Post by SOOMPI.com.
Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Monday, January 05, 2015
An Ideal to be Emulated?
In light of the post I just wrote on Catholic secondary education, I flipped over to the website of Gregory the Great Academy to get an update. (Why was the title of Saint dropped from the name of the school? I had noticed this before, when the initial attempt was made to resurrect the school after it had been closed in Elmhurst.)
iirc, they try to implement the ideas of John Senior in conjunction with a liberal arts program.
They are probably doing the best with what they have, but is there a cheap (and more dignified) alternative to the modern desk/chair combo? I would prefer something more along the lines of a long oval or rectangular table, even if the class is not a seminar/discussion/tutorial.
Is the school currently being served by a Byzantine-rite priest?
iirc, they try to implement the ideas of John Senior in conjunction with a liberal arts program.
They are probably doing the best with what they have, but is there a cheap (and more dignified) alternative to the modern desk/chair combo? I would prefer something more along the lines of a long oval or rectangular table, even if the class is not a seminar/discussion/tutorial.
Is the school currently being served by a Byzantine-rite priest?
Preparing for the World Meeting of Families
Is the dedication of resources for such a hullabaloo justifiable?
Catholic Secondary Education in the SF Bay Area
I had said I would write a response to a comment left by a reader in May of last year regarding Catholic classical education in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I am getting to it now. This post will probably not be as long or thorough as I originally planned; the notes for it I have typed somewhere but I do not know in what document.
I don't think I need to list the advantages of a classical education in combination with a liberal education. (Though I will have to write something up eventually if we were to promote such a school.) It would be economically advantageous and more in-line with the nobility of education to have school that is affordable, low tuition and financial assistance for families that cannot afford it. But with the real-state prices in the Bay Area as inflated as they are and the costs of construction, the economics may be prohibitive. (Unless one builds in the less developed areas that are next to the Bay Area - but then how could such a school serve those who live here?)
There used to be a school attached to the FSSP parish in Sacramento. I did not know about the initiative in Concord which was mentioned by my reader. In Napa there are Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep, and in the South Bay there is at least one non-denominational Christian school that offers a classical education at the secondary level. I suspect the state of Catholic education here is abysmal (intellectually, morally, and spiritually); I do not know if all of the local Roman-rite dioceses have adopted Common Core, but it would not be surprising if that were the case.
If such a school were to be started, would it be easier to start with grade 9, and then a middle school could be added later? But it seems that the transition phase would have to start with a middle school, if the students are to receive an adequate instruction in Latin (and eventually more than a beginning introduction to Greek). Those who do not enroll in the school until grade 9 may have to be put on a different (or less rigorous) track for classical languages. (Would it be possible to squeeze in 3 years of Latin and 2 years of Greek along with all of the other requirements at the secondary level into 4 years?)
Even if there is funding now, with the precarious state of the economy could such a school be financially sustained? It seems rather risky. Or should that not be a concern, and we are to leave the school in the hands of God? Is it wasteful though to seek the resources for the multimillion dollar construction of a school campus if the school goes out of business shortly after it is completed (or even while it is being built)? Not to mention the consequences of taking on big loans for such a project...
Because of my opposition to exploiting families to keep the higher-ed bubble inflated, I do not think the school should do much to push students in the direction of pursuing a college education, unless they have clear goals in mind which require such an education and they have the intellectual talents to justify it. Nonetheless, I think the school would have to be marketed as a college prep school; otherwise parents here would not enroll their children in it. If we are ambitious, we might even claim that the education provided by the secondary school (and middle school) is superior to some colleges (even Catholic ones) with respect to the holistic formation it provides, as well as the intellectual training. [Did not pupils in the medieval universities enroll in their early teens? Was this true up to the Renaissance and the colleges/universities of St. Ignatius?]
It would be best for the school to advocate vocational training for those who have the aptitude and interest; could the curriculum allow time for vocational training? And what sort of vocational training do our young people need for the post-carbon era? How many of our trades will still be needed?
The school could also be promoted as our solution to the current man crisis; as such the school would not be co-ed but for young men only. (Though another school, with a different education, could be created in the future for young women.) More on this aspect some other time. Ideally, the each graduating class would be around the size of a company (100-120) but would the school need to embrace a greater (and less ideal) scale in order to be sustainable? (I would have to compare it with Catholic high schools in the area, along with other private schools.)
I don't think I need to list the advantages of a classical education in combination with a liberal education. (Though I will have to write something up eventually if we were to promote such a school.) It would be economically advantageous and more in-line with the nobility of education to have school that is affordable, low tuition and financial assistance for families that cannot afford it. But with the real-state prices in the Bay Area as inflated as they are and the costs of construction, the economics may be prohibitive. (Unless one builds in the less developed areas that are next to the Bay Area - but then how could such a school serve those who live here?)
There used to be a school attached to the FSSP parish in Sacramento. I did not know about the initiative in Concord which was mentioned by my reader. In Napa there are Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep, and in the South Bay there is at least one non-denominational Christian school that offers a classical education at the secondary level. I suspect the state of Catholic education here is abysmal (intellectually, morally, and spiritually); I do not know if all of the local Roman-rite dioceses have adopted Common Core, but it would not be surprising if that were the case.
If such a school were to be started, would it be easier to start with grade 9, and then a middle school could be added later? But it seems that the transition phase would have to start with a middle school, if the students are to receive an adequate instruction in Latin (and eventually more than a beginning introduction to Greek). Those who do not enroll in the school until grade 9 may have to be put on a different (or less rigorous) track for classical languages. (Would it be possible to squeeze in 3 years of Latin and 2 years of Greek along with all of the other requirements at the secondary level into 4 years?)
Even if there is funding now, with the precarious state of the economy could such a school be financially sustained? It seems rather risky. Or should that not be a concern, and we are to leave the school in the hands of God? Is it wasteful though to seek the resources for the multimillion dollar construction of a school campus if the school goes out of business shortly after it is completed (or even while it is being built)? Not to mention the consequences of taking on big loans for such a project...
Because of my opposition to exploiting families to keep the higher-ed bubble inflated, I do not think the school should do much to push students in the direction of pursuing a college education, unless they have clear goals in mind which require such an education and they have the intellectual talents to justify it. Nonetheless, I think the school would have to be marketed as a college prep school; otherwise parents here would not enroll their children in it. If we are ambitious, we might even claim that the education provided by the secondary school (and middle school) is superior to some colleges (even Catholic ones) with respect to the holistic formation it provides, as well as the intellectual training. [Did not pupils in the medieval universities enroll in their early teens? Was this true up to the Renaissance and the colleges/universities of St. Ignatius?]
It would be best for the school to advocate vocational training for those who have the aptitude and interest; could the curriculum allow time for vocational training? And what sort of vocational training do our young people need for the post-carbon era? How many of our trades will still be needed?
The school could also be promoted as our solution to the current man crisis; as such the school would not be co-ed but for young men only. (Though another school, with a different education, could be created in the future for young women.) More on this aspect some other time. Ideally, the each graduating class would be around the size of a company (100-120) but would the school need to embrace a greater (and less ideal) scale in order to be sustainable? (I would have to compare it with Catholic high schools in the area, along with other private schools.)
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Saturday, January 03, 2015
Something Wrong With This Photo
Post by SOOMPI.com.
Someone is missing... whether 소녀시대 can retain its popularity despite the departure (firing!) of Jessica remains to be seen.
Friday, January 02, 2015
Because They Don't Take it Seriously?
Haven't seen the first female soldier version so I can't say for sure that they didn't parrot girl power lines at the end of the special.
Post by SOOMPI.com.
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Dr. Fleming on a Classical Education
Political Liberty and the Classical Tradition
A slightly different perspective, more in line with mainstream conservatism (concerning the nature of the republic)
Liberal Learning in a Free Republic by Christopher B. Nelson
A slightly different perspective, more in line with mainstream conservatism (concerning the nature of the republic)
Liberal Learning in a Free Republic by Christopher B. Nelson
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
CWR Interview with Fr. Rutler
Catholicism in New York City
An interview with Fr. George Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in New York City, and noted author and commentator
Jim Graves
(via Fr. Z)
See also: Catholic Higher Education in Ruins by Robert Oscar Lopez
An interview with Fr. George Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in New York City, and noted author and commentator
Jim Graves
(via Fr. Z)
Our Catholic education system is a disaster, from kindergarten to the university level. I am continually appalled by the ignorance of Catholic college graduates I meet. They know nothing at all about the Faith or Western culture. We’ve returned to the period of 800-1200, with the Church the repository of learning in the midst of the total dearth of the life of the mind.
We have a generation of parents who did not receive the Faith from the previous generation. Fifty years ago, parents had some sense of their obligations to God and tried to pass them on to their children. But today, many parents are a blank slate when it comes to religion. They have nothing to pass on to their children. Some have turned to homeschooling, but that’s a small percentage of the total. There are also some splendid new academies and colleges faithful to the Magisterium which are opening, which I hope will serve as models for renewal for some existing institutions.
In our recent discussions of the Church and family, much attention has been paid to those in irregular situations, such as the divorced. These are important considerations, but let’s keep our focus on the traditional family unit and on how we can support it. The family is our future.
The people I find most heroic in our society are young couples bringing up children. I’ve had parents bring their babies to Mass and get embarrassed when they cry. They come to me afterward and apologize for the disruption. I say, “Don’t apologize, that’s the sound of the future.”
See also: Catholic Higher Education in Ruins by Robert Oscar Lopez
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
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