Key words and concepts that struck me: Absolutely. Heart. God's Glory. Culture. Classical. Catholic.
Below are notes from the interview. Here is a link to the archived broadcast. I don't use quote marks but try to capture what Nick and Rolando say. I also don't distinguish what was said by Rolando and what by Nick. I try to represent the questions as the host asked them.
Host: What is classical education?
Two things: content, what's taught; method, how's it taught. The great conversation, through western civilization. Thinking thoughts the great writers thought. Reading classics is the content. Method: it's about 'why?'. Critical thinking. Show connections between various disciplines.
Host: What motivates a young person?
They want to learn, they want a challenge. It's natural to learn. Aristotle said we by nature what to know. Education is an introduction to total reality. It opens life to students. Test everything, hold to what is good.
The focus is not pumping information into students. It isn't about quantity, it's about quality of information and the proper use of knowledge. Virtue is the proper use of knowledge.
Host: Talk about the history of St. John Bosco High School.
Parents are primary educators. Those desiring this school wanted both Catholic and Classical. St. John Bosco is patron of catechesis and education; he had a heart for the youth.
Host: Explain the mission statement, 'the whole person'.
Intellect, will, spirit, i.e. heart. A key to us is 'heart'. Inwardness, interior change. Think of Abolition of Man, right desire. Liking and loving what is good, hating what is ugly and bad. Students are probably not going to remember three reasons Rome fell, but they can be oriented in their heart and emotions toward what is good, true, and beautiful.
Host: discuss faith and reason.
Faith is not an add on, it grows out of man's nature. Faith can move someone to a new way of knowing. Faith makes us youthful in spirit. We are receptive beings, naturally unskeptical and naturally religious. Reason isn't first, faith is. There is, then, no dichotomy between faith and reason, one grows out of the other. Dichotomizing these two in thought leads to a dichotomy in life. Chesterton said that reason itself is an act of faith, to posit that our thoughts have relation to reality. Both are ways of knowing that build on each other. Faith and reason are two wings, says John Paul II.
Host: How is 'for the Glory of God' implemented in this school?
Starting day, first thing, with prayer and liturgy of the hours. Prayer in class. We don't impose but invite participation. Pius XI explained that every subject must be imbued with piety and Catholic worldview. We, in classical education talk, use the word 'integrated'. Piux XI said imbued with piety. The atmosphere at the school encourages this. Posture, prayer, ways of acting, like civility. It is a culture.
Our prayer is that students will become holier. Students are transitioning to their own independence.
They can learn who they are, be who they are, they will come into the kingdom. For "The Glory of God is Man Fully Realized". A lot naturally happens.
Host: Talk about the community around the school.
Our greatest support is the parents, but students mustn't be forgotten. They tell their friends and spread the news, as it were, of how they love their school. People are yearning for something deeper in education. What education is is a topic now more and more on people's mind. You can't understand our school without understanding the mission of the Church, we are inside that mission.
Host: What is the role of the parents? How are they involved in this type of education?
Many parents say "I'm learning more than my child!" The easiest way is to track and be with their child. There are many other ways, fund-raising, volunteer work, etc. But there is above all this, prayer. That is the number one way to be involved. The difference with Classical is to encourage discussion of what's done in class, so we encourage this to occur at home with family. It is amazing how natural this is. It's not a system. It is becoming part of a tradition, a conversation. The school is part of the community itself being educated. Education is life long. What happens at the school is part of one's education. We have recitatios, which are like oral presentations of a thesis. The community is invited. When the parents and community see these students blowing them away they get inspired, too.
Host: What do you think about World Youth Day?
It's tremendous. The Holy Father is present. He embraces the youth in their need in their time and encourages them to come to Christ. We take our cue from him, that by means of affection we reach the heart of youth. To encourage what is began at baptism. These aren't one time events, but episodes in the life of faith of each person.
Host: How do we form in our communities knowledge of vocations.
Two things. The general idea of what we're doing helps bring about self-knowledge. Students must discover their talents. They discover their unique individuality. That helps to direct them to their vocation. We also have retreats which provide time for that. Students become anxious about this. But by learning how to learn and seeing the life is a battle they must fight, helps them respond.
We also try very hard to never replace the parents. The home is bigger on the inside than the outside, said Chesterton. We try to be sensitive. We challenge students to think about it carefully.
No comments:
Post a Comment