I wish I would have written this!

I have copied a devotion from Pastor John Piper for your reading and review. For those of us in Christian education it is a great apologetic for what we do. Enjoy! 

November 14

A Compelling Reason for Rigorous Training of the Mind


By John Piper

I was reading and meditating on the book of Hebrews recently, when it hit me forcefully that a basic and compelling reason for education — the rigorous training of the mind — is so that a person can read the Bible with understanding.

This sounds too obvious to be useful or compelling. But that's just because we take the preciousness of reading so for granted; or, even more, because we appreciate so little the kind of thinking that a complex Bible passage requires of us.

The book of Hebrews, for example, is an intellectually challenging argument from Old Testament texts. The points that the author makes hang on biblical observations that come only from rigorous reading, not light skimming. And the understanding of these Old Testament interpretations in the text of Hebrews requires rigorous thought and mental effort. The same could be said for the extended argumentation of Romans and Galatians and the other books of the Bible.

This is an overwhelming argument for giving our children a disciplined and rigorous training in how to think an author's thoughts after him from a text — especially a biblical text. An alphabet must be learned, as well as vocabulary, grammar, syntax, the rudiments of logic, and the way meaning is imparted through sustained connections of sentences and paragraphs.

The reason Christians have always planted schools where they have planted churches is because we are a people of THE BOOK. It is true that THE BOOK will never have its proper effect without prayer and the Holy Spirit. It is not a textbook to be debated; it is a fountain for spiritual thirst, and food for the soul, and a revelation of God, and a living power, and a two-edged sword. But none of this changes the fact: apart from the discipline of reading, the Bible is as powerless as paper. Someone might have to read it for you; but without reading, the meaning and the power of it are locked up.

Is it not remarkable how often Jesus settled great issues with a reference to reading? For example, in the issue of the Sabbath he said, "Have you not read what David did?" (Matthew 12:3). In the issue of divorce and remarriage he said, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?" (Matthew 19:4). In the issue of true worship and praise he said, "Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have prepared praise for yourself'?" (Matthew 21:16). In the issue of the resurrection he said, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?" (Matthew 21:42). And to the lawyer who queried him about eternal life he said, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?" (Luke 10:26).

The apostle Paul also gave reading a great place in the life of the church. For example, he said to the Corinthians, "We write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end" (1 Corinthians 1:13). To the Ephesians he said, "When you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ" (Ephesians 3:3). To the Colossians he said, "When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea" (Colossians 4:16). Reading the letters of Paul was so important that he commands it with an oath: "I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren" (1 Thessalonians 5:27).

The ability to read does not come intuitively. It must be taught. And learning to read with understanding is a life-long labor. The implications for Christians are immense. Education of the mind in the rigorous discipline of thoughtful reading is a primary goal of school. The church of Jesus is debilitated when his people are lulled into thinking that it is humble or democratic or relevant to give a merely practical education that does not involve the rigorous training of the mind to think hard and to construe meaning from difficult texts.

The issue of earning a living is not nearly so important as whether the next generation has direct access to the meaning of the Word of God. We need an education that puts the highest premium under God on knowing the meaning of God's Book, and growing in the abilities that will unlock its riches for a lifetime. It would be better to starve for lack of food than to fail to grasp the meaning of the book of Romans. Lord, let us not fail the next generation!

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

Trends in education

Trends in Education October 2011

Mr. Brown recently gave me an article “21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020” by Shelly Blake-Plock. Below are the first five followed by my comments. I hope they stimulate thoughts and conversation!

1.    Desks

The 21^st century does not fit neatly into rows. Neither should your students. Allow the network-based concepts of flow, collaboration, and dynamism help you rearrange your room for authentic 21^st century learning.

My thoughts: As we are updating our rooms you will see more tables, chairs and soft seating. I believe strongly that creating the best possible environment for learning is critical. I don’t believe desks will completely disappear but they will probably become the exception rather than the norm.

2.    Language Labs

Foreign language acquisition is only a smartphone away. Get rid of those clunky desktops and monitors and do something fun with that room.

My thoughts: Already done. My question is how we can incorporate language, such as Spanish, earlier into our educational environment, not as a separate class but as a normal way of speaking and reading. Any thoughts?

3.    Computers

OK, this is a trick answer. More precisely this one should read: “Our concept of what a computer is”. Because computing is going mobile and over the next decade we’re going to see the full fury of individualized computing via handhelds come to the fore. Can’t wait.

My thoughts: We’re moving there quickly. We have brought cloud computing to LCS. We are testing I-pads at the first and ninth grade level. We are having more students register personal electronic devices. We are still hoping that each student will have a personal digital device in school. We need to be leading edge not bleeding edge on this one.

4.     Homework

The 21^st century is a 24/7 environment. And the next decade is going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear. And despite whatever Secretary Duncan might say, we don’t need kids to “go to school” more; we need them to “learn” more. And this will be done 24/7 and on the move (see #3).

My thoughts: RenWeb. Students can see assignments and assessment results daily as can their parents. This process is in full swing. It will only become more seamless in the next few years. Our collective emphasis has to be on measurable learning.

5.    The Role of Standardized Tests in College Admissions

The AP Exam is on its last legs. The SAT isn’t far behind. Over the next ten years, we will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as the #1 factor in college admissions.

My thoughts: When I was in high school college admission criteria was based primarily on grade point with test scores close behind. This has shifted due to the loss of integrity in what an A in one school means compared to another. The ability to evaluate mastery of learning through digital portfolios will change this paradigm again.  I strongly agree with this one. Colleges want students that will be successful and will stay until degree completion. The economics of competition for fewer students will drive colleges to a more effective method of choosing students. 

Finland and LCS, what’s the connection?

What does the Finland educational system have in common with Lenawee Christian School? Recently, a dad in the school gave me a copy of Smithsonian magazine (September 2011) that had an article entitled A+ for Finland. According to the results of the 2009 international standardized PISA tests Finland is one of the top educational countries in the world. Here is a summary of the results:

                                    Finland                       U.S.

Reading                      2^nd                               15^th

Math                           6^th                               31^st

Science                       3^rd                               23^rd

As I read through the article and the facts given I concluded the key to their success was that as an educational community they have an attitude of “whatever it takes”. This applies to making sure that each and every student is successful in learning the material that is necessary to master and to adopt any and every means possible to ensure their success. Another key take-away is the ongoing education of their teaching staff. As I reflected on this article and some other reading I have been doing on educational excellence I wanted to see the similarities and differences between what they are doing and our educational system at LCS.

After three years of study of current educational thought and practice we determined two years ago to adopt a Professional Learning Community (PLC) model at LCS. The three big ideas of a PLC are:

1.     We accept learning as the fundamental purpose of our school and therefore are willing to examine all practices in light of their impact on learning.

2.     We are committed to working together to achieve our collective purpose. We cultivate a collaborative culture through development of high-performing teams.

3.     We assess our effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions. Individuals, teams, and schools seek relevant date and information and use that information to promote continuous improvement.

As I compare these three big ideas with the model of excellence practiced in Finland I see many similarities. We also are committed to do whatever it takes to make sure our students are master learners. This plays out in changes such as “super-switch”, mandatory retaking of tests where proficiency is not demonstrated, and study labs. It also compels us to do MAP testing three times a year to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses, by student, by subject area and by strand and then use that information to guide our curriculum choices and instructional strategies. This has led us to invest in an elementary science lab and pilot programs for I-Pads.

The other similarity I see with Finland is that there is much collaboration and professional education going on at LCS as there is with the faculty in Finnish schools. One of the most distressing items that repeatedly came up when I first arrived here was that our teachers felt like independent contractors. Because of this, the quality of the educational experience for a student was dependent on a teacher or a small group of teachers. With our new emphasis on a collaborative culture and shared results our faculty is constantly learning best practices from each other and comparing actual results to intentions. This environment also gives our students a wider base of teachers to interact with everyday. There is a new emphasis on our faculty as students and teaching from new things that they are learning. As an example, all of our staff is staying an extra hour and a half for seven classes on creating a digital rich classroom environment. This webinar is sponsored by one of the leaders in PLC thought and we want to stay current on how to use technology and digital tools to enhance learning. Many of our staff have their masters or are in process of acquiring it. A high number of our staff has been to the Model Schools Conference and Professional Learning Community conferences over the past few years. They are teaching from a fresh learning perspective!

As you see small and big changes at LCS I want you to know they are done with great research, planning and forethought. Even as we are trying to implement these improvements we are measuring the effectiveness and adjusting, if necessary, after a reasonable period of time to continue to create a safe and nurturing environment where each child can reach their individual potential. As I interact with other administrators from all venues of education I realize more and more that LCS is unique in being a strong Christian school that is an academic leader.