Education Is Repentance
Our high school Humanities studies at Providence Prep are anchored by Dr. George Grant's unforgettable moral philosophy course. We are often reminded, and we have seen for ourselves, that education as a form of repentance.
. . . true education is a form of repentance. It is a humble admission that we've not read all that we need to read, we don't know all that we need to know, and we've not yet become all that we are called to become. Education is that unique form of discipleship that brings us to the place of admitting our inadequacies. It is that remarkable rebuke of autonomy and independence so powerful and so evident that we actually shut up and pay heed for a change. C.S. Lewis said it well: "The surest sign of true intellectual acumen is a student's comprehension of what it is he does not know; not what he does." It is a spirit of humility that affords us with the best opportunity to grow, mature, and achieve in the life of the mind. It is knowing how much we do not know that enables us to fully embark on a lifetime of learning; to recover to any degree the beauty goodness and truth of Christendom." ~ Dr George Grant, Grantian Florilegium (8.23.05)
I recently received an email from a Cottage Press mom who is a latecomer to classical education. In her concern over how much her students have missed, she asked me how to redeem her homeschool. My answer: the best place to start is with this kind of humble and ongoing repentance, intertwined with daily diligence, beginning with our own pursuit of a life well read. As our children see us seeking to educate ourselves, seeking to love what we ought to love, seeking to know what we ought to know, they are inspired to become lifelong learners as well. If it is worth doing at thirty-something—or forty- or fifty-something—it is certainly worth doing at fifteen!
