I teach Latin. It’s an ancient language spoken by the Romans…maybe you’ve heard of it?
Not all of my students are equally prepared to answer this question …and it is one that they, as well as I, will inevitably be asked by their aunts and uncles, grandparents and neighbors. “So…why Latin? And why Latin in Wenatchee? Isn’t Spanish more useful? Isn’t any spoken language more useful?”
Fair point. Spanish is useful. But then, so is English. So is Arabic. So is Japanese.
We live in a choice-saturated culture. Choices are good. Competition is good. It’s no different when it comes to your child’s education. Next to following Jesus and choosing a spouse, it’s one of the most important decisions you will ever make.
I often think about a C.S. Lewis quote–who doesn’t?–as I think about the landscape of education: “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.” We often speak of education with battle imagery: “I’ve got to get ready for the invasion of 8th graders into my classroom,” or as a violent force of nature that must be conquered. There’s maybe some truth in that, at times, but our job isn’t to cut down jungles, to hack and slash at the vines and branches of culture today, but to irrigate the deserts of falsehoods and despair with the Living Water of Truth that streams from Christ Jesus.
Given that the Harry Potter books are not part of the TRA curriculum and Wenatchee is over 4,000 miles away from the United Kingdom, why is there a House System for TRA secondary students?
TRA prides itself on Christian, Classical education in a joyful and relational community. That’s right, we have a House System because we want secondary students to build and value community during a pivotal time of life. (We have no desire for students to speak with a British accent or add the letter “u” to various words.)
Each September, while the students (and teachers) are shaking the summer from their minds in hopes of focusing on the newborn school year, the TRA Secondary students (7th-12th graders) head into the mountains for their Fall Retreat, traditionally at Tall Timber Ranch. It’s a time of resetting, renewal, and relationship-building, and it’s possibly the most important time of the secondary school year…
