In Defense of Ideals: Mark Edmundson to Speak at MSA
Mind. Hands. Heart. For over a century the Miller School of Albemarle has pursued this vision of education set forth by its first headmaster Charles Vawter. In 2017, to support and bolster the first leg of this triad, MSA launched a new Humanities Program and admitted 20 students into its ranks. This week, these students received a copy of renowned University of Virginia Professor Mark Edmundson's new book, The Heart of the Humanities. The book was released on February 6 and is Dr. Edmundson’s latest impassioned argument for the importance of education in the modern world and especially for the disciplines of reading, writing and teaching. The book encapsulates the vision of the Miller School of Albemarle’s Humanities program, which seeks above all to engage students more deeply in the “life of the mind.”
“Mark Edmundson challenges all those involved with education- teachers, students, parents, administrators, trustees- to consider why we should invest so many hours, resources, feelings, and so much attention in the process called schooling.”
On February 28, at 2:00PM Miller School of Albemarle will have the distinct pleasure of hearing Professor Edmundson speak on this topic, in a lecture titled “In Defense of Ideals.” This lecture will be open to parents of Miller School students as well as alumni and board members. A resident of Batesville, Professor Edmundson teaches English at UVa. Several members of MSA’s faculty have taken Edmundson’s courses and are delighted that Miller School students will have the opportunity to hear him in person. History Teacher Thomas Fickley had this to say regarding Edmundson’s work:
“He goads us to look past the pragmatic and often superficial justifications offered by society at large and realize that what happens in the classroom can be about something much more profound than making money, climbing the corporate ladder, or ‘being successful.’”
“Mark Edmundson challenges all those involved with education- teachers, students, parents, administrators, trustees- to consider why we should invest so many hours, resources, feelings, and so much attention in the process called schooling. He goads us to look past the pragmatic and often superficial justifications offered by society at large and realize that what happens in the classroom can be about something much more profound than making money, climbing the corporate ladder, or ‘being successful.’ Education offers a chance for individual human beings to be transformed, learn to live life to its fullest potential, to examine themselves and discover, through an encounter with ‘the best of what has been thought and said,’ who they really are. Edmundson is a guide well worth heeding.”