Lindsey Ralls (Summit Christian Academy)
| Viridis,You are correct. While it’s helpful to understand the purpose of what you are doing as a classical teacher, it actually leads to more questions rather than answers. Now you find yourself asking ‘how’. How do you teach in a way that instructs your students to love what they ought to love and hate what they ought to hate? The good news is that you’re asking the right question. In the past decade or so, the classical movement has been intentional about focusing on the what of classical education, but not as much thought has gone into the practical side. As I mentioned in my first letter, the purpose (or you may hear other teachers and educators refer to this as the telos) is most definitely where we need to begin. But it can’t be where we end. Teachers (like yourself) need to know how to translate the what into practical methods that have teeth. How does the purpose translate into lesson plans, curriculum, classroom management, discipleship, and discipline? You mentioned in your previous letter that you have a son. When my own daughter was little she reached up to touch the hot stove but I quickly intervened by grabbing her hand. The allure of the shiny hot stove seems to be a right of passage, so maybe your own son has tried this same thing. My guess is that if he has, you responded in the same way that I did. I didn’t sit back and stay quiet, fearful that it wasn’t my place to interfere. I didn’t think, “I should say something, but I really need to finish these dishes right now and there simply isn’t time for me to stop him.” Of course I didn’t, that response would be ridiculous! There’s no question that whatever task I had going on at the time paled in comparison to keeping my daughter from the harm she was about to bring upon herself. The same is true in the classroom. So often, teachers shy away from having what I call the ‘hard conversations’. I know you’re hoping that your classroom of sixteen 7th graders will be full of angels, but at some point (usually around week four), those sixteen angels will start to feel more comfortable with one another (and with yourself). At some point, one of those little angels will make fun of another one. At some point, one of those little angels will roll their eyes and say something about their siblings, their parents, or another teacher. At some point, one of those little angels will put in the minimal effort on an assignment because they don’t see the point. This is when it’s important to have the hard conversations. As someone who’s taught before, I’m sure you’re aware of how easy it is to avoid those difficult conversations. It’s easier to pretend you didn’t hear the comment, or to give the student a low grade on the assignment without explaining why. Yes it’s easier, but it isn’t helping them to love what they ought to love and hate what they ought to hate. Take the time to have the hard conversations. Explain why you gave the low grade and explain why it’s important to work with excellence unto the Lord in all that we do. Explain why the comment wasn’t glorifying to God. It’s easy to gloss over these things for the sake of ‘getting through the curriculum’ and this might be the preference from your old administrator where you worked before. Remember though, that the purpose has changed. If the purpose of what you are doing is now to instruct them in what they ought to love and hate, then it’s worth it to take the time to have those difficult conversations. -Ratus |
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Practical Paideia 
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