Do Moral Facts Exist?

Dear Families,

Education, both public and private, has long been subject to ever-evolving trends that unanimously claim to be research-based. This causes educators, not all educators, to change the way they teach and how they assess what students are learning more frequently than not. Self-reflection and improving pedagogy and assessment to better reach students is of course a great practice, but changing so often that students suffer from a lack of stability can lessen effectiveness. Real transformation takes place over time, and only when the ultimate purpose of education infuses curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Moral relativism is a real danger for our children. I came across a powerfully illustrative article in the NY Times from a college professor who lamented that children no longer think there are moral facts. This suggests that children are internalizing all sorts of self-destructive and socially catastrophic behaviors as normal and therefore acceptable. Not only is this a frightening realization since you can see the manner in which the curriculum points children in the wrong direction (please read the article!), but we are all sensing the already present effects of the looming loss of a moral compass in emerging generations.

Since children have been taught for decades that there are no truths, only facts that can be proven and opinions that can't be proven wrong, we are losing our sense of what it means to be human.

No wonder there is so much dysfunction even in our everyday conversation and when needed, conflict resolution. Reality seems to have fallen by the wayside, in exchange for a curriculum that actively prevents children from knowing there are ideas and actions that are in fact wrong. Two sides can't see the same thing even if only one side neglects that truth is what establishes common ground, not facts or opinions.

To quote the author, "In summary, our public schools teach students that all claims are either facts or opinions, and that all value and moral claims fall into the latter camp. The punchline: there are no moral facts. And if there are no moral facts, there are no moral truths." This divide between real truth and truth in the eyes of the beholder is discussed in our junior year morality course, but evidence suggests that a child's moral compass is really either on its way to appropriate formation or not by the age of 10.

This is certainly a call for us to ensure our children have the right curriculum that truly aligns with our mission.

Speaking of mission, we are going to host a Mission Dinner that focuses on the need to restore culture by educating children with a moral compass. There will be more information to follow, but an info-graphic is below in this week's newsletter.

Let us pray for the the restoration of our culture's sense of moral purpose. May our young people know that settling for moral mediocrity steers them away from the greatness for which they were created.

Yours Truly In Christ,

Derek Tremblay

Headmaster