Trinitas Blog

Getting Your Hands Dirty in the Garden

Posted by Wendy Phillips on Jun 5, 2023 10:47:09 AM

About the time we wrap up the school year, my thoughts turn to my garden.  My garden provides a quiet place for work and contemplation, and as is my wont, my musings rarely stray far from my life as a teacher.   Cultivating in my students a love for learning and a desire to love God and neighbor is a lot like cultivating a garden.

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, Parenting, Teaching

The End of a Thing is Better Than Its Beginning

Posted by Trinitas on May 15, 2023 6:07:42 AM

The common notion about teachers at the end of the school year is that they run out of the building screaming like banshees and then retreat to the comfort and ease of lounging beside the pool all summer to recover. Frequently during the last week of school, parents will ask teachers what they plan to do all summer. I remember one parent who stopped by the school a couple of weeks into summer and was truly dumbfounded to find the parking lot full, the office well-staffed, and all the teachers hard at work. “Don’t y’all know it’s summer?” he stammered. Yes, we do.

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, School Life, Teaching

Trinitas Welcomes Newest Faculty Members!

Posted by Trinitas on Aug 20, 2022 9:55:50 AM

As Trinitas enters its twenty-fourth year this fall, there are a number of new faces on our campus. In addition to sixteen new families, we are welcoming several new faculty members to the Trinitas community. We thank God for his blessings on our faculty and are eager to introduce these fine folks to you.

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, School Life, Teaching

What should you look for in a Christian school? (part II)

Posted by Trinitas on May 8, 2022 1:00:00 PM

Last week, we began to answer the question “What should you look for in a Christian school?” with a discussion of how we teach. But there is more to the distinctly-different Trinitas education including what we teach.

It is our aim at Trinitas to indoctrinate students in their western heritage by teaching them classical content rooted in the western tradition.

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, Classical Education, Christian Education, Secular Education, Teaching

What Should You Look for in a Christian School?

Posted by Trinitas on May 1, 2022 5:10:54 PM

For all practical purposes, the current school year is over. Long summer days stretch out before us; but for a few parents, uncertainty about where their kids will attend school in the fall overshadows the potential joys of summer vacation. Such uncertainty may be a result of a recent or pending move, a young child going to school for the first time, or a pressing need to change schools. Regardless of the circumstances, the question “What should you look for in a Christian school?” should be of the highest priority.

Over the next three weeks, we will show how Trinitas answers that question beginning with a discussion of how we teach, then what we teach, and finally why we teach.

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, Classical Education, Christian Education, True Education, Teaching

Setting the Right Markers

Posted by Sean Hadley on Apr 17, 2022 1:00:00 PM

We’ve spent the last two weeks thinking about the dominant form of grades used in schools today, the history and effects of that system, and why they are not the ideal for a classical Christian school.

Bear with me one more time as I recall our pitching metaphor. A coach who tells a young pitcher that they threw a “C+” pitch is not providing much help. And the young pitcher who interrupts a coach’s instruction to ask, “Yeah, but did I pass?” might be riding the bench for a while. Why? Because we understand intuitively that constructive feedback is about more than a graded evaluation.

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, Classical Education, True Education, Teaching, Grades, Virtue

Did Jesus Receive Handwriting Grades?

Posted by Sean Hadley on Apr 10, 2022 1:00:00 PM

As we saw last week, the modern grade scale is a fairly recent development in education and not one that has a long history of success or stability. This week we will look at how grades are perceived to function which has important implications for a Christian classical school.

The purpose of grades in a classroom, under the A–F system, is to pass judgment through a numerical evaluation. This gives the notion of impartiality and objectivity while mitigating the force of the judgment. We pass judgment every day, of course, regarding what shoes to wear, what route to take to work, and even what to say to our boss. Judgment is an inescapable part of the human experience. But there is no denying: we do not like feeling “judged.”

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, Classical Education, True Education, Teaching, Grades, Virtue

Imagine a World Without Grades. You Can Do It If You Try.

Posted by Sean Hadley on Apr 3, 2022 5:35:50 PM

Imagine you are a young pitcher, standing on the mound of your first Varsity baseball practice. You throw the ball to the catcher, and your coach proceeds to tell you that it was a “C+” pitch. What would you think? The example seems ludicrous to us because we know what the young man needs: pointed, specific guidance so that he can improve the pitch. We know intuitively that the letter, in this case, is unhelpful.

Now imagine the same scenario from a slightly different angle. You are the coach. As you approach the mound and begin explaining to the student how to use their shoulders as they throw, you are suddenly interrupted. “Yeah, but did I pass, Coach?” You can imagine the frustration in this similarly absurd example. “A student would never say that!” you think to yourself. And you’re right; they would not. Again, this is intuitive; there doesn’t even seem a need to explain it. Similar scenarios could be played out ad nauseum, with different actors substituted in to show that applying a percentage system of grading to life is unhelpful at best and downright dehumanizing at worst. So why does this same proposal meet with such hesitancy when applied to the classroom?

Read More

Topics: Blog Posts, Classical Education, True Education, Teaching, Grades, Virtue

Get the Trinitas Viewpoint!

Each week we enter what has been called the Great Conversation, writing about issues important to classical education, parenting, and culture from the Trinitas perspective. We invite you to join us as we explore topics as diverse as the smartphone habits of teenagers, kindergarten readiness, and legislation that may affect the future of Christian schools.  

Never miss an update!

Recent Posts