Trusting Children

Much contemporary education is aimed at social engineering, what John Dewey (d. 1952) called "social reconstruction." Believing in the collectivist society, Dewey's heirs have sought to shape students to contribute to the hoped for humanist utopia. This progressivist mindset tends to be focused on communal goals that will help mankind reach the heights of which he is supposedly capable. Socialization, collaborative learning, and community projects become priorities for humanist educators.

As noble as this sounds, it actually uses children to achieve the dreams of their teachers. The humanist educator aims at ideological indoctrination of students in order to change social mores and achieve political ends. Humanist John Dunphy noted, "The battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: A religion of humanity - utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to carry humanist values into wherever they teach. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new - the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism."[1]

But do we really want our children to be like us and perpetuate our mistakes? For the next generation, the Psalmist hopes, "They would not be like their forefathers - a stubborn and rebellious generation."[2] Don't we also want better for our children than what we have done and what we have created? A Christian and classical education aims for that "better" not through indoctrination but by equipping children with the tools, morals, and wisdom they need to shape the future.

In contrast to humanist indoctrination, Classical education trusts children to build on their own the world in which they will live. It does not attempt to determine or shape their world, but it gives them the tools to think and act wisely. Rather than supplying them with a ready-made blueprint for their future and the pre-fab blocks to build it, Classical education seeks to create architects who are capable of drawing up their own blueprints, and builders who can skillfully use the tools of learning to erect a culture worthy of the wisdom of the ages. Add to this the Wisdom of God and you have a generation that is "thoroughly equipped for every good work."[3]

Pastor William Heine