Values Statement

Pharos Terminal is for families who teach at home with students in grades 7 through 12. You teach. Zac Northup, a writer, historian and researcher who has taught in high schools, career tech centers and universities, provides the material. The curriculum follows the aim of his earlier educational nonprofit: to teach through analysis and experience those who strive to make their communities better places to live.

History is taught from primary sources. Students read great books and classic literature, and use confirmed public-domain images. Wikipedia and Reddit are not used as sources. Unverified sources are cut or hedged. Truth is treated as objective and knowable. Claims are tested against evidence that stands apart from feelings or narratives.

Students define contested words before they use them, name trade-offs, start from scarcity, and trace later effects. They judge policies by outcomes, not intentions, and apply the same scrutiny to government, companies and individuals. They state the opposing view at its strongest, then argue the case, not the person. They practice the old arts of grammar, logic and rhetoric: reading closely, reasoning carefully, and saying what they think and why. On questions of government, economics or society, classical liberal and conservative ideas are taught openly, always with the strongest critique, so students can explain both sides and say where they land.

Lessons treat moral agency and personal responsibility as real and ask students to serve their communities with skill and judgment. Lesson packets are aligned to established academic standards in English language arts, science and social studies. Math is treated as applied, practical work, not as aligned to math standards. The curriculum is written to be accurate, ready to teach and honest about what it knows and what it does not.

In ancient times, Pharos was a towering lighthouse that guided travelers into Alexandria, home of the Great Library. Today's Pharos serves the same purpose. It is a beacon of objective learning for modern scholars.