Westminster School

Popular Private School in Virginia Shares the Benefits of a Classical Education

What Are the Benefits of a Classical Education?

When most people look for a private school in Virginia and discover Westminster School, one of the first things they want to know is how a school that provides a classical education differs from a traditional public, charter, or private school. It is a great question because there are foundational differences. Simply put, traditional education stresses what to learn; classical education teaches students how to learn. This distinction means a classical education offers specific advantages over a traditional or progressive education.

Classical Education Has Proven Successful

The classical education methodology has been around for centuries, and it has produced a countless number of the world’s greatest leaders, inventors, scientists, writers, philosophers, theologians, physicians, lawyers, artists, and musicians.

It Is Academically Rigorous

A private school that implements a classical education follows an academically rigorous methodology based on the trivium. The proven teaching methods correlate with the student’s natural developmental stages (grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages), giving the student a broad liberal arts education.

Students Learn to Learn

In a private school using the classical education methodology, education begins at the root of knowledge and focuses on inquiry. Rather than learning facts for the sake of learning them, students learn the facts and then decipher how they relate to the rest of the world. As the students progress through the grades, concepts introduced in the lower levels are built upon and reinforced using new skills, such as analytical thinking, essay writing, and public speaking.

Classical Education Builds Autonomy

Because students learn how to extract and to decipher facts, they develop into independent thinkers. Instead of waiting to be given facts to memorize, they receive and evaluate information and then develop their inferences through discussion and reasoning.

Classical Education Celebrates Discovery

Because every concept introduced leads to a deeper understanding, classical education celebrates and taps into the student’s natural desire for discovery.

Students Learn to Become Great Thinkers

In a classical education, all subjects are taught in relation to each other. This methodology encourages further exploration. The world is presented with its strengths, blemishes, and challenges, and students are taught to receive, to assess, to preserve, and to improve it.

Classical Private Schools Celebrate Diversity

Whether a private preschool, private kindergarten, or private elementary school, the classical educational approach teaches students to understand and to celebrate culture. Students are encouraged to learn how all cultures contribute to the benefits humanity enjoys.

Classical Education Teaches Wisdom

Until it can be applied, knowledge is only a collection of information. A classical education teaches wisdom, or the application of knowledge, experience, and good judgment. Students are encouraged to consider the impact of the decisions they make.

Students Are Prepared to Succeed Globally as Adults

Learning how languages and cultures were formed and how others from around the world view similar topics helps private school students excel later in life. These skills are beneficial in the development and application of technologies, conflict resolution, and trend recognition. They also help students in their professional lives as they position companies for success.

Students Are Valued and Taught to Value Others

In a classical education, the students are recognized as valuable, capable, and able to participate in the greater private school community. They are taught to collaborate, to think outside of themselves, and to recognize that everyone has strengths and challenges. This allows them to assist others and to receive assistance graciously. These collaborations lead to phenomenal growth and discovery.

Westminster School | Private School

For individuals looking for a private school that equips students to think analytically, to approach the world with kindness and virtue, and to succeed in modern society, Westminster School is a top choice.

Westminster School is dedicated to providing a superior elementary and middle school education. The fundamental goals for each child are a disciplined and well-informed mind, strength of character, a dedication to learning, generosity of spirit, and joy in the possibilities of life. The Westminster program is founded on a traditional curriculum; rigorous academic standards; and an atmosphere that promotes respect, integrity, kindness, and a sense of excellence. Westminster’s academic program provides thorough training in foundational subjects within a broad humanities curriculum.