I recently returned from 4 days at Valley Forge with 5 of our scholars from John Adams Academy. The last day there we visited a monument in the park that has this inscription by Henry Armitt Brown:
"And here in this place of sacrifice and in this vale of humiliation, in this valley of the shadow of that death out of which the life of America rose, regenerate and free, let us believe with an abiding faith that to them union will seem as dear and liberty as sweet and progress as glorious as they were to our fathers and are to you and me. And that the institutions that have made us happy, preserved by our children shall bless the remotest generation of the time to come."
Valley Forge was a defining moment for the Continental Army in the winter of 1777. It was there that sacrifice produced the fighting force that would change the world forever.
Valley Forge was a defining moment for the Continental Army in the winter of 1777. It was there that sacrifice produced the fighting force that would change the world forever.
I reflected at a recent board meeting on sacrifice and the liberating influence of education. I spoke frankly with those in attendance and these are a few thoughts I conveyed. To a large extent we may be in a self-imposed prison academically, emotionally, economically, socially, spiritually or otherwise as a product of our own childhood and education. Learning is the key that will liberate us from the chains of a limited future for ourselves and our children. A classical leadership education such as what Thomas Jefferson received requires a change of lifestyle (he studied 12-14 hours a day as a teen scholar), change of who you are and who your family wants to become.
It took several years for me to begin understanding this and I am still learning. It is akin to “coming out of the cave” as related by Plato. Most people, including ourselves, live in a world of relative ignorance. We are even comfortable with that ignorance (our cave), because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth, the process may be frightening, and many people run back to their old lives. (As a few parents have felt after looking at JAA but enrolling their children in a traditional school because JAA looks scary.) But, if you continue to seek learning, you will eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! Once you’ve tasted knowledge and truth, you won’t ever want to go back to being ignorant.
It took several years for me to begin understanding this and I am still learning. It is akin to “coming out of the cave” as related by Plato. Most people, including ourselves, live in a world of relative ignorance. We are even comfortable with that ignorance (our cave), because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth, the process may be frightening, and many people run back to their old lives. (As a few parents have felt after looking at JAA but enrolling their children in a traditional school because JAA looks scary.) But, if you continue to seek learning, you will eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! Once you’ve tasted knowledge and truth, you won’t ever want to go back to being ignorant.
It is important to note that we have taken what is a classical individual education and have tailored it into a public institutional format to benefit all. We realized that families desire the private education as Jefferson had with George Wythe, yet few can afford such in a private school setting. It is a family change requiring engagement by everyone. Our days are a bit longer and half day Fridays require our scholars to be on task.
When we say America is in decline it is because. generally speaking, Americans are inherently lazier and more distracted than previous generations. It is the repetition with our children and the things that we do and at dinner or when we gather around the table, and talk about great ideas that will bring us “out of the cave”. This type of education is a family lifestyle choice. It is a decision that elevates education above other choices or demands for our time. If we want greatness that is the price we must all pay.
So, in the words of Dr. DeMille: “How does a generation that was never educated in the classics give the new generation an education in the classics?” We have to model the change and start with ourselves before we will have the capacity to draw from our wells to sustain and inspire and give to our children. If you want to help your children with their homework, get in the classics.
As we come to the close of this academic year we should reflect and ask ourselves, “How have I changed, and how have my children or family changed as a result of our educational choices?”
When we say America is in decline it is because. generally speaking, Americans are inherently lazier and more distracted than previous generations. It is the repetition with our children and the things that we do and at dinner or when we gather around the table, and talk about great ideas that will bring us “out of the cave”. This type of education is a family lifestyle choice. It is a decision that elevates education above other choices or demands for our time. If we want greatness that is the price we must all pay.
So, in the words of Dr. DeMille: “How does a generation that was never educated in the classics give the new generation an education in the classics?” We have to model the change and start with ourselves before we will have the capacity to draw from our wells to sustain and inspire and give to our children. If you want to help your children with their homework, get in the classics.
As we come to the close of this academic year we should reflect and ask ourselves, “How have I changed, and how have my children or family changed as a result of our educational choices?”
Dean Forman, Ph.D., CFP, CEBS
Founder
John Adams Academy
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