Rebuilding the Tower of Education
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe
Luke 14:28 (NKJV)
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.”
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.”
As we strive for improvement in our
educational system, I fear that many who desire change are trying to rebuild
the tower without counting the cost.
“Counting the cost” is more than determining the price. It is choosing the design, laying the
foundation, and determining the plan to complete it. Many who are striving valiantly for change
are struggling to move forward without determining how and why we want to rebuild
our tower.
We often have spoken against educational
programs without offering suggestions for improvement. We rightfully oppose “Common Core Curriculum”
because we understand that a “one size fits all” program of accountability
lacks both validity and reliability. But
what have we offered in its stead? We
should be asking ourselves, “How can both educators and students reasonably
demonstrate accountability?” In order to
find an answer for that question, we must begin by laying the foundation of our
tower.
We must first choose the
design. We choose that design by
defining what an “educated” person should be able to do and what values an
educated person should possess. I am not
Machiavellian. I do not believe that the
end justifies the means. However, I do believe
that the end should direct the means.
What kind of citizen do we want our
educational system to produce? This is
where we should begin. Yet, I rarely
hear this concept discussed. Keeping the
kind of citizenry he would like to encourage, Ron Paul has developed a
curriculum for home schooling. I am not
necessarily touting his program because I haven’t examined it fully. However, I am applauding his process.
First of all, he describes his end
product. “A
student who goes through this curriculum, kindergarten through high school,
will have a mastery of the foundations of liberty.” He then goes on to outline how his curriculum
will achieve that end by emphasizing liberty, responsibility, standards,
self-discipline and success. [1]
Those of us concerned about our educational
system can easily develop a similar process.
Below is a list of some of the qualities that I feel might describe an
“educated” person. I list these
qualities solely for the purpose of triggering the reader’s cognitive process.
An “educated” person is one who:
1. thinks critically
2. seeks for solutions
3. is morally responsible
4. makes positive contributions to the culture
5. participates
in the democratic process
6. can
communicate within the common culture
Once we have determined the
design, we must lay the foundation by determining specific age-appropriate
curriculum and activities that will lead toward our goal. We must remember that as culture changes,
education must often change to meet the needs of “now”.
Even though, because of the
diversity of our culture, it is no longer feasible to have prayer in school and
at school activities, we must stand firm in defending our right for
Christianity to be presented in a positive light in classrooms where comparative
belief systems are discussed. We must
defend that right by following the admonition of scripture that all things
should be done decently and in order. Again,
we must be proactive by offering solutions rather than by simply complaining
about the status quo.
Sometimes, we must ask “why”
something is no longer taught, why it is no longer considered relevant. Remember that often 21st century
educational needs are not the same as mid-20th century needs
were. For instance, nearly all students
in my age group learned “touch typing” on a qwerty keyboard. I like being able to type rapidly on my
computer keyboard. Yet, I am amazed to
see my grandchildren text just as rapidly with only their thumbs.
I must also remember that the qwerty keyboard
is not the only word processing keyboard available today. “Touch typing” is not taught as often today
because by the time most students are ready for business classes, they are already
messaging at a rate that makes it difficult for them to accept a more formal
method.
An area that I am
campaigning to maintain is the use of standardized writing conventions and
spellings in formal writing. Texting
symbols can be confusing. I also am
adamant about the indiscriminate use of initials and acronyms. For instance, diseases need names. Names enable us to understand what is
happening in our bodies. Rheumatoid
Arthritis means something; RA often does not. For a week, I watched news
programs about a government shut down before I learned that a CR was a “continuing
resolution”. It is the media and not the
educational system that is promoting this confusion. We stand against this type of language
deterioration when we refuse to use it.
When I asked people about
changes that they would like to see in our educational system, most were not
concerned about the type of citizens we should be developing. Several mentioned that they would like to see
cursive writing being taught in a more formal way. Cursive writing is good. It is important to have a readable signature
for legal documents. But should we spend
hours each week from third to sixth grade learning cursive? A few lessons
should be enough for a person to develop a legible signature.
As one who literally read well
over a thousand student papers each year for 40 years, I praise the Lord for
word processing. (For most of my career, I taught in a small high school and
then in a small community college. Think
of the instructors in large institutions.) In the early years of my teaching career, I struggled
with reading handwritten papers written by students who had practiced “correct”
cursive in their formative years. Even after
all that effort, few had easily legible penmanship. The worst offenders were the female students
who rounded each letter and dotted their i’s and j’s with hearts and
stars. During the last 15 years I
taught, I accepted no handwritten compositions.
Simply put, if you wonder
why something isn’t being taught today, ask an educator. If it is necessary to be taught, don’t wait
until the education system changes. Fill
in the gap. Teach your child to develop
a readable, legal-style signature. Make
sure that your student understands the importance of the democratic process and
the moral heritage of our nation.
Families and churches must teach our young people of the important
contributions Christianity has made both in the lives of individuals and
nations.
The final step is determining how we will
measure accountability. Remember: “Without counsel, plans go awry, But
in the multitude of counselors they are established.” Proverbs 15:22
(NKJV). As leaders in the educational reform movement, we must meet together prayfully
to determine solutions, directions and outcomes. We must have logical, achievable plans to
present to our local and state school boards. We need teamwork, and we need to
do our homework.
Pray:
▪ For God’s
people to press on toward
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14.)▪ For those involved in educational reform to write the vision and make it plain so that others can run with it. (Habakkuk 2:2-3.)
▪Continue to pray for and to bless educators and students
Act:
▪ Become involved in formulating solutions for bettering education in America.
▪ Purposely seek to fill in the gaps left by the public education system
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