I posit that virtue is not the chief end of education, but one of the chief ends of education. The ends of education are many. Every school has a profile of the ideal graduate, which includes close to one dozen or more “chief ends” for the ideal student. I would agree that virtue is one of the most important, but let us consider some what-if scenarios to explore this question further.

What if we have a school that teaches virtues extremely well but teaches basic academic skills poorly? A graduate from such a school would lead a virtuous life, a very good outcome; however, that graduate would not be a good contributor to society. Being poorly educated, the student would be ill-equipped to pursue and master specialized skills. What if all schools produced graduates like this—virtuous yet poorly educated? Where would we get doctors, artists, teachers, etc., to create a properly functioning society? These virtuous students would have a great desire to help others but would not have been taught the skills to do so with excellence.

What if a school taught the virtues poorly yet had excellent academics? Graduates would be well educated, but would they use their education for good? The people who carry out terrorist attacks around the world are not poorly educated in academics. They understand the math, science, history, and geopolitics needed to carry out their evil deeds. What they lack are virtues to utilize their academic skills for the good of society.

From a Christian perspective, what if two Christians are standing before God? One is virtuous, yet poorly educated, the other is not very virtuous, but well educated. According to the Scriptures, virtue is the most important quality, and God would be more pleased with the virtuous person. When we stand before our Heavenly Father, we must conclude virtue is supreme. However, is this the situation presented by this question? The question is about dealing with our life on earth. In Genesis 2:15, we are told how God put man in the garden “to work and take care of it.” In this life on earth, we are to be productive as well as virtuous. 

I believe this is the crux of our question. How do we create and develop productive members for our society? Through Classical Christian education. The “classical” part refers to classical pedagogy—the method developed by the ancient Greeks that focused on being knowledgeable, understanding logic, and being able to express complex thoughts persuasively through oral and written forms, and all on a virtuous foundation. While many of the virtues the ancient Greeks valued are like Christian virtues, they did not have a biblical worldview. This was introduced by Augustine, Clement of Alexandria, et.al. On their website Augnet.org, the brothers of the Order of Augustine list the following as one of Augustine’s principles on education: “The search of the intellect for knowledge must be matched by learning how to love with the heart. Heart and mind work together.” For Augustine, virtue and knowledge “work together.” I believe we must adopt this principle in our time on earth as we seek to develop the best educated students at our schools.

What other goals for education could compete with virtue? I mentioned earlier, the chief ends of education are many. I believe this creates a problem of balance. We can focus too much on one or some while not focusing enough on others. Some classical Christian schools do not have daily devotions or weekly chapel. They do have academic classes on Old and New Testament survey and Apologetics. While these academic classes are teaching the Bible, are students truly understanding virtue or are they merely learning knowledge to pass a test? Teaching virtue starts with helping students understand that their relationship with God is a personal one. This is best modeled through daily devotions. Rafiki Foundation schools in Africa begin each day with Bible devotions. At my school in Tanzania, we dedicate a full class period to devotions at all grade levels. Our goal is to help our students understand that studying the Bible is more than an intellectual exercise. I have a friend who says the longest distance on earth is the eighteen inches from our brain to our heart. We can teach our students the Bible; the challenge is making sure they understand this teaching is more than knowledge. We are trying to help transform their hearts. As Bernard of Clairvaux said, “Some seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity. Others seek knowledge that they themselves be known: that is vanity. But there are still others who seek knowledge in order to serve and edify others, and that is charity.” If our schools encourage students’ personal faith, then our students will understand the purpose of their education.

Many other Christian schools view academics as being too worldly. Consequently, graduates of these schools are not prepared for higher education. I have some friends who were homeschooled or had Christian education that they confess did not prepare them for the rigors of academia. They were taught Godly virtues and are good Christians, but they required a longer time to learn the skills required for a given profession to be a good contributor to society. (I also know many friends who were homeschooled and received a very good education.)

Like tightrope artists, always measuring each step across the line, educators must likewise balance multiple goals and outcomes. This task is further complicated because each student is uniquely created by God, and we must avoid the industrial production approach of modern education. As a Headmaster, I find this challenge exhilarating and my work never grows stale or routine. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father blesses our efforts, and we can tell many, many success stories. I hope all in classical Christian education enjoy this same blessing.

 

John Cicone, M. Ed.

Headmaster – Rafiki Foundation School Tanzania

 

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