One of the hallmarks of a good education should be the ability for a young man or young woman to meaningfully engage in the great debate of society. To do this an individual must first know how to think or to measure words, ideas and concepts against the truth.

Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Simply put, the educated think before they believe, they do not just believe.

Whether by accident or design, today’s modern public education system is exactly that; it is a systematized program that takes place in a vacuum of truth that teaches students to accept and believe the word of the state without questioning its truth. Adding insult to injury is the new Common Core – definitely a designed program of state inculcation.

This is why St. Francis is so important to our community and students. St. Francis is founded on the classical principles of education: teaching students truth, teaching students to question information, and then teaching students how to articulate their own conclusions. In other words, St. Francis will be teaching students to think for a change.