In the summer of 2017 on a sweltering weekday morning, I parked just south of the Capitol and walked to the Michigan Department of Education, holding the hands of my two toddlers, in order to get a letter of approval declaring us a school. I had tried and failed to register our school with the […]
The Value of Reading Together
If you have a student in Cedar in Kindergarten, 1st Grade, or 2nd Grade, then you are familiar with this instruction on their take-home sheets: “Read at home with your student.” But what exactly does that mean? What should reading at home with your student look like? The Secret Sauce Let’s start with an encouraging […]
Why the Badger? The Story Behind Our Mascot
We are excited to introduce our mascot: The Badgers. Why did we choose a badger to represent our vision for our students? Badgers hold on. In Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis introduces us to a talking badger named Trufflehunter who provides steadiness in an uncertain time of exile and disunity among the Narnians. He is the […]
From Great to Okay: What we’ve learned about distance learning
We at Cedar Classical Academy are confident that, right now, mid-pandemic, we continue to offer the best K-6 educational option in Lansing. Now beginning our ninth week of distance learning, we have kept our mission alive. Cedar Classical Academy’s culture has been marked since our founding by parental partnership, high standards, character emphasis, and real […]
Quarantine Chronicles: One Thing We Miss
We asked our teachers one thing they miss about school during distance learning. Here’s what they said: “I miss the laughter and enthusiasm each student brings to my class” – Mrs. Meibeyer, Physical Education “I miss circling up to read poems with the kindergartners!” -Mrs. Setterington, Kindergarten “I miss hearing the students sing!” – Mrs. […]
“Beauty is not an elective”: Our Music Curriculum
Here is a glimpse of Wassail & Carols, our December 12 celebration of Christ’s incarnation through recitation and carols. This was also a night to revel in the musicianship that our music teacher, Mrs. Peng, has been teaching to our students. At Cedar, we like to say that beauty is not an elective. We think […]
The Mission Series Pt. I | The Finish Line, The Starting Line, and What We Mean By “Serving Parents”
Twenty Nineteen is right around the corner. Back in April 2017, when we first began using the phrase “starting a school in 2019,” it felt satisfyingly inspiring yet vague—like saying, “Someday I’ll run a marathon” or “I’m thinking about climbing Mt. Everest in a few years.” We didn’t realize how quickly 2019 would become a […]
“And they lived happily ever after”: Training kids’ moral imaginations to meet life’s demands and to demand more out of life
Clear thinking first requires imagination that is trained to expect things to make sense. Dragons get defeated, stories end happily ever after, 2 + 2 = 4, truth is objective — all of these ideas make sense to a well-trained imagination. If a person does not expect life to make sense (or, more crippling still, […]
These ideas are for everyone. (Or, “Lessons from Pooh Bear.”)
“Hallo, Pooh,” said Owl. “How’s things?” “Terrible and Sad,” said Pooh, “because Eeyore, who is a friend of mine, has lost his tail. And he’s Moping about it. So could you very kindly tell me how to find it for him?” “Well, said Owl, “the customary procedure in such case is as follows.” “What […]
“Because we are given more than we are”: Good habits, good stories, and why we need both
“Stewardship.” “Inheritance.” “Heritage.” We keep returning to these words when we talk about classical education. Add up Shakespeare, Euclid, Augustine, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, and it equals a rich inheritance that can help teach us to be human and point us toward our Maker. We don’t have this heritage — these books and disciplines and […]
“I will learn the True, I will do the Good, I will love the Beautiful”: The culture of a classical school
As many of you know, we are in the process of founding a private classical school in Lansing sometime 2019-2021. We hosted an introduction to classical education on April 22 and visited two Michigan classical schools on May 1 and May 8. We have spent a lot of time this month talking pros and cons […]