments. 

The 4 Principles for Becoming a Better Reader  

Before incorporating practical strategies, it’s important to establish a framework that will guide and encourage a student’s academic reading journey. These four principles are not exhaustive, but they serve as a sturdy foundation for implementing the following practical strategies. 

Effective reading is active reading. 

It’s possible for students to go through the motions of reading—even actually read a passage—yet not be able to answer any questions about what they just read. Effective readers thoughtfully engage with the text, connecting arguments and summarizing key passages as they read. 

Reading is a conversation. 

Literature allows readers to converse with authors across time. There’s a reason our literature courses are titled “The Great Conversation.” We’re not only having conversations about what we’re reading, but we also believe we have the privilege of entering into ongoing conversations with the authors as we read their works. 

We must read with integrity. 

Reading is an invaluable tool to access and understand a wide variety of ideas and arguments. For some students, this may prove uncomfortable if they encounter ideas that conflict with their own worldview. Readers who approach texts with integrity devote every effort to understand authors before evaluating or judging their messages. Reading widely across genres and authors nurtures a true delight in learning and helps students learn how to engage with messages they might not agree with instead of immediately refusing to dialogue. 

We cannot read perfectly. 

If a student is a perfectionist, that student might be trying too hard to master the text. Pages upon pages of notes for one reading assignment is likely too much. No one can read perfectly—what a relief! The classics are friends we return to over and over throughout life, gleaning more each time we reread. That’s why it’s crucial we help students learn to read actively and also to recognize when they need to rest and set appropriate expectations of themselves. 

arn mathematics, even while saying simultaneously that only some have a unique talent in that subject. In other words, we understand that the point of studying mathematics is not to be an award-winning mathematics student. But after watching an award-winning Senior Thesis speech, we can very easily be tempted into thinking that such notable and inspiring eloquence is the goal of Senior Thesis.  We are tempted to think, “If I (or my son or daughter) can’t speak like that, what’s the point?”

Well, let’s ask that exact question. What is the point of Senior Thesis (called Rhetoric 2 at Wilson Hill)?

Too many classical Christian schools have found their starting point in answering that question from the Roman orator Quintillian’s famous statement that the goal of rhetoric is “the good man speaking well.” Whatever Quintillian might have meant by “good,” he did not draw his framework for understanding goodness from the Scriptures. And this makes all the difference in how we understand the goal of rhetoric (and thus of Senior Thesis).

Starting with the assumption that the Bible is not at all silent on rhetoric, why not orient our understanding of the purpose of rhetoric from the biblical worldview, starting with the scriptural exhortation to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15)?  The biblical and Christian idea of love – not simply as feeling but as action – is the most countercultural commandment given in the Bible, and thus not to be found, much less emphasized, in the classical pagan orators. We speak, in all situations and with all people (“in season and out of season,” as Paul put it to Timothy), not for our own good but for their good – that is, the good of the audience, whoever that might be. This is rhetoric understood self-sacrificially.

This is why we teach that the first rule of rhetoric is “to know your audience.” Whatever I might want to say about a matter, I must begin not with myself but with the other. Whatever I might want to say about a matter, the most important question is, what does my audience (whether one person or a thousand people) need to hear if I am to love them well? If I am to speak the truth in love?

The most important point to see is this: rhetoric, understood rightly and from the Scriptures, is about being human in the full sense of living as God created us to live.

Rhetoric is not for the award-winners; rhetoric is for all those who want to see their neighbors transformed by the love of God. Rhetoric does not just prepare you for speaking in formal settings (though it certainly does that!); it does not just prepare you for the challenges of research and writing at the college level (though it certainly does that!); it does not just prepare you to assume primary responsibility for your own project and bring it to completion on time, thus giving you confidence that you would not have had otherwise (though it certainly does that!). Rhetoric prepares you for a life of loving God and loving your neighbor. This alone must be the high goal, the chief end, or we miss the entire point.

To remind my Senior Thesis students of the true goal of rhetoric, I often return to the prayer found in Psalm 19: “May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” The true pursuit of rhetoric can have no other motivation.

Practical Strategies for Helping Students Read Well 

X-ray the text before reading. 

Before diving into the text, it’s helpful to get a sense of its structure. Start by examining the table of contents and any chapter summaries to gain a deeper context. For example, when beginning Augustine’s Confessions, students should start each passage by first reading the in-text summary to obtain a fuller picture of what they are about to read. With classical literature, there’s no need to worry about spoilers!

Avoid copious notes. 

Developing a cramp in your hand from taking pages of notes will not make you a better reader, but thoughtfully annotating as you read is a powerful tool for reading comprehension. Note important ideas, key elements of the author’s arguments and principle themes connected throughout the text. Record questions with specific page, section and line numbers to recall exactly what sparked your curiosity. For readers reluctant to write in a book or parents hoping to keep a pristine copy for the next child, Post-it notes are a helpful tool.

Summarize the text. 

The ability to accurately summarize what you just read is one of the most effective ways to retain information. Encourage students to write brief summaries of major passages to help them become more active readers and engage with the text as they read. 

Record your favorite quotes. 

Commonplace books, notebooks or composition books where students can collect memorable quotes are a meaningful way to nurture delight in reading. It’s also a helpful way to increase reading comprehension and capture a season of life through the lens of their reading list. 

Schedule reading time. 

Time management can be a challenging skill for many students. One way to help students build discipline in this area is by scheduling reading time. Mark times on a calendar devoted to reading informed by the student’s reading speed. If students continually struggle to finish their assignments, help them strategize. Allow them to create and execute the strategy (one hour a day every day or 30-minute periods after each meal time), and then check in regularly and reassess reading goals if needed. This process encourages independence while still providing needed accountability and support. 

Get enough sleep. 

Perhaps an overlooked requirement in today’s academic culture, sleep is fundamental to effective reading. Burnout is not going to solve a student’s problem; it will amplify the problem. Staying up late in an attempt to finish a reading assignment will only lead to poor active reading and low comprehension. 

Reading as a Lifelong Pursuit of Loving God and Neighbor 

At Wilson Hill, one of our core goals is to help students genuinely delight in learning. Our master teachers help them view learning as not solely linked to school obligations—but to a lifelong pursuit of loving God and learning about the world He created. 

Our Great Conversation courses invite students into a longstanding dialogue about universal experiences, historical events and philosophical ideas. Contained in what are known as the Great Books, this dialogue encapsulates the questions that have been asked and answered since the beginning of time and has shaped every aspect of Western civilization. 

The ultimate goal is that, as students learn to love what is beautiful, good and true in these works, they will grow in their love for God and neighbor. This is the goal in all of our courses and the true aim of becoming a better reader. 

Principles and strategies are useful only in their end goal, and we hope that becoming a disciplined, active reader leads to students who are eager to use what they learn in literature to glorify God and advance His kingdom. 

The post Six Practical Strategies for Helping Students Become Better Readers appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.

Years ago, when I first began teaching, my headmaster gave me some invaluable advice on teaching writing. Quoting the poet and philosopher Walter Kaufmann, he told me, “Writing is thinking in slow motion.” In other words, learning how to write is not something separate from learning how to think. 

His words continue to inform my instruction today and aptly express what we emphasize across our curriculum at Wilson Hill: writing is essential for learning how to think.

The Risk of Relying on Socratic Discussion in the Classroom to Develop Critical Thinkers 

My first assigned course was quite similar to one of The Great Conversation classes we offer at Wilson Hill: a discussion-driven seminar in which we explored great books and wrote limited academic essays on them. The overarching objective was to teach students how to think, not what to think. And I was able to see quite easily how Socratic-style discussion suits that purpose well. But writing? Does composition teach my students how to think?

Over the years, I have noticed a tendency in Socratic seminar courses to lean too heavily upon in-class discussion as the best and perhaps even exclusive way to teach thinking. The line of thought goes something like this: “Sure, students have to form an argument in an essay and that is all well and good, but ah, the seminar! The Socratic Method! These are the true instruments for intellectual empowerment.” Admittedly, I have been guilty of this mindset.

But this mindset is mistaken – badly mistaken.

           Learning how to write is not something separate from learning how to think. Writing is essential for learning how to think.

Here was my first (and most important) clue: while our in-class discussions were often constructive and highly energizing, my students’ essays were typically ill-formed, anemic, or plastic. I couldn’t figure out why. How could my students plumb the depths of justice, selfishness, and virtue in The Great Gatsby or Plato’s Republic yet write such insipid analyses? It was not supposed to be this way.

And then I began to realize the wisdom in my headmaster’s advice: “Writing is thinking in slow motion.” I had made an implicit assumption that writing is primarily (or maybe even entirely) expressive. Writing is about students telling me what they think, right? 

What I failed to recognize is that writing could also be formative – indeed, that at the middle and high school levels, writing is primarily formative. It is not simply about students telling me what they think, but is more importantly a means by which students actually learn how to think for themselves.

Coherent Writing Reflects Coherent Thinking: The Importance of Crafting Clear and Concise Prose 

The art of crafting an excellent sentence is not an exercise in some arbitrary skill called writing. It is an exercise in coherent thinking. And this is why grammar and style always count. There is no such thing as an essay that has “good content” but poor grammar and style because grammar and style are the very means by which the reader grasps the content. 

The mistake here is to think of the essay as simply expressive. The student has some ideas, and you as the teacher think you get them for the most part.

But that’s not the point – or at least it’s not the only point. If the ideas are poorly phrased, or the content is expressed in broken grammar, then there has been some kind of breakdown in the thinking process. And that breakdown should be the teacher’s primary concern. 

That the student “had given some thought to the question” is important, but only in the same way that putting gasoline into a car is important. It is necessary, but it is far from enough to get you to your destination. You must drive the car, and you must do so carefully and with a clear sense of direction.

Preparing Students for Success at the University Level and Beyond 

As classical Christian educators, we are committed to approaching writing as essential to the main goal in all of our courses, that of learning how to think well from a biblical worldview. Mastering this crucial skill helps prepare our students for the rigor of university but, even more importantly, equips them to pursue life-long learning to the glory of God.

Dr. Tom Vierra teaches courses in The Great Conversation, Logic, and Rhetoric

The post Why Learning How to Write Will Prepare Your Student to Think Well appeared first on Wilson Hill Academy.