Episode 9: America’s Education Past and Future
Welcome to the final episode of America’s Education Past and Future. Although this wraps up the series, I will have follow-up episodes, as this has opened doors for conversations and a deeper look at how we are going to move forward with education in our nation.
As we look at the future of education in America, I want to point us back to the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. Nehemiah is the last of the Old Testament historical books. The book recounts the third return to Jerusalem after captivity, describing the rebuilding of the walls and the renewal of the people’s faith.
Sounds refreshing, but as you read through this account, you realize it was not easy. You also find that it reflects where we currently stand in education and what the future might hold. I will give you a very brief overview.
Nehemiah receives a report of the Jewish remnant who had survived the exile and were now residing in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1:3 – They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
This is a picture of our current education system. Progressives have torn down the pillars of our nation’s once superior educational system and left it a pile of burning rubble.
Although the exiles had been living amongst the rubble for years, they had not started to rebuild. The same can be said of us as we continue to use the progressive school model, hoping for different results.
Nehemiah wept when he heard the news before seeking God’s help, which is key to his success. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he inspected the damage and then came up with a game plan to rebuild the walls and restore Jerusalem to its former glory.
Nehemiah 2:17-18 – Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began the good work.
Opposition rose immediately. Nehemiah 2:19-20 – But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
Remember what Dr. Witherspoon, the founder of Princeton, stated.
“Government was a reflection of its citizens; if Americans became profane and immoral, their government would also become profane and immoral; and history has demonstrated conclusively that such governments do not survive. Consequently, it was simple logic that any true friend of America would promote religion and morality.” (4 Centuries of American Education, by David Barton, page 12)
Any friend of America would promote religion and morality. As we have learned throughout this series, America was founded on Christian principles and morality. If you stand against this, then you stand against America, just as these men tried to stand against Jerusalem.
As you continue to read through Nehemiah, you see he had many successes in rebuilding Jerusalem, but there was a lot of opposition. However, he stood strong and pressed on, knowing God was with him. One of my favorite verses from Nehemiah is 4:14. This comes as they face opposition once again.
After looking things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Does that not make you want to say hoorah, let’s get this done?
In our last episode, we discussed the Classical Christian Education (CCE) model and how it served our children well for centuries, providing them with an education that was far superior to any other. Statistical and empirical data prove its superiority.
We have the opportunity to be the Nehemiah’s of this generation so that the generations to come will enjoy the freedom that comes with an education that develops their thinking and reasoning skills. If we take a stand, do the hard work, and rebuild our broken education system, our children will end up with an education that surpasses our own. And don’t we always want better for our kids?
The question is, how do we go about rebuilding our broken education system? I am no expert in this, and there could be more than one way to get this done. These are my ideas, and I am sure others have better ones. Right now, I just want to get the conversation going so that a plan can be formed and put in place.
Before we can roll out the CCE model in our classrooms, we need to equip our teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to implement these teaching strategies. These strategies will feel strange at first because most of us have never experienced them as students and it is not how we have been teaching.
This means we must create training opportunities where current and pre-service teachers can easily acquire this training. For pre-service teachers, it is a matter of changing the current college coursework to prepare these students to implement the CCE model. This can happen as we have seen colleges change their programming to train students in the latest teaching strategies, which have changed multiple times over the years.
For current teachers, we need readily accessible and flexible training to meet their current life and job demands. There are a variety of avenues for this: training centers, on demand courses, conferences, and training brought to the schools.
Parents and students will also need guidance to help navigate this change. Expectations and routines will differ from students’ and parents’ education experience.
Remember the visual Pete and David gave of the capsized ship? We have been on it so long that the capsized ship feels normal and as we turn the ship upright, we have to re-orient ourselves; which means training for all who are involved.
Once training is in place and underway, we have to turn our focus on the implementation. Do we start brand new schools under this model? Do we turn our public schools back into Classical Christian schools? Do we find a middle ground and allow local communities and school boards to vote on whether they want to stick with the current progressive education model or change to the CCE model?
These are all possibilities. Right now, you can start a Classical Christian school and with organizations like the Classical Christian Schools Association, you can get this done with the support of those who have gone before you. An open voucher system would make this even more feasible, as federal and state education dollars would follow a child wherever the parent chooses to educate them.
Can we turn our public schools back into Classical Christian schools? Yes. That is what they were before the progressives changed them. Why would we build brand new schools when we have fully staffed schools sitting in our communities right now?
Many will say this is not possible because of the Warren Court rulings in the Engel v. Vitale, the Abbington School District v. Schempp, and the Reed v. Van Hoven cases. However, evidence proves that these rulings are unconstitutional. So, I say we the people move to have these rulings overturned. It’s a daunting task, but not impossible. I mean, did anyone think Roe v. Wade would be overturned?
Is it possible to let local schools and communities decide for themselves which model of education they want to go with? I think this a place to start, but I am not confident that as a nation we can maintain two very different education systems and remain united.
Let’s look back on our own history. A clash between two very different ideas of right and wrong ignited the Civil War. The ideals and “virtues” that our current progressive education system instills in students are self-centered, vapid, and intolerant, leading to a society spiraling out of control, as evidenced by a multitude of events over the past decade. The ideals and virtues of the CCE model are vastly different, focusing on serving God and others, valuing truth, honesty, and integrity.
When it comes to the long haul, these two societies cannot co-exist in peace. Which is why we stand at a great precipice today. We either continue on as is and watch society climb deeper and deeper into the pit of despair and chaos, taking our great nation with it. Or, we stand and say not on my watch. We fight the small battles and hopefully avoid a war, in order to save our children’s future and the future of this nation.
The question is, are we ready to link arms, stand together, and fight for our children’s future, or do we stand back and do nothing?
Back in episode one, I mentioned you would go through the Josiah experience. In 2 Kings 22, King Josiah hears the word of the Lord read out loud for the first time. His first response was shock and grief at learning that their nation was so off course from God. After a time of reflection and repentance, he instituted reform across the country, bringing the people back to God.
I have no doubt you are feeling the Josiah experience right now. My hope is that this series has revealed truths we have never known and opened doors for conversations to rebuild our education system to its former glory. There will be numerous conversations to come, so stay tuned. For now, I would like to leave you with reading Nehemiah’s words to you once again.
After looking things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:14)
Resources and Links
Book- 4 Centuries of American Education by David Barton: https://shop.wallbuilders.com/index.php/four-centuries-of-american-education.html
Book – Separation of Church and State, What the Founders Meant by David Barton: https://shop.wallbuilders.com/index.php/separation-of-church-state-what-the-founders-meant-book.html
Book – Battle for the American Mind by Pete Hegseth and David Goodwin: https://battlefortheamericanmind.com/
