An Invitation to Begin the Year Together

A school year begins long before the first bell rings. It begins in a classroom, when students meet their teacher—or, for Upper School students, teachers—who will challenge them, encourage them, correct them, inspire them, and, over the course of the year, come to know them in ways that extend far beyond a gradebook. That first meeting may seem ordinary, but it marks the beginning of a relationship that can shape how a child thinks, speaks, works, and sees the world.

 

That is why Meet the Teacher Day matters.

 

We talk often at CLASSICAL about the content of a classical education: Latin roots, geometric proofs, and the great books our students read and discuss. But content alone does not form a student. A teacher does. Aristotle understood this when he wrote of paideia, the gradual formation of a person through the pursuit of what is true, good, and beautiful. Our teachers are mentors in the oldest and truest sense. They have committed themselves to teaching subject content, yes, but more importantly, they have committed themselves to knowing their students. They seek to understand each student’s strengths, struggles, questions, and story, and to help each one grow toward excellence.

 

That kind of formation cannot happen in isolation. It requires a foundation, and that foundation is trust between school and home.

 

This is why we treat Meet the Teacher Day as more than an administrative kickoff to the year. It is the first step in a partnership that will carry your son or daughter through the next nine months. When you walk your child into a classroom and meet the teacher or Citadel advisor who will guide him, you are showing your child that the adults entrusted with his formation know one another, trust one another, and are united in their commitment to helping him grow.

 

Children flourish when they sense that unity. They are steadied by it. They are encouraged by it. When home and school work in concert, students are more likely to approach the challenges of the year with confidence, knowing that the adults around them share a common commitment to their growth and formation.

 

I hope every CLASSICAL family will join us this Friday, August 28.

 

At our Siebenthaler campus, doors open at 8:00 AM. At Summit Park, families should arrive beginning at 10:00 AM and enter through the Fieldhouse entrance. This is your opportunity to meet your student’s homeroom teacher or Citadel advisor; for Upper School students, to walk the schedule and meet each teacher; to drop off school supplies; and to see the classrooms that will become a second home for your child this year.

 

While you are on campus, we will also take school photographs. At Siebenthaler, photographs will run from 8:00 AM to noon in the gym. At Summit Park, they will run from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the cafeteria. Students should wear their summer uniform, and girls in grades 5 through 10 are encouraged to wear their sweaters—just for the photograph.

 

If you are at Summit Park, be sure to make one more stop: our new Spirit Wear Shop, The Classical Canteen, is now open in the Fieldhouse atrium concession stand. It is a small addition to campus, but a welcome one, and a good place to find something for your student to wear with CLASSICAL spirit this fall.

 

Much of what we hope to accomplish this year, in the classroom, on the athletic field, and on the Citadel Life stage, will depend on the relationships we begin building in these first days. So please join us Friday. Take the time to meet the teachers, advisors, and other members of our community who will know your child, challenge him, and help guide his growth throughout the year.

 

The year begins with a classroom. But before anything is taught, a relationship is formed. And that is where everything else begins.

 

Torches Up!

Mr. Rose