About CCE
Frequently Asked QuestionsRegarding teachers in an ACCS school:
Q. What would ACCS advise as far as qualifications in a teacher in a classical Christian school?
Q: Do I need a degree in education to teach in a classical Christian school? Are there any degrees I should pursue, books I should read, or programs I should participate in that would make me a better teacher in the future?
Q: Will classical and Christian schools hire someone with a teaching degree? Do I need a masters degree before I can teach?
Q: After studying, reading and learning my subject(s), how would you advise me to best go about preparing myself to teach in a classical Christian school? What could strengthen my hope of becoming a teacher in an ACCS school?
Regarding Philosophy/Theology of education:
Q. What is the true mark of a quality education?
Q: Is Latin really that valuable? Why does ACCS insist that their schools teach Latin anyway?
Q. What would ACCS advise as far as qualifications in a teacher in a classical Christian school?
A. Here are a few foundational qualifications for a teacher:
1) a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Protestant tradition
2) a love for (and preferably, a degree in) the subject matter to be taught
3) a love for students
4) a desire to teach and preferably a demonstrated ability to teach
5) a willingness to learn and apply classical training methodology in the classroom
6) discernment of the antithesis between Biblical truth and humanistic philosophy
7) a commitment to an orderly, disciplined classroom
A: A degree in education is NOT required by most ACCS schools. Most colleges and universities teach what is antithetical to a Biblical view of education, so it would not be time well invested. It would require you to unlearn much of what you learned in college to be able to teach in a classical and Christian school. This is not to say that a person with such a degree would not be hired, but such an education is not necessarily viewed as a plus.
As to the second question, if you could participate in one of the ACCS teacher training conferences, this would be a help to you, and also demonstrate to the school to which you apply as a teacher that you have taken the initiative to learn what you can. In addition, I'd encourage you to take a logic course, either in college or on your own, and also read a book or two on ancient rhetoric. (Please see the list of books already mentioned in FAQ File). This will give you a better grasp of the aspects of the Trivium, and enable you to help you and your students to better integrate their thinking.
A: Most classical and Christian schools will hire someone with or without a teaching degree. There are a few ACCS schools that are looking for folks with PhD after their name, but a PhD ( or a Master's degree) is not an indicator that someone can teach. Degrees may be beneficial in demonstrating your depth of knowledge in your subject, and it is not discouraged, but it is not essential for being able to teach in most ACCS schools. It may be something that you may want to pursue over time, or if the opportunity presently exists, do it now.
A: Your present approach of studying the material you hope to teach is the best approach. ACCS schools are interested in teachers who know their subject material well. These teachers demonstrate a love for their subject, which in turn, will hopefully be passed on to their students. I'd say you are on the right track already. Walk faithfully with God, grow in grace, evaluate what you learn in light of Scripture; all these things are not unprofitable, and would be of great blessing to the school where you teach. As for the practical aspects of looking for a school, member schools advertise on the Classified Ads page on the ACCS website.
Regarding Philosophy/Theology of education:
Q. What is the true mark of a quality education?
A. "The true mark of a quality education is not simply a mind full of facts. It is accumulated knowledge with a hunger for more, the faculty to reason soundly, the ability to express what has been learned, and most importantly the acquisition of the proper tools with which to continue the learning process throughout an entire lifetime. It is not enough to merely learn subjects, a student must learn how to think and how to learn." (quoted from a brochure of an ACCS member school, The River Academy, Wenatchee, WA)
A: ACCS schools score consistently higher (70 to 90 percent in national test scoring) and we believe Latin has much to do with the higher scores, not to mention the general educational benefits. As an example: A small third grade boy was at home putting together a puzzle of the United States. Each state had its capital listed. Mumbling more to himself, he nonchalantly announced, "Here is Texas. Corpus Christi is the capital. (sic--Austin is the capital of Texas) That means 'body of Christ'." The mother was notably stunned as she had not yet been convinced that Latin was necessary. From that day on she made an concerted effort to help her children with their Latin vocabulary (we receive a huge percentage of English vocabulary from Latin) and in a very short space of time became totally convinced it was not only necessary, but greatly beneficial.
But here are more concrete facts. The following article was taken off the web: THE LATIN ADVANTAGE:
Let me quote Dorothy Sayers: "Latin is the key to the vocabulary and structure of the Romance languages and to the structure of all the Teutonic languages, as well as to the technical vocabulary of all the sciences and to the literature of the entire Mediterranean civilization, together with all its historical documents." (The National Review)
1. SAT Scores: Across the nation, studies have shown Latin to be effective in improving SAT scores. Studies conducted by the Educational Testing Service show that Latin students consistently out perform all other students on the verbal portion of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).
2. College GPA: A study of freshman college student performances conducted by the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, in 1985, yielded the following results in Language: Latin Students had a GPA of 2.89 overall; Spanish Students had a 2.76 GPA; German Students had a 2.77 GPA; French Students a 2.78 GPA; and students with no foreign language had a GPA of 2.58.
3. Reading: In the District of Columbia, elementary school students who studied Latin developed reading skills that were five months ahead of those who studied no foreign language and four months ahead of those who studied French or Spanish. Two years earlier, the same students had been excluded from foreign language classes becuse of substandard reading performance.
4. Vocabulary Skills: In Philadelphia, students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades received 14 to 20 minutes of daily instruction in Latin for one year. The performance of the Latin students was one full year higher on the Vocabulary Subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) than the performance of matched control students who had not studied Latin.
5. Math Problem Solving: Sixth grade students in Indianapolis who studied Latin for 30 minutes each day for five months advanced nine months in their math problem solving abilities. In addition, the students exhibited the following advances in other areas:
* 8 months in world knowledge
* 1 year in reading
* 13 months in language
* 4 months in spelling
* 5 months in science
* 7 months in social studies
6. Latin, the Basic Language and Culture bolsters learning:
* Ability to read classical authors in the original language
* Ability to access key documents of the Western world
* Ability to avoid the biases and misconceptions of translators of classical authors
* Direct contact with the wisdom and thought of the classical and medieval authors
7. Learning Latin improves study skills and improves knowledge of ancient history and culture.