Why Education? The End

This will be the final installment in the "Why Education?" series. You should know, I loath writing conclusions. (Note: I even loathe having a "final installment" in a series. I am not sure where this comes from. My issues with finality I'm sure will come up in therapy someday.) My hatred for writing them exceeds my hatred of pretty much any other task (except maybe flossing).

In college I would spend two hours writing a paper and four hours writing a conclusion. Or I would write the whole paper, try to write the conclusion, fail at the writing the conclusion, and then re-write the entire paper to fit whatever conclusion I had managed to piece together.

Very bad, I know. Shame, shame, shame, hisssssss, booooo.

Upon re-reading this particular conclusion from my senior year at Biola, I think it has a distinctly under-whelmed, ready-to-be-done-and-graduate-already tone, but I think the points are still valuable. And in it I also pull the old, "When you run out of things to say, fill the space with a Lewis quote."

Classic.

So on that note, what is the task of the Christian educator anyway?

Educators who have been bathed in the glory and beauty of Christ are able to understand reality in a way that those without Christ cannot hope to imagine. Followers of Jesus have access to Reality itself. Not only can Christian educators possess all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, we also have a secret weapon--- Christ Himself interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. If we believe the Bible is true, then we must take seriously its promises about the work of Christ on behalf of those who are His. Christian educators can provide students with the most robust understanding of what it means to be human and educated because we catch glimpses of the telos of every kind of education---Christ Himself. The responsibility, therefore, of a Christian educator goes far beyond what is expressed in any state or national standards.

To reclaim education, we must view our task in light of Scripture. This means not perpetuating the idea that a student is defined by his or her marketability or level of achievement. Every student is made in the image of God and has a place in His kingdom, regardless of ability. This eternal truth is the source of a student’s value—not his “human capital.” We must also have a proper understanding of truth and knowledge. Through revelation, reason, and through observing the physical world, we believe that we can have actual knowledge of reality. Truth exists and we can know it. We must understand, believe, and teach this.

Rather than view learning as an “indispensable investment required for success in the ‘information age’ we are entering,” let us must seek to develop passion for truth, goodness, and beauty in our students (NCEE, 1983). We have the task of teaching students what it means to flourish as human beings, to teach them the means of “right living.” Our call is ultimately to help students become more fully conformed to the image of Christ Himself. Much of this depends upon modeling a Christ-infused life—a life with meaning and joy. It requires hard work, patience, and the help of the Holy Spirit. The task is daunting, but the consequences are dire if we ignore our call. In the words of C. S. Lewis, “We all want progress . . . If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man” (Lewis, 1952, p. 28).

It's Great. Enough Said.

That is One Large Step.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this with the world. I found this in an essay I just graded . . .

"In my opinion, to be a hero in our culture is to be the one who has achieved a large step in the process of evolution. For example, Martin Luther King is the hero for all the African-Americans. Mr. King saved those African-Americans their rights, and he can also be considered a hero of religion because he separated the Christian and Catholic church, therefore he pointed out all the errors in the Catholic church."

Evolution is working wonders the likes of which Charles Darwin never dreamed!

Here MLK Jr.'s face shows what he thinks of being continually confused by high schoolers with Martin Luther of the Reformation.

The Old-fashioned ML seems equally as thrilled.

Death: Adversary or Friend?

I posed this journal question to my students:

"Is Death an adversary who must be defeated, or a friend and equal to be greeted with open arms?"

The question was based on Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale, and a quote from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book 7- which, conveniently was based on Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale). Here's the quote:

"You are the true master of Death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death. He accepts that he must die and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying (720)".

One of my students wrote a response that I found to be incredibly moving.

"Death, to me, is neither an enemy or a friend. Instead it could be described, if we consider Death to be a person, as someone I come in contact with on various occasions, but do not communicate with much.

He is someone who is close to me, but one who has never been able to touch me. His presence terrifies me, but it comes as no surprise because I know he is always near. If Death were my friend, I would not be afraid of him, but I cry every time he captures one of my loved ones. As happy of a person as I am, I cannot greet death with a smile, for he has brought me no happiness or affection; he has solely brought me pain.

He is always on my mind, and I fear him because I do not know him well. I know for a fact he is not my past or present, but sadly my future. He is the cause of my past griefs and present caution and worry, but still he has not touched me. Death does not want what is best for me, does not love me. He has nothing against me, but he cannot love me. In no way is he my friend, but his impact on me does not make him my adversary. He will knock at my door someday, but I must accept it."

I loved this response, and I thought of Paul's words to the Corinthians . . .

"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

The last enemy that will be abolished is death."

Why Education: Part 7: Turning Back the Wheels of "Progress"

TURNING BACK THE WHEELS OF PROGRESS

In the secular mindset, mankind is progressing towards a state of perfection. Many believe that every advance in science and technology brings man closer to complete dominance over nature (Lewis, 1943, p. 53). This view of humans as on their way to perfection through scientific advancement is the result of Darwin’s evolutionary theory and widespread rejection of the Christian notion of human sinfulness. This mindset has infiltrated educators, parents, students, and administrators. Science is king. Dorothy Sayers’ solution to the perils of modern education was to “turn back the wheel of progress some four or five hundred years, to the point at which education began to lose sight of its true object” (Sayers, 1947). Her hypothesis was that this would be the only means by which we might “ . . . produce a society of educated people, fitted to preserve their intellectual freedom amid the complex pressures of our modern society.” To progress from our current dismal state to a proper understanding of education, educational theory must once again be baptized into Christ. In Him are all the riches of knowledge to be found.

In order to recapture education from modern materialistic pilferers, Christians must first believe in the necessity of doing so. The stakes are high. The souls of future generations of Americans are at risk. If abandoned to modern education, students will fail to achieve their full potential as rational and spiritual human beings. Instead of experiencing the joys of a liberal education and learning to love goodness, truth, and beauty, students will be left calculating their personal human capital and market value and training to become a competent workers advancing the global economic position of the United States. As C. S. Lewis predicted,

. . . if man chooses to treat himself as raw material, raw material he will be: not raw material to be manipulated, as he fondly imagined, by himself, but by mere appetite, that is, mere Nature, in the person of his de-humanized Conditioners (Lewis, 1943, p. 72-73).

When a man allows other men to deny the reality of his soul, morality no longer regulates behavior and man is left with only his passions—greed, lust for power, and selfishness. The inevitable result is that the strongest will exert control over those who are weaker. Christian parents and educators must intervene, for the sake human dignity and freedom.

Perhaps the most significant step towards regaining a proper understanding of education is for Christian parents to take back their God-given responsibility to oversee the education of their children. Contemporary society has bombarded parents with propaganda to persuade them of their incompetence. The modern educational establishment in the United States perpetuates the notion that one must possess official certification to know what is best for children. If education is only about scientific knowledge of data, then of course, one must merely demonstrate a sufficient knowledge of “facts” to be qualified to educate. But if education is about instructing the whole person—intellectual, spiritual, emotional, moral—then knowledge in each of these realms is required to truly educate another human being. A college-educated, credential holding, government employee may possess knowledge of data, but may also be deficient spiritually or morally. State or federal certification is not sufficient to determine the ability of one to truly educate another.

Christian parents must not accept the lies of popular culture that attempt to convince them of their ineptitude to care for their own children. God instructs parents, not the government, to be responsible for the proper upbringing of children. Christian parents need to understand the purpose of their child’s education as teaching them to love what is good and hate what is evil. Education is to develop students’ ability to discern what is real. This does not mean that parents must homeschool. It does not even mean that parents must place their children in Christian schools. It simply means that parents need to have a mindset that ultimately, the education of their children is no one else's responsibility but their own. Parents can certainly partner with teachers and administrators to provide their children with the best education possible. One way in which parents can help their children is to model a love of learning in the home. Parents who read, discuss, and model a passion for truth for their children will provide a powerful example of the life of an educated person. Parents taking active roles in the education of their children is the most essential element affecting the revival of true education.

"Mo Money, Mo Problems"

Sorry once again for an unfortunate song reference. Actually, now that I think about it, "Mo Money, Mo Problems" featuring the Notorious B.I.G, Mase, and my personal favorite, Puff Daddy, is pretty spectacular, so never mind, I retract that apology.

From the “Nation at Risk” document to No Child Left Behind—economics is now the driving force behind education. Henry M. Levin, an economist and educator from Stanford University, states in his article An Economist’s View of Educational Standards, “ . . . I believe that any fair reading of the recent history of educational standards will see an economic rationale as the most explicit contention” (1997). The rationale for standards—in the modern mindset—is simple. Standardization maximizes efficiency.

Modern education is concerned with the highest rate of production from the lowest amount of investment. Secular institutions today aim for a greater number of students shuffled through the educational machine at a low cost to the government. Standardizing the “educational product” makes it a less-complex good, which streamlines transference of the product (Loomis, 2007). According to Wheaton College professor Dr. Steven Loomis,

By abstracting the individuality of the student into a singular quantity, labeled a full-time equivalent student or average daily attendant, and then combining that with other quantifiable inputs such as numbers of classrooms and textbooks, scientific management of education proceeds to create a planned production function that yields significant improvements in school production (2007, p. 7-8).

If the educational product can be scientifically quantified through standardization, it can be efficiently distributed to a greater number of people. In this mindset, education must inevitably be reduced to memorized facts and technical skills—that which can be measured, weighed, and calculated. The more standardized the product, the easier it is to exchange it. It is a pragmatic view, concerned with objective “results.” The virtuosity of a soul cannot be assessed on a “scantron,” but the ability to remember the fifty states and their capitals can be. Modern education seeks to impart quantifiable data and skills to enact tangible improvement in economic conditions.

This economic motivation in education is not hidden, but is explicitly stated in official government documents. The California State Science Framework, adopted in 2004, says in the introduction,

Educators have the opportunity to foster and inspire in students an interest in science; the goal is to have students gain the knowledge and skills necessary for California’s workforce to be competitive in the global, information-based economy of the twenty-first century (p. 2).

The government is not interested in students learning about science in order to expand their minds or to develop a love for God’s creation—it is concerned with the bottom line. If knowledge of science will enable students to help the nation compete economically, then the students should learn science. In this mindset, the good of the individual child is subservient to the good of society. Educating children is a means of perpetuating the financial well-being of American citizens.

Within modern educational philosophy, a more educated person possesses more “human capital” and is therefore, more valuable to society. Modern educators attempt to use this idea to motivate their students to diligence in their studies. Instead, they reveal the shallow, unfulfilling, and transitory nature of modern educational philosophies and practices, fueled by economics. This materialistic motivation fails to satiate students who are searching for purpose and meaning, and it is ineffective in motivating students to perform well in school, as evidenced by the United States’ less than stellar test scores.

The modern educator who views education a product that can be quantifiably standardized and measured holds beliefs about truth, knowledge, education and human nature that are diametrically opposed to Christianity. Truth—in the modern mindset—if it exists, is known solely through science and observable, testable data. This explains the focus in many universities on development of the “hard sciences,” while diminishing the role of the humanities. In the modern mindset, science is the only reliable field to provide true knowledge of facts. This new dependence upon empirical evidence as the only source of truth is a result of the Enlightenment, from writers like John Locke and David Hume. Locke described science as the most plausible means of explaining the physical world, and Hume believed that knowledge could only come through experiences. The influence of Locke and Hume on modern educational philosophy can be seen in the modern dependence upon scientific, quantifiable data for truth. This reliance upon the measurable is displayed in contemporary assessment methods.

When assessment is comprised of batteries of multiple-choice tests that merely require students to regurgitate memorized “facts,” the implication is that this is the only way to truly measure knowledge. This shrinks knowledge into that which is quantifiable, as opposed to the more holistic, traditional view of knowledge—requiring logic skills and revelation from God. This downsizing of what constitutes knowledge contains an inherent philosophical assumption regarding the nature of human persons. It emphasizes the physical, biological aspects of students, and ignores the spiritual and meta-physical. Human beings become “complex groupings of cells” that can be explained by natural phenomena. This way of thinking about human beings is incomplete. It is unsatisfying and antithetical to Christianity.

These modern assumptions regarding truth, knowledge, and human nature that provide the foundation for the modern educational standards movement have transformed modern education. Those who perpetuate these beliefs have relegated knowledge of facts to only that which can be objectively tested. They have denied the necessity for spiritual, emotional, and moral education of students. They have let greed and materialism dictate educational methodology. Christian parents and educators must be aware of the implications of modern education philosophy for their children and students. When followers of Christ become willing to battle the secularism that is crippling the souls of American students, there can be a revival of holistic education that teaches students to “ . . . know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love Him . . .” (Milton, 1644).

Books and Soul Fatigue

I just finished the fantastic Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner. The title is deceptive; it's not a teenage girl book about wanting to be beautiful and avoiding eating disorders. It is a deep, smart, honest, engaging work. You know that feeling you get when you have found a good book? It is so weird. It's like, you resent having to go to work, having to talk to people, having to do menial tasks, having to sleep or eat . . . basically anything that takes you away from the book.

It's kind of like when you discover one of those songs that you have to put on "repeat" and you can't wait to get in your car so you can listen to it blaring with the windows rolled down; or in a small way it's like being in love because everything else in your life slides into the background and seems boring except for the guy; or in an even smaller way it's like going through one of those times when you remember what it really means to be a Christian and you feel thrilled to be alive and known by God and you just want to be with Him all the time. You're suddenly focused and intent on that one thing or person and nothing else matters for about two weeks.

It is strange that this phenomenon happens and then it is also strange that it fades so quickly. Or maybe it's not that it fades, but it's that our hearts are too weak to feel fully alive for too long of a stretch at one time? But if we are made for eternity, then why would we tire of getting glimpses of it?

I'm interpreting these experiences of intense, singular devotion/obsession to books, music, guys, whatever, to be little tastes of what it would be like if we let Christ invade our lives and turn us from little tin soldiers into living breathing human beings (as Lewis says), but we can't handle Him, or we're afraid of Him, so we busy ourselves looking for the cheap (but still very enjoyable) thrills of art and love and other things. Maybe it's not that and it's really something else, but the interpretation I have now seems to make sense, so I'll stick with it for the moment.

That's why I think I get like that . . . totally absorbed into something for a few weeks. I like the feeling and I trick myself into thinking it's the real thing, when it's just something pointing to the real thing.

It is really fun to enter this tunnel vision world though, and the purpose of this blog was originally just to say I really like Lauren Winner's book, but I started to think about how weird it is that this evens happens. So . . . Girl Meets God. Great stuff! :)