We had always wanted to start a school in our church, but we did not yet know what kind of school we wanted to open. We felt strongly that, for the best results, the school, the church, and the home should be on the same page. We wanted these three parts of a child’s life to work together.

While on vacation at Word of Life Christian retreat center in upstate New York, DeLoris picked up a flyer about a classical education conference. She had never heard of classical education and did not know what it was. We decided to attend the conference together.

There, DeLoris heard that classical education gave children the tools for learning, helping them become lifelong learners. This helped give direction to the school we had hoped to establish.

We wanted children to learn how to learn. We desired students who possessed both information and the knowledge of how to use it, who could think clearly, listen carefully, reason persuasively, and articulate precisely.

Our curriculum emphasized grammar, logic, and rhetoric in every subject.

By grammar, we meant the fundamental rules and basic information of a subject. Each subject had its own grammar, which students needed to understand. This enabled them to learn the subject from the inside out.

Logic helped students understand how the particulars of a subject related to one another. As they explored those relationships, they were learning to think. They were not simply memorizing fragmented pieces of knowledge.

Rhetoric helped students express clearly what they had learned. A history essay was to be written as clearly as an English paper. A science presentation needed to be coherent and well organized. It was not enough for the information to be correct. It also needed to be expressed well.

We chose to chart a path in classical education that showed its connection to Black people. We wanted our work to recognize Black people’s place within that tradition.

Throughout our teaching, we sought to challenge children individually at all levels. Younger children learned through discovery, stories, songs, games, movement, and creative projects. As students grew, they engaged in research, discussion, debate, presentations, and increasingly independent work.

We still believe in this vision for education. We want children to grow in understanding and carry the tools of learning with them throughout their lives, using them with humility and gratitude toward God.