SCHOLAR’S FORUM
Flying the Colors of Re-Accreditation
As you may or may not be aware, ten days ago, Petra Academy welcomed three headmasters representing the Association of Classical and Christian Schools as part of our 5-year accreditation inspection. The primary purpose of this two-and-a-half day on-site visit was to verify our self-study (which was a year in the making and culminated in over a thousand pages of written documentation covering every policy and practice we have) to determine the accuracy of it reflecting the school’s programs and ministry.
The objectives for the accreditation on-site visit were for the committee to provide for the ACCS Board a final report that addresses every aspect of our school’s program, ensure that our self-study was objective and accurate, and evaluate whether our school was in violation of any ACCS standard, which are quite stringent. We also benefited by having three headmasters far more experienced than myself bring an outside perspective and provide commendations of our strengths and recommendations on ways we might improve.
The good news? By God’s grace and the dedicated work of our faculty and staff, we came through our accreditation visit with flying colors. I won’t go into the details (though I’m happy to speak more with you about them as you have questions), but suffice it to say that the committee found no discrepancies between what we said we are doing and what we are actually doing, and they have unanimously and enthusiastically recommended us to the ACCS Board for another 5-year re-accreditation.
I share this with you not to pat ourselves on the back, but simply to say that, while we are not a perfect school, we are a progressing one – made up of flawed people passionately committed to excellence in classical Christian education, for the flourishing of humanity and the renown of Jesus the Christ as our mission states. Thank you for supporting our little school, and thank you for your prayers on our behalf as we labor to see every student at Petra Academy grow up to live a purposeful, godly life.
Accreditation & Our “Best Behavior”
When our girls were younger and we were invited to another family’s house for dinner, Megan and I made it a point not to give them the “be on your best behavior” talk before getting out of the minivan. The reason? We didn’t want to suggest that there should be a difference between how they acted with us and how they acted when they were with others.
Last week, I shared this story with our secondary students while telling them about our upcoming Association of Classical and Christian Schools accreditation visit this Wednesday and Thursday. To be sure, I said, the visit is an important one, as our next 5-year accreditation is on the line. But (as I also said), I wasn’t asking the students to “be on their best behavior” or pretend to be something they – we – aren’t, because who they – we – are will be enough.
It will be enough because of what God has done and is doing in our midst as a community. As Headmaster, I’m aware of plenty of faults and flaws (including our/my own) at Petra, not to mention a variety of broken hearts and hard situations (many of them having little to do with the school) within our little community. As a school with 211 students from 140 families, it can sometimes seem that we have more issues than National Geographic, which isn’t true (National Geographic has been around for a long time), but the challenges weigh heavily nonetheless.
That’s when I find myself most grateful for the first phrase of our mission statement (“Recognizing our need for God’s grace…”), as well as the fact that an increasing number in our community are choosing to embrace and function by our relational covenant (“believe the best in one another, stand shoulder to shoulder, talk to and not about one another”). It’s never easy to admit falling short, but it’s easier to talk about when it’s for the purpose of improving.
The Scriptures remind us that God blesses such attempts: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) Perhaps like you, I’m grateful for this promise of progress.
As I’ve said plenty of times before, we’re not a perfect school, but we are a progressing one that seeks and acts to improve and get better. I believe this week’s upcoming accreditation visit will prove this out, and I’m glad for the committee to get to know us (warts and all), so they might see God’s grace at work in the midst of our great need for it.
I’m also glad for the chance to learn from other headmasters carrying on good classical Christian education work around the country (after all, there aren’t a lot of ACCS schools here in Montana). I trust parents will take the initiative to greet our guests on Wednesday and Thursday, rolling out the Montana welcome wagon and letting them know we’re glad they’re here.
Thanks for being at Petra, and thanks for including and enabling our family to be so as well. I’m grateful to lead our imperfect but improving school and look forward to what we all will learn from this week.
The Reviews Are In!
Just three more days until the curtain opens on Petra’s production of Meet Me in St. Louis and the critics* are loving it! One reviewer wrote:
Meet Me in St. Louis is filled with some of the best actors. These actors take you right into the Smiths’ living room in 1904…The cast has been so great from the first day to the day of performance. This play is filled with great dancers and singers…
Indeed, she (more or less) hit the nail on the head: the cast has been hard at work for the past two months crafting a brilliant performance that highlights more than just the superb acting talents of our students, but their dance and singing abilities as well.
Another reviewer was impressed by the ambitiousness of the production and the amount of work that the student actors put into a performance. I was especially happy to read what this particular reviewer attributed to being part of the students’ success:
Meet Me in St. Louis is a great opportunity for the secondary kids to learn what goes into performing. Performing in a play is a lot [of work], but these students have great attitudes and perseverance.
This year’s production includes more than just student actors, though; the set construction, costuming, stage management, and running lights and sound has been and is handled largely by students. We even have student choreography and piano accompaniment provided by our kids.
Yet another reviewer was surprised to hear how many seats were still open and wrote:
Meet Me in St. Louis is a musical [treat] that expresses laughter, sorrow, and romance. With all the hard work the students have put in – from just beginning to memorize their lines, to putting on an amazing performance – this is a play that the whole family will enjoy…If you and your family are looking for a fun and exciting night at Petra Academy, I highly encourage this play…
So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets today to come see Meet Me in St. Louis! Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m., with an additional Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
(*Critical reviews supplied by fifth graders Anya Bentz and Auna Flohr, and third grader Ava Flohr, all of whom have seen the majority of the rehearsal process from the first weeks and still want to come watch the show. Thanks, ladies!)
Re-Enrolling at Petra: Four Considerations
Perhaps you read the news last month of the demise of the Pioneer Cabin Tree, the great Sequoia “tunnel tree” in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, 90 miles east of Sacramento. When I read the story, I found myself wondering why the tree’s collapse seemed so surprising to so many: take a tree and cut out two-thirds of its trunk, and what does one expect will happen when high rains and floodwaters come?
We shouldn’t miss the metaphor as it relates to education. Up until the end of the 19th century, the “trunk” of an American student’s tutelage was the teaching of humility and character, logic and reason, writing and rhetoric – all with a particular moral end in mind. This was the education of our first Presidents and many of those who laid and built upon the early foundations of our nation.
Today, however, our school systems have reduced learning to a pragmatic pursuit of a job. Progressives like John Dewey and others essentially cut out the heart of true education – of “paideia,” the raising and enculturation of a moral and ethical civilization – opting instead for a gutted tourist stop along the way to employment.
Granted, one can argue that a good education is always useful, but it is also true that a useful education is not always good. Henry T. Edmondson III, writing in his book John Dewey and the Decline of American Education, clarifies:
Aristotle criticizes the education of the Spartans precisely because their education was directed only toward ‘necessary and useful things,’ with little regard for what is ‘noble.’ In this light, it is notable that although historians grant the Spartans the respect they are due for their martial discipline, the same historians also note that the Spartans left no philosophical, literary, or political legacy, unlike their Athenian rivals.
Here we have a paradox: In making utility the chief goal of education, we sacrifice much of its usefulness. A merely utilitarian education is largely ineffectual precisely because it does not seek to make a student good, or at least to teach him what is good, or even to provide him with those principles that guide good behavior – all of which qualities are essential aspects of true utility. (p. 80)
What’s a solution? Edmondson references Plato:
Plato explains that the central thrust of education must be to cultivate intellectual and moral virtue because ‘virtue…would be a certain health, beauty, and good condition of the soul’; without an education directed to the soul, the student will be left with ‘vice’ which is a ‘sickness, ugliness and weakness’ of the soul. (p. 82)
When was the last time “the central thrust of education to cultivate intellectual and moral virtue” was the discussion at the local, state, or national levels concerning our country’s education departments? When was the last time truth, goodness, and beauty (instead of just how our student(s) did on the latest test) was the topic at our own kitchen tables?
Later this week, re-enrollment opens exclusively for current Petra families. Obviously, we would love for 100% of our student body to re-enroll for next year. What will be your family’s parameters for deciding whether to return in 2017-18? Here are four I sometimes hear from parents, along with a few thoughts for rumination:
1) Grades. One consideration may be whether a student is making A’s (straight or otherwise), but let’s avoid setting up that idol – in our kids’ hearts or in our own – as a goal for their education. So many student issues (now and later) stem from a preoccupation with grades, and I find that nine times out of ten, when a student is so preoccupied, it is because her parents are as well. Grades can be a motivator, sure, as well as a means to evaluate some degree of mastery, yes, but (to paraphrase Mark 8:36), “…what does it profit a student to gain straight A’s and forfeit his soul?” After all, in the words of author Walker Percy, “You can get all A’s and still flunk life.”
2) Workload. Another consideration is workload. As a parent, none of us enjoys seeing our kids struggle, but nothing teaches students perseverance and work ethic more than having to get over a high bar (and Petra’s is one of the highest at every grade). If there is an epidemic in 21st-century parenting, it is giving into the temptation and tendency to intervene rather than coach, to teach to avoid struggle rather than lean into and work through it. And yet, those who trust the process and persevere (even and at times with tears) eventually join the ranks of those who take great satisfaction in having worked hard to accomplish something great. To graduate from Petra is not easy, but I have yet to meet an alumnus who regrets having done the work to do so.
3) Impact on family life. A third re-enrollment consideration is the impact on family life, for as I tell interested parents on our Tours on Thursdays, if we’re not being impacted at home, something’s wrong. Classical Christian education is not something to be compartmentalized and left at school over the weekend. It comes home with our students on a daily basis in the form of questions and answers about what is true, good, and beautiful; it makes observations about our lifestyles and calls into question our liturgies. Because so few of us were raised with classical Christian education as children ourselves, it pushes us as parents to humbly learn alongside our students all the things we were never taught, reinforcing or retarding a love of learning in our students, depending on our attitudes.
4) Cost. A final consideration is financial: can we afford to send our student(s) to Petra? Petra is not cheap (though I’m also told by parents with private education experience elsewhere that Petra is a “steal,” particularly in a place like Bozeman), and while we in Montana have a choice of where to send our kids to school, we certainly do not have financial incentive to choose apart from the “free” government school system we all support with our tax dollars (I wrote about this at some length here). Sometimes it’s hard not to just give in and give up our kids to a school that we’re already paying for, telling ourselves we’ll deal with whatever comes up morally, emotionally, or spiritually with our student(s), all the while hoping for the best academically.
But perhaps a better question is this: can we afford not to send our student(s) to Petra? Where else in Bozeman are elementary, middle school, and high school students intentionally and unapologetically taught virtue and character by learning the basics of language (ancient and modern), reading the greatest books of literature, searching the lessons and ideas of history and philosophy, engaging in the mysteries of the sciences and mathematics, training in logical thinking and rhetorical expression, and participating in athletics and the making of art (dramatic, visual, or musical) – and all with and from a classical Christian worldview modeled and delivered by a caring faculty and staff?
When re-enrollment opens later this week, I hope you’ll give thought to these four considerations. Make no mistake: we want your family excited about the benefits of classical Christian education and back at Petra next year. We also want you to rest assured that, after 21 years, we know who we are and want to be as a school, and this identity – this trunk of our tree – is one we have no intention of hollowing out. Our mission:
We invite you to join us as part of it again next year.
Rhetoric Speed Arguments: Comic Books as Literature?
Teachers usually encourage students to prepare thoroughly for final exams so that when students arrive to class on exam day, they are ready to demonstrate their full knowledge of course material. However, this year’s seniors in Rhetoric 2 were told they could not prepare for their final exam. Instead, they showed up to class on exam day, chose a topic from a previously uncirculated list, had 45 minutes to write out a full argument fleshing out their position and supporting reasons, and then were graded on oral deliveries of these speed arguments along with their content.
All of the seniors passed with flying colors – a testament to their consistent growth as thinkers, writers, and speakers over the last two years as they have been challenged in humanities, rhetoric, and other aspects of academic life at Petra. This week, we share with you the three most stellar arguments, ending with senior Maddie Dunham.
Are comic books literature? On what level should we interact with them? Should we engage them as we do work of literature by authors like Steinbeck, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth?
In our culture today, media and entertainment co-rule as king. Gone are the days when most of the population would pick up a book and take quiet time to read it. Now, many kids, teenagers, and adults constantly turn on their devices such as an ipad or laptop or phone and spend hours on games, Netflix, social media, etcetera. We live in a world that is based on entertainment.
This idea of entertainment is not just centered around screens, however. Magazines and modern books and activities have all been designed for the sole purpose of human enjoyment. And in catering to enjoyment, they have lost beauty and the standard rules that art and books must have. This brings us to a specific question. Since there are other forms of entertainment besides digital ones, do we classify comic books in the category of only entertainment? And if we do, does it fulfill the rules that are inherent to the world of literature, as they are books after all?
In this short presentation, I argue that they should not be considered literature. For this paper, I will argue that literature has specific characteristics that comic books simply do not align to.
Literature is beautiful in form, contains meaning below the surface of the story, and leaves the reader with a desire to contemplate and reflect on what they just read. First, I will explain a bit of how comic books are a part of our society and history and then explain why they do not fall under the category of literature.
As was stated in my introduction, our world lives on entertainment. Everyday, we constantly check our facebooks or emails, turn on our pop music, and binge watch Netflix for a few hours or so. We have become a generation that has not only lost the ability to communicate well with others, but to understand what the great arts and people of the past have given us to study. Books have turned from great works like The Space Trilogy or Lord of the Rings or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, to cringe-worthy books such as Fifty Shades of Grey or The Twilight Series or Divergent. These books were not written with beauty or meaning, they are only in existence to entertain its readers. This is an abuse of what it means to write books and good literature. Comic books also come into play here with its purpose of entertaining and bringing enjoyment to the reader.
So to begin, we must understand what literature is.
First, literature is beautiful in form. There have always been certain characteristics specific to the form of art we label books under. It must have structure, the storyline must make sense, there must be a heightened plot at some point in order to break up the monotony of a simple story. But there is a difference between books and literature. While some books may be considered literature, not all books can be. Literature is beautiful, not just through what is being said, but the way it is said. A good author will know how to use just the right word in order to make their sentence sound good, thus leading to good paragraphs and chapters, and eventually, a whole book. Comic books do fall under several rules regarding structure, but it’s mostly full of dialogue (sometimes crass or harsh) and doesn’t set a very beautiful picture of what occurs inside. So comic books fail when it comes to beautiful form or content.
Secondly, literature contains meaning that goes beyond the surface. For many good works of literature, they need to be read more than once in order for their full meaning to be conveyed. Some works of literature could probably never be fully explained. And this is beautiful because it contains mystery that so many books lack today. For example, if a person were to take a look at The Divine Comedy by Dante, they would know simply by the beauty and extravagance of the language that it would take years and maybe even a lifetime for someone to extract all the hidden meaning and connections inside the story. This is such an important role that literature has, to keep its readers constantly invested in the story and for its readers to ponder what it is they read. So many books today, including teen series and comic books, are very shallow and lead to no such type of contemplation or beauty.
Thirdly, and as was partially mentioned earlier, a main goal of literature is to leave its readers with the desire to understand it and ponder it. This comes not only from investigating the form, but the meaning that is hidden inside. Literature also teaches about history and politics of certain eras, virtues and what goodness looks likes, literature should teach rather than solely entertain.
Many people might argue that it is important for a person to just relax and be entertained sometimes. But not only does this misuse the capabilities we, as human beings, have to be able to understand great works of literature, it is a waste of the very valuable and limited time we have on this earth. Some people may also argue that comic books do have storylines and truth to them. I am not denying that comic books do not contain truth. Even if the superhero triumphs over the evil scientist, it’s not enough to convict a person of the beauty of such goodness.
Because we have defined literature and explained how changed our culture has become, we should be able to recognize by now that comic books do not fall under such a category. They are entertaining and may contain some redemptive themes, but they fall short of what our definition of literature is. Literature is beautiful in form, contains meaning below the surface of the story, and leaves the reader with a desire to contemplate and reflect on what they just read. So, please enjoy your comic books, if you have some. I don’t, but you don’t want to know how much time I spend on Netflix. But we must also understand that we have the capability and time and resources to read greater things that should not only entertain and bring us joy, but should cause us to reflect and grow us into the persons we are becoming.
Rhetoric Speed Arguments: Classical Computer Science? (Moody)
Teachers usually encourage students to prepare thoroughly for final exams so that when students arrive to class on exam day, they are ready to demonstrate their full knowledge of course material. However, this year’s seniors in Rhetoric 2 were told they could not prepare for their final exam. Instead, they showed up to class on exam day, chose a topic from a previously uncirculated list, had 45 minutes to write out a full argument fleshing out their position and supporting reasons, and then were graded on oral deliveries of these speed arguments along with their content.
All of the seniors passed with flying colors – a testament to their consistent growth as thinkers, writers, and speakers over the last two years as they have been challenged in humanities, rhetoric, and other aspects of academic life at Petra. This week, we share with you the three most stellar arguments, continuing with senior Logan Moody.
Should Petra continue to develop our computer science program, or does it represent a step away from the classical tradition, which seeks to educate the mind and heart, not prepare students for a trade?
Within the past years, sales and production of electronic devices have skyrocketed, and the electronics industry has grown to be one of the world’s largest source of jobs, industry, and innovation. Despite the massive growth in the technology industry, this vast growing sector has raised many numerous questions of morality among traditional groups of people who are uncertain about the morality and integrity behind being involved with this shift away from traditional jobs of trade toward one of electronic programming, designing, and a virtual workspace. After all, if we are to invest in God’s heavenly city, then why even bother about keeping up with the city of man in its many developments?
In my paper, I will seek to address this issue and show how Christians and classical schools should not view this as a threat. For this reason, I will argue that Petra should continue to expand its computer science program because classical education can be integrated into this modern shift toward computer science without a compromise in morality, classical students have a much greater diversity to offer to the world of computer science than secularly trained students, and that we, as Christians, have a moral obligation to contribute, mold, and involve ourselves with the culture around us.
My objective in this paper is to show how computer science and technologically related jobs do not present themselves as a threat to the objective of classical education. To do this, I will point to the issues of morality and how they do not necessarily affect the individual as long as the person has moral obligations to not develop or contribute to immoral industries.
The objective of classical education is to teach students to be discerning and thoughtful about what they choose to do in their lives. This is a much greater perspective to give students than the common core taught in public schools, which only teaches students the same relative views and gives them no ways to discern morality. In relation to this, it can be hard to see how computer science could fit into this mold, as this area of education seems to be heavily infiltrated by secular culture.
What traditional and classical teachers tend to think of in respect to computer science is the shift of modernity toward virtual, separate worlds for the individual, and that the tech industry leads only to this. Although this can happen, and is not a good outcome of technology, computer science can also develop important and necessary skills that can give graduates a head start when they enter into college if they choose to pursue a degree related to computer science. Even if students do not choose to pursue a degree in this area, they can still use it to their benefit if, for example, they need to teach their parents how to better use their electronics, or simply to better understand computer science themselves. Also, computer science can be easily integrated into existing class structures with minimal disruption to the classical school.
Secondly, Classically trained students have a significantly greater diversity to offer the world of computer science than secularly trained students. For example, students who have been trained throughout their schooling years by the common core all have relatively the same beliefs, morals, and perspectives on life because this is the goal of the common core. With classical education, however, every emerging student has their own opportunity to reason and contribute in their own distinct way. With a degree in computer science, these rational and discerning students can have a far greater impact to the world of technology than students from public schools, and can go on to be very successful in this industry.
Lastly, as Christians, we have a moral obligation to immerse ourselves in culture around us as long as it does not impact our morality or steer us toward bad directions. In doing this, we help to ensure that the Christian worldview can still be shown in all aspects of culture, whether it be through books, magazines, or technology. Also, as Christians we have an obligation to do this. If the only people to contribute to the technology industry were secular, atheistic people, then the industry would rapidly abandon all aspects of God, or classical traditional values, as it is presently continuing to do.
Christians might disagree with me in saying that, even though we have a moral obligation to involve ourselves with the culture we live in, that teaching our children computer science in schools is still not necessary. After all, if they choose to pursue a degree in this field, they can still choose to do so in college? I would argue that, if we do not give classical students the option of being trained in computer science before college, then we are drastically reducing the chance of any of them choosing to pursue a degree in this field, simply because they have never been exposed to it, and likely have been discouraged from learning about it. Also, it makes it more difficult for students to pursue further education in this field if they have never experienced it before, and the students from public school programs will likely be more successful.
For these reasons, Petra should continue to expand its computer science program. Because computer science can be easily meshed into the classical education without a compromise in the objective of classical education, that classically trained Christians have more to offer than secularly-trained students, and that we, as Christians have a moral obligation to involve ourselves in and help to form the culture in which we live.
Rhetoric Speed Arguments: Classical Computer Science? (Nettik)
Teachers usually encourage students to prepare thoroughly for final exams so that when students arrive to class on exam day, they are ready to demonstrate their full knowledge of course material. However, this year’s seniors in Rhetoric 2 were told they could not prepare for their final exam. Instead, they showed up to class on exam day, chose a topic from a previously uncirculated list, had 45 minutes to write out a full argument fleshing out their position and supporting reasons, and then were graded on oral deliveries of these speed arguments along with their content.
All of the seniors passed with flying colors – a testament to their consistent growth as thinkers, writers, and speakers over the last two years as they have been challenged in humanities, rhetoric, and other aspects of academic life at Petra. This week, we share with you the three most stellar arguments, beginning with senior Alyx Nettik.
Should Petra continue to develop our computer science program, or does it represent a step away from the classical tradition, which seeks to educate the mind and heart, not prepare students for a trade?
Classical education is a style of teaching that has dated back for centuries. The methods of ancient Greek philosophers can especially be noted. These styles seek to expand the mind and heart towards the knowledge of the world. However, over the years, the method of learning has changed. More modern teaching has to do with trade. Students essentially go to high school to prepare for college. In fact, one of the central focuses of junior and senior year are deciding a field and selecting the best possible college for said field. Among these, computer science is a prominent one.
In recent years, Petra expanded and inserted a computer programming class into the sophomore curriculum. A second class is available as an elective for juniors who want to go further. However, this seems to contradict the mission statement of Petra. This school prides itself on developing the hearts and minds of the students, and it seems to be a popular assumption today that computers close the mind and isolate a person from reality. So the question arises: under these circumstances, should Petra continue to develop the computer science program? I argue that Petra should continue to teach computer programming as it opens the mind towards new skills, and further prepares students for life after high school.
Before I proceed, I must clarify that this argument is for Petra Academy alone. Circumstances may differ at other classical schools, and these situations may not apply to my argument.
The digital age is upon us. Job openings for computer programmers and engineers is on the rise. Ever since Alan Turing developed the fundamentals for the first computer, the realm of computer science has taken off as a genuine field of study. Degrees such as computer science and computer engineering make it possible for a person to devote their life to this kind of study.
First, I must argue for the importance of computer science as a field. The fruits of this department can be found everywhere. Computers and modern automobiles are only a couple results of the hard work computer programmers and engineers. You know the smartphones that you carry around in your pockets? Well, these devices are physical proof of the accomplishment of the people in this field. Smartphones are basically a mini computer. They have a hard drive, memory, power supply, and many other components of a regular desktop or laptop.
Second, I argue that a computer science class is well within the bounds of the classical education program. In my years here at Petra, particularly in the humanities, I have learned the importance of having a critical mind and a heart guided by caritas. I have been given tools to prepare me for the world outside of high school. By including a computer science program, Petra is further enabling students to be prepared for the world ahead. Even if a student’s interest is not in the realm of technology, they will at least graduate with a basic knowledge of computer coding, something that many graduates do not have. For those who want to pursue a career in the field, they have been given a good start.
Finally, computer science provides a mental challenge that is similar to other subjects. Writing, reading, and speaking well takes work. Good speech takes practice, and coming up with valid arguments can sometimes be a pain to think of, but become easier with time. Similarly, students have to learn what code sequences perform certain functions, and have to make sure the program will function correctly.
Some may say that computer science is out of bounds for classical education, and that schools such as these are meant to focus on literature, reading, and writing. These are all very important. Students at Petra tend to graduate with excellent writing skills and a developed vocabulary. These tools, although basic, are very important. However, we live in a world in which the digital age has taken over. Knowledge of computers to some degree seems to be a given. By continuing the programming class, Petra is giving students tools that will help them in this technology filled society.
Others might argue that computers have a reputation to pull a student from reality. After all, kids spend hours in front of video games, completely oblivious to the outside world. Why would this be any different? This is a valid point. High schoolers all over the the world spend hours in front of the screen, refusing to interact with the outside world. I myself love stepping into the virtual reality from time to time. But I would like to point out that the video games themselves are the result of computer programmers who started out learning basic code – perhaps self taught, or maybe from a class like the one at Petra. Video games take hundreds of hours of code, graphic design, and voice acting to produce. It is a form of entertainment that would not be possible if there were not computer programmers and engineers.
In conclusion, the inclusion of the computer science class in Petra’s curriculum was a good choice. Not only does it allow students to learn a new skill that may be used down the road, it also acts as a launching point for those who want to pursue a career in the field. I myself want to go into computer engineering. Even though I was not able to participate in the class, I recognize its importance. It will enable students to go forth into the world with confidence, and allow them to pursue a field that is fast becoming the future of American industry.
An Open Letter to a School Choice Skeptic (Pt. 5)
If you’re still reading, let me again reiterate that my goal in writing hasn’t been to convince you to come to Petra or other schools like ours, but to encourage you to support the choice of others to do so. The goal is not to shut down good schools, but to provide parents with as many good educational options for their students as possible. You want this for your kids, I want this for mine, and I would guess that both of us are hopeful for everyone else’s kids as well.
So where do we go from here? My offer to grab coffee still stands, as I’m glad to interact and genuinely engage in the school choice discussion with you. Maybe you haven’t thought much about it and are looking for someone to listen and ask questions as you process. Maybe you have thought a lot about it and have ideas that you’d like to take for a test-drive without getting run off the road. I’d be up for either of those conversations.
The conversation I wouldn’t be up for is one that isn’t a conversation. As mentioned at the beginning of my letter, the narrative surrounding education seems to rarely allow for honest discussion between two people who want the best for their kids. Instead, we have allowed the debate to be hijacked by politicians on both sides of the aisle and a news media who delight in covering their reductionist talking points that don’t get at the complications beneath the considerations.
If National School Choice Week accomplishes anything each year, it brings up the questions of what parents’ goals are for their student(s) and their education, what those goals require in order to be met, and what options they have to meet them. Those are the conversations in which I’m interested – conversations about real options for parents and their students. Here’s a summary video created by EdChoice of four such possibilities:
One size does not fit all and there is no perfect school. These are two statements that, try as administrators might (and hate to admit), are truisms – obvious and accurate expressions not stating anything new. But what isn’t a truism is that the education of our kids has to stay the same – pedagogically, legislatively, financially – if we truly live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. For the sake of our children and our children’s children, let’s not cower to limits and fear.
Again, thanks for taking the time to read this letter. And thanks for seriously considering the possibilities of how education in America could work with more good choices for parents and the resources to support them.
Sincerely,
Craig Dunham
Headmaster
Petra Academy
An Open Letter to a School Choice Skeptic (Pt. 4)
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the fall of 2016, about 50.4 million students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools, with an additional 5.2 million students attending private elementary and secondary schools. The Home School Legal Defense Association reports that more than 2.3 million children – or 3 percent of the American student population – are educated in the home. That’s a total of just over 57 million PreK-12th grade students in our country, with families of 7.5 million of those having to pay twice – once as part of the subsidy for the education of the 50.4 million, and again for the education of their own kids.
But it’s more than just taxes and where they go that’s an issue in this debate. We should also talk about a number of other topics – class size, cost-effectiveness, and student success – characteristic of the school choice discussion.
I imagine your school is larger than Petra (we only have 215 K4-12th students), so between higher enrollment and accompanying federal, state, and local funding for it, your school may be able to provide more options in terms of class scheduling, electives, special needs programs, and athletic and arts opportunities. But with those options come larger class sizes to try to pay for them. The maximum class size allowed for Montana public schools is no more than 30 students per single grade classroom for middle school and high school. Ask any teacher and he or she will tell you that 30 kids is a lot for one teacher to handle, let alone teach.
In classrooms with enough space, I can make the argument that classes can reach a maximum of 18-20 and still function without detriment, but anything above this threshold is where key educational studies suggest class dynamics and instructional effectiveness devolve. What’s really interesting, though, is even with large class sizes, education at an average government school with larger class sizes is much more expensive than at an independent school with smaller class sizes. While I don’t know your school’s specific budget, the average annual spending per Montana public school student in 2014 was $11,017/student, which is roughly $4,000 more than what we charge parents per student per year at Petra. The difference, of course, is who’s paying for it – the government or the family.
Folks in Bozeman take pride in their schools, lauding them as the best government schools in the state; however, what often gets left out of the conversation is that Montana ranked 30th according to a national report released by Education Week in 2015 and was given a “C” average – the same as the one given our nation. Thus, in essence, Bozeman’s government schools are the best of the average. Of course, there are bright spots, like Montana’s Class of 2016 earning an ACT average composite score of 20.3, but our little class of eight Petra seniors last year earned a composite score of 28.0 – a 38% difference I wrote about back in September – which should make one wonder as to what more – not fewer – small, independent schools could accomplish if basic levels of funding (and the freedom for families to access and use them) were in place.
(Read the final section of Mr. Dunham’s letter.)
An Open Letter to a School Choice Skeptic (Pt. 3)
Despite my wishes to the contrary, classical education is not for everybody. Not every student can meet the basic standards of our curriculum, which is why we are sometimes (though very rarely) forced to deny or revoke admission. Colleges and universities – even those that are publicly funded – must make these same kinds of decisions to preserve the integrity of their courses of study.
Likewise, not all parents believe or want their children to learn about our Christian religious beliefs; however, because we’re the only K4-12th grade Christian school in the Gallatin Valley with open enrollment, non-believing families are welcome to enroll with us anyway. Several choose to do so because their kids are challenged to think at a level they had not experienced elsewhere, and they as a family feel cared for by our school staff and administration. From the first conversation with a family, we are clear and up front as to what we teach. Parents don’t have to believe or agree with any of it to enroll their kids at Petra; all we ask is they understand why we teach it and not seek to undermine the fact that we do.
Again, for the reasons just listed, our school is not for everyone, but neither is yours. Despite your administrator’s wishes to the contrary, progressive government education is an acquired taste for some, and a conscientious non-option for others. Not all parents want teachers forced to comply with the Department of Education’s Common Core curriculum, teaching their kids spelling without phonics or mathematics without memorizing basic math facts. Some parents are leery of their kids being taught subjects like literature or history apart from their overarching worldview (Christian or otherwise), and many think that redundant testing limits the measure of a student’s education to only that which is empirical at the expense of the evaluation of character and virtue that used to define education in this country 150 years ago.
Nor do these parents like the idea that a government school comes with government strings attached. Inherent to this concern is the reality that, though the majority of administration and teachers who might work with their students at your school are good and loving people, their hands are often tied by the system of which they are forced to be a part – curricularly, pedagogically, and spiritually. Teachers who claim faith – regardless of what it is – are forbidden to engage with students in a meaningful way, lest they be fired, which could be argued is an impeding of one’s freedom of speech. These are legitimate concerns, and while they may not be yours, they are others’.
(Read the next section of Mr. Dunham’s letter.)