On Being Human: Retreat Reflections

On Friday and Saturday of this last weekend, SLO Classical Academy hosted the On Being Human virtual mini-retreat. As the blog curator, I (Sharon) attended the staff retreat on Friday and I am so glad that I did! It was such a privilege to sit under the tutelage of three phenomenal speakers. I will tell you now that I am a slow processor and I will be mulling over this retreat for months to come. For today, however, I wanted to give you a taste of what was shared this weekend. For those who were able to attend, I hope that this post serves as a reminder of all that you heard and were challenged by. And for those that did not make it, may you be inspired to learn more.

Dr. Angel Adams Parham and Dr. Anika Prather were the two main speakers of the event. For the staff, we also had the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Jessica Wilson. These three women each brought a unique perspective to the day and I wish I could share with you all the amazing things they had to say, but for now, here are the highlights!

Best Part of the Day

The morning began with each speaker taking time to share with us their journey to classical education. The entire day was impactful and thought-provoking, but this was my favorite part because I immediately felt a connection to these women. We had something in common – a passion for classical education. I was drawn into their stories as I also reflected on my own path to classical education. And I started to really experience the intent of the retreat, “classical education as a bridge across divides”. As they each shared their personal stories, their enthusiasm was so contagious I was on the edge of my seat, eager to hear what else they had to say. 

The Power of Classical Education

Classical education can be hard and often counter-cultural, as our Executive and Visionary Director, Susie Theule, reminded us at the beginning of the day. However, when current culture wants to tell us what to think, Dr. Prather describes classical education as the superpower that gives us and our students freedom to think for ourselves. It was such a fun way to think about classical education. (There may have been some X-Men analogies.) I’m excited to tell my kids that their education is a superpower. 

Stories of Humanity

“Are classic texts still relevant today?” Each speaker in their own way addressed this question and each answered with a resounding “Yes!” The classic stories, like the Odyssey, have stood the test of time because they are the stories of humanity. This is what we all go through. From these great texts, we gain insight into the human condition and therefore it makes sense to read and benefit from them. Dr. Parham put perspective on the matter by reminding us that we are all a small part of a larger conversation and it is important that we find our distinctive voice in the Great Conversation. 

I loved these questions shared by Dr. Wilson when thinking about being a part of the Great Conversation. We must first ask and discover – What came before us? Then consider – What can we contribute? And finally, recognize that time will march on, we play only a small part in history, so we must ask – What do we want to pass on? When we think about educating our students these questions are key. 

Both Dr. Prather and Dr. Parham grappled with the question: Why study dead white males? Aside from their assertion that these are stories of all of us, of humanity, Dr. Prather shared about Black Intellectuals like Fredrick Douglass—enslaved people who “stole” their education. The education that Douglass “stole” was a classical education. She pointed out that Douglass prioritized his education over his physical freedom—he wanted to be able to convince white people that slavery was wrong and his education helped him to do that. Dr. Prather reminded us again that logic and rhetoric are the superpowers found in the classics, “a call to raise up citizens who will continue to fight for equality.”

Dr. Parham addressed the lasting power of the classics and shared an example with the ancient story of Antigone. She delved into the themes of that story, like Law and Order vs. Right to Protest, and showed us how they are still relevant in our current culture. Looking at the classics can help us to discuss with our students current events as well as providing them the tools to handle difficult issues.

Finally, I greatly appreciated Dr. Prather’s assertion that classical tradition doesn’t belong to any one group of people. It is a human-centric curriculum. It’s for everyone!

Reflections From Other Attendees

I had the privilege to attend the On Being Human retreat. I felt empowered and encouraged to learn that classical education is our superpower! Dr. Prather shared that classical education frees our minds and exercises our critical thinking skills and the text is common to us ALL. It was encouraging to hear those words. I loved the practical tips from Dr. Parham about common place booking, basically a way of cataloguing inspiring and important quotations from your reading in a notebook. She shared a story of reading Greek myths to some African American children who had a hard time relating to the stories when the pictures showed white men and women. So, Dr. Parham had them draw Greek gods and goddesses with features like theirs and the kids now felt they could relate to the stories. It was amazing to learn of a “simple” change like that and how it made the stories more accessible to kids who thought they wouldn’t be able to relate. One last tidbit from Dr. Prather was how her family celebrates other holidays from other cultures so her children are introduced to other cultures aside from their own. It was a lovely and challenging morning.
— Joy Newman

The On Being Human retreat revitalized me as both a staff member and as a parent. Even though the retreat was virtual, the infectious energy and deep knowledge of classical education that each speaker shared thoroughly kept me engaged. As a parent, I felt completely validated that I enrolled my son at SLOCA 8 years ago. I felt there was something special about the school then, and hearing the speakers this last weekend reminded me of the tremendous gift of classical education Jake is receiving here at SLOCA. I came away from the retreat feeling grateful that I had the opportunity to hear such relevant speakers, to hear their stories, and to gain a greater understanding of the humanity of classical education. Dr. Anika Prather said it perfectly during the seminar…classical education is our students’ superpower.  On Being Human was a truly valuable experience and just what I needed to feel inspired and encouraged in the midst of these unprecedented times.
–Debbie Lee

I hope this summary has inspired you and maybe challenged you to go deeper into this topic. If you attended the On Being Human retreat share with us in the comments your biggest takeaway. Let’s keep this conversation going! I’ll go first: This retreat has inspired me to expand my personal reading parameters to include a greater variety of texts, starting specifically with ones pertaining to African American history. Phillis Wheatley, who was a poet during the American Revolution, was mentioned many times during the event. I think I’ll start there. 

If you were unable to attend, I encourage you to find someone who did attend and sit down and chat with them about the experience.