What is the Trivium?  A Disease or Something?

Rod Gilbert, Head of School

What is the Trivium?  No.  The Trivium is not a punk band or leg muscle or video game or disease.  Some teachers asked students this week and this is what they said, "the Trinity" or "the only three buildings of Regents" or "something Latin."  Some students did get it right.  Before I describe the Trivium by definition, I will give a sample illustration regarding Abraham Lincoln developed by Mr. Sahs:

Grammar of Abraham Lincoln (as found in our 4^th grade)

• Where is his hometown and state?
• What was his wife's name?
• Why did he wear that stovepipe hat?
• Against whom were his famous debates?
• Why is he so important to Americans?

Logic of Abraham Lincoln (as found in our 8^th grade)

• How did his upbringing influence his worldview?
• Why did he see the value in maintaining the Union?
• Why is his Gettysburg Address so enduring?
• What value assumptions compelled him to end slavery?
• How did his assassination affect Reconstruction?

Rhetoric of Abraham Lincoln (as found in our 12^th grade discussions and essays)

• After reading Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, discuss the effect it had on both domestic politics and foreign relations.
• Research Lincoln's debates with Stephen Douglass; analyze how the debates propelled Lincoln and the Republicans to national prominence.
• Given your understanding of Lincoln's ten percent plan, how did his assassination strengthen the position of Congress in controlling Reconstruction?
• How did Lincoln justify his restrictions on the Bill of Rights during the Civil War? How does this relate to Presidential powers today?

The Trivium provides a logical structure for our educational goals.  You yourself could imagine similar outlines in Geometry and biblical knowledge.  As we unfold a particular topic over many years with students in our 12-K program, they receive a spiral of information that builds upon itself.

Veith defines the traditional understanding of Trivium in his book Classical Education as follows:  "The Trivium is a paradigm for the mastery of language.  But, it applies to far more than language.  Every subject has its grammar, logic, and rhetoric.  To be educated in any discipline, you must 1) know its basic facts (grammar), 2) be able to reason clearly about it (logic), and 3) communicate its ideas and apply it effectively (rhetoric)." p. 12.

So, the word - Trivium - rests at the core of Regents.  You can see its natural steps in child development.  Behind the scenes it governs our curricular steps.  The Trivium is like Dr. Brown's Flux Capacitor.  

But, if we are not careful, the word - Trivium - can feel like a "secret code" that makes us sound like a secret society.  You know - hand shakes, vows, and the super-secret vocabulary.  If we are not careful, we can take on the subtle appearance of saying the word -Trivium - with a saintly hush, with a solemn reverence, and a pompous air.

That kind of arrogant tone is not just off-putting to others, it is unchristian.  When Paul writes that "love is kind," he means "love avoids pompousness to help people be more vulnerable with you."  We should explain the Trivium in a way that encourages the inquirer.

Embrace our uniqueness, and tell others about it with appreciation and humility.  Blessings to everyone as we near the Thanksgiving holidays.