Learning in Community
When we end the school year and enter summer break, it’s always interesting to hear students’ perspectives on being out of school for the next three months. Some, of course, are overjoyed—after all, we are made to work and to rest, and after a year’s worth of hard work, students are excited for a break. However, there are always a few who express their sadness at saying goodbye to their friends for three months. Even the occasional social gathering over the summer cannot replace seeing one’s friends every day. This has been a good reminder for me of the value of learning in community, especially as we prepare to start the new school year, and I am grateful for the learning community here at Pinnacle Classical Academy.
There have been times in history when learning in isolation has been held up as superior to learning in community—think of the stereotypical hermit who abandons all contact with civilization in order to attain greater enlightenment. Yet at Pinnacle Classical Academy, we believe this is not how learning should primarily happen. We are a community of learners who can instruct and edify one another, and we believe that this is a blessing from the Lord.
We have all heard it said that “humans are social creatures,” but what does that actually mean? Yes, even we introverts can enjoy a good get-together, but humanity’s social nature goes much deeper than that. In the garden, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone (Gen 2:18). This is one of the first statements made about humankind in Scripture, and it was true even before the Fall. Man is made to be in community. In fact, studies have shown that isolation can have a catastrophic effect on a person’s psychological well-being, which in turn damages a person’s physical well-being. That is to say, people actually become ill, mentally and in many cases physically, when they are isolated. So at the most basic level, people are meant to be with other people.
Okay, you may be thinking. That’s all well and good, but I can be in community while still learning on my own. If you’re thinking this, then you’re right! We should always look to keep learning on our own. That’s part of what it means to be a lifelong learner—always looking for ways to continue growing individually. But there are also important benefits to learning alongside other people.
Learning in community helps to keep us accountable. Intellectual pride believes itself to have a monopoly on truth. It takes the “my way or the highway” attitude and is not willing to be taught by anyone, even Scripture. Intellectual humility requires us to consider the claims of contrary viewpoints even while we unwaveringly hold onto truth as revealed in Scripture. Being around others in an intellectual environment—specifically others with whom we don’t always agree—allows us to practice humility as we interact with our peers and their ideas.
In a similar vein, it has been found that those who associate only with opinions they already agree with are far more susceptible to what has been termed “groupthink”: a phenomenon wherein people want so badly to conform or preserve harmony that they don’t speak up even when they disagree with a decision or belief held by the group. This situation robs people of both creativity and individual responsibility, and over time it can have dire consequences for the community as a whole. On the other hand, a healthy learning environment studies disparate works and worldviews. It invites discussion. It welcomes errors as opportunities for learning. These features encourage creativity and combat the danger of intellectual stagnation.
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of an in-person school is that learning alongside others encourages us to give our best effort. Studies have shown that people try harder when they sense that they are being watched. The eyes of other learners can provide the extra motivation we need to apply ourselves to the best of our ability. Similarly, I recently heard someone observe that people who play individual sports tend to excel when they have siblings that play the same sport. They have someone close at hand who will push them toward improvement through healthy competition and consistent practice.
Our culture teaches that you are the only one who gets to decide what is right or wrong for you; you are the only one whose opinion of yourself matters; and you are the only judge of your own success. But when we only have ourselves to judge our own progress, it is much easier to give up too early, or as C.S. Lewis put it, to be far too easily pleased. Scripture, on the other hand, teaches us to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’” so that none of us will be “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13). Learning together allows us to exhort and encourage one another to be our best, to apply ourselves diligently to our work, and to be on our guard against the vices of dishonesty, sloth, blame-shifting, and pride.
Laurel McLaughlin
Upper School Teacher
