Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s when our kids were little, my husband was busy helping get a Christian school launched in time for our first child, Bekah, to start kindergarten. By God’s grace and with the help of many other parents, Logos School opened its doors. All three of our children attended Logos from kindergarten through 12th grade, and what a merry ride that was!
Now our grandchildren are starting to fill up the elementary grades, and our children are taking their spots as both parents and alums. We could not be more thrilled! First off, it is a great blessing to live to see my children’s children. But connected to that is the blessing of seeing my children grab the baton and run with it, assuming their roles and responsibilities with enthusiasm and gratitude.
Some people have wondered why we chose to start a school rather than home-school. But rather than get into that discussion, I thought I would just talk about what we see as the benefits of a Logos (or like-minded Christian school)Â education. And from this vantage point as grandparents we have a great view of the fruit that Logos has produced.
As with most everything in the world, there are misconceptions about Logos. One misconception is that you have to be rich to go there. Ha! I can hear most parents sniggering over that one. I don’t think Logos has ever turned anyone away because of money. And I’ve seen parents work as janitors, bus drivers, secretaries, and teachers to try to offset the costs of tuition. Logos will work with you.
Some think that putting your children in Logos will compete with or replace the family culture. But it only enriched ours! Doug and I both taught at Logos over the years, we attended the programs, plays, athletic events, fundraisers, and awards ceremonies. It was a family-centered experience for us from start to finish. We made a point of getting to know the teachers and other students, so we were acquainted with many of the other families. We knew most of our children’s classmates fairly well, so we knew what was going on.
And speaking of friends. That’s another thing. Logos provided a good and godly atmosphere for our children to learn in. A great deal of the education took place around our dinner table in the evenings as the kids debriefed about their day, and we discussed the many issues that came up on the play ground, in the classroom, or in the halls. They had daily opportunities to apply what we were teaching them about friends and standards, especially when their friends had different views, theologies, and standards.
Doug and I both have liberal arts degrees (though he has several more than I do), which is a handicap when it comes to teaching things like math and science. So our children had the unspeakable benefit of learning those subjects from men and women who actually like that stuff! (I remember the agony each year of helping our children select a science fair project….we were no help at all!)
We wanted our children to learn how to think like Christians, and Logos helped them get there. We wanted them to understand the world God made and study it in the light of the centrality of God’s infallible Word.
Logos had and still has the same goal: “Logos School was founded with a vision to teach all subjects in the curriculum as parts of an integrated whole with Scripture at the center and to encourage every student to grow in their relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. We believe that God has given parents authority over their children and that our role as a school is to assist families in the education and godly instruction of their children.”
That bit above about “assist families” should read help tremendously! We have a great debt to the many faithful teachers at Logos from years past to the present. We even have an overlap: some of our kids’ teachers will be teaching our grandkids. One of those teachers, David Kohl, taught both Nate and Rachel fifth grade, and this year he will teach our grandson Knox. Tom Garfield was the principal then and is superintendent now. Matt Whitling coached Nate in basketball and now he is the principal. And if Jim Nance and Wes Struble hang in there a few more years, they will be teaching our grandkids math, science, and logic. And none of these guys looks that old!
I’m going back to Logos this year to teach a high-school class in literature. I’ve been “retired” since 1998 when Rachel graduated, and now I’m looking forward to seeing my grandkids in the halls. I call that a great mercy!
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What a fun new job for you! It’s one of the great lacks in my life that though I love to read, I never learned to write about literature. Despite churning out a plethora of high school and college lit papers, I just never got it. But your students will have Nancy Wilson for a teacher, so I’m sure they’ll do much better!
I’m also really grateful for our local classical school — Rockbridge. I have many friends (and one roommate) among the board, faculty and students, and am grateful for the blessing the school is to them. And it’s my best cheap source of culture — I go to every event I can. Such fun, and such an encouragement to see those kids getting an education so superior to mine.
I know we owe a lot to Logos and to Doug, too, and I am also grateful for the “trickle-down.”
And, for the record, the student handbook forbids tattoos. 😆
Hi Nancy!
I had to respond to this! This post came at an appropriate time, as our staff (Bethel Prep Classical Christian Academy in NJ) just returned from Logos training last week.
We started our school (“we” meaning myself, husband, father, and 3 other full-time employees) 3 years ago with 30 students. We have learned SO much from Logos over the past 2 years especially. Last summer, my husband came out by himself and could not contain the joy and excitement he felt upon returning home from such an incredible week. What a blessing the folks in Moscow, ID were to him…who knew?!?!
Since starting the school, I have become a full-time stay at home mom. I just finished Fruit of Her Hands and we both have read Reforming Marriage (and are now presenting it to our small group).
I keep telling my husband that we need to come out to Moscow and while he soaks up the intellectual knowledge at Logos, I NEED to come and hang out with you and your family to see exactly how you all “do” life!!!
Thanks for this blog…I love reading it daily!
Melissa
We are also continually blessed by our classical Christian school (Geneva Academy in Monroe, LA). It is such a help to me, especially, as a math and science “nerd.” I know that I am not as capable of giving our children the more well-rounded education that they are currently receiving. I am thankful for the Christian men and women in our community who are willing to help me teach my children. We are really enjoying being a part of the school. I have had the opportunity to teach and my husband is now serving on the board. Although
(sorry, accidently hit the submit), our school is new, we are already seeing much fruit, and look forward to seeing the school grow, as well as growing ourselves as we benefit from the many who work tirelessly to improve the lives of our children.
Additionally, thanks to you and Mr. Wilson for your forethought and hard work. You truly have paved the way for other schools, and we are thankful for your dedication to advancing Christ’s kingdom in this way.
Thank you for the post on this. I met you very briefly in an elevator in Atlanta this year, and told you about our very small school. We just started last year with 8 students, and are about to take on our 2nd year with 15. You were so excited for us, and it shows how excited you are for your own school!
I hope we can look back in 15 years and see the same kind of things you have seen, and feel the same gratitude you now feel.
I feel tremendously blessed to have been involved in our school the past 2.5 years. I never thought I would be a part of something like this, yet God of course has his own plans. While it has not always been easy (and I’m sure there are more struggles to come!), I would not change it. We have all grown so much as parents and as Christians.
Though our family teaches our children at home, we have benefited greatly from the curriculum which has developed through Logos and Veritas Press.
I would love to hear of the books your literature class will be reading this year!
I’ve heard much about your Logos school from my sister (Jana Alexander) and Moscow, Idaho has become my favorite place in America 🙂 If we could move there, we would!! However, I wondered if you have any suggestions on how to find a good like-minded Christian school elsewhere in the U.S. I realize they are probably few and far between, but what specifics should we be looking for so we don’t get fooled as each school puts their best foot forward. Our kids are still preschool age now and we plan on homeschooling, but it would be nice to know their are options!
Thank you for all your hard work! It’s encouraging for those of us starting on that same journey you began 30 years ago. When we get overwhelmed we remember that Logos started at your kitchen table–this fall we’re starting in a basement!
Nancy,
I have a question. Our kids attend one of the ACCS’s here in Seattle and we are presently in the middle of the conversation on class size. Would you please share with us your thoughts on class size?
Thank you!
Logos Christmas program, here we come, one more time! We’ve had a long break and now our daughter Annie’s Emma will be in first grade. We’re looking forward to doing it all over again, but this time as Nana and Papa!
Nikki,
Logos is part of an organization called the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS). If you contact them, they can help you find other like-minded schools in the US.
Here’s the link:http://www.accsedu.org/
Crystal,
Your question on classroom size is a good one, but it depends on lots and lots of things. So, rather than jump into that discussion, I would rather defer to the folks there at your school who have the needed information. In other words, I’m staying out of that one!
Blessings,
Nancy
Nancy,
So, class size is not a subject you want to touch on here at this time, I can respect that. I will assume it is more complicated then I realized and I will pray I find wisdom in the sources here. Thank you all the same.
Go ACCS!! 🙂
Cheers,
Crystal
Hi Nancy, Thanks for this great post. My 7 year-old, Isaiah, has PDD-NOS (a form of autism). I’d be curious to know from you or your readers what they have done to educate special needs children like my son. Because he is low verbal and has auditory sensitivity issues, he has been privately tutored his whole life. Sometimes I do feel a little guilty that he cannot get the benefit of a Christian school community, but I’m not sure how he would thrive in one.
In May 2004, just weeks after I gave birth to our third child, during a moment of peace and quiet on our sofa, I prayed and asked the Lord to teach me about the Presbyterians. I wanted to know who Calvin really was (as opposed to the unflattering paragraph or two I read in textbooks about him). No kidding, a Veritas Press catalog came in the mail the next day or two after praying! My husband and I loved what we saw in there, and our first order was Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning.
The Lord has used y’all and the resources of Veritas and Logos to bless our family tremendously!
A couple of different thoughts: About ten years ago, I had an email pen pal who was an elementary school teacher in Luxembourg. He said, that when kids came to school they spoke Letzeburgisch, the national language (a Germanic dialect with lots of French influence, kind of like English:-) ). In First Grade, children are taught German; in second grade, French; in Fifth grade English and when they entered high school, they had to pick another language. EVERY KID. Makes a difference when you have a country with under a million people and your neighbors are large.
When your kids were in their teens, when you lived on Harrison and Doug had those men’s meetings where Doug was hammering out the applications and ramifications of Reformed Theology, I always appreciated how you always made sure there was something on the kitchen counter for us, even if it was just a pitcher of water and glasses.
Teaching Literature, huh? If you were to recommend three stories written within the last thirty years for an American Literature class, What would you suggest?
For Melody–
We have Asperger’s Syndrome (High Functioning Autism) in our family. I believe teaching at home is the very best option for kids on the spectrum. They need the quiet environment and need one-on-one tutoring. You can always search for support groups for social skills classes and arrange small gatherings with other children, too.
We use mostly Veritas Press classical materials (sometimes below the grade level they suggest), but our ASD doctor told us that Math U See is better than Saxon for kids on the spectrum.
Even in Christian schools children with ASD are often teased or often feel very lonely. Keeping them home until college can be the best thing for them!
Amy
Melody, our oldest daughter has mild ADD and is legally blind, both results of being a preemie. We have had to learn to let go of the guilt, or at least identify what is real guilt and what is not, in our changing schooling choices over the years.
In the beginning I simply homeschooled. I was able to work around our daughter’s visual needs, but had a very difficult time working with her ADD. We decided to have her repeat 1st grade, and added special tutoring where she was weakest. We even did some neurological training to address the ADD, and it definietly helped. But we REALLY wanted her to attend a Christian school, hoping beyond hope.
Last year the Lord opened that door, and we had been knocking for years. Our local classical Christian school was actually willing to work with her, provided we attend to her visual needs (she uses specialized equipment in the classroom). It was a dream, and she thrived tremendously.
However, late last school year she began to have more vision trouble, and now the doctors are telling us that her vision will likely be completely gone in a year or two. No more Christian school, and no more homeschool — Braille is a whole different ballgame. So we’re looking down the road at public school (and keeping her in Christian school until the last second).
Honestly, if I weren’t so grateful just that our daughter is alive, that she loves the Lord intensely, and that the Lord created Braille, I would be in pieces. Knowing that she won’t always be able to have a Christian education is deeply troubling, and we’re drawing up really creative battle plans. But we don’t feel guilty either, because the Lord has given us tools specifically for our special daughter, and we know He expects us to use them. Our toolbox just looks different than most others’. We don’t want to insist on an education our daughter can’t manage, and neglect her heart and mind in the effort.
But in the meantime, we’ll keep dreaming that one day the church will be able to compete with the government and educate special needs children!
Greetings Nancy,
Our Classical Christian school began just over ten years ago as a supplemental program for home schooling families. We had hopes that it would become a full time day school but it just hasn’t happened yet. It has gone through some trying times. I would greatly appreciate it if you could hold up our school in prayer. Some of us are trying to fight off discouragement. Did your school ever go through difficult times and how did you persevere through it without wondering if it’s time to close the doors?
The picture is adorable! I follow Mr. N.D’s blog and of read his books. I got to meet him along with some friends in Cincinnati at a book signing.
Thank you Mr.s Wilson for all the encouragement you give to girls and women. I am reading your book ‘Building Her House’ and I would like to get a copy for my hope chest! It has been very encouraging for both my mom and me. We are really thankful for your example!
-Hannah