Classical School of the Medes History
A Classical Education Excellence
CSM
History
The Classical School of the Medes is an international, English-based network of Christian schools in Iraqi-Kurdistan. There are currently three schools in operation, one in Sulaymaniyah (2001), one in Duhok (2002), and one in Erbil (2003). There are over 2,500. students currently attending the CSM schools.
CSM college preparatory curriculum that is offered for K to G12 allows students to graduate with all necessary credits and AP/SAT preparation to attend universities, private and public in Kurdistan, or universities abroad, according to their acceptance criteria.
A team of educators based in America works with the local administration here in Kurdistan to design and compile the program’s curriculum.
CSM
Unity
The Classical School of the Medes (CSM) operates under the full permission and authority of the Ministry of Education in Kurdistan and receives professional support from Franklin Classical School (FCS) located in the United States of America. CSM is a private, Christian school that seeks to provide quality education based on the Christian Classical model of education with strong emphasis on moral development within the context of a Christian worldview. CSM does not discriminate based on religion, race, color, gender, economic status, or national or ethnic origin.
CSM
Scholarship
The Classical School of the Medes schools draws from the classical educational model and uses an English-based curriculum for all subjects except for Kurdish, Arabic language classes, Komalayatiyakan, and Maffi Mrov classes. A classical education depends on a three-part process of training the mind. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts, and systematically laying the foundations for advanced study. In the middle grades, students learn reasoning skills, or how to think through arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves, integrating what they have learned into effective communication. However, a classical education is more than simply a pattern of learning. Classical education is language-focused; learning is accomplished through words, written, and spoken, rather than through images (pictures, videos, and television). A classical education, then, has two important aspects. It is language-focused, and it follows a specific three-part pattern: the mind must be first supplied with facts and images, then given the logical tools for the organization of facts, and finally equipped to express conclusions. The Classical School of the Medes seeks to equip students using this method with age-appropriate skills, knowledge, and virtues.