ACT, SAT, TGB

I don't know a family that isn't aware of the ACT (American College Test) and SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) which are "standardized" tests and presumed to be a measure of college readiness. Tests such as the ACT and SAT are genuinely helpful if one really is assessing college readiness in certain basic disciplines (the operative concept). The ACT folks say as much in their literature.

Such tests are acceptable servants if skill assessment is all that is in view. They are often used, however, as discrimination tests for college entry;competitive measures of suitabilityand deservedness. In other words, "Who do we let in?" and "Who do we give the money to?" For the unwary student or parent, these can become unmerciful masters that dictate and drive one's view of the purpose, expected outcomes, and "usefulness" of education. After all, there are worldview implications in what questions are included and what are excluded. Thus the test dictates the presumed expectations.

As Christians, we are compelled to use a more demanding and discriminating measure of readiness for our students who are completing high school. The ACT or SAT are okay enough for their limited purpose, but over and above these we ought to use TGB. TGB is a measure that extends well beyond college and into real life, because in addition to the academic endeavor, it assesses the quality of business effectiveness, science effectiveness, as well as readiness in fine arts, leisure, medicine, public policy and everything else we touch.

TGB stands for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. These are the objectives of a Classical Christian education. These qualities are to be learned, embraced and infused into the life of every teacher and student. To restate what Robert Maynard Hutchins has said so well in The Great Conversation, “The aim of liberal education is human excellence, both private and public. Its object is the excellence of man as man and man as citizen. It regards man as an end, not as a means, and it regards the ends of life, and not the means to it." The ends of life are TGB. TGB is the measure of human excellence.

We must not treat Truth, Goodness and Beauty as abstract concepts, but as qualities permeating everything we are as human beings and carried into every arena of our calling. This is a complex dynamic since as human persons we are intricate and complex creatures who interact with one another in intricate and complex ways. Truth, goodness and beauty are discerned and then built into our character, perceptions, thought life, all our relationships, service and leadership. We then carry them as individuals into our families, churches and communities. Family, church and community, as little societies influenced by individuals, bring truth, goodness and beauty to one another.

It is ever the goal of Classical Christian education to bring this, along with the skills of learning and thinking, to the forefront, which is why we cannot ever explain what we do in a sound bite. Irrespective of how high an SAT or ACT might be, to the degree that our education fails to instill TGB, we fail everywhere else that's important.

Confirmations

This morning I was given double joy in the work we do at Wildwood.

First, I had the privilege to spend about half an hour in face-to-face conversation with Dr. Robert Littlejohn, co-author of Wisdom And Eloquence, which the staff is reading this semester. He was one of the speakers at the Educational Policy Conference hosted annually by the Constitutional Coalition and held here in St. Louis. Most of my questions centered around Classical education and Science, since this is of perennial interest in Classical Education circles. As a side bar, he is associated with Trinity Academy located in an industrial research triangle in North Carolina. He asserted the practical appropriateness and desirability of Classical method in high school Science education to the needs of his region. His accounts were a much needed affirmation for an old science-type like me. I'll share much more on this in future posts.

In the course of the discussion, Dr. Littlejohn reinforced the Classical Christian worldview approach that Wildwood adopted at it's founding. He confirmed the need to define the endpoint of the educational process, hold true to that goal, and include in the curriculum those things that get you to that goal irrespective of whether or not they fit with standardized assessments. In our case, the endpoint of vigorous thinking skills, upright character, practical wisdom in every endeavor, Biblical stability and the ability to communicate them all effectively should clearly drive everything else we do.

The second confirmation was a delightful and unlooked for surprise. While waiting for my meeting with Dr. Littlejohn, I was approached by Wildwood alum Blake Bachman (2005) who recently graduated from Taylor University. She had just recently landed a position in town as the St. Louis - Washington D.C. communications director for a local political organization. She is perfect for the position to which she will be able to apply all her thinking and communication skills. Congratulations, Blake! It's good to see former Wildwood students step into their calling.

Wisdom and Eloquence

This blog title has been borrowed from a book of the same name by Robert Littlejohn and Charles Evans. It is a phrase that sums up what I believe we are doing at Wildwood. Every time you log onto the Headmaster's blog, I want you to see that what we want for your student is wisdom and eloquence.

The question that we as a staff always ask is: When we are done with our work, what should the finished "product" look like? What is it that we want for each student who comes through our program?

For any who think this results in "cookie-cutter students" you must remember that the question comes in the context of the image-bearing character of each individual, and in the context of Christian convictions. Each student must be permitted his unique interests and abilities while at the same time receiving the time tested tools of thinking and learning. Irrespective of his degree of skill he must be aided in his acquisition of wisdom and eloquence and aided in his application of these in his calling.

Wisdom and eloquence come with much exercise of looking at the world through a Biblical perspective. Because a worldview is a network of presuppositions about life and how we engage it, the student must be taught to discern what the basic presuppositions are in nearly every field of study. Doing this at the high school level is only a beginning, however. In the words of others: when the student finishes here, it's not the finish line, it's the starter's gun.

In eleven years of operation, we have seen such an outcome in dozens of students. If wisdom and eloquence is the desire, for all involved, teachers, staff, parents and students, it has been a worthy pursuit.

Home Run! ... sort of ...

(originally posted November 3, 2009)

Yesterday we played wiffle ball. Students, teachers and administrators. We simply stopped classes and went outside in the sunshine to enjoy the afternoon and one another. What a pick day! We could not have asked for anything better.

Now mind you, we don't do this often, but it will usually take place once a semester. One could almost sense the outpouring of jealousy from the occupants of the school buses that zipped by on the state road above our play field.

What was fun is that you cannot take wiffle ball seriously. First, it's almost impossible to pitch a wiffle ball with any consistency. The slightest breeze will carry it into the next county. Second, no degree of baseball skill aids in batting. The poorest batter can get a great hit and the one who swings hardest can wiff his way into a quick out. I mean, did anybody see my second At Bat? ... sad ... Finally, age and athleticism are irrelevant. All one needs is a good attitude and a willingness to miss the pitch for the sake of the fun; our prime example being Mr. Morris with Josh G as his pinch runner!

Aside from who got how many runs, the most important outcome was community. We work hard at Wildwood. We spend hours reading and writing and wrestling with ideas and giving presentations on the work we have done. But we also play, because in Christ, we weren't saved to be labor slaves. G.K. Chesterton claims, "The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground." In Christ, alienation is removed and we are restored to enjoy God and the delight of one another's company.

Hitting a wiffle ball ( ... or trying to... ) can be as much Christian education as hitting the books.

Know What You Want - Part 2

(original post October 1, 2009)

What is it that we should most desire for our children in their education?
As Christians we must always be careful to take our cue from the Bible and not simply take the easy or seemingly attractive path. We are people who live in the world and must make our way in the world, but our thought life and motivations should always be drawn from a heavenly realm. We are not to adopt the world's ways. In the words of one sage, "Only dead fish swim with the stream."

So what do we want? A few verses of Scripture will help chart the course here. "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?"(Matthew 16:26) "We will tell the next generation the wonderful deeds of the Lord." (Psalm 78:4) "He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." (1 Sam 2:26, Luke 2:52) "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8) "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, nor the strong man of his might, nor the rich man of his riches. But let him who boasts boast that he knows me, a God of lovingkindness, righteousness and justice." (Jer. 9:23,24)

From these let me suggest an educational target for parents. At the end of his training, the student should have gained in wisdom and be cultivating a heart of wisdom, which includes having fundamental skills to make his way in the world. He should know himself and he should know God in the way a good friend is known, which is more than simply accepting that God exists, but includes being able to articulate particulars about Him and His ways. The student, on finishing his education, should be able to discern the ideas that are presented to him, to assess them, and accept or reject those through the grid of truth. He should be able to stand in Christ, undistracted from eternal things by wealth, fame, power and what C.S. Lewis calls the Inner Ring. Finally, he should see his gifts, strengths and abilities as tools for blessing others and for moving the boundaries of Christ's kingdom forward.

If this is the educational trajectory chosen for a student then Math, Science, Literature, History, Reading and Writing will fall into place. And if you don't mind my saying so, this is where a Christian Classical education is most beneficial.

Classical Auto Repair

(original post: September 19, 2009)

How many classical teachers does it take to change an auto battery terminal clamp?

Mr. Watson's car started acting up on Thursday as he was coming to school, so he left it at BreadCo and came in for classes. At lunch, Mr. Watson and Mr. Colvard went back to see what they could do to get the car started. The jumper cables didn't quite reach between the batteries and they couldn't get closer because of the lunchtime traffic so they returned to school being very responsible about teaching their classes.

After school Watson, Colvard and I returned to BreadCo to somehow make the car work. We thought about inviting Heckel along but we couldn't find him. When we arrived, we didn't have a truly proper set of tools for this but were willing to use what was available to help out a beleagured colleague; after all, we're classical teachers, we're versatile. So with a Phillips head screw driver, a pair of sheet metal cutters and a crescent wrench we did what we could to clean the battery terminal and hammer the clamp into temporary position (while crossing our fingers behind our backs). The car started enough to get to an auto parts store.

Upon arrival at the auto parts store, we immediately dove into a conversation about the merits of different styles of battery clamps. Seriously, you can't just buy anything; there has to be a functionality and an aesthetic to this; even if it's going to be hidden under the hood. Once the replacement terminal clamp was purchased, we used our mongrel tool kit to install it. What a sight! Three geeks in ties (two of them in bowties) under the hood of the car in the auto parts parking lot, each with a worldview opinion on what was to be done, wrestling with one little wire using sheet metal cutters and a crescent wrench. One was holding the clamp, one was clamping the old terminal and one was shaking his head in doubt of success. A small crowd of shadetree mechanics gathered inside the autoparts store to watch through the windows. I suspect they were waiting for sparks to fly out from under the hood and light someone's bowtie on fire.

It shouldn't have, but it took us twenty minutes to finish the job (and we thought we heard laughter from inside the store). Our collaborative efforts paid off somewhat as we experienced something akin to success and all without getting grease or dirt on our shirts. Smiling, Mr. Watson drove away in confidence that his car would behave properly.

So, how many classical teachers does it take to change an auto battery terminal clamp?

Apparently ... at least three.

Parents ... Know What You Want

(originally posted August 20, 2009)

“Train up a child in the way he would go and even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6.

Many of us rely upon this proverb as a promise of fruitfulness in our children’s lives provided we are faithful to teach them the word of God. It is a “truism” and not a promise, and it actually speaks to a much larger matter than hopefulness of salvation security. What the proverb really says is, “Train a child according to his bent and he will always be bent that direction.” Let a tree grow bent and guess what? … when it is mature and full grown, it is permanently bent.

One of the greatest dangers in our “choice-is-the-highest-virtue” culture is that we will choose merely by our desires and preferences, and not necessarily by what is best. This is especially the case with teens. I DO believe that they are "adult's-becoming" and that as Christians they have the Holy Spirit. But since when have they become wise enough to know what is best for them? They have no experience, minimal knowledge, limited exposure to the real demands of life, half-cultivated wisdom, and a plethora of partially-managed desires. If allowed to make their decisions based upon “what they prefer”, they will usually choose something convenient or pleasurable having the short-term in view.

This is precisely why Christian parents need to know decisively what they want for their children. Life shaping decisions, and particularly educational decisions, need to be directed and governed by parents who have a goal that reaches beyond the immediate pleasure or pain, likes or dislikes. Young people seem to be most strongly influenced by TV, movies, music and their friends. When asked what they want to do for school, it is the rare teen who will tell you he wants to do hard things. What they tell you will most likely be what seems easiest or what their friends think is desirable, but they will not likely tell you they want a curriculum that is difficult, demanding, sometimes elusive or contrary to their fallen nature. Yet that is the kind of education that works on and bends the soul in a direction which is useful to God.

When parents make education decisions based upon what is making their children happy, ultimately their children will neither be happy nor trained up in the way they SHOULD go. Parents ... know what you want, why you want it, and then stay the course.