Our Prayer Filled Journey To CDA

Our daughter Alina began Pre-K at the Dallas campus this year. When we dropped her off in Mrs. McGinnis’s class we had no idea how our free-spirited girl would enjoy a structured environment. We prayed throughout the day that God would open her heart towards it and were elated when the first words out of her mouth were “I loved it! I want to go every day!”

Our decision to enroll Alina at Coram Deo was made after much discussion, prayer and faith. We visited various schools, talked with friends, and reflected on how our own educational experiences could have been better.
 

Growing up I attended a high-performing public school, but the separation between my faith and my studies was discomforting and made it easy to fall into the compartmentalization of life. An educational philosophy geared towards the whole child which seeks to instill worship in students and integrates Christ into the curriculum resonated with me. 

We discussed being “in the world but not of the world,” and whether that concept is a case for enrolling in a secular school. My wife and I didn’t want our kids to be detached from the world, but also understood how impressionable little children are. We ultimately decided that providing a solid foundation for them at a young age would better prepare them to be in the world throughout their lives.

Recently, I came upon a commentary that rephrased that common mantra as “Christians are not of the world, but sent into it.” This underscores to me the importance of intentional preparedness in being an effective minister of Christ.

Theresa’s school experience did not foster a love for learning. Tests could be crammed for the night before and knowledge wasn’t presented a way that connected to their hearts. I like how Coram Deo presents all subject matter as connected and personalizes it for the students, and I look forward to the festivals that celebrate learning. The small class size is also appealing to me so that students won’t get lost in the shuffle and less time is taken up by classroom management. 

When I initially heard of the concept of classical education I was skeptical. My first thought, without knowing much about it, was that it was out of date and not in tune with the current state of the world with its great focus on science and technology. I feared that classical education wouldn’t provide the practical skills needed for future success. In listening to Mr. Jordan’s recent lecture, his explanation resonated with my heart as he emphasized the focus on who you will become versus what you can do, with the goal of Christlike wisdom and virtue.

Theresa loves that she knows what Alina is learning in school and gets to partner with Coram Deo in teaching. She enjoys having the specific assignments and activities given by Mrs. McGinnis to do at home, but she is also glad for the freedom to integrate things specific to Alina and what God is doing in her life and heart. I love that our whole family is encouraged to get involved in her education.

We learn the memory versus together, discuss the character themes and get our hands dirty with the art projects. And whatever Alina does her little sister Lillian wants to do as well (we bought a copier just so that we can give her a copy of Alina’s worksheets.)