What we do:

Focus on listening and speaking. Instructional guides read from high quality works of literature. Students listen quietly and then engage in meaningful discussion with peers and the guide to further their understanding. Your child will be expected to listen and respond in various sessions for a total of 30-90 minutes each day.
Focus on memorization and narration as self-assessment. What is not retained is not learned. Students will memorize facts from mathematics, science, geography, history, art, and music, as well as portions of poetry and Latin. Students will narrate back stories and lessons to demonstrate comprehension.
Focus on mastery. Modern education is harried because it is simultaneously attempting to teach new concepts while reviewing previous ones that were never truly learned. Instead, we focus on the fundamentals (the “grammar” of each subject). We move slower at the beginning—our students will be 6–7 before they read independently—because we care more about growing confident, capable students than rushing to meet an arbitrary timeline.
Focus on beauty. Students will practice handwriting to learn the craft of penmanship. Students will study art and music and poetry to spend time with beautifully crafted works of art. Students will spend time in nature to observe beauty in creation.
Focus on grace and truth. Students will learn to comport themselves politely in a wide variety of situations. They will learn to set their own learning goals and be held accountable for their work. Our culture will model the virtues of perseverance, self-control, and kindness.

What we don’t do:

Worksheets and homework. Our day is full of active, authentic learning–not busywork. At home learning is the family’s choice.
Screens and technology. We work with books, paper, pencils, and manipulatives. We will not use computers to instruct.
Letter grades, paper/pencil tests, and standardized tests such as the M-STEP. We intentionally exist outside the traditional school model. See items (c) and (d) above