Love Learning the Right Things the Right Way
by Troy Schuknecht
During the summer of 2016, our family embarked on a weeks-long camping trip that included the Redwood Forest, Crater Lake, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National Park. It was epic. Along the way, we made a stop at Disneyland for two days. Just this week, while reflecting on those two days, my wife said, “The second day was so much better, and nobody cried.” I went into the first day assuming we were on the same page about our mission, namely, to map the shortest lines and sprint all over the park to maximize our number of rides. We arrived at the park early with a backpack full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, as stopping to eat was clearly not on the agenda. When the gates opened, I told her to get in line at Space Mountain while I would quickly toss the backpack in a locker. My plan was working perfectly.
After locking up our on-the-go sustenance, I texted her to see where she was. Her reply stated that they had made a stop along the way at the castle because the girls wanted to see the princesses. This was my first clue that she may not have fully caught my vision. I found them in the castle, slowly meandering through and enjoying the decor. Missing the reality that my girls were having the time of their lives, I hurried everyone along, and we got to our ride. My vision for the day reigned from there on out, and by the end, we had accomplished our goal and ridden a phenomenal number of rides. Well done, right? Wrong. All the kids were exhausted and sick of rides, some were crying (beginning on Space Mountain), and we had spent much of the day separated as the older kids and I sprinted to secure places in line. My wife said we were going to do things her way on day two.
The next day was wonderful. We stopped to eat, took photos with princesses, caught shows, covered half as many miles, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We still rode rides, but only when we really wanted to and only when they were close to our location in the park. For any families out there with differing views on theme park strategy, let me settle the debate, as there is clearly a right and wrong way. Slowing down and enjoying the fullness of the park together made all the difference.
The mission statement at many schools includes the phrase “lifelong love of learning” as an aspirational goal. But all of our students already love learning. As a child, I hated contemplative reading, but loved learning about NBA basketball. Nowadays, many students naturally love the fast-paced videos found on YouTube and would say they love learning in that context. We want our graduates not merely to love learning, but to love learning the right things in the right way. If slowing down is important for Disneyland, it is even more important in education.
The Victorian Era writer and artist John Ruskin said “the entire object of true education is to make people not merely do the right things, but enjoy the right things — not merely industrious, but to love industry — not merely learned, but to love knowledge — not merely pure, but to love purity — not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after justice.” It is possible to have a successful-looking report card, yet to have spent the year in a frenzied pursuit of good grades without having grown toward a true love of learning.
In his wonderful, quiet, reflective book, The Singing Heart, Russian author Ivan Ilyin reflects on a philosophy grown from the heart, nourished by contemplation, and incorporated into all of life. He claims we are not just what we read, but we are how we read. He also asserts, “everything great and ingenious that has been created by man was created out of a contemplating and singing heart.”
Are our schools helping students become more reflective? Are they growing in their desire to slow down and contemplate? Are our students content to memorize and regurgitate, or do they love thinking deeply to solve problems? In the midst of a fast-paced, overly-entertained, and distracted world, do they see a goodness in being the type of person who finds joy in a slow reading of difficult texts, including the words of our Lord?
Our natural inclination and the impulse of our world today press against a true love of learning. A love of learning the right things in the right way must be intentionally inculcated, enculturated, and habituated. This is the good work of classical Christian education.
About Troy Schuknecht
After earning his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Whitworth College, Troy taught Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Anatomy for six years in public high schools. He also earned a Master’s of Divinity in Christian Ministry from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. After the oldest of his four kids was born, he transitioned to Veritas Academy in 2008 and hit the ground running, tasked with the formation of the School of Rhetoric from scratch. Over the next fourteen years, Troy served as the Upper School Head and eventually the Associate Head of School. His family moved to Fort Worth in 2022 when Troy became the Head of School at Covenant Classical School, where he has the privilege of serving alongside the greatest people on the planet.
