Our Educational Philosophy
What We Believe About Education
Education shapes who a child becomes. Here’s how that conviction shapes everything we do at Veritas Scholars Academy.
On This Page
A Word From Our Headmaster
Dear Friends,
If you’re reading this page, you’re probably asking one of the most important questions a parent can ask: what kind of education will shape my child well?
We’ve been responding to that very question, in light of our mission, for a long time. Veritas Press began 30 years ago, when Marlin and Laurie Detweiler made history cards for their own sons. Families soon wanted more than books, and in 2006 Veritas Scholars Academy was born. Today, students from around the world enjoy learning with us.
Through it all, our convictions have remained constant. Children are designed to love learning; faith and learning go hand-in-hand in every subject; and God has entrusted parents with their children’s education. Our responsibility and privilege is to come alongside you.
You’ll find that our teachers love the Lord, love their students, and love the subjects they teach. My ambition is that your child catches this enthusiasm and carries it for a lifetime.
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).
Blessings,
Dr. Bob Cannon
Headmaster, Veritas Scholars Academy
Our Statement of Faith and Philosophy
Veritas Scholars Academy is a Christian school, and we’re glad to say so plainly. Families come to us from many churches and traditions, and we count that as a real gift to our community.
Our Statement of Faith and Philosophy is the shared commitment of our teachers and staff, guiding what we teach and how we teach it.
What We Hold in Common
We believe the Bible is the inspired, authoritative Word of God. We believe in one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and rose again, and that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Him. With Christians throughout history, we confess the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
Read the full Statement of Faith and Philosophy
We believe that the sixty-six books of the Holy Bible are the only authoritative, inerrant Word of God. Further, we believe that these Scriptures are our final rule in all matters of faith and practice.
We believe that there is but one God, eternally existent in three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Adam, the first man, sinned in his disobedience toward God and that through his disobedience sin extended to all his posterity. Consequently, all are born sinners, spiritually dead and relationally separated from God.
We believe that because of the ineffable love of God for the world, Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, perfect Man and truly God, came to earth to fulfill the divine Law through perfect obedience.
Having lived a sinless life in obedience to His Father, He gave His life on the Cross as the perfect, complete sacrifice for sin. On the third day, God raised Him from the dead, after He had provided a full redemption for His chosen people—those for whom He died. We believe that God will regenerate all for whom Christ died through the invincible power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that we sinners appropriate this work of God’s salvation by His grace alone through our faith alone, not as a result of any of our works.
We believe that a true church may be known by its engaging in the pure preaching of the Gospel, the right administration of the sacraments, and the faithful exercising of church discipline. We believe that all Christians will seek to unite in fellowship with such a church.
We believe in the resurrection both of the believer and of the unbeliever—the believer unto the resurrection of everlasting life and the unbeliever unto the resurrection of everlasting damnation.
We believe and embrace the system of doctrine expressed in the early ecumenical creeds of the Church (the Apostles’, the Nicene, the Chalcedonian and the Athanasian) and the confessions of faith issuing from the Protestant Reformation, including the Belgic Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, The Philadelphia Confession, the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England, and the Westminster Confession of Faith. Where these documents are in conflict we submit to the Westminster Confession of Faith with the understanding that such conflicts should be articulated carefully as if they are secondary doctrines and taught with balance and integrity recognizing that these differences should not cause a breach in fellowship.
We believe our role as educators to be in loco parentis, (in the place of the parent). We believe that parents are responsible to educate their children in the Lord. We believe that educators must be the delegates of the parents, assisting them in the education of their children, but never usurping their God-given parental prerogative and responsibility.
We believe that biblical discipline, the encouragement of an obedient child and the correction of a disobedient child, is a critical and necessary part of education. Under no circumstances will the misbehavior of one child be permitted continually to hinder the education of other children.
We believe that fathers are the God-ordained heads of their households. Wherever possible, we desire that each father assume leadership in the education of his children.
We believe that conflict resolution should be accomplished as quickly and as simply as possible. Concerns and grievances should first be addressed directly to the party involved, in order that justice and charity be duly served.
Our Convictions
1Classical: We Teach With the Grain
Children learn differently at six than they do at sixteen, and we know that’s by design. Young children love to memorize. Middle schoolers love to argue. High schoolers want to be heard. The classical tradition calls these stages the trivium: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Rather than working against these stages, we lean into them.
The goal reaches far beyond test day. We aim to teach our students how to think thoroughly, maturely and biblically. Students who can think that way are ready to learn anything, for the rest of their lives.
In a VSA Class
A third grader sings her way through the timeline of history and remembers it years later. A tenth grader sits in an Omnibus discussion, defending his reading of a Great Book with evidence from the text while his classmates press him with thoughtful questions.
2Christian: All Truth Is God’s Truth
We believe God has revealed Himself in Scripture and in the world He has made. So every subject becomes a place to know Him better. History is the unfolding story of God’s work through time, beginning with Creation. Science explores the order and beauty of creation. Mathematics, meanwhile, reflects the consistency of the One who made it. Literature lets students wrestle honestly with life’s deepest questions in the light of God’s Word.
Christ is the foundation every subject rests on. That’s what makes a Veritas education whole.
In a VSA Class
A math teacher pauses on a proof to marvel at its elegance and asks where that kind of order comes from. A literature class reads a story of betrayal and talks about forgiveness. Teachers pray with their students.
3Personal: Every Child Is Particular
“Train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). We read that proverb as a rightful call to pay attention to the particular child: their gifts, their struggles, and their pace.
That’s why no two VSA students follow quite the same path. One moves ahead in math. Another takes a single live course while a parent teaches the rest at home. A college-minded junior adds dual enrollment. The classical tradition gives every student a shared foundation, and we build each plan around the child.
In a VSA Class
Live classes are capped at 20 students, so teachers know each student by name. Full-Time Diploma students also work with a personal Academic Advisor who helps plan the path from year to year.
You’re the Parent. We’re Here to Help.
Many parents feel the weight of their children’s education deeply. You want to be the one shaping who your child becomes. You may also wonder whether you can carry it all on your own, especially as the subjects get harder. Both feelings make sense.
Here’s what we believe: God has entrusted your children’s education to you. Our teachers serve as your delegates, helping you carry that responsibility well. We never take it from you.
- You see the assignments and the grades.
- You talk directly with your child’s teachers.
- You decide how much support your family needs, from a single live course to a full-time program.
We bring the expertise, structure, and accountability. You remain your child’s first and most important teacher.
A Philosophy That Grows With Your Child
VSA has two divisions: Grammar School (K-6) and Secondary School (7-12), where students move through the three stages of the trivium.
Grammar School
Grammar Stage
Young children memorize easily and gladly. We use that gift to fill their minds with things worth knowing: Scripture, math facts, history, geography, Latin, and the grammar of language. These years build the foundation.
Secondary, Grades 7-9
Logic Stage
Around junior high, students start asking why, and they love to argue. We welcome that. Students learn formal logic, connect ideas across subjects, and practice recognizing sound arguments and correcting weak ones.
Secondary, Grades 10-12
Rhetoric Stage
High schoolers care about how they’re heard. We teach them to write and speak clearly, winsomely, and persuasively, bringing together everything they’ve learned so that others can enjoy being convinced.
Teachers Who Love What They Teach
A curriculum is only as good as the teacher bringing it to life.
Our teachers are chosen for three things: mastery of their subject, skill in the classroom, and a living Christian faith. More than two-thirds hold advanced degrees.
Our classes are live and discussion-based. Teachers ask questions, draw students out, and help them think out loud together, the way the best classical teachers always have.
(John Milton Gregory’s The Seven Laws of Teaching shapes much of how we think about it. Read our summary.)
And because they care about the whole child, our teachers mentor as well as instruct. Many families tell us a VSA teacher became one of the most important voices in their child’s life.
Who We Hope Your Child Becomes
When we picture a Veritas graduate, we picture a young man or woman who is:
Grounded in Faith
They know what they believe, why they believe it, and how to live it.
Disciplined in Character
They work hard, keep their word, and take responsibility.
Clear in Thought
They read carefully, reason well, and speak and write with grace.
Prepared for Life
They’re ready for college, career, and whatever God calls them to next.
Research supports what we see in our graduates. A University of Notre Dame study of classical Christian school alumni found they scored highest of all school types surveyed in college and career preparation, and were 6.7 times more likely to be regular readers (The Classical Difference: Good Soil, 2020).
The Good Soil study surveyed graduates of classical Christian schools broadly, not VSA specifically.
Go Deeper
The Veritas Approach
How we teach each subject classically, from Latin to science.
The Trivium
The three stages of learning at the heart of classical education.
Classical Christian Education
A fuller look at why classical and Christian belong together.
Questions Families Ask
Do we need to belong to a particular church or tradition?
No. VSA families come from a wide range of Christian churches and traditions, and we’re glad to learn alongside all of them. Our teachers and staff share a common Statement of Faith, which shapes how we teach. Families simply need to know where we stand and feel at home with an education taught from a Christian worldview.
Do I need to understand classical education before we enroll?
Not at all. Many of our families had never heard the word “Trivium” before they found us, and plenty of parents learn right alongside their children. If you’d like a head start, our guide to The Lost Tools of Learning, Dorothy Sayers’ famous essay that sparked the modern classical revival, is a wonderful place to begin.
Is classical education only for gifted students?
It’s a fair question, because classical education can sound intimidating. But the classical approach was ordinary education for centuries, and it works because it follows how all children learn. Teachers meet students where they are, and families can shape each student’s course load to fit.
How rigorous is VSA, really?
Rigorous enough that families notice. Students read real books, write often, and are asked to think hard. We also know rigor only helps when a child is supported, so our teachers, Academic Advisors, and Family Consultants work to find the right challenge for each student. If you’re wondering whether VSA would stretch your child too far, a Family Consultant can help you find a comfortable starting point.
Can a discussion-based classical education really work online?
Many parents wonder this, and we did too, back in 2007. Our classes meet live, with real teachers and real classmates, capped at 20 students. Students raise their hands, answer questions, and debate ideas together. Nearly two decades later, we’ve seen it work for thousands of families.
See What This Could Look Like for Your Child
A Family Consultant would love to talk through your child’s strengths, your family’s rhythm, and the best place to begin.
