Meaningful Education

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.?Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.?

-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

As we embark upon the first few steps of our journey into 2024, I pause to reflect upon the past year to provide me with the grounding essential to chart the course ahead. January is an opportune time to explore my personal and professional assumptions, survey the educational landscape, and discover where I may challenge myself to grow. During 2023, mainstream media was dominated by predictions that Artificial Intelligence will disrupt the traditional classroom and dramatically alter the workplace. Undeniably, the digital tools released in the past twelve months have engrossed journalists and ignited wonder in educators who express a longing for professional development to equip them for the uncertain topography ahead. Many of us understand that generative AI and the transformative force of cloud computing, data collection, and emerging algorithms will forever change what it means to be a student. None of us possess the capacity to project what the long-term impact will be on our schools, but I feel compelled more than ever to develop a guiding framework that articulates the purpose of education.?

I envision education as an endeavor that focuses on life’s purpose and provides meaning in the intellectual, social, and spiritual domains.? Experiential learning has long been a foundational element of Augustinian education because it illuminates important dimensions of learning that transcend what occurs in a classroom or on a computer screen. The roots of this pedagogical approach extend deeper than 1,500 years into the past, anchored in the life of St. Augustine. His seminal text The City of God serves as a model of intellectual depth because he not only pondered the infinite contours of the divine, but he directed his readers to search for justice within the temporal constraints of the Roman empire. As a result, Augustinian educators emphasize that students not only read a text but that they encounter it. In so doing, we pose questions that demand deeper thought and encourage students to consider how they might direct their lives according to the core values of Truth, Unity, and Love.?

A highlight of the year for me was traveling with a delegation of students to Atlanta to participate in the National Center for Race Amity Conference. The aim of the conference was to “learn from the past" and "build a brighter future”. The students who joined me engaged in learning that will last a lifetime. It is common for students to read about a young Martin Luther King Jr growing up in an emerging middle-class Black neighborhood in the South, but how does one possibly measure tracing the footsteps of a civil rights giant along Auburn Avenue? As we toured the Martin Luther King Jr National Historical Park, the vestiges of Dr. King’s intellectual, political, and spiritual legacy crystalized for us. We noted how the racially segregated system moved him to action as we listened to teary-eyed narrators relate their experiences of giving up their seats on the public trolley. We huddled together with other tourists as if we were churchgoers coming to listen to Rev. King preach with his father at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. As we leaned into listen to our tour guide, we were stunned to learn that his mother, Alberta Williams King, was killed there just six years later. None of us realized that the assassin was sentenced to death by electric chair, but because the King family advocated for nonviolence the authorities commuted the sentence. Of course, we realized that Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, but it was still breathtaking to see it displayed under glass at The King Center. We concluded our visit silently passing through Coretta Scott King Mediation Garden and solemnly pausing before the tomb that houses the resting place of husband and wife.?

This firsthand encounter with history was a reminder of the synergistic relationship that exists between traditional schooling, our civic lives, and the meaning of ethical education. The students were deeply moved by their firsthand encounter with history, and so was I. More fully, this trip was coupled with a conference featuring dynamic speakers, artists, musicians, authors, and political and business leaders who urged us to advance cross-racial and cross-cultural friendship. The wonders of the technological world afford us a gateway to share collaborative knowledge, but experiential learning provides us with irreplaceable and unforgettable opportunities that leave an indelible mark on our souls.

As we celebrate a holiday weekend that commemorates the life of one of America's most significant figures, I cannot help but remember my students gathered together in the glow of the Eternal Flame that signifies Martin Luther King Jr’s vision of justice, peace, and non-violence informed by Christian love. I draw inspiration from this image forever emblazoned on my mind to challenge myself to continue offering innovative programming for my students that fosters ethical and moral leadership that is worthy of the Augustinian heritage.