The Benefits of a Classical Education

An old-fashioned Classical education is the best and most complete education system out there, and we are the lucky recipients of the next best thing: a liberal arts college experience.

By Frankie Maloof, ‘25

(The Parthenon, Wally Gobetz)

I was fortunate to attend a Classical school from kindergarten through sixth grade. I then transitioned to two years of homeschooling before entering a Catholic high school. It is with clear conviction that I write here today that my background in Classical education is largely responsible for who I am and where I am today.

There are benefits of this style of education that have become lost arts in society today: memorization, great literature, writing, and the avoidance of technology allowed me to think with excellence, believe with confidence, and live with character.

Those words form the vision of the Classical Christian school I attended, and they are so true. I could write on this subject for many pages, but I will focus on the highlights of Classical education versus the modern education that our society has normalized, drawing upon both my personal experiences as well as common knowledge.

Many would argue that the addition of technology to the education space has severely limited the ability of present-day students to learn. We often rely upon Google for research, can ‘control f’ to search long documents, and use an online dictionary rather than looking up each word in a physical book. Recent A.I. developments have made this even more obvious. With technological assistance, students no longer internalize what they are taught.

Think back even to the way our parents were taught; they were forced to read, write, and learn without the ease of the internet or other modern inventions. They were educated differently than us, but the transition away from true Classical education was beginning. Even then, Classical education was different from more secular forms of learning.

When thinking about past scholars and learned individuals, what were the common points of emphasis in their education? Latin, Greek, writing, memorization, recitation, and more filled their days. Today we are taught to read and write, but the excellence and standards with which we are taught are far less exacting than the ones that Classical education provides. Classical education affords students a more well-rounded learning experience that will serve them well for years to come. 

Memorization and recitation are extremely beneficial building-blocks for younger children, but as students grow older they must transition from simply learning material to beginning to interact and analyze it for themselves. This process is critical for the development of true learners. Classically educated students begin wrestling with difficult texts, debating with one another, and discussing solutions to the issues posed by the greatest scholars. 

These readings and discussions prepared me to succeed in every learning environment I encountered later on. My Classical education taught me how to think, how to come to my own conclusions, and how to question one’s arguments, both in the present and for the future. More modern forms of education teach what to think, what conclusions to jump to, and which questions to ask, most often for short term gratification. There is nothing wrong with learning specific information for a test, but I would argue that our present society is lacking some intangible learning skills because we were not sufficiently taught how to learn.

We attend a very prestigious liberal arts university, and I truly believe that we are as close to a Classical college education as we can be. There are some incredible similarities between our liberal arts education and a Classical one. 

For starters, we are exposed to a wide variety of topics and courses in our FDR requirements. We learn how to apply our science courses to our business ones, our humanities to our science courses, or even engineering lessons to law. We even write papers in our accounting classes. This, much like a Classical education, offers us a well-rounded experience that we can draw upon in our major classes or future endeavors.

A Washington and Lee education requires successful students to learn how to think. During conversations with W&L alumni in the business world, I have discussed this very issue; many hire W&L students because they know we are not robots and will be able to learn and adapt to our new working situations, simply due to our well-rounded foundation.

Classical education is old-fashioned, but it is not outdated. We can study ancient texts, learn ancient languages, and still maintain a forward-looking vision. Our own University follows the Latin saying “non incautus future,” which translates to “not unmindful of the future.” A true Classical education allows for this adaptation to the time and place because it does not place limits on one’s ability to learn.

That is the key: a classical education provides each student with the best foundation from which they can pivot and impact the world around them. The benefits of an old-fashioned Classical education have been lost by our society’s infatuation with technological advancement and defining what each student should learn rather than teaching students how to learn. 

A Classical education does prescribe specific material which should be learned, yet it focuses on retaining that knowledge and utilizing it in future endeavors. More modern forms of education rely upon learning for a test, learning for one event, or short term comprehension. The effects of learning in a Classical education is less restrictive because it opens up each student to the possibility of learning anything; a Classical education system teaches its student how to learn.

A modern education does not teach a student how to learn, because the student is not forced to think as clearly or deeply about its more shallow subjects. Classical education is far more rigorous, requires a student to think far more clearly, and thus provides a strong foundation for future endeavors. By offering students the tools to determine for themselves what the truth is, a Classical education is the best way to learn. 

We are not in a Classical education environment here at W&L, but we are close. The next time you complain about your humanities courses, FDRs, or that book your professor assigned which is not relevant to your major, remember this: we are here to learn and these “irrelevant” assignments actually create the foundation for our future successes. Take advantage of this liberal arts education because as the lessons we are learning become rarer, their value becomes greater.

The opinions expressed in this magazine are the author's own and do not reflect the official policy or position of The Spectator, or any students or other contributors associated with the magazine. It is the intention of The Spectator to promote student thought and civil discourse, and it is our hope to maintain that civility in all discussions.