At Esprit we esteem the transcendent virtues of truth, goodness, and beauty in all that we do as we meet each week. These ideals are fundamental to the growth and thriving of all human beings. As we choose literature, living books, science curriculum, art, music, and nature guides, we search for resources that reflect these classical tenets.

The works of Charlotte Mason have influenced the education philosophy of Esprit, particularly her writings on the necessity of feeding the mind with what is good and what is true. “Education is a life,” Charlotte wrote. “That life is sustained on ideas. Ideas are of spiritual origin, and God has made us so that we get them chiefly as we convey them to one another, whether by word of mouth, written page, Scripture word, musical symphony; but we must sustain a child’s inner life with ideas as we sustain his body with food” (Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education). At Esprit, it is our hope to spark excitement and nurture inquisitiveness in students through learning experiences full of life-sustaining ideas that will follow a student through the rest of life.

While Esprit takes inspiration from Classical and Charlotte Mason methods and ideologies, we also recognize the myriad of educational resources afforded to us in this modern world. We believe parents are equipped to find rich resources for their children through books, media, and cultural experiences of which the great minds of the past could never have imagined. At Esprit, we focus co-op days and homework assignments on reading and studying quality literature and living books, sparking curiosity with hands-on projects and activities, observing and interacting with nature in and out of doors, and building relationships with family and others.