Interesting things here from a government school.
From the Idaho Statesman:
About 500 children line up outside on a brisk Wednesday morning, the small in front of the tall. They turn toward a flagpole to pledge their allegiance, then face the headmaster to recite their creed, declaring that they are wise, virtuous and strive for excellence in all they do. Teachers follow suit, pledging to develop in their students "a strong intellectual foundation coupled with a potent moral compass."
When they're done, Headmaster Val Bush proclaims, "Teachers, you may lead your students to fulfill their destinies."
Destiny isn't a word bandied about much. But at Nampa Classical Academy it's a staple - not just in the daily opening ceremony, but as one of a dozen "Greater Things in Life" that students in grades K through 9 vow to heed.
The others? Character, charity, civility, discipline, excellence, industry and thrift, integrity, loyalty, originality and creativity, patriotism, and service.
The public charter academy, which opened last fall in an array of portable classrooms in west Nampa, is proudly old-school, formal and conservative.
Uniformed students stand up to answer questions from teachers who call them "Mr." and "Miss." Latin and logic classes are required from sixth grade on up.
And each ninth-grader must recite something in front of the entire student body at least once during the year.
The goal, says founder, teacher and operations director Isaac Moffett, is to give modern-day children the kind of education that Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers received.
"By reading our founders' writing, you'll see why classical education is important," Moffett said. "Our current traditional education system does not produce such thinking, such writing."
Nampa Classical, he said, aims to produce graduates who can think well, write well and achieve their purpose in life.
Then it gets interesting.
In a seventh-grade ancient history class, teacher Bruce Forrest preps the students for an upcoming quiz. He asks questions and they rummage through their notes, hands flying skyward as they find or remember the answers. Then he goes over the same material again, until all can call out the correct answer.
"How much do we know about the Etruscans?" he asks.
"Very little, because we can't read their writing," one girl responds, correctly, without checking her notes.
The review moves on to a lightning round of sorts, with quick-fire questions and answers. Facts that prove elusive to the students merit a drill, such as repeating five times the dates for the first Punic War (264 to 241 B.C.).
The educational approach is formal and structured, but intent on developing independent thought and the ability to argue points, Bush said. Memorization and debate are equally prized.
"We're trying what has never been done in Idaho before - to offer a classical liberal arts education in public school," Moffett said. "There's really no comparison, other than going to a private school."
He also calls NCA "the only conservative public school in Idaho" and says, "we put our patriotism up front."
That doesn't mean liberal political views aren't welcome, he said, adding that a variety of viewpoints makes for nourishing debate and stronger minds.
"It's not about conforming to a conservative ideology," Moffett said. "We can't have it just one way.
"The whole point of school is to grow yourself."
It will be interesting to see if a government school (even a charter one) can pull off anything close to being classical.
Now the zingers:
When it comes to the Constitution, the school is strictly traditionalist, he said: "We do not believe it's a living document. The original intent of our founders must be taught to our children."
Latin is a staple at Nampa Classical, and plans call for teaching Greek to future juniors and seniors. The foreign languages common in other schools, such as Spanish and French, aren't among the course offerings, although Bush said he hopes to add them within a couple of years.
One thing that won't ever be part of the curriculum, he said, is vocational education.
To Moffett, standard public education has shifted in the past century from a system that produces leaders to one that produces workers.
"It's a slave-training mentality," he said.
At Nampa Classical, he said, school leaders don't worry about training people for specific vocations - instead, they aim to impart the knowledge and mental agility to enable students to be good at whatever pursuit they choose.
"All of this is to focus on the student's destiny, and that requires an understanding of who they are," Bush said. "This isn't just to educate them to get a job. It's educating them to be the person they're going to be."
We’ll see how this goes over time. I’m not convinced that the government will allow for a classical education that is funded by the state. It’s too subversive. The government wants to have drones that will recite the party line, not thinking citizens.