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"The elementary school is a gymnasium (from 'gymnos', 'naked') where stripped or lightly clad boys exercise, sharpening their five senses in immediate contact with nature in the raw."
— John Senior
Submit a School or Program
If your school or program embodies poetic knowledge, physical discipline, and Catholic formation aligned with John Senior's vision, we invite you to join this loose network. Inclusion increases visibility and connects you with like-minded educators.
Submit for InclusionThe Gymnasium Gap
The gymnasium stage (ages 7-13) is critically underserved in modern education. This vital phase, where physical discipline, adventure, and stories form resilient "warrior poets," remains largely absent from our schools.
"The elementary school is a gymnasium (from 'gymnos', 'naked') where stripped or lightly clad boys exercise, sharpening their five senses in immediate contact with nature in the raw."
Homeschooling excels in the nursery. High schools and liberal arts colleges exist for older students. But the gymnasium — where boys and girls develop through outdoor challenges, liturgical rhythms, and heroic tales — is the missing link in our educational landscape.
Starting in Your Community
You don't need a formal school to begin. These principles can take root wherever children gather—in parishes, neighborhoods, and homes. Here are some ideas for small-scale implementation.
Parish-Based Initiatives
A boys' club at your parish with the mission of serving Mass can provide shared experiences in service, adventure, sports, and fellowship.
- •Weekly meetings with altar serving practice
- •Outdoor adventures and sports activities
- •Shared reading of heroic stories and saints' lives
Home & Neighborhood Ideas
Any gathering where children come together for missions, adventures, sports, or common experiences can embody these principles.
- •Neighborhood adventure clubs
- •Family hiking and exploration groups
- •Liturgical year celebrations and traditions
"Hortus conclusus (enclosed garden) evokes a protected space for innocence."
— John Senior
Connect with the Network
Interested in starting something in your community? While we don't have formal founding guides, we can help connect you with educators and founders already doing this work.
Reach out directly to share ideas, ask questions, or connect with others in the network. You can also contact schools directly through their own websites listed in the directory.
Essential Texts for Further Study
Explore the foundational philosophical texts and excerpts behind this educational vision. Read John Senior, Chesterton, Tolkien, and medieval sources to deepen your understanding.
Integrated Humanities Lecture
by Dr. Dennis Quinn & Dr. Frank Nelick
The IHP lecture laying out Senior's educational philosophy in action - practical, succinct, and essential for understanding the gymnasium stage.
The Outline of Sanity
by G.K. Chesterton
Chesterton's defense of distributism and cultural sanity against modern mechanization and concentration.
The Consolation of Philosophy
by Boethius
Medieval masterwork blending philosophy and poetry to explore providence, fortune, and true happiness.
Mythopoeia
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien's poem defending myth-making and imaginative sub-creation as participation in truth.
The Preventative System
by St. John Bosco
St. Don Bosco's educational philosophy emphasizing prevention over punishment through loving guidance, reason, religion, and kindness.
Other Textual Excerpts
A compilation of passages from Hugh of St. Victor, medieval scholastics, and others providing context for poetic knowledge and sensory formation.
Explore the Network
Discover schools and programs already embodying this vision across all developmental stages.