The World is for Wonder

We believe that the heart of education lies in communicating the Heart of Jesus -- his love, his revelation, and his world -- to each child, who is hungry to hear it. Our goal is to put each child directly in contact with these beautiful truths, by giving them great books to read, first-hand experiences of creation to discover, and a fuller amount of free, unstructured time to make their own connections with truth, with family, church, and the world outside the classroom.

“If knowledge means so much to us, ‘What is knowledge?’ the reader asks. We can give only a negative answer. Knowledge is not instruction, information, scholarship, a well-stored memory. It is passed, like the light of a torch, from mind to mind, and the flame can be kindled at original minds only. Thought, we know, breeds thought; it is as vital thought touches our minds that our ideas are vitalized, and out of our ideas comes our conduct of life.”

- Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education

As ideas pass from mind to mind, and we learn to be a part of humanity from our fellow humans, so the love of God passes from His Heart to our own. We do not originate it, but He quickens it in us and we pray to respond with a joyful Amen! So do we, as educators, hope to quicken the love of knowledge in our students by sharing our love, our understanding, with them, so that together we can grow in knowledge of God, of man, and of the universe, and nurture persons and a culture of lifelong, vocational pursuit of what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful.

We recognize at Cor Jesu Academy that humans — perhaps especially children — are creatures of story. Each subject of study is given life through participation in the Great Story, the student’s own story, or a vital story of old.

Through short, vital lessons, students are offered a wide feast of study — and one that does not take over the entire day. We want to protect the child’s balance of family life, academic life, and independent development, so we offer short days in a short week.

We integrate regular hands-on days on the farmstead, to field trips, and service days both on the campus and out in the community. We bring our families together for regular fellowship and service beyond the school halls.