Paper Three. The Nature of the Institutions.
Part IV. On School.
What is a School?
A School is an institution where children and adults learn to be more culturally cohesive and materially productive citizens. Those activities which do not contribute to these goals do not qualify as schooling and are not part of a school. A school shall not be defined by its size, place, or assets but rather by purpose.
School has three purposes, each as important as the other two.
· The first is to teach proper socialization among peers, inferiors and superiors.
· The second is to teach broad and deep cultural knowledge, which comes from our forebears.
· The third is to teach practical skill in those fields which are necessary for a person, family, community and the Republic to function.
We take it as axiomatic that culture is a whole and not a mosaic of many isolated parts; we shall study it as one studies a river and not as one studies the motes it may carry along. While fickle Nature has allotted us experiences by the tranche of moments, hours, days, years, and decades, we shall give utmost care to incorporate each of these into a cohesive whole.
As time for unstructured and structured recreation is of utmost importance to developing both the bodies and the minds of children, schools shall always provide ample time and space for these. Challenge shall trump safety or comfort in these, all things considered. Should a school not be able to provide them on-site, then it shall allow children to depart for the appropriate time. The ideal is to provide at least one third of school time in physical activity, whether this be vigorous practicum or recreation. This requirement is not subject to any outside litigation whatsoever.
In order to ensure that students are placed on the Hero’s Path of civic virtue, the positive study and advocacy for postmodernism in all its perditious forms shall be strictly prohibited and sanctioned in the strongest possible way. The penalty for postmodernist advocacy shall be exile and the forfeiture of all wealth and property.
Only through study of original texts and those superior monographs based on these texts shall both practical and cultural knowledge be effectively transmitted. Therefore we shall prohibit the use of text books in favor of the primary and secondary sources.
The Appropriate Composition of a School
As we have said, a school is an institution where children and adults learn to be more culturally cohesive and materially productive citizens; and those activities which do not contribute to these goals do not qualify as schooling and are not part of a school.
Pupils shall enter school for the first time during the calendar year which they turn 8 years old. They shall immediately take an entrance exam to determine their placement. Such exams shall be administered every two years (age 10, 12, etc.) to determine into which academic level the pupil shall be placed for the next two years.
Schools shall be segregated by sex and divided into three levels of academic competence based on entry exams given once every two years. Students shall wear identifying uniforms.
There shall be ten years’ worth of courses of study. Education shall take as long as necessary, though no student shall be required to attend past age 15 except by the wishes of his parents or guardians. Students shall take exit exams each year to determine if they have gained the knowledge necessary to continue. Otherwise they shall repeat the whole year’s course of study.
We shall encourage men to teach boys. It is of utmost importance that men learn from men, for only men can teach boys to become men.
The use of higher technology that is strictly necessary shall be discouraged in school.
Academics and Practicum
In each of these, we shall give deference to classic and enduring works of Western thought over those of other traditions and of more recent vint. We shall construct lists of Great Books upon which to build our education on each of these subjects, the value of which shall ensure valuable education in all three facets of school.
The eleven academic subjects of study appropriate to a school:
Christian Doctrine and Practice
Composition and Rhetoric
Classics
Economics: macro, micro and personal
Etiquette, manners, and social grace
History: ancient, antiquity, medieval and modern, with a focus on the continuity, traditions, accomplishments and culture of our European forebears
Languages: Greek and Latin, then others
Law and Government
Math, Geometry and Engineering
Medicine
Science: physics, chemistry and biology
Not every academic subject shall be offered to both sexes.
The 15 applied subjects of study appropriate to school[1]:
Animal husbandry and horticulture
Architecture
Carpentry; home building, cabinetry and joinery and other
Childcare
Classical 2D and 3D art
Digital Arts and Sciences
Farming
Forestry
Home economics including cooking, cleaning, home maintenance and first aid
Machine work and smithing
Military science and the Christian principles of warfare
Outdoor survival including game hunting
Skilled labor trades
Urban planning and pacification
Weapon use and care including firearms and more advanced weapons
Not every applied subject will be offered to both sexes.
[1] Subject to change and expansion to meet the needs of the recipients of this document.
Another thought, who would be qualified to teach? No more straight from basic school, to college/university and out into the schools with a teaching degree in whatever subject. I think most subjects should require people with practical experience in their fields, with accomplishments and solid reputation to go with the experience.
Especially on the trades side of things, we want the grizzled, scarred, fingers and limbs missing men who became good the hard way. Would still have to filter out for decent educators though.
Some subjects might be safe to have 20 somethings teach, perhaps early on and at the most basic levels.
Minor edit:
Outdoor survival including game hunting
Skilled labor trades: would this not include carpentry, along with the automotive arts, plumbing and electrician skills?
Suggestion, include weapon use and care as a subset of military science.
Engineering includes mechanical, electrical, civil, aeronautical and probably more that I can't think of, passing familiarity with each branch with opportunity to specialize as your academic career advances and demonstrated skill allow.
I might be looking a little too closely at the trees here...
Waiting until age 8 to start is good, as is being able to get out at 15. If the schooling is done right, to the standards you're aiming for, a lot of 15yr olds should have no problem getting on with their lives in a successful and productive manner. Keeping boys and girls separate and having men teach the boys, and the wearing of uniforms, yeah, I like it. Burning off excess energy with physical activity, some unstructured, is a good idea as well.