[There is] a common trap we encounter when we transition from an old medium to a new one. We tend to want the new medium to mimic the old one and judge the new in light of the old. What we fail to account for are the ways in which the new is superior, in which the new is something entirely new. When cars were first invented, people called them "horseless carriages” and judged them in light of the horse and carriage. But over time they proved their superiority and we forgot all about that older technology. We stopped thinking about the new technology in reference to the old.*
Good point. But I had to think: How might this principle apply to education? Are the modern forms of education superior? Do we need to stop judging education today in reference to past forms? Are we foolishly clinging to an outmoded classical form of education?
Well, in short, the answer is No! Education is not the same as technology; they are as different as humans are to robots. To extend the principle to education would be violating one of the rules of logic that our students learn: the false analogy. Technology does change, but effective education fundamentally does not change. Why? Because human nature does not change. We are God’s perfect design in creation. Through millennia of human experience, we have discerned tried-and-true methods of education that match the development of children. And modern research, properly done and understood, is only validating these long-held convictions. That is why classical education was embraced by Reformation-era Christians, how it thrived for centuries, and why it still enables our students to thrive today.
When it comes to education, we are dealing with the life of the mind and human nature. We’re not dealing with something “entirely new” like an automobile or iPhone. Yet, that is often how educational programs and philosophies are presented. As Headmaster of a classical Christian school, I benefit from a firm foundation for education. Our time-tested philosophy, and the community of schools like ours, affords me a great deal of clarity and confidence in face of mounting confusion, propaganda, and agendas. Educators are bombarded with new programs that take some limited success and then extrapolate it to grand promises. And, frankly, much of it is a simple repackaging of older ideas. But, here’s where we benefit: no matter what the modern world might say about project-based learning, Common-Core, the flipped classroom, blended learning, International Baccalaureate, etc., we have the privilege of taking something new and judging it in light of the tried-and-true.
There is a timeless quality to classical education that rests on human nature, the way God wired us for improving our minds, affecting our wills, and shaping our hearts.
In Christ,
Stephen Sprague
Headmaster
*Challies, Tim. "Going All-in with EBooks", January 20, 2016.