See what our students are saying about Tall Oaks!
Christian Principles — Classical Methods — Amazing Results
Excerpt taken from Jeff Loux's State of the School Speech - January 2010
(To hear the full speech, please visit see our teacher's comments and click on Jeff Loux)
When I came to Tall Oaks as a fifth grader, I had never heard of Hermeneutics, Homer’s Iliad, or the formal rules of logic; I knew nothing about Latin much less Greek, and, unlike my classmates, I could not recite the history of the world from creation through the Middle Ages. I won’t say that coming into a school where my friends had been classifying sentences since the first grade was easy, but it was by no means impossible. No teacher ever left me behind. I received as much help as I needed to ensure that I too could have the benefits of a Tall Oaks education, and that is one of the many things which stand out about Tall Oaks. The teachers and staff work hard every day to help each student succeed no matter where they start.
But Tall Oaks does not merely help students succeed within the environment of the school; they also prepare them for life after graduation. Though I’m sure many students don’t completely appreciate the scope of the education they are receiving here at Tall Oaks, they are being given a set of invaluable tools that will help them excel not only in their careers but also as strong Christian men and women.
But Tall Oaks does not merely help students succeed within the environment of the school; they also prepare them for life after graduation. Though I’m sure many students don’t completely appreciate the scope of the education they are receiving here at Tall Oaks, they are being given a set of invaluable tools that will help them excel not only in their careers but also as strong Christian men and women.
I remember years ago one teacher said to our class, “We are not preparing you for college; we’re preparing you for graduate school.” We are learning how to think. Unlike many systems of education, we are not simply expected to absorb and regurgitate information. Although this is an important foundation of the grammar stage in Classical Education, it is not the be-all and end-all. In order to excel in our modern age, we must be able to think for ourselves. I have seen this played out in many of my own classes. All of our teachers challenge us to decide why we agree or disagree with a disputed point. In Mr. Turley’s Theology classes for example, we are encouraged to argue our beliefs. Mr. Turley doesn’t want us to hold to a doctrine only because that is what our superiors have taught us. He wants us to know why we believe it. That in itself ensures that, should our faith be challenged, we can defend it.
...Tall Oaks provides more than just a good education. It provides each and every student with the ability to think for himself, and, in this increasingly secular world, nothing is more important. Tall Oaks ensure that all its graduates are ready to face the challenges ahead knowing that they can stand firm in their beliefs as they begin their journey in life as young men and women of God. Jeff Loux, Senior, Class of 2010
Please visit the Alumni page to see how Tall Oaks
has impacted our graduates' lives