Non Nobis: The Story of the First Generation of Logos School

Non Nobis is the full account of what it actually took to start a pioneering classical Christian school, as told by Logos School’s founding superintendent, Tom Garfield. Logos School certainly began humbly: no experienced teachers, no customized curriculum, no investors, and no set salaries for anyone. But the Lord blessed this tiny school in the chimney of Idaho beyond what anyone could have expected. Hundreds of thousands of teachers and students and homeschools have benefited from the classical, Christian education from the trailblazing work done by Logos School.

Today, the Association of Classical Christian Schools has over two-hundred and forty members worldwide, rigorous and faithful homeschooling is on the rise with huge nationwide organizations like Classical Conversations, and Logos School itself is able, by God’s grace, to begin looking in faith towards its second and third generations. Tom Garfield’s humorous anecdotal style is perfect for this story. Whether he is describing broken bones, old bus problems, school uniforms, the first Atari 400, angry parents, the dead skunk, developing classical methodology for the first time, conflict in the community, trouble with the IRS, or why Christian education is more than “God posters in the classroom,” Garfield gives a first-hand account that is full of simple wisdom, wide-eyed gratitude, and much encouragement for teachers and homeschooling parents alike—or indeed for any Christians who find themselves working on small, faithful, but seemingly insignificant projects.

"In the fall of 1980, Moscow, Idaho—“the split pea and lentil capital of the world”—had about 13,000 residents, of which about five thousand were students at the University of Idaho. On the south side of town, the basement of the Paradise Hills Church of God sat unfinished, housing only the occasional mouse family or two. On the west side, a new roller-skating rink was being completed. Elsewhere, floppy-haired Tom Garfield was assisting high-school art classes, drumming in a band, and totally unaware of the part he would play in launching Logos School and a sweeping national movement for classical, Christian education...."

Tom Garfield was the founding superintendent of Logos School for more than thirty-five years, and is a pivotal player in the classical, Christian education movement. He and Julie have been married since 1977.