What is Scholé?
Scholé Tutorials is a classical Christian approach to education rooted in the ancient Greek concept of scholé, meaning “leisure” or “rest”. The word from which Scholé takes its name is, remarkably, the same word from which we derive our English word “school.” In its original sense, scholé as leisure or rest did not describe idleness or inactivity, but the freedom to pursue what is most worthy: the contemplation of an idea, the appreciation of a beautiful song or painting, or the satisfaction of a meal made from the produce of one’s own garden. This understanding of leisure is articulated beautifully by Josef Pieper in Leisure: The Basis of Culture.
Though much of modern education has become hurried, utilitarian, and disconnected from wonder, Scholé Tutorials seeks to recover a richer vision of learning, one rooted in the conviction that education is not merely the acquisition of information, but the formation of the whole person. We believe students grow best when they are given the time and space to think deeply, encounter enduring ideas, and delight in the goodness of God’s created order.
At Scholé, we pursue a restful and intentional approach to classical Christian education: one that cultivates curiosity without hurry, mastery without anxiety, and wisdom alongside knowledge. Through the riches of the Christian tradition and the great works of the Western heritage, we seek to help students receive what is true, love what is good, and behold what is beautiful.
“When we really let our minds rest contemplatively on a rose in bud, on a child at play, on a divine mystery, we are rested and quickened as though by a dreamless sleep. Or as the Book of Job says, “God giveth songs in the night” (Job 35:10).
Moreover, it has always been a pious belief that God sends his good gifts and his blessings in sleep. And in the same way his great, imperishable intuitions visit a man in his moments of leisure. It is in these silent and receptive moments that the soul of man is sometimes visited by an awareness of what holds the world together.”
— Josef Pieper, Leisure: The Basis of Culture