Socratic discussion and debate are some of the hallmarks of our rhetoric school’s pedagogy, requiring students to wrestle with challenging topics in conversation with one another. Recently, our 9th graders in Mrs. Lawrence’s Modernity I class had to debate free will and election as described in the Westminster Confession of Faith. With a mixture of denominations represented, the assignment made for a really lively and fruitful discussion, as students reflected on the nature and character of God.

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Classical education is about understanding the How and the Why about things, not just the What. After reading through the Book of Deuteronomy in Modernity II, Mr. Modar spent a period with his seniors to study and discuss the Sabbath and other Jewish feasts presented in the book. Through eating good food, imbibing unique drinks, and enjoying some fellowship, our seniors were able to appreciate the significance of the Sabbath and some of the traditions that accompanied it throughout history.

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Pictured is Dr. Smith and 6th grader Sydney Bryant.

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One ship was confidently hailed as the glory of a new age and man鈥檚 achievements. The other set out for the glory of God and the benefit of future generations. The first sank after three brief days of ease. The second arrived safely after sixty-six days of arduous labor and difficulty. 罢颈迟补苍颈肠鈥檚 name has come to be synonymous with an age of decadence, pride, and folly. The small band aboard the Mayflower helped found a nation.

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In the wake of this disaster, pastors seized the opportunity to preach against the pride and arrogance of the age and to call for national and even international repentance. There were lessons to be learned from this disaster. Through books, plays, movies, games, articles, and museums the story of the sinking of HMS Titanic has been told and retold for a hundred years, and the lessons from this story are as relevant today as they were in 1912. That age of decadence, overconfidence, and self-indulgence is not so different than our own.

But did you know that there was another ship?

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Students and teachers alike greatly enjoyed her lecture and performances and had a wonderful time meeting her. Thank you, Dr. Weaver!

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Dr. Smith is the husband of 91原创 kindergarten teacher, Mrs. LaWanna Smith. Thank you Dr. Smith!

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The timeline of events, personalities, and history in our class this year has paralleled the 4th grade class’s study of history as they, too, have focused on the years from the close of the Ancient period to the opening of the Renaissance. Mrs. Katrina Terrell, the 4th grade teacher, and I decided to seize the opportunity of our two classes studying much of the same material and bring them together to work side-by-side on some projects.

First, at the end of last semester my class studied the Crusades by reading a firsthand account written by Geoffrey de Villehardouin, a general in the Fourth Crusade. The 4th grade class also studied the Crusades, so the juniors and seniors prepared brief presentations to share what they knew with the 4th graders. They were delighted to discover that their younger schoolmates knew much of the same material and had eager minds to take in new information. Afterward, the 4th graders were allowed to ask questions of the high schoolers: “What is Omnibus?” “What science do you take?” “Do you drive to school?”

Also, we decided to team up the classes for a Medieval Feast. Boy oh boy, what a great time! Parents decorated the Great Room as a banquet hall and prepared authentic Medieval food for the students to eat with their fingers in authentic Medieval style. There was a castle cake and a stained-glass window with a knight fighting a dragon. The students came in costume and presented entertainments. And the students worked together in young-old teams to give presentations on various facets of life in Medieval times. Then after the feast they went outside to play games together.

One of the real blessings of the whole event was the preparation for it, when the juniors and seniors teamed up with 4th grades to prepare their presentations. They were like big brothers and sisters (at their best), leading their younger schoolmates and encouraging them to contribute to the presentations. It was a real delight to see them busily and happily at work side-by-side, laughing and discussing Medieval monks, scholars, soldiers, ladies, artists, pilgrims, and lords.

As I reflect on our classes’ partnership, Mrs. Terrell and I really are very thankful. Groundwork laid in the grammar school is reinforced and built up on the secondary school; ideas and events come around again, and students are allowed to build on what they know. 91原创 students really do love each other. Seeing the older students working with the younger students is a treasure. Class events like the Medieval feast are memories that students take with them forever. They will remember the day they dressed up in costumes, ate strange food, and feasted in Medieval style with the big kids.

And then, too, I am reminded that at our school, school really is about learning, and learning can be fun. Sounds revolutionary, eh?

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Crawford’s article attempts to debunk the prevailing narrative that features the crusaders as cynical, greedy, power-hungry Westerners attacking innocent Muslims. In an era when the relations of East/West, Christian/Muslim, and Anglo/ Arab are front-page material, it is important to think clearly about our history.

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