33 ADVENTIST PERSPECTIVES, Spring, 1989, Vol. II I, No. 1
''Proper Education''
by G. H. Akers
Dr. George H. Akers, currently "Mr. Education" for the Seventh-day Adventist world church, absorbed the educational wisdom of a one-room church school, an academy in the sweeping Shenandoah Valley, and Washington Missionary College (CUC). Teaching, cleaning, and administering education at various levels have been his life for more than forty years of serv ice to his church and his God. His doctorate in higher education and historical/philosophical foundations was earned at USCLA. Some sixteen years at Andrews University climaxed with his appointment to the first deanship of the School of Education. Dr. Akers' lively communicative style brings a refreshing touch to Adventist Perspectives as he writes of ''Proper Education" and Ellen White's relationship to it in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
he above title mav not be surveyors, architects, engineers, tech all that original. Neither nicians, service professionals, business was it in 1872 when Ellen leaders, and practitioners of every sort. G. White utilized it to "Can Do" had become the order of the T launch her distinguished day, and America's colleges and uni career as a philosopher of Christian versities were expected to help sub education. A perusal of the literature of stantially in achieving the manifest the times reveals that the expressions destiny of an exuberant, expanding "L~ucational reform" and "properedu young country. cation" seemed to be tavorite buzzwords in the press, bandied about .4 Nelv Voice to Society freely by editors, politicians, and cele and Clzurclt brated speakers on the Chautauqua circuit who found it popular to inveigh It was in this late nineteenth-century against the impracticality of the classi cultural context, with the Great Con versation moving from coast to coast cal curriculum. The entrenched educa regarding the appropriate training of tional establishment of the day, so re the young, that Ellen White moved in sistant to change of any sort, was a with her landmark essay "Proper Edu special target of writers and speakers. cation." In it she offered her own pre around, the centrality of education in Clearly, grassroots post-Civil War scription for worthy educational goals the work of the Plan of Salvation. Either America was growing impatient with for society and church and the best way, education had to do with the its schools. Elitist education, reserved methods for their accomplishment. wholistic, restorative development of for the upper class and essentially for Somewhat restrained in her critique of the individual in the advancement of cosmetic effect, was definitely under the educational profession of the day the kingdom of God on earth-a paren siege as backward-oriented, exhausted, and the application of education to tal, pastoral (as well as professional) as and entirely too static to respond to the national goals, she focused on the cen signment for teachers. needs of the robust new social order. trality of moral training, particularly The generic themes "Righteousness The times called for a more appropriate the Plan of Salvation in the work of exalteth a nation," "It's character that educational product-trained artisans, education. Or to put it the other way finally counts," and "Education is for
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service and the practical duties of life" ties and issues on people's minds. All model of modem inspiration on the pervaded her message to society at this was legitimate grist for her mill. It false notion that this saint of God sat large; but it was primarily to the young has always been so with the Lord's supinely by at Sunnyside in Australia Adventist Church, its parents, pastors, anointed through the ages. or Elmshaven in California, waiting for and teachers, that she directed her in the angel to dictate. Not so; she did her spired advice about training the young. A New Construct part-her homework. No matter how For the students themselves she had As with her prophetic forebears, Mrs. the vision for Christian education came much counsel on how they might profit White gleaned the bits and pieces of her to her (even the apostle Paul could not from God's plan of education. world from wherever they might prove say for sure how he visited heaven, yet true and useful. She applied contempo he knew he had been taken there), Ellen Essay as Overture rary illustration and every legitimate White knew that she had received some strong, more-than-human impres The prophetic quality of Mrs. White's bridge of communication to reflect and sions-that she .. saw" God's plan for utterancesoneducationisprobablybest interpret the vision of Christian educa something better in education. We have seen in this 1872 premier production tion given her. These building blocks no evidence that she had some single "Proper Education." It was here that supernatural encounter, such as a she introduced the special perspectives dream or vision, with respect to educa that for the remainder of her writing tion.1 ministry occupied her thoughts about 11 Ellen White ... applied con The plan apparently unfolded to her schooling . In this piece cluster the car under the Spirit's steady tutelage over dinal concepts that constitute her con temporary illustration ... to the thirty silent years, 1842-72. It tribution to early American educational reflect and interpret the vision awaited the issues and problems of a discourse-counsels to a young nation of Christian education given ripe time, perhaps for optimum im and church. Here seems to reside the II pact. That prime time came in 1872 foundational philosophy which she her. when she put her pen to paper to dis elaborated, reiterated, and applied to cuss formal education, laying out in evolving Adventist education over the thirty incisive pages her reaction to the next four decades. A cursory review of educational abuses and fads of the day her subsequent counsels on education went into the distinctive edifice of and offering her version of something reveals that she strayed very little from thought she was erecting. The shallow better. As we will attempt to show later the basic thrusts of 1872.1t must be said criticism that recognizes a few bor in this discussion, God did indeed in all fairness that the macrovision she rowed or retouched bricks here or there, provide her with sublime alternatives then brought to education was so and promptly declares the whole piece to the current conventional wisdom in comprehensive that she probably purloined and therefore morally education. The essay bears the insignia needed the next forty-one years to de flawed, misses the mystery of the di of divine illumination, in terms of the fine and clarify it. vine-human interface in the prophetic function. Thus prophets work with utter overarching educational principles it Cosmic Dimension contemporaneity and relevancy of ap enunciates. plication. The indisputable fact remains Ellen White, with many other voices that this faithful messenger took a Sister Ellen's Sources of the time, called for educational re wheelbarrow of bricks from around form. She expressed her critique of the her, a generous giftload from heaven, Let us disabuse our minds then of a status quo, but in addition did what and an armful of her own with which long-standing legend regarding Ellen true prophets of God have done from she built a brand new conceptual edi White that says she received her heav the dawn of time. She joined the na fice. The result was a statement of edu enly instruction direct by supernatural 11 tional debate from heaven's point of cational mission and modality that yet dream/ vision transmission ( how else view, enriching the dialogue with a stands as a marvel of transcendent edu can the extraordinary insights she con cosmic dimension. This aspect of her cational philosophy, replete with uni veyed be adequately explained?" goes contribution to the educational thought versal considerations. the rationale). We now know that Ellen of the time illustrates an important White was probably one of the best aspect of the prophetic role. It does not The Mystery of the read thought leaders of her day, and operate in a vacuum. Ellen had to com that out of the wealth of her reading municate with her world for God, Divine-Human Modality and reflection she spoke and wrote, against the cultural backdrop of her Unfortunate it is that several genera receiving meanwhile the Holy Spirit's times, and within the societal sensitivi- tions of Adventists have based their special illumination that indited her
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words with compelling unction and of interpretation in the quest for mean writings in terms of transcendent prin moral authority-the gift of prophecy ing. For many this is at present consid ciples in Christian education; what was at work in the modem church. Her fre erably murky and uncertain. This worthy to be set unequivocally and quent admonitions to students and makes advocacy positions built solely permanently in the inspired diadem of workers-to read and study on their on Ellen White pronouncements inces our spiritual legacy as a people; and own and become the sharp instruments santly controversial and divisive, po what was obviously beamed to a local in the hand of God that they were in larizing deeply committed Christian time and circumstance, with all the tended to be-were obviously born out brethren and sisters, and fracturing the constraints inherent in such temporary of her own experience. We have the unity of the family of God. It is there situations. witness of the collection in her personal fore a matter of considerable signifi Since we are many centuries removed library of more than eight hundred well cance, for it drives right to the heart of historically and culturally from the marked books that attest to the credi our identity as a special people, deserv scene, scholars have the long perspec bility of her counsel, not to speak of the ing our best time and attention. tive from which to form a Biblical her numerous clippings and scrapbooks In the context of hermeneutics, we meneutic. But we are familially and that helped propel her pen. may note that it was probably only a emotionally still very close to this While it may be oral history from diplomatic opener for a witnessing en modem prophetess, and that circum Battle Creek, or even "EGW folklore," counterthatprompted Philip to inquire stance in itself makes it a delicate as yet it is commonly known that Mrs. of the Ethiopian, >~How readest thou?" signment for anyone to assess objec White requested the editorial staff of But it is a critical question for us to tively her role in a wider historical frame the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald to address today in the Adventist com of reference. Despite prospective perils pass on to her the no-longer-needed, munity of scholars before the most to the courageous, however, the chal recent, outdated papers and weeklies meaningful dialogue can take place lenge remains. To postpone the project to which they subscribed in the office regarding Ellen White. We need to de further is to place at risk a whole gen -publications which kept them abreast tennine whether the message under eration of mainstream Adventist youth of the times as journalists and which, as review is contemporary or eternal- who sincerely seek an appropriate and her broad range of knowledge and practical hermeneutic for the serious writings attests, she voraciously ab study of Ellen White. sorbed. Our prophetess was quite well The chief beneficiaries to such a clari educated. In the grandest tradition of 11 fication might be the modem, Chris her era, she was self-educated. When It is a responsible act of tian, educational pioneers among us she asserted that wrestling with great pastoral leadership to help our who desperately need a viable inter matters of duty and destiny in the Word people understand what was pretive matrix, lest they slide into an of God carried with it a Spirit-blessed, increasing irrelevancy to the twenti mind-stretching capability without timeless in her writings in eth-century world and, through ultra rival, a special potential for making ... Christian education. I I literalism, unintentionally shortchange ordinary people brilliant beyond their a genuine elite of conscientious Ad kin, she probably had a firsthand knowl ventist youth who trust them for reality edge of its application, even if too guidance. Imperative to any such noble modest for personal reference. whether the messenger was speaking enterprise is a clear-headed notion as to to God's people for a particular time what is central to the inspired mission and circumstance or whether all pro and what is peripheral. Unfinished Business nouncements apply to all times and (2) An in-depth analysis of Mrs. White's Two critical challenges, however, still circumstances. (And that, as I under educational counsels. The urgent need confront us with respect to an optimum stand it, is fairly close to the very es also exists for our professional scholars utilization of the writings of Mrs. White sence of hermeneutics.) This determi and lay students of the prophetess to in Adventist culture and Christian nation does not constitute a down-siz undertake a serious, systematic syn education: ing of Ellen White's authority and in thesisofherwritings on education. The (1) A working henneneutic. Founda fluence as an acknowledged prophet world of academe awaits an impres tional to her continuing validation as a among us,oranothersubtledemytholo sive introduction to Ellen White--a credible prophet to this Advent people gization move against the founding philosophical, pedagogical, and socio is the necessity for the church to de mother of Adventist Christian educa psychological synthesis worthy of the velop a viable and generally accepted tion. Rather it is a responsible act of claims we make for her and worthy of hermeneutic on her writings. This in pastoral leadership to help our people the substance and magnitude of her volves a sound and consistent system understand what was timeless in her prophetic insights in education. This is
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indicated, and long overdue, in order historical figure around whom they can the teacher, a theme to which she returns for modern educators to seriously as unapologetically marshall their own repeatedly in this work and her subse sess her as one of the cardinal contribu emerging educational philosophy and quent writings. At the center of her tors to the American (and world) leg theory of professional practice. They educational paradigm is the teacher as acy of educational philosophy. yearn for a commanding, guiding model. Not merely as subject-matter The philosophical synthesis of which mentor from their own heritage, a specialist, nor able disciplinarian, nor we speak is almost identical to the theo thinker on a par with the classical giants even versatile, creative provocateur logical task that earlier confronted the of the profession routinely assigned in although these virtues for acceptable Biblical scholar,like systematizing and the survey of conventional wisdom in performance in the teaching-learning education. We have such a luminary in arena are extolled. But soaring above the person of Ellen White. But her edu all other considerations is this power cational writings stand in need of schol ful, over-arching ideal: the influence of arly distillation and packaging, thus to a noble, exemplary, Spirit-filled life be more conveniently accessed and se lived as parent, pastor, and priest at 11 To identify the conceptual riously studied as prime resources that close range before impressionable chil organize and guide Adventist educa dren and youth. pillars of Ellen White's educa tional mission. For her the incalculable liberating tional thought, ... constitutes power of love, sincerely and authenti an enormous scholarly chal cally shared, is the organizing prin More Than ciple of the school, freeing students to lenge.'' Memory Gents become all that they can be. Long be fore Marshall McLuhan popularized We cannot overstate the urgent need the slogan "The Medium Is the Mes for this primary intellectual frame of sage," Ellen White had that straight. reference in the Foundations of Educa Moreover, she exalted the teaching pro tion courses in professional programs fession to the level of ministry. The analyzing the writings of the Apostle in Adventist education-particularly essay fairly pulsates with this brand of Paul which-while often not formally at the undergraduate level where basic robust idealism. It is a leitmotif that attired and offered as straightforward teacher preparation is undertaken. Too reverberates even with stronger reso theological propositions-yet contain long have we presented Ellen White to within those pastoral letters of admo nance throughout her writing career. these young college students from a The general news media these days nition rich theological insights for devotional or subcultural, orthodoxi and the professional literature decry modem ministry. These have been cal slant-and more often than not, the loss of idealism in the institutional distilled and systematized and now taken the beguiling literary-apprecia ized school-value-teaching, modeling, constitute the undisputed foundation tion trip. This instructional modality and old-fashioned inspiration. Schools of much theology. Similarly, to identify usually takes on the form of an adora of education in some of the most pres the conceptual pillars of Ellen White's tive, superficial reciting and memoriz tigious universities in the land are driv educational thought, and to organize ing of the highly quotable literary gems ing now to restore this priceless com the large residue of expression con in her writings. Inspiring as this exer modity to teacher training and staff tained in her many letters, speeches, cise is, it often neglects the grand un development. Faculty in-service semi and essays generated over four dec derlying and unifying themes that dis nars are stressing it with increasing ades of writing, constitutes an tinguish her comprehensive philo fervor. enormous scholarly challenge. sophical, psychological, and theologi From 1872 onward, Ellen White re cal insights and her unique, substan minded teachers that they are in the in tive contribution to educational the spiration business as much as or more Graduate Yearning ory. Such classroom pursuit falls woe than in the information business. The Especially grateful for such an ac fully short of sound pedagogical prac modem education profession is awak complishment would be the under tice, and we need to remedy that. ening to the sober realization that a grads in Adventist teacher training good deal of the precious golden oil has programs and graduate students in in leaked out of its chalice. Teacher train structional theory and educational lead Pervasive Themes, 1872 ing programs everywhere are scram ership in Adventist colleges and uni Ellen White begins her epochal essay bling to recapture and enshrine this versities. These coming leaders in ''Proper Education" with the center central, organizing principle of the pro Adventist education need a towering piece consideration, the personhood of fession. It is a pearl of great price to be
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handled with reverence and care. The the way parents, teachers, and pastors this as one of the inalienable rights of world is rediscovering what we have deal with those who have broken the children and youth. Thus they could had for so long. house rules. It is a bottom-line state better understand how God reverences Growing out of the principle of the ment about Christianity at the deepest this special freedom that He has ex magnetic, irresistible classroom influ level. Ellen White was on the leading tended to His creative beings. Mrs. ence of a committed, caring teacher is a edge of psychological/ managerial the White realized the uniqueness of the companion ideal regarding discipline. ory in the counsels she gave to parents individual and the special skill that In this essay Ellen White uses this criti and teachers almost a century and a Christian teachers should possess in cal topic as a springboard for all related quarter ago. The insights and ideals calling it forth and encouraging its pedagogical/ psychological insights that she reveals in this first essay (and development. So the whole notion of and methods, for she recognized that additionally in the one special chapter personal accountability before God punishment and discipline are poles of the book Education devoted to the in terms of one's talents and opportuni apart. The former seeks to control subject)2 discloses how far ahead of the ties-was a theme that Ellen White ex through inflicted pain (to the recipient behavioral sciences she was in her day, pected the educational process to rein and vicariously to the schoolroom and is still. force and idealize. Much of the litera "grandstand" as a form of coercion and ture of today speaks to this issue. terrorization that can easily be taken In speaking of nurturing the gifted over by the "enemy" in a moment of student, Ellen White had a special in injured adult pride or insecure author sight. Gifted students, under the doc ity) while the latter is an earthly reen '' rr.1.eac h ers are bezng . gzven . trine of noblesse oblige, would best actment and demonstration of God's special training in ... treating develop their talents by tutoring and way of blending justice and mercy, coaching younger students. She saw longsuffering and control. Redemptive children in terms of their need, the classroom as a laboratory for the discipline, as opposed to punitive dis not in terms of teachers' reac congregational life in the family of God cipline, was a favorite theme with Ellen tions. II so that children, at their earliest, most White. She underscored the lesson in impressionable age, could begin to this essay, and many times later, that experience caring concern for other discipline literally means making dis members in God's family. Students did ciples. It is God's favorite methodology not have to go off campus to learn how to use our mistakes and failings as At a time when the educational proc to do "missionary work." The class springboards toself-understandingand ess was heavily teacher- and textbook room was a place that utilized every self-conquest. oriented-and servile obeisance to aca opportunity for learning compassion The family unit is under siege all over demic authorities was strongly estab ate service. In this same connection, the the world, and special efforts are being lished in the educational milieu-Mrs. superiority of cooperation over com made by churches and municipal agen White extolled the virtues of vigorous, petition was highlighted; and the alien cies to assist parents to a proper under independent thought and encouraged concept ''Who is the greatest?" was not standing of this crucial aspect of child students to challenge all presupposi to find root in the seedbed of Christian rearing and also of dealing with the tions and assertions, especially those education. The omnipresent question adolescent. Since discipline and class that hinted at skepticism of God's crea was to be, "How can I best serve?" room control are demanding more and torship and sovereignty. Her concept The sociologists of the last three dec more of a teacher's time these days-as of a school did not admit mass-produc ades have studied the campus and class the ills of the world are being brought tion methods. It was a place where room scenes, especially the subcultural onto campus each day-teachers are young, active minds could stretch and heroes and heroines, the prevailing being given special training in proac be stretched and begin the great con mores, and social pecking orders. As a tive discipline (treating children in versation even in the little one-room result, the concerted counsel that comes terms of their need, not in terms of schooL Modem education is still strain from them is to break schools down teachers' reactions). Ellen White ele ing to achieve that worthy ideal, and so into even smaller units and endeavor vated the whole issue above mere are we in our school system; but we got to reconstruct the family spirit and at people-control to portray it as a mar our marching orders on it long before it mosphere as much as possible. Like velous opportunity to answer the most became a buzzword in the profession. wise, let the older students mentor and profound theological question of all Freedom was a cherished topic with parent the younger ones. It helps in time ''What is God like?" Nothing surely Ellen White, and freedom to think and their development, and it cultures a says more about the character of God freedom to act were so central to the more benevolent and humane climate and His representatives on earth than Great Controversy issue that she saw in which young lives can develop natu-
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rally. Ellen White did not use the socio There is a constant reminder in the Selected Readings logical nomenclature that is elaborated professional literature today that the in volumes of scholastic tomes, but that wholeness of learning and life has been I. Works by Ellen G. White: scenario was clearly in her mind when badly fractured, and that there is no Tht Advmtist Homt (Nashville: Southern Publishing she described the learning environment unifyingultimaterealitythatgivesthem Association. 1952). of an ideal Christian school. structure and meaning. Ellen White saw Child Guidanrt
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