KingswayChurch

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was a British educator who believed that “children are born persons” meaning they are born as deep thinkers. Because God created them with fully furnished intellect, Ms. Mason believed that we should honour the personhood of children and spread an educational feast before them. This feast includes introducing them to great thoughts from great thinkers transpiring largely through books – many books. Not ordinary fact-filled textbooks, but ‘living books’. Living books are ones that are engaging and well written, conveying ideas in a narrative form. They spark curiosity and encourage reflection. Charlotte Mason believed that there are three sorts of knowledge proper to a child: the knowledge of God, man, and the universe, with the knowledge of God ranking first. The role of the teacher is not to give wordy lessons but to allow for the minds of the students to interact directly with the minds of the authors. Thus, the teacher leads the child to the direct source and steps out of the way, talking less so the books can talk more. The educational feast involves all things good, true and beautiful- including scripture, music, poetry, art, nature. This bounteous feast allows students to make connections and to see how all things relate to one another. This feast inspires them to care about knowledge.

“Our concern is not to starve these fertile intelligences. They must have food in great abundance and variety.” -Charlotte Mason

Ms Mason recognized that the best way for children to assimilate new knowledge is through “telling back” the lesson. Narrations are performed orally when the children are young, and then are also written as they get older. Daily narrations at KCA replace the typical tests and exams that are used in mainstream schools.

Class sizes are small at KCA, ranging from eight to twelve students per class. Due to our limited capacity, we take a thoughtful and selective approach to our admissions process. To ensure the best fit for our community, we seek students and families who share our values and are committed to our educational philosophy. We expect our students to uphold high standards of respect, responsibility, and self-discipline.

The admissions process begins with an application for a visiting day, which allows us to get to know your family and assess whether the school is a right fit for your child. We require a minimum of two visiting days, with the parents present with the child in the classes, before we consider enrolment. During these visits, we observe how students interact with our community, and we assess their ability to respect our rules and expectations. We believe that this process allows us to build a community of students who are committed to learning, growing, and thriving together.

First Student: $2500 per year

Second Student: $1250 per year

Third Student: $750 per year

Fourth/Fifth/Sixth… Student(s): $500 per year (each)

Head Mistress: Tracy Fast (Tracy@kingswaychurch.ca)

Kingsway Christian Academy 3776 ON-3 Hagersville, ON