Principles are always true, they apply in every situation, and careful thought and consideration, coupled with a deep understanding of history and classics (classics being defined as a work you can come to over and over and get something new each time) will make it clear to us what these principles are.
What is missing in the schools today is this realization that there actually are principles, and that they are self-evident, that there are things that are absolutely true and always apply. Instead students are taught that truth is relative. If something cannot be scientifically proven, it will not be allowed as truth.
What does it mean to say that something is self-evident? It does not mean that everyone will always agree on principles, or that everyone automatically knows these principles. What it does mean is that through careful observation, introspection and reflection, one can know truth. Classics help us do that.
One more thought on classics. When I say classics, most people think of some literary experts list. Though many books on such a list may be classic, that is not what I am talking about. Let me give you some examples of some classics in my life.
Books:
- The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
- The Walking Drum by Louis Lamour
- Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
- The Complete Book of Composting by J. I. Rodale and staff
- Diet for a New America by John Robbins
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
- Leadership and Self-deception by the Arbinger Institute
Movies:
- John Adams
- A Man for All Seasons
- Field of Dreams
- Gandhi
- The Patriot
- Braveheart
- Moby Dick (with Gregory Peck as Ahab)
Art
- The Greatest of All by Del Parson
- The Old Man Wept by Del Parson
- The Prayer at Valley Forge by Arnold Friberg
I have these and many more. I did not find these on a list somewhere. I was led to these one at a time because I pay attention when a title calls out to me. I (and everyone born on this earth) have an individual purpose in life, and when I pay attention I am led to the learning that prepares me to accomplish this purpose. Over the years I have been formed by these great works and relationships. These "CLASSICS" literally do something for me each time I put myself in a position to learn from them through meditation, introspection, and questioning.
Remember, some of the things that are classics for me may not be classics for you. We need to remember that for each student. To the extent that students are expected to meet blanket standards of conformity, they miss out on the opportunity to individualize their own list of classics. This is a tragedy.
What I Hope to Accomplish on the FNSBSD Board of Education
What I would like to accomplish on the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Board of Education:
Put Teachers First:
Teachers need to be free to inspire students to want to study and learn. To the extent teachers are hindered by policy and administration, they cannot inspire students to love learning. Current blanket policies and regulation force teachers, children and the district to conform to a distant, disinterested third party.
Give Parents Control of the School:
We need to decentralize power in the school district and give the schools back to the local communities. Lift borders and restrictions and allow parents and students to choose their school and their classrooms. The district currently spends almost $16,000 per student. Give that funding to each student and let it go to the schools and classrooms that attract those students.
Freedom Education:
The current school system produces obedient, compliant, security minded students who graduate looking for jobs and, increasingly, the jobs are not there. Without jobs, after twelve years of being told WHAT to think, they naturally turn to experts for handouts. On the other hand, individualized Leadership education produces leaders, thinkers, entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and statesmen who know HOW to think and will produce their own jobs.
Classics:
The problems we face today are different than anyone has encountered before, but the process of problem-solving is not. Students need individualized, mentored education, rooted in a deep understanding of history and the classics. Classics produce free individuals who can apply true principles in every situation.
Individualized Education:
Look into the eyes of a child and see if you don't believe that he or she was born to make a difference in the world. Students have a purpose, an individual mission in life for which they need to prepare. They need to be free to study, learn and excel according to their individual genius, with guidance from a mentor. The teachers, free to be mentors, inspire students to establish and execute individual educational goals.
Put Teachers First:
Teachers need to be free to inspire students to want to study and learn. To the extent teachers are hindered by policy and administration, they cannot inspire students to love learning. Current blanket policies and regulation force teachers, children and the district to conform to a distant, disinterested third party.
Give Parents Control of the School:
We need to decentralize power in the school district and give the schools back to the local communities. Lift borders and restrictions and allow parents and students to choose their school and their classrooms. The district currently spends almost $16,000 per student. Give that funding to each student and let it go to the schools and classrooms that attract those students.
Freedom Education:
The current school system produces obedient, compliant, security minded students who graduate looking for jobs and, increasingly, the jobs are not there. Without jobs, after twelve years of being told WHAT to think, they naturally turn to experts for handouts. On the other hand, individualized Leadership education produces leaders, thinkers, entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and statesmen who know HOW to think and will produce their own jobs.
Classics:
The problems we face today are different than anyone has encountered before, but the process of problem-solving is not. Students need individualized, mentored education, rooted in a deep understanding of history and the classics. Classics produce free individuals who can apply true principles in every situation.
Individualized Education:
Look into the eyes of a child and see if you don't believe that he or she was born to make a difference in the world. Students have a purpose, an individual mission in life for which they need to prepare. They need to be free to study, learn and excel according to their individual genius, with guidance from a mentor. The teachers, free to be mentors, inspire students to establish and execute individual educational goals.
Friday, October 1, 2010
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Just today I was thinking how I'd like to ask candidates if they believed in Moral Relativism or Absolute Principles. I think I'll use that question next time I have an opportunity at a future forum. :) I like your last two sentences.
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