Why Don’t We Teach From Textbooks?

What if reading a book could do more than tell us a story? What if it could help us better understand ourselves, other people, and the world around us?

At Paradigm Schools, we love to read classics in literature. Our classical, liberal arts education gives scholars the opportunity to engage with great works of literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, and the arts. We believe these works have something important to teach us, not only about the past, but about what it means to be human.

So, why are the classics so important to us?

The Classics Invite Scholars Into the “Great Conversation of Ideas”

The classics teach scholars how to think, not simply what to think. These works have been read and discussed for generations, giving scholars the opportunity to engage with enduring ideas and consider how they apply to the world around them and to their own lives.

Through thoughtful discussion and questioning, scholars take their place in what we call the “great conversation of ideas.”

The Classics Help Us Seek the True, the Good, and the Beautiful

At Paradigm, our scholars repeat “the true, the good, and the beautiful” in our school declaration each day.

The classics, as part of our liberal arts education, give scholars opportunities to encounter ideas, stories, and works of art that encourage them to seek these things in their education and in their lives.

The Classics Connect Us With History

By engaging with the classics, scholars experience history through original voices and works.

Rather than learning about significant people and events only through a textbook, scholars can engage directly with literature, historical documents, art, and other original sources. This helps them make connections across subjects and develop a deeper understanding of the people and events they study.

The Classics Introduce Scholars to Literary Mastery

The authors of the classics had something to say, and they knew how to say it well.

By exploring renowned authors, diverse genres, cultures, and philosophies, scholars encounter examples of thoughtful and powerful communication. Reading great works helps scholars develop their own ability to communicate clearly and thoughtfully.

The Classics Help Us Understand Humanity

The classics also help scholars better understand themselves and others.

Through heartbreaking stories, inspiring characters, and historical accounts, scholars encounter people whose lives may look very different from their own. Along the way, they explore universal experiences such as courage, love, loss, loyalty, and sacrifice.

These stories can help scholars develop compassion and empathy while gaining a deeper understanding of the human condition.

The Classics Help Us Discover Timeless Virtues

Most importantly, we read the classics to draw out time-honored virtues.

Throughout the works we study, scholars encounter examples of courage, respect, justice, gratitude, loyalty, accountability, and more. These virtues become more than ideas to memorize. They become opportunities to think about how we can live and interact with others.

At Paradigm, we believe scholars have a shared responsibility to create a free society and a better world. Studying the classics helps them consider what that responsibility looks like in their everyday lives.

Why the Classics Still Matter

We don’t read the classics simply because they’re old. We read them because they still have something to say.

They challenge scholars to ask questions, engage with great ideas, understand different perspectives, and consider the kind of people they want to become.

That is why we LOVE the classics.