“For the ancients, the proper ordering of loves was the crucial edifice that all moral and intellectual education hung upon. Therefore, as part of its mission, the school culture must incarnate piety, virtue, and grace.” — Clark and Jain, The Liberal Arts Tradition, 15
Last week a small group of parents and I gathered in our newly renovated science classroom for our first One School, One Book discussion of The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain. I began the evening by taking roughly 30 minutes to recap and expound upon the content that is presented in the first section (pp. i-36) of the book. After that we spent about 40 minutes in a discussion around the content of the book (click here to see a copy of the notes and discussion starters we used).
The discussion time is my favorite part of the evening. It’s great to hear what others in our school community are thinking about Christian Classical Education. I learn something new every single time. Some shared the quotes or excerpts that they found most helpful, some shared the aspects that they found challenging (in the best sense of the word), and still others shared the ways in which this book has helped them to better understand and appreciate the work that we do at Redeemer Classical School.
Along the way we talked about Avogadro’s Number, the Greek Perfect Tense, the importance of Physical Education, the role that emotions (pathos) plays in education, G.K. Chesteron, what it means to be human, the classical distinction between science and art, and the joys/perils of parenthood. The evening included moments of both deep seriousness and light-hearted laughter. One of my favorite aspects of these discussions? There’s something for everyone. In my opinion, it’s the perfect mixture of deep discussion, fellowship, and fun.
Our One School, One Book discussion groups truly are a great way to get connected to the school community, meet other parents, and explore the mission of Redeemer Classical School together. With that in mind, I hope that you can join us on NOVEMBER 19th for our next discussion group! Even if you don’t have time to read the book, we’d still like for you to consider attending.