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Catholic education has a long history, even in the U.S. Elizabeth Ann Seton founded a Catholic school system more than two hundred years ago. The movement climaxed in 1965 with more than 5.5. million students, but began to decline after the Second Vatican Council.
Now, there is a growing interest in classical education including Catholics. In homeschools and private schools, there is a movement to return to the traditional ways of education offered in the Church for hundreds of years.
Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum
Laura Berquist wrote her book, Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum to aid Catholics to be able to develop their own Catholic home schools. In the preface, Donna Steichen describes how Catholic culture has been embattled. Secularism has taken root, with fewer and fewer faithful pursuing a true Catholic education. However, a remnant remains and is growing as parents, disgusted with the state of public education, turn back to the tried and true ways of a traditional Catholic education.
Catholic Educational Theory
Education has its roots in five main values which make a school Catholic. Veith and Kern describe this in their book, Classical Education: the Movement Sweeping America. The first value centers on man. Man is created in God's image. Because of that, students are imbued with value, creativity, significance and meaning in life, and are to live as responsible citizens in the world. Secondly, God is in all things. This means that the curriculum is seen as pointing to a transcendant God - God is in all and through all.
Thirdly, Catholic education reflects the value of community - students and teachers are encouraged towards excellence, a reflection on the whole community. Fourthly, students learn not just about the Catholic faith, but begin to learn from it. Students' minds and hearts reflect the values of the Catholic tradition. Finally, knowledge is to be attained - rational, logical thought, critical reasoning are infused at all levels resulting in a rigorous education.
http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/catholic-classical-education
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