“[D]isciplining the mind in rigorous, propositional, linear thought about certain core subjects, and learning to appreciate and glory in the beauties of language and words, must be at the heart of education. If it is not, then those other studies will be an incoherent collection of particulars with no overarching, coherent world-view into which to fit them and with which to find real meaning for them” (Wes Callihan, How to Prepare Younger Kids for a Great Books Education, 5).
Consider the quote above on the aim of education. Education first and foremost is about shaping a child-student’s character. However, identifying and appreciating beauty and goodness is at “the heart of education.” If an education curriculum is not beauty/goodness oriented, then its telos is broke. Like a compass with a needle that doesn’t point to the magnetic North, such an education is plumb useless.
The world was created by a good God, and creation in its original form was good, good, very good. The child-student has a Creator. The “overarching, coherent world-view” that allows the child-student to make sense of the particulars of this world is derived from Biblical knowledge/revelation: a beautiful and good Triune Lord made a beautiful and good world to beautifully and goodly mirror and reflect the Creator’s beauty and goodness. However, man, the chief image-bearer of creation, rebelled. Thus, the imago Dei was defaced, and now the world groans under the weight of sin and the effects of the Fall. And yet, the beautiful and good Triune Lord before the foundations of the world chose to elbow-drop Satan, sin, death, and the effects of the Fall, through the perfect obedience of the Life, Death, and Resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ.
The beauty and goodness in the world was merely defaced, it was not obliterated. Hence, a child-student studies the flawed (fallen) world, studies creation, studies language, etc., in light of Biblical knowledge/revelation, and the child-student learns a bit more and more about the beauty and goodness of the Creator who preordained to restore this world. Education conducted in this fashion necessarily becomes a means for giving God glory; education conducted in this fashion fulfills man’s chief aim of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. So, an education curriculum with an unbroken and functioning telos will say things like, “Go and sin no more” and “Learn about this beautiful world” and “Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” And if you can check the box next to each of those three statements, then of course you’ll be able to go find a job and get dominion for Jesus.