Scholé: (n) Restful learning; leisure.
(etymology: Ancient Greek; pronounced skoh-LAY)
Scholé is where we get our English word “school,” but its original meaning of ‘leisure’ is long lost. In its true definition, leisure embodies a posture of unstressed rigor, not laziness; contemplation, not mindless entertainment.
To 'scholé’ means to discuss true, good, and beautiful ideas with fellow learners, unpacking what’s gone before us—often over food & drink.
Inspired by the classical and Charlotte Mason traditions, we are a (new) restful but rigorous homeschool community for children and adolescents in the historic old-town region of Georgetown, Texas.
Why Classical?
The long tradition of classical education has emphasized seeking after truth, goodness, and beauty, alongside the study of the liberal arts and the great books. It’s a path that has been tried and proven since ancient times and we see no reason to not give credence to, as G.K. Chesterton put it, the “democracy of the dead.”
Why Scholé?
While the Greek word means “restful learning,” with connotations of contemplation, conversation, and reflection, it’s still remarkably rigorous. We long for deep engagement that results in enjoyable, permanent learning that’s free from anxiety — in other words, we want to put the scholé back into our (home) schools.
Why Co-Op?
As a collective of homeschooling families, we want to provide rigor, focus, and community into our students' formation without replacing the divinely-appointed mission all parents have been given to lead their children in the "paideia” of God. Doing this well helps us flourish and provides hope to our local community.
What do we do together?
As a new community for the 2024-25 school year, we currently meet on Tuesdays in two different styles: a parent-involved, co-op style gathering for elementary-age children, and drop-off, á la carte classes for roughly 6th through 12th-grade adolescents.
For this inaugural year, adolescents have an initial offering of core classes taught by mentor-teachers who love kids and our community. (In the future, we’d love to also offer foreign languages and electives!)
Our desire is that students then gather together weekly for an optional second day: for playdates, hikes, book studies, and more for the younger set; for study groups and/or additional mentoring for the adolescents. With a central location off the historic Georgetown Square, there are lots of locations for connecting!
A Timeless Philosophy of Education
True education is "to learn to love what is beautiful" (Plato) to help students form virtue — that is, "rightly-ordered loves" (St. Augustine).
We’re made to best learn from a place of contemplative rest, and in a world that gives our adolescents anxiety and stress on a spectrum from mild to severe, we find it harder and harder to provide our kids with a restful, rigorous education using modern methods.
There’s a reason the classical approach to education is the longest-running method of learning in recorded history: because it works. We want to lead our adolescents into wisdom and virtue through the gifts of the true, the good, and the beautiful, all best understood via restful contemplation.
