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Christian Principles — Classical Methods — Amazing Results
Kelly Weber's State of the School Speech - January 2011
When Mr. Post first approached me and asked me to talk about how Tall Oaks has prepared me for college, my initial reaction was "I don't really know…I've never been to college." But then I started really thinking about what I'll be bringing with me to college-and that's when I realized that the greatest way that Tall Oaks has prepared me for college is by teaching me how to think. Starting with my first steps into Kindergarten, I have learned for the past twelve years how to think through a biblical frame of reference, how to think critically, and how to think, of course, classically.
Now, I am not saying that thinking is the only valuable tool that I will be bringing with me to college. All of the subjects I have studied, the character development that I have gained, and all of the opportunites that I have had here will be valuable as I head to college this fall. However, I do believe that the most important thing that Tall Oaks has taught me is how to think, because the way a person thinks and reasons will shape every idea, every decision, every word, every action. By teaching me how to think, Tall Oaks has equipped me to be able to be influenced by the things that are of Christ, and then to change my corner of the world into one that reflects Him.
It was in the very beginning of my education that I began to think through a biblical frame of reference, and that has been cultivated at every turn in the past twelve years. Whenever there was a dispute in Kindergarten, Mrs. Lawler would have us resolve it via Matthew 18:15-17. Whenever there was a dispute in eighth grade, Miss Drazga would have us resolve it via Matthew 18:15-17. If we could not resolve it ourselves, and if Miss Drazga could not help us, then we would go to Mr. Post to get to the heart of the issue. This culture of biblical thinking has extended to every area of my life, not just at school or on Sunday mornings, but when I was at dance, when I was talking to an atheist friend, when I was encouraging a fellow believer, when I was deciding what clothes to wear, what shows to watch, what music to listen to. Because this culture of Christianity has been so ingrained in my life, I know that I will continue to think, speak, and act in light of that culture as I leave home and encounter unfamiliar surroundings and situations.
Not only have I been taught how to think biblically, but I also have been taught how to think critically. One of my earliest memories of trying to put critical thinking into practice was when I was turning 10. I desperately wanted to get my ears pierced, and my dad, knowing what I was learning at school, told me that if I wrote him a three-point persuasive paragraph on why I should get my ears pierced, that he would consider it. I don't remember my arguments; I don't think that any of them were valid, but we were able to have a very good discussion about the matter, and three days after my birthday, I came home with pierced ears and a huge smile. In the dialectic stage, we took logic and argumentation and debate, learning how to reason, how to analyze arguments for both validity and truth, and how to examine the things the world was telling us. One thing I distinctly remember hearing over and over again was "What are they saying? Is it true?" Knowing how to reason and analyze arguments to see how they measured up against God's truth has shown me just how flawed our world is and how perfect our God is. I no longer take explanations and arguments at face value, but look deeper in order to see their structure and what their basis is, how they use---or don't use---logic. Being able to think critically about the world is yet another skill that will aid me in not only in college, but also as I navigate a broken world.
Last, but most certainly not least, Tall Oaks has taught me to think classically, to think about every issue in light of every thing else that I know. This past semester, our physics readings in Aristotle were directly related to our discussions in Apologetics. We can apply lessons learned on the basketball court to the concepts discussed in physics. When we do research for our Junior and Senior theses, we draw from many different subjects and topics to create arguments. In Civics, we don't just learn how our government works, but we also learn how biblical government is supposed to look both in history, and in our modern day and age.
The goal of education is not merely to prepare one for college, even though a good education will do just that. In Plato's Republic, he states that the aim of education is to teach a child to quote: "blame and hate the ugly even from his earliest years, and to give delighted praise to beauty, […] before he is of an age to reason; so that when Reason at length comes to him, then, bred as he has been, he will hold out his hands in welcome." The world tells us that we can hate and like whatever we choose. At Tall Oaks, I have been shown that the sins and brokenness of the world are not beautiful, but that the things of God are. It is on this solid foundation, coupled with the thinking skills imparted to me by Tall Oaks that my college and life experiences will be built. Kelly Weber, Senior, Class of 2011
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