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Guadalupe Radio Network

August 12th, 2010

A few days ago I wrote an article on the Guadalupe Radio Network (GRN). It is a Catholic network which continues to spread across the state of Texas. The programming is almost exclusively talk, and it addresses social and religious issues from a conservative pro- family Catholic perspective. A closes friend of mine was recently a guest on 910 am to talk about private and parochial education. The show is available for podcast by the way, and I recommend giving it a listen.

My friend Dr. Adam Muller, holds a PHD in Literature from the University of Dallas, and has been teaching at the Highland School in Dallas for the past six years. Dr. Muller’s purpose on the broadcast was to educate the listener on a philosophy of education; he referred to as classical education. (This is not a reference to the group that goes by the name American Classical Education). Too many private (and unfortunately) Christian schools fail to understand what it means to have a “philosophy of education.” For many of them, having a philosophy of education means requiring chapel class and including a scripture verse in their literature. They often employ the same modes and methods of memorization and indoctrination as the average public institution, while applying a religious bent. Dr. Muller was attempting to emphasize that the purpose of true education is not to program our children but to teach them to reason principally, and critically in pursuit of what is true. But is this Christian education? Emphatically Yes! All truth is God’s truth! To seek out truth honestly, will put the student on the path to an encounter with God. And remember, what is programmed can be unprogrammed. It’s an environmental problem. Why do so many young people lose their faith in college? I believe that in many cases it’s because they’ve been programmed with their religion, but they fail to grasp the truth and beauty of it. When they find themselves in a new setting with different influences, the old program seems unreal and unimportant. Now I should state that neither the good Dr. nor I are suggesting that there is anything wrong with a religious school requiring chapel or any other kind of religious services. In fact they can be extremely valuable. I only mean to reinforce the point that having a Christian school must mean more than introducing the trappings of faith into a typical institution. It should also be remembered that there is no perfect model that will ensure the salvation of our student’s souls. At the end of the day even the wisest, most intelligent among us can choose the life we want to lead.

As I listened in to the discussion, I found myself a little frustrated with the host of the radio show. He didn’t seem to follow the lesson Dr. Muller was trying to teach. I don’t know whether it was an issue of time constraints, he did have a second guess lined up for the bottom half of the hour, or whether he genuinely didn’t understand the depth of the Dr.’s lesson. Either way he seemed bent on directing the course of the conversation in a less informative way. Despite the fact that the interview could have been more than it was there is a lot in it to consider. As parents, educators and students prepare to return to school this fall, it’s important that we consider our own philosophies of education. Are our kids learning to reason, or are they just being programmed? To listen to this interview, visit the following web page at http://grnonline.info/, and look for the heading The Good News.

Cultural Institutions and Events in Tyler Texas

May 19th, 2010

The Tyler and East Texas area are often criticized for a perceived lack of culture or cultural events. This point of criticism is only partially true. With the city growing more and more all the time, new events and institutions geared to changing this perception are opening every day. For those interested in expanding our area’s horizons, here are a couple of opportunities to aid to our local cultural awareness.

The American Freedom Museum at the Brook Hill School

The Brook Hill School has been open for nearly fourteen years now. In that time the school has worked to build a reputation as a premier preparatory academy that not only offers its students an excellent education, but contributes to the betterment to the overall East Texas community. One such example is The American Freedom Museum, located on their campus in Bullard. The museum opened to the public earlier this month and is so much more than just an amateur collection of charts and artifacts! It is an actual historical museum with exhibits that would make any university proud. The Hall of Presidents, features documents signed by each of our nation’s Presidents. The Hall of Freedom contains historical artifacts from all of our nation’s wars and conflicts, including period uniforms, flags and weapons. There are even aircraft and other vehicles from both the Second World War and the Vietnam War, on display. The purpose of the institution is to inspire both students and the public at large, as well as to honor Americans veterans from all our wars. A visit here would provide a wonderful learning opportunity for East Texans this summer. For more information on either the school or the museum contact their office at (903)894-5000. Also look for the article entitled Classical Education and Christian Character located elsewhere on this site.

As a side note the school will be running its summer athletic camps from the end of June through July. The camps cover most area sports including Basketball, Baseball, Football, Soccer, Dance and Drill, general conditioning and a number of others. See their website for times and options. www.brookhill.org/summercamps.html.

The Historical Aviation Memorial Museum

Another opportunity for summer learning is the Historical Aviation Memorial Museum, located in the old Tyler Pounds Field Terminal in Tyler. The Aviation Museum is a great local institution that will fascinate kids and adults alike. It covers the history of aviation and even space travel, from all periods of history. In doors are models, maps and uniforms from air forces and air transportation the world over. Out doors are restored military aircraft from several historical periods. The museum also owns three additional airplanes which are currently not on general display and is in the process of restoring a couple others. The museum is scheduled to hold an Aviation Camp from June ninth through the twelfth, from ten am to three pm, and a static air show display on July third from ten am to five pm. For more information on the museum and other upcoming events visit their website at www.tylerhamm.org, or look for the article entitled World history is down the street, located elsewhere on this site.

The Tyler Oil Palace

While I admit the venue is not great, the Tyler Oil Palace has maintained an interesting slate of events lately. This summer the agenda continues to move forward with an appearance by legendary country western artist George Jones on June nineteenth, followed by political rock star Sara Palin on June twenty sixth, and a visit from the Shrine Circus on September fourth, fifth, and sixth. While I concede that not all of these necessarily constitute culturally enriching events, visits from national figures like Palin, (and Glen Beck who visited last month), definitely help to put our fair city on the map. For more info on the Oil Palace or on upcoming events go to the website at www.oilpalace.com, or see my recent article entitled Glenn Beck comes to Tyler, also located on this site.

Classical Education And Christian Character

January 8th, 2010

The next school up for review on this site is the Brook Hill School. Since its founding in 1997, the institution has become highly regarded in Tyler most notably for its incredibly beautiful campus. Everything from the football field, library, basketball court, even a historical museum, is located on campus. But there is literary more to this school than meets the eye.
           
Located in Bullard, Brook Hill literally draws students from all over the world. It is considered a non-denominational Christian school, and it truly qualifies. The staff runs the gambit from Baptists to Catholics, and everything in between. The school takes a classical approach to education, meaning that there is a heavy focus on classes like logic, rhetoric, and language, all subjects considered to be traditional disciplines. There is no canned curriculum here. The goal is a prep-school quality education, something Brook Hill easily attains.

But academics aren’t the only focus. There is a healthy interest in Character as well. Weekly chapel services include various pastors and community leaders. It is the staff’s desire that the students develop Christ-like character, and graduate with an established Christian worldview so that they are prepared to meet a secular college environment.

With around 500 students, Brook Hill offers a full slate of extracurricular opportunities. Opportunities for travel include trips to Washington D.C. and across Texas. Sports teams include; baseball, basketball, football, soccer and others. There are also numerous school clubs available like: student government, drum line, writing and a number of others.

When you consider both size of the campus and the opportunities the school offers, its easy to see why Brook Hill is one of the pricier schools in the Tyler area. But remember, you tend to get what you pay for. For those more concerned with providing an excellent education for their children, and less concerned with the cost, this school is a great bet. It should definitely be considered come the fall.