A classical education has two characteristics. First, it follows the pedagogy developed over the course of Western Civilization—that of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. And second, it also acknowledges the authority of the past. Tradition is not absolute—only Scripture has that place—but respecting tradition is a way of honoring our fathers and our mothers. This is why classical education also defines the content of the curriculum—Herodotus and Augustine, Calvin and Edwards, Aristotle and Plutarch.
