By Aaron Bond
All of life is relational.
I start every class by lighting a candle and saying the following prayer, “Lord prepare our minds to seek knowledge, develop understanding and grow in wisdom so we can live and love well.” There are three wicks on the candle. The first flame represents our pursuit of knowledge; the second understanding; and the third, wisdom. The hard wax melting to soft liquid represents our life to love God and others well in how we live each day. To remain soft, humble and able to be molded in our pursuit of these three virtues as we live and learn.
The idea that relationships are fundamental to reality has transformational potential because it demands that we rethink how we go about life. When it comes to thinking about education it means that we must consider how our teaching and learning relate to each other–and not just on a teacher to student relational level. If all of life is relational, then what we know, how we know and why we know are tied to fundamental questions of what is real (metaphysics), how we know things (epistemology) and what it means to be human (anthropology). This should not surprise us because a Trinitarian God has created a world that bears his marks and He has put his image in humans as the crown of creation. One of the goals for education should be to recognize, trace out and learn from these relational markings scattered throughout creation.
Esther Lightcap Meeks writes in her book, Knowing as Loving, “Most people live out their philosophical commitments without even having identified them.” Having taught for 25 years, I have experienced a profound shift in how I see the world and aim to develop a more thoughtful, intentional and compassionate perspective in students. A friend of mine once told me there is a profound difference between instruction and education though they are often used interchangeably. Instruction typically refers to the act of providing guidance, direction, or information to facilitate learning. It often involves a teacher or instructor imparting knowledge and skills to learners. Education, on the other hand, is a broader concept that encompasses the entire process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes. It involves not only instruction but also the development of critical thinking, creativity, and a holistic understanding of the world.
The world in which we live is first of all concerned with how we know. In our culture, knowledge is information. We live in “the information age.” With this perspective, statements, facts and ideas are broken down into their smallest bits, often for the sake of power and control. The goal of knowledge is to amass information for utilitarian and practical reasons. In education today, these reasons are mostly tied to getting a job. Related to this way of knowing is a certain view of reality, originating with Rene Descartes who said, “I think, therefore I am.” In this mode of knowing, it is the abstract, isolated human mind that becomes the judge of all things. Reason is encapsulated as the supreme and most reliable way of knowing.
The problem with this view of knowledge is that perspective becomes detached from relationships. We can presume that we can attain certainty, control outcomes, and manage the future and the unforeseen. Arguably the result of this thinking is that reality is impersonal and meaningless in itself and can be manipulated to serve our designs. This reductive, manipulative and consumer-based approach to knowing now dominates our culture. But then, with this view as the lens through which we see reality, what does it really mean to be human?
If we only know by gaining information and if the isolated and elevated human mind becomes the arbiter of reality, then humans are also viewed as a mind separated from a body. Reflecting on the results of this condition, Meeks writes, “Thus, the best human is one made over into a dispassionate registrar of information, tabulating data and facts, to the end of mastery.” Years of focus on the outcome, achieving standards and grading the product have led many people to feel that their education is merely academic, separated and isolated from any meaningful human purpose. The fact that this type of thinking is dehumanizing and disrespectful, Meeks says, is evident but that “it would play out in educational practice is glaring.”
For the past five years, on the first day of class I tell my students that their education in my class is not about gaining knowledge but being a better lover. The end goal of my class is not for students to gain information, memorize dates, facts and verses. Gaining knowledge is a thin and shallow place for education to end. It is dehumanizing because it is merely transactional. A better approach to learning is through invitation to a process that starts with acquiring basic knowledge and progresses to deeper levels of understanding, wisdom, and ultimately to love.
- Knowledge: At the foundational level, learning begins with the acquisition of factual information, concepts, and skills. This is often the starting point of formal education, where individuals gain basic knowledge in various subjects.
- Understanding: Moving beyond rote memorization, true learning involves comprehension and the ability to connect ideas. Understanding requires the learner to grasp the underlying principles and relationships within the information.
- Wisdom: Wisdom goes a step further, involving the application of knowledge and understanding in practical, discerning ways. It often requires critical thinking, problem-solving, and humility to make sound judgments based on experience and insight.
- Love: The ultimate goal of education, according to some philosophical perspectives, is to cultivate a deep appreciation and love for knowledge, humanity, and the world. This involves not only intellectual development but also the nurturing of empathy, compassion, and a sense of responsibility towards others.
In this context, the journey of learning is not merely about accumulating facts but about developing a profound connection with the subject matter and the world, driven by a genuine love for learning and a desire to contribute positively to society. Education, when approached in this way, becomes a transformative and lifelong process of curiosity, discovery and humble exploration.
The model of developing learners who become lovers must be based on invitation to discovery. It invites student curiosity, questions, misunderstandings and frustrations into the process. In fact, real learning has to be measured not only by the end product but by the growth that occurs in the process. Learning as a process of discovery involves actively engaging with information, concepts, and experiences to construct knowledge. It emphasizes the learner’s active role in exploring, questioning, and making connections to build a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Michael Poyani, from whom Ester Meeks theories have been developed, concludes that, “True learning shares far more with discovery than with explanation and that seeing of a pattern is the outcome of an intentional effort of the person to find order in reality.”
Education must not settle for merely instructing and learning cannot only be about transferring information. True teaching and wise understanding culminate in a deeper love of the world, others and God. True education is a learning to live and love well through the reordering of our loves. And love is the most important thing to learn because all of life is relational.
I will end this article, as I end every class, that all of life is a gift given for us to receive. Our reception of that gift is the response we say together as we leave, “We live and learn, for the King.”
Aaron Bond has taught high school for 25 years with more than 15 years of pastoral and youth ministry experience. He loves mentoring students and seeing them connect their experiences to God’s grace and the person of Jesus. He is passionate about the good news in a way that makes Jesus beautiful to a watching world. He currently teaches 12th grade Bible, along with overseeing the Student Leadership Team and several missions and outreach opportunities both locally and internationally.
Aaron is a current graduate student at Baylor University in the Master of Arts in School Leadership (MASL) program, and he serves as an MASL Fellow. Aaron graduated with honors from Biola University with a Master’s in Christian Apologetics in 2016, and from Wheaton College with a B.A. in Bible and Communication in 1996.
Aaron lives in San Juan Capistrano with his wife, son, and their Australian Labradoodle, Gryffindor. For fun Aaron likes hanging out at the beach or camping in his VW Camper Van with his family while exploring Southern California’s natural beauty.