http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:39:41 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en by Patrick Fitzpatrick Whenever I ponder the question of whether Christian schools make “spiritual formation” a mission objective, I reflect on my own childhood education, which included fourth through seventh grade in a parochial school. These years happened also to be my first four as a young convert to Christianity. The pastor ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/confirmation-and-transformation/ by George Sanker I am glad to be invited into this conversation, but I need to make it clear up front that I am the Christian leader of a school instead of the leader of a Christian school— I head up a Classical Core Knowledge Charter School. While I know many ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/giving-birth-to-the-counter-culture/ By Robert Littlejohn Since ancient times, imitation has been the best teacher of quality communication, whether speech-making, preaching, negotiating, or any kind of writing. We read for many reasons; to learn what we do not know, to improve our character, to transcend time and place, even to escape reality. But no ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/the-reading-road-to-writing-2/ by John Seel, PhD "The fashionable fallacy is that by education we can give people something that we have not got… [U]nless you can save the fathers, you cannot save the children; that at present we cannot save others, for we cannot save ourselves.” — G.K. Chesterton Parents have their dreams for their children. Schools ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/what-typical-christian-parents-want-in-christian-schools/ by Andrew Selby Let’s not give short shrift to the role of theological study in spiritual formation. This has always been an indispensable ingredient in the church’s recipe for healthy Christians. When we turn our eyes to the example of those who came before, I will argue that historically theological instruction ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/filling-the-theological-gap/ by Leslie Moeller, Publisher It certainly is a new year. With our economy suffering and a new president, things look very different than at the beginning of 2008. Drafting budgets and setting tuition force difficult decisions in the best of times. Facing a recession of unknown depth or duration can strike ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/happy-new-year/ by John Heaton Like every concerned parent, pastor, or educator, I look at the dropout rates of young people who leave their faith in college, never to return to the Church again, and I wonder how best to stem the tide. I take little comfort in telling myself that schools rank ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/conversion-is-the-key/ by Brad Green, PhD One of the most helpful ways to tackle the question of “spiritual formation” is to step back and ask very basic questions like, “What is the goal of education?” “What kind of person are we trying to form?” If we answer them well, the answers might help ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/intellectus-et-virtus-is-%e2%80%9cspiritual-formation%e2%80%9d-different-from-person-forming/ by Rob Shelton When I was a youth pastor, I had what many would call a demanding and teaching-based ministry, so all this talk of spiritual formation reminds me of similar discussions I used to have with parents. They wanted the youth group to be less like school. Now, as the ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/only-obedience-is-real/ By Charles Starr How can an evangelical Christian, trained in literature by a champion of classical education, himself a book loving English teacher and C. S. Lewis scholar (nay, fanatic), possibly argue that schools which ground their philosophy in a classical model of education are mistaken if they don’t include the ... http://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/01/reading-movies-a-new-curricular-need-for-a-post-literate-culture/