The Greek word Poietes means “makers,” and it’s where we get our English word poet. J.R.R Tolkien once quipped that while God is the creator, we are his sub-creators. The goal of the Poietes program is to teach high-school students how to be true poets. That is: makers of society and culture. Here at Poietes, we think that parents should be the primary teachers of their children, but they cannot know everything. Therefore, this program fills in the spaces that traditional education—either publicly or privately—often misses.
An idea that has become popular in the West is the idea of specialization. The idea that, in order to do job x,y, or z, you need a specific education. While there is some validity here, we have entirely lost the idea of Liberal Arts. Some conservative Christians might squirm at the thought of a “Liberal” education, but I want to restore its true meaning. The word liberal means free. A liberal arts education makes free men and women who can think for themselves and hold their ground when the world is crumbling around them.
Medieval people knew one thing that we’ve lost; they knew that to train up strong, free men and women, required long term mentorship. The classical “tutor” was someone who lived with a family and trained the children of the home in all areas of life. While our tutors won’t be living in your home, or seeing your high-schoolers every day, that doesn’t mean that the idea of a classical tutor must be lost on us. It is for this reason that the Poietes program is for the duration of your student’s high-school years.
Now, more than ever, Western Christians need to know how to build culture and speak with authority into their situations. The reality is, a basic education doesn’t teach this. With this program I want to help you as parents to train your high-school students in righteousness, courage, and give them the mental fortitude to stand up when all others cower.
The Poietes program places a large emphasis on reading, writing, and formal logic. We do this intentionally and for two reasons: First, if you can teach a young person to read, write, and think well, the world is theirs. If they can study well then there is nothing they cannot do. Perhaps they will need more training for their future occupation, but they will know how to learn the necessary skills because they will have mastered the art of learning. The second reason is that, as Christians, we are people of the Word. Therefore, we should be people of words. Not only this, but in John 1:1 the apostle tells us that “the Word was with God and the Word was God.” The Greek term used here is Logos and it’s the same word that we get our English word “logic” from. So, reading, writing, and rational thought are all a part of our identity as Christians. At Poietes Tutoring, we want to help your students know, live, and breathe this reality.
Finally, at Poietes we believe that stories are soul food. There is no such thing as a neutral story. Every single one is trying to catechize our loves and affections. Some taste good and are nutritious meals, others are candy (they taste good but are terrible for us), and yet others taste terrible but are excellent for us. The analogies could go on. The point is, we want to give your students books to read that they will reflect on forever. If there were to be a particularly looming threat at their job one day, we’d want them to remember Beowulf’s bravery in confronting Grendal head on. Are they facing down a hypocritical pastor? We’d want them to think of the Summoners Tale in Chaucer’s famous Canterbury Tales. These stories will shape them into good characters in God’s grand narrative.
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