Diligence and Joy
Today I’m going to unpack the third aspect of our school’s mission, which states that “Clapham School inspires students with an education...approached with diligence and joy.” […]
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Charlotte Mason and the Growth Mindset
By Jason Barney, Academic Dean Fall Curriculum Night Address 2018 Good evening and thank you so much for coming to this evening’s Curriculum Night. I know it’s another evening event in what is generally already a busy week for most of us. But I feel that it’s so central and important for us to come […]
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What Is Joyful Discovery?
At Clapham School we talk a lot about cultivating joyful discovery, but what do we actually mean by that phrase? First, let me begin by saying what joyful discovery is not. Joyful discovery is not watching TV, surfing the internet or playing video games. Joyful discovery is not dumbing down challenging content to make it […]
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Natural Science and Philosophy
This last year (2017-18) we’ve been exploring the classical liberal arts tradition together as a school. Our mission is to inspire students with an education founded on a Christian worldview, informed by the classical tradition and approached with diligence and joy, and that second part “informed by the classical tradition” is central to so much […]
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Why Do We Teach Logic at Clapham?
How classes on logic catalyze students for deep yet humble understanding. By Brian Kelly Class Six and Middle School Latin Teacher As the Class Six teacher, I have the opportunity to introduce students into the massive realm of logic, whether it is for formal logical deductions or informal logical fallacies. Students have had a taste […]
Read More ›Haydn’s Compelling Vision: Teaching through Beauty
by Margaret Danaher, Class Two Teacher In a Children’s Literature class at Hillsdale College, I remember reading a portion of Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian, who writes of the great use that stories are in training a child in morality and virtue. I was particularly struck by one of his quotations from […]
Read More ›Cursive Handwriting
by Zach Ward, Middle/Upper School Science and Art Teacher My relationship with cursive handwriting is one that is probably not uncommon to many, up to a point. It began when, in the upper half of primary school, I had to begin practicing my D’Nealian letter forms in order to prepare for the transition to […]
Read More ›A Mom’s Post-Christmas Reflections
by Heather DeGraff, French Teacher Christmas can be stressful for a mom. All the responsibilities of planning, gifts, guests, and cooking often fall on her shoulders. Most of what has been planned is accomplished, but when some things are left undone it can be disappointing. As the holidays come to a close, I am reminded […]
Read More ›Waiting on God with Martin Luther
by Becky Hovis, Office Administrator As we enter the season of Advent this month, we observe a time of anticipation and waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. We take the time both to remember the anticipation of those who awaited the arrival of Christ, as well as participate in our own period of waiting […]
Read More ›Beautifully Create As You Were Created Beautifully
By Sara M. Smith, Music and Art Teacher In the beginning, God created… These are the first five words of the entire Bible. We are creative people because we have a creative God. In some respects, we were created to create. How do we know this? We know because it says in Genesis 1:26, “God […]
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