Says Who?
Last month, you may have noticed a quote from our ACA Twitter feed:
"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
This a sobering truth, no mistaken idea, and it is one that we must always teach our children. Apart from a universal standard for truth, finite man's laws are basically arbitrary. Without that standard, might makes right, and laws are based on the whims, bad or good, of the ruling government. Perhaps they are "good" laws, but we have no universal means by which to verify their goodness. Perhaps they are "evil," but we have no ability to condemn them. There is no moral Law-Giver, and therefore no moral law, by which to distinguish good from evil.
During the formative years, our children must never assume that "rights" and "wrong" are moral absolutes of themselves, as though they are terms with intrinsic authority. Conversely, we must never let them think "right" and "wrong" are ideas without any moral content whatsoever; that right and wrong are relative to opinion. We must teach them that the only way to condemn evil -- whether Hitler, racism, Planned Parenthood, or whacking lil sis on the head with a toy truck -- and the only way to praise what is good, is to appeal to an absolute, changeless, and loving standard of truth. That truth can only rationally and satisfyingly be the gospel, the Story of the God-Man whose name is Truth, and who loves us infinitely and personally.
Developing Independent Reading Skills
One of the essentials of a classical education is its emphasis on quality reading skills. Commonly in the past, boys and girls were taught to listen, but they were rarely taught to read. In certain old cultures such as Greece and Rome, this was not a deficiency: those cultures were largely agrarian or militaristic, and what little academic knowledge might be taught came in the form of poetry and music, handed down orally by minstrels, musicians, poets, and playwrights. Nothing else was needed. Desk-work and "quiet" reading were rare, and they were often thought strange.
Today, our modern technological culture is far different. College and graduate degrees are increasingly indispensable for even the most moderate of careers and incomes, and those degrees require wide-ranging study, high proficiency in reading, and (most importantly) independent learning. The sea of knowledge in the 21st-century is vast, and the need for quick, thoughtful self-learners has never been higher. And the gateway to self-learning has always been rigorous and inflexible: high-quality independent reading ability.
What is an independent reader? It is a student who can take a book -- whether in Kindergarten or college -- and grapple with its content on his own. An independent reader is not someone who is being read to.
When a student reads independently, a few unique developmental processes are triggered in the brain. First, independent reading requires visual focus, which in turn develops concentration skills. The reader cannot let his eyes wander as he can when simply listening to a story. Second, independent reading triggers and develops problem-solving skills. In younger readers, this comes in the form of decoding new words and connecting them conceptually with the real world. More advanced readers begin recognizing syntax, the structure of style, and the anatomy of a written argument, all of which subconsciously enrich the reader's own writing voice. Third, independent reading develops a love of words as words, as well as the knowledge that words fitly chosen are "like apples of gold in a setting of silver" (Prov. 25:11). And last, independent readers become better speakers. Not only do they develop a knowledge of beautiful writing through personal engagement with texts, but that knowledge of good writing naturally translates into a basic knowledge of good speech.
So continue to read to your children (of all ages) regularly. Read-alouds from parents are a wonderful (and necessary) way to strengthen relationships, develop listening skills, and build imaginations. Read-alouds are also key for a child to learn pronunciation, the rich textures of elocution, and the music of words. But let's also remember that reading aloud is no substitute for the crucial skill of independent reading. A child learns rich stories and develops good listening skills when he is read to, but he is not actively learning how to read independently. He is not becoming a more advanced independent reader. Regular listening produces focused listeners, but only regular independent reading produces good readers. Give your children both, but do not rob them of one.
Distinctions (and The Lost Tools of Learning)
In the older days of social media, I remember being amused whenever I would come across Facebook or Myspace profiles that listed favorite music as "I LIKE ALL KINDS OF MUSIC!!11!!xoxox!!!" (Today, they might also list Jesus as their "bae.")
This of course only meant they liked no music at all. Somewhat endearingly, they failed to realize that there is a difference between consuming something and truly enjoying it. Or as the saying goes, "When everything is beautiful, nothing is." Without standards, there are (oddly) no standards.
With Dorothy Sayers in her essay "The Lost Tools of Learning," we heartily affirm, "Distinguo!" Distinguish. Differentiate. Discriminate. With King Solomon in his prayer for wisdom, we want to "discern between good and evil" (1 Kings 3:9), between truth and falsehood. When everything is true, nothing is.
And yet with Robert Louis Stevenson, we also know that
The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.
So which is it? Be choosy, or love a ton of things? Both. As we teach our children, we teach them to love as many things as possible (our neighbor, studying, hikes, the gospel, quilting, peanut butter, presidential biographies) and to hate a few things, too (lies, low standards, death, the Devil, and United Airlines). But when we pursue interests and decide what we like, we must always remember the way God is: before anything else, he created a Garden full of countless Yesses with a single tree of No. Which means, at the very least, that we should like most kinds of music.
Classical School: Filling the Void
The human mind doesn't like empty spaces. Ask someone to articulate a hypothetical space in which there is nothing (really), and you won't get a good answer. We can't properly conceive a true void; the closest we can get is to visualize a space without air that is black.
The human mind needs content. Fortunately, this is the way God created it, but it means that we will always seek out content to give ourselves meaning. On a simple level, we love to ingest information. On a higher level, we adopt values and beliefs. We look at the world and interpret it, Christians by the revelation of the gospel, others by their observations of the natural world or the traditions they have received from their cultures. Where there is a question, humans want an answer. Where there is a void, we fill it. But with what?
Both grownups and children desire fullness. For adults, our voids are often of loneliness or disillusionment, and so we turn to gossip, pornography, an illicit relationship, or another worldview. We fill ourselves with what we think will provide satisfactory content to our empty spaces. Our children do the same -- but usually not until the late high school years and college. All through their growing-up years, they are subconsciously deciding what is meaningful and what is not, what is beautiful and what is distasteful to them. Once they get a measure of independence, they either accept or reject the content they've been given. And -- here's the rub -- they finally make those decisions based on what has given them the most joy.
Our children are always famished. So as parents or educators in a classical school, what are we feeding them? Stale bread and tepid water? Of course they will want more, and they will want what's forbidden. But if we serve up feasts, good and often, and with plenty of laughter, why would they want to turn anywhere else? Scripture, stories, art, music, crafts, projects, biographies, myths and legends, hymns and psalms, good food and dancing (yes), star-gazing, mathematical puzzles, discipline, joyful standards, the creeds of the faith, and a family unified -- serve these up (little by little, day by day, always-and-ever upward), and there will be no voids your children need to fill. But when those empty spaces falsely demand attention, your children will know where to turn. They serve a faithful God.
2015 Matching Grant Results
As ACA Board Chair Hilary Oswald announced at our Christmas Recitation, we have officially met -- and exceeded -- our Fall 2015 Matching Grant goals. During the campaign's final week, an outpouring of generous gifts and pledges enabled us to raise $38,897.95, triggering our $30,000 match, and resulting in a total amount raised of $68,897.95. This is $2,397.95 more than we raised in last fall's matching-grant campaign, and all monies go toward our greater Augustine Campaign, ACA's three-year focused effort to raise $600,000. Every last dollar given has been a tremendous benefit, and every dollar contributed in the coming months will be an equally important step toward our campaign goals, which are the ACA general fund, a robust tuition assistance program, and enrollment growth. Building anything worthwhile takes work and sacrifice, but as a parent wisely said in our Vision Film, "we have one shot to educate our kids." This is a good work, God continues to bless us richly, and our students have already received incalculable blessings from their ACA education. Thank you for your commitment to our school, for continued prayers, and for loving your kids.
A DIY Giant-Killing Special
Occasionally in Assembly or Chapel, I'll poll the students. "What's your favorite Bible story?" I ask.
"Jesus," says a Pre-K student.
"Star Wars!" says another small one.
"Jonah and the Whale," offers someone else. (I begin breathing more regularly.)
"David and Goliath!" say several others.
Yes, David and Goliath. When does that story not come up in questions about Bible favorites? It's got a giant, a sharp-shooting kid, and is really more like a romping faery-story than a neat-and-tidy Sunday school lesson. But of course there's more than that. I love the story myself (always will), and one part of it in particular hits me dead-center every time:
"As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him." (1 Samuel 17:48)
Now that's something, especially as most people seem to think David was just a little pre-teen twerp who couldn't fit into King Saul's armor. In a similar situation, most men would have run away. A brave few would have stood still and waited. But David charges Goliath.
Metaphor time, as I tell our students. David puts on a giant-killing clinic, a DIY special, because the truth is, we encounter giants every day in each of our lives. We've got them bearing down on us, some big and some small. But the upshot is this: it takes running toward them, not wavering or backing down.
David's model was Christ, the ultimate dragon-killer, about whom David prophesied in the Psalms. And our children's model is us, and how we face challenges. Do we guard our dragon-tongues? Are some people just too hard to get along with? Are some tasks too big? We're either running toward our own giants or away from them. And as usual, our children are watching.
For our kids, classical education is a giant. A big, bad one that makes bread out of boys' bones. It's hard. They need all the help they can get -- and that help is best given by the tough mercies of good role models. "We do hard things," say the kids from a family we know.
Amen. Just like David, and just like Christ.
A Community of Creators
If it wasn't already clear, last week's Harvest of Talents craft and bake sale revealed what a wide-ranging artistic community we have. Thank you all for sharing your creative gifts! Handmade berets, pillows, jewelry, wall-art, cosmetics, snacks, baked goods, wreaths, and even homemade Christmas trees -- a remarkable set of skills. And not surprisingly, most of the inventory was snatched up within a quick two hours, raising a total of $1,600 toward our Augustine Campaign.
God continues to grow our school in meaningful ways like this -- through both relationships and generous giving -- and as we approach Christmas and the end of our semester, let's pray for continued provision. To match our $30,000 grant, we must raise $12,750 in the next two weeks before December 17. Thank you for your generous gifts so far! Would you continue to consider who else might be interested in ACA's rich, biblical vision for education? Our vision-film is an excellent way to bless others outside our community, and to let them know what a great work we are doing for our children.
May we never forget God's power. He is loving, he is personally involved in each of our lives, and he will always bless us if we are faithful.
To Be Happy at Home
Thanksgiving is here at last. While few things compare to the glory of Christmas, Thanksgiving is a close second as far as I'm concerned, and I believe that's no mistake. Done right, giving thanks can't help but be potently meaningful down to our roots, or "in the deep heart's core," as Yeats said. I become more thoughtful at the beginning of the holiday season, as only seems natural, and given life's difficult obligations that we all share, I am glad to be forced into good solid rest. (Consuming a bird with soporific properties helps.) This reminds me of something C. S. Lewis said in his essay, "The Weight of Glory":
To be happy at home . . . is the end of all human endeavour. [We] must say that the sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal, or two friends talking over a pint of beer, or a man alone reading a book that interests him.
If we follow the argument all the way down to the end of the road, giving thanks is the whole point of life. Why are we educated? Why do we take degrees at the Ivies and nail down fast-paced jobs? Why do we bolster our LinkedIn connections and strategically restructure our financial portfolios? So that we can laugh together over a meal, take joy in our children, read a fat book, and drink in the gifts of life. So that we can give thanks, which is glorifying to God.
We breathe in, and so we must breathe out. We earn, and so we must spend. We gather up, and so we must scatter abroad. These are the God-given rhythms of life, and we are wise to follow them. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, may we set aside our work (and our homework) with peace and confidence. God is good, he holds out open hands of blessing to us, and asks us to eat.
Not Blind Lovers
"Love your enemies," Oscar Wilde once said. "Nothing annoys them so much."
Funny. But take a step back, outside the joke. If the motive is to annoy, it's not so much love at all, is it? Love takes on a cynical, underhanded role. Edgy and brooding. Like the oh-so-irresistible vampire Edward in Twilight.
Of course, this isn't love at all. God is Love (noun), and God loves perfectly (verb), but there are plenty of human perversions of love here on earth -- and this distinction is key for our students to get into their bones as they grow older and are exposed to more of the world.
On a human level, "to love" is not a universal good. "To hate" is not a universal evil. They are verbs, and their value depends on whatever direct objects they're attached to.
Experiment #1:
"I love my wife -- which is why I'm going to do the dishes for her, help with the kids, and buy her King Soopers flowers every other Tuesday."
"I love Fifty Shades of Grey, because I'm attracted to mysterious men whose passion for me makes them want to hurt me so bad."
Both people are loving something. And one of them has a problem that Jesus needs to fix.
Experiment #2:
"I hate her, you have no idea. Omg, she thinks she's so cute."
"I hate lies, I hate consuming lusts, and I pray that God would deliver me from their bondage."
Both people are hating something. And one of them is being godly about it.
As we teach our students at ACA, we want to show them how to make these kinds of basic distinctions. We want to show them how to love like God loves and hate what God hates. Every school subject is packed with controversy, and our children are constantly drawing conclusions about what to love and what to hate. We want them to be lovers -- because God is love -- but not blind lovers. Unless we are making constant, Scriptural distinctions both in the classroom and at home, our children will make no Scriptural decisions when they leave the home.
This, not that. Good, not evil. Sacrifice, not self-interest. Truth, not being cool. Joy, not sorrow.
And God will be faithful.
Our Cozy Time Machines
In the May 2014 issue of "Old Roads Magazine," my brother, a musicology graduate from Stanford University, wrote an article on traditional versus contemporary music, specifically in terms of how we sing in church, or how we teach music in our schools or homes. Like the old Microsoft/Apple debates, we enjoy taking sides. Bach or the Beatles? Mozart or Messiaen? Taverner or Taylor Swift? And sometimes, the more conservative among us can get pretty miffed that pop music is just going to the dogs and that these darn kids today don't even know who Beethoven was.
True. A big problem. But there's a bigger problem than bad music: and that's getting miffed about it. Instead, we should act. Specifically, we should counter bad music by composing quality music for today, and not just by putting Bach on playlist-repeat.
And more broadly (cue segue), we should embrace this action plan in classical education as a whole as we seek to transform the ills of our culture. Act, don't react. Create, don't retract.
Classical education easily and naturally retracts. Into the past it goes, like a turtle into its shell. And no wonder: we recognize the godless, cultural malaise our children face, we bemoan the abysmal math and literacy scores our nation regularly chokes up, and we therefore retreat to the Renaissance. We jump into our safe and cozy time machines and head for the pristine past. We teach Latin, logic, philosophy, and classical literature -- and then we expect our kids to positively influence culture today.
Ain't gonna happen. If we are living in the past, we'll alienate our kids (who can't help but live in the present, bless their hearts). Unless we bring the treasures of the past into the present, they will be useless. We must use the past as a tool for the future. We must teach our children to be creators in the present for today. We are created to create, and so we must teach our children to compose, write, research, solve, and discover for today's world. That is how they will best glorify God, and that is how classical Christian education will truly transform culture, one generation at a time.
[/av_textblock]