Tag: virtue

Josh Dyson

Proposing a Framework for an Education toward Virtue

By Josh Dyson In the section on Justice in his The Four Cardinal Virtues, Josef Pieper states, “Fundamental truths must constantly be pondered anew lest they lose their fruitfulness. In this lies the significance of meditation: that truth may not cease to be present and effective in the active life.”[1] A couple pages later he continues, “… human actions are properly human because they have … Continue reading Proposing a Framework for an Education toward Virtue

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Lecture

Can Virtue Be Taught?

“My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken. “While I improved in speech, I also learned the science of letters as it was taught to … Continue reading Can Virtue Be Taught?

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Guest Articles, Guest Writing, Uncategorized

Wake the Dead with Air Guitars: Adventures in Training 3-Year Old’s in Virtue

By Nathan Carr Vigen Guroian, in his Tending the Heart of Virtue, quotes Flannery O’Connor as having said the following: “a story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way….You tell a story because a statement would be inadequate.” You are inviting the eye-roll in your three-year old classroom if you simply said, “Olive Kate, you are resisting my role … Continue reading Wake the Dead with Air Guitars: Adventures in Training 3-Year Old’s in Virtue

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Educational Insights from Hogwarts, Kyle Rapinchuk

Career Advice (Educational Insights from Hogwarts, Part 9)

We are now on to the second half of our 10 part series on Educational Insights from Hogwarts. If you missed any previous articles, check them out at the links below. Part 1: Lessons from Dolores, Dumbledore, and More Part 2: Private Christian Schools and Government Involvement Part 3: Meaningful Teacher Evaluations Part 4: Student Organizations Part 5: On the Integration of Subjects/Arts Part 6: … Continue reading Career Advice (Educational Insights from Hogwarts, Part 9)

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Kyle Rapinchuk

An Education of the Head, Heart, and Hands

Classical Christian education is often said to be a pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful. Others have built upon this idea to say that we are aiming to produce wisdom and eloquence in our students. Still further, classical Christian education has been said to be an exploration and instillation of virtue. Likely the most common statement regarding the goals of classical Christian … Continue reading An Education of the Head, Heart, and Hands

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Guest Articles, Guest Writing, Uncategorized

On Aristotle and Happiness

By Christine Norvell Humanity of every age and culture has sought a sense of purpose, often in semantics—perhaps fulfillment, contentment, joy, pleasure, satisfaction, or happiness add meaning to our life on earth. However, some of these words appear interconnected or lend to a dichotomy, either relating to the physical senses or to intuitive ones. Aristotle saw how these separate terms could intertwine to define happiness: … Continue reading On Aristotle and Happiness

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Guest Articles, Guest Writing, Uncategorized

Chips: In Moderation

By Joshua Bruce “Potato chips may be eaten, but only in moderation.” The philosopher Aristotle said that. Well, he didn’t exactly say that. But if Aristotle had known about potato chips and how good they are, he definitely would have said that about them. Which is why my son, a classically trained toddler, already well-versed in Aristotelian categories, always says the same thing when he … Continue reading Chips: In Moderation

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Josh Dyson, Uncategorized

This Democracy Will Self-Destruct in 5, 4, 3…

“…are you not ashamed that you care for having as much money as possible, and reputation, and honor, but that you neither care for nor give thought to prudence, and trust, and how your soul will be the best possible?”[1]The above question is what Socrates asks of the jury of his peers as they are about to sentence him to death. Is this question not … Continue reading This Democracy Will Self-Destruct in 5, 4, 3…

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Featured Article, Josh Dyson

Virtue-Free Education—Long Live the Democracy!

It might go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway to make sure we are all on the same page—modern American education is based upon a progressive worldview. This model of education is used almost wholesale in the Government (aka “Public”) schools and appears to be the most prevalent model in private (even Christian private) schools. One important difference in the educational approach … Continue reading Virtue-Free Education—Long Live the Democracy!

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Mundane Meditations

On Running Out of Ink (Mundane Meditations)

One of the more ridiculous confessions of my life came not long ago at a professional development meeting. As I sat in a classroom taking notes, my pen stopped working. This annoyance had happened before, so I knew the proper technique to shake the pen, scribble in the corner, and move on. Yet it didn’t work. I tried again, and again, and sat amazed at … Continue reading On Running Out of Ink (Mundane Meditations)

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Monday Musings

Is Repairing the Ruins Our Goal?

Back in the spring I had an excellent conversation with another classical Christian educator who asked whether we were right to define our endeavors along the lines of John Milton’s idea that we were repairing the ruins of Adam and Eve so that we might love and imitate God. This educator proposed that, as Christians, although this was our goal in the Christian life, our … Continue reading Is Repairing the Ruins Our Goal?

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Josh Dyson

No One Mourns the Virtuous

By Josh Dyson, Director of Operations at the Classical School of Wichita We live in a world today where virtue is either redefined or called into question whether it exists at all. One tenant of postmodernism is that truth in any universal sense is unknowable and therefore irrelevant. Thus the argument goes that we cannot evaluate truth claims but rather must deal in contexts, “texts”, … Continue reading No One Mourns the Virtuous

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