Why Obedience?

An Ambrose Parent Education article by Carl Warmouth, Dean of the Grammar School

Dear Ambrose families,

I hope this note finds all of you well. Earlier in the year, I introduced you all to the idea of integration, and explained that in the Grammar School we have a theme for each grade that is the primary focus for the year. In Kindergarten that theme is Obedience.

Why Obedience?

First of all, we know that willing obedience to God is foundational to the Christian faith. Not just for 5 year olds, but for all of us. And while obedience is simple, it is not always easy. We also know that obedience is essential for a kindergartner to thrive in a classroom of peers. Kindergarten is the year that sets the foundation for a 13-year journey through classical Christian education. Having Obedience as a theme for the year gives our teachers the opportunity to partner with you as parents to reinforce this principle at an early age.

How it Works

There are countless opportunities throughout the day for the teacher to point out examples in Bible, Science, Phonics, Math, and other subjects of obedience and disobedience and the positive and negative consequences of both. They have literature and Bible stories specifically chosen to illustrate those examples. They point out that letter sounds and clusters obey phonics rules. In math, 2+2 always equals 4. If it says it equals 5, it is not true. Our teachers then connect those ideas to the daily life of their students with a goal of cultivating heart obedience.

Partnering with Parents

Our teachers are always reinforcing the importance of children obeying their parents and drawing connections between the things they are learning in class with their lives at home and at school. We love to share these ideas with you so that we can be lock-step together. You can reinforce what we are doing at school, and we can reinforce what you are doing at home. If you want to incorporate the Kindergarten catechisms and scripture memory in your home, just click this link.

Carl Warmouth, Grammar School Dean

Carl is the Grammar School Dean for our 5-day program. He was the headmaster at Trinity Christian School in Opelika, Alabama before coming to The Ambrose School in 2014.

“I first became convicted of the value of classical Christian education in 1999 after my wife began teaching at a classical Christian school and we enrolled our oldest child there. After reading Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Excused Absence, and The Paideia of God by Doug Wilson, I sensed God calling me to be involved in a greater way. After considerable time spent seeking God, I made a career change and was hired as the upper school principal at Trinity Christian School. The following year I was asked to serve as headmaster. My two children both received a K-12 classical Christian education. My son graduated from Ambrose in 2017 and my daughter continued her classical Christian education at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. My wife has been a grammar school teacher now for more than 18 years. I believe deeply in the vision and mission of The Ambrose School, and am honored to be a part of it.

My previous experience includes nine years in the resort industry and 10 years in child and family counseling as the Therapeutic Program Director at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children. I love the people and culture of the Treasure Valley and the opportunities for outdoor adventure.”