In the classical world, even though Pagans and Christians disagreed about the significance of the world they were studying, nevertheless, both shared similar approaches to pedagogy. What has happened to education since the mid-19th century, however, is nothing short of a revolution and not the good sort (e.g., the American Revolution). It is a revolution away from what has always been considered (by pagans and Christians alike) as learning and in favor of the affective or subjective change within the student. Classically, education was considered to have multiple facets but the foundational function of education began with the objective. There was a time when parents were aware that there was a shift afoot in American education and they responded by clamoring for a return to the “three Rs,” reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic.” This was a way of calling schools to return to a more objective approach to education. The American experiment in public education, however, was intended to introduce immigrants into American (then predominantly) Protestant culture. In that sense its intent was always more affective than classical in orientation.
The American public education system was fairly conservative and cautious in its approach until the post-WWII period, when the true nature of the American experiment in education began to become more evident. Today, however, that experiment in affective education has become an openly partisan political, and cultural enterprise. School districts across the USA have been taken captive by critical theories of various kinds (e.g., Critical Race Theory) and the LGBTQ lobby.
As a practical matter, perhaps the most pressing problem is the percentage of sexual criminals wandering the halls of America’s public schools. A recent news report highlighted the fact that at least one public school teacher or teachers’ aide was arrested for a sexual crime against a minor every day from January 1, 2022 to May 13, 2022. Public schools have become a clear and present danger to the physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well being of America’s children. Read more»
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The Heidelblog has been in publication since 2007. It is devoted to recovering the Reformed confession and to helping others discover Reformed theology, piety, and practice.
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