John Locke's Thoughts Concerning Education

Before the industrial revolution, it was men, not women, who were primarily in charge of the education of young children. In the days before men took off to work in the factory, they often had a trade and a family business conducted out of the house.  Thus, they were often in charge of the formal instruction of their children.  It’s interesting that before the industrial revolution, there are very few books about education written by women. Instead it was men who took up the task of teaching children and planning for their education.  One of these classic books on education, which is nearly totally forgotten in our own day, is John Locke’s Some Thoughts Concerning Education.

The book is a masterwork by a first-rate mind on the holistic education of the young. In his letter of dedication he writes, “The well educating of their children is so much the duty and concern of parents, and the welfare and prosperity of the nation so much depends on it, that I would have every one lay it seriously to heart; and after having well examin’d and distinguish’d what fancy, custom, or reason advises in the case, set his helping hand to promote every where that training up of youth, with regard their several conditions, which is the easiest, shortest, and likeliest to produce virtuous, useful, and able men in their distinct callings…”

Although I will often return to Some Thoughts Concerning Education on this blog, let me make a few introductory remarks about the above quotation.  First, education is the job of parents. And it ought to be the “duty and concern” of every parent to consider carefully their children’s education. In our day, however, far too many parents (I’ve seen this in my line of work), don’t think intentionally about their children’s education. They are simply shipped off to the closest public school for kindergarten. But if “all the men we meet with, nine parts of ten are what they are, good or evil, useful or not, by their education,” then this topic ought to occupy a central role for families with children.  Whether they decide on public, private, Christian, or home school, the decision must be done intentionally—and for good reason.

Second, Locke recommends that “every one lay it seriously to heart.”  I know I’m not qualified to comment on the state of education, but in 21^st century America, there are not enough scholars and leaders who are really willing to “lay it seriously to heart.” In America, new teachers are, on average, the bottom third of college graduates (in stark contrast to Singapore, whereby only the top third are accepted as new teachers.)  And for some reason, a good many text books on education in our modern world are lengthy treatises on educational psychology.  Very few of the country’s best scholar’s are doing as Locke did – spending diligent energy on examining the roots, methods, and content of education for our modern world.  On university campuses, when it is learned that an individual got his or her doctorate in education, it is often looked upon with disdain as not a truly “academic” doctorate.  It was not always so.

Third, and finally, Locke believes that his task in the book was to find “which is the easiest, shortest, and likeliest [way] to produce virtuous, useful, and able men in their distinct callings…” What a contrast to our state standards today!  First, the purpose is not “college readiness” or higher test scores, but virtue. In postmodern America, most authorities in public education are interested in producing students of character, but are reticent to say which virtues are worth pursuing, if any, and how one might build a curriculum for virtue. And second, competent people who are living out their “calling” is the goal of his volume.  Who talks of calling within public discourse but those “odd religious people”?  Since calling assumes a Caller, Locke’s words become difficult to understand for many secular people in a religiously and morally pluralistic world.

Locke’s volume is clear, comprehensive, and a gem of a guide to the education of the young. Although our scientific understandings would now differ with him on various points, there is much to be learned from pondering this great English philosopher’s words on education.  If you can find it online from some collector, pick it up this week. It won’t disappoint.