When Middle Schoolers Accidentally Rediscover Nietzsche

Mrs. Nyberg: … And that, students, is how you can use a truth table to determine the validity of any given argument!

Student: When will we ever use this in the real world?

Mrs. Nyberg: What do you mean by “use?” And what do you mean by “the real world?”

Student: I just meant to ask – will I actually use this in my job or life after school? These truth tables are so… involved. And for what?

Mrs. Nyberg: For your sanctification and blessing, if you let it.

Student: How will truth tables and The Song of Roland and persuasive essays and everything else we do in your class apply to our sanctification? And even if they do, what if we want to learn useful things that will actually help us in life? Shouldn’t you be wanting us to succeed and get good jobs?

Mrs. Nyberg: I don’t think either of those things are at odds with the other. It is my belief that logic and the Great Books and beautiful writing are for the betterment of your souls and minds, and I don’t think it’ll hinder your job search and professional success. On the contrary, actually. But school, at least this school, is not about just teaching you skills to use in your job twenty years from now.

Student: But what’s it all for then? And please don’t say “for your sanctification.”

Mrs. Nyberg: Well, let me ask you: What would you like it to be for? What would you like to learn, and why?

Student: I’d like to start a business perhaps. Owning your own business is when you know you’ve made it. Yeah, that’s what I think I’d like to learn about: being an entrepreneur.

Mrs. Nyberg: For the record, I don’t think being an entrepreneur is bad. I pray for all my students to find their place in the world when the time is right and do their vocation to the glory of God. I just don’t think this is the ultimate end and purpose of education. Being a successful business person isn’t the center of the bullseye. Let’s say you went to a school that taught all of those things and was quite good at teaching those things. You have a high-paying job, and let’s even say you enjoy this job. What now?

Student: Well… that would be good. I would be very grateful to my school if it set me up for success like that.

Mrs. Nyberg: And what would the state of your soul be?

Student: Fine, I hope. I don’t see why any of this has to come at the expense of my spiritual life. There are plenty of entrepreneurs who have been quite successful and are still good Christian men.

Mrs. Nyberg: That is indeed true, glory to God. But that’s not exactly what I was asking. When you are a student at a school, any school, you are in a state of submission to that institution. You are submitting to the rules, standards, and norms of that school. Teachers and administrators are your authority.

Student: Okay? So? I don’t follow.

Mrs. Nyberg: The authority you are under is a very serious thing, and who and what you submit to will inevitably shape your soul and spiritual life. Or there’s the option of not submitting, which will put you in a constant state of rebellion, which will also shape your soul. The school you attend is an authority in your life. And it is the hope of this school, and presumably your parents that chose to put you in this school, that you will submit to what is being taught and how it is taught. Whether or not you choose to submit, your soul will be changed as a result.

Student: Sure. But if I have to go to school, I’d rather go to a school that teaches me how to be successful in life.

Mrs. Nyberg: Why?

Student: It would motivate me to pay attention and do well. Sometimes I just don’t care about medieval history and syllogisms. If I learned stuff about starting an online business, for example, I think I’d really enjoy it and want to learn more. Not to mention that my grades would probably be better because I’d actually be motivated to study.

Mrs. Nyberg: Really? If I pivoted the direction of this class and tomorrow I gave a lecture about business fundamentals, you’d pay attention? Your notes would be good quality and you’d be fully engaged? You’d be able to read the assigned chapters of a business 101 textbook?

Student: Probably. I think. That’s not the point. I just get so bored sometimes.

Mrs. Nyberg: Right. May I propose that your boredom has a spiritual cause? Have you ever considered that no matter the material being taught, the way in which it is taught, the personality of your teacher, the location of the school in which you are being taught, and any other mode or medium of instruction, you will still be bored? And that this is evidence of a deeper problem in your soul rather than with the school?

Student: So what if it is? But even aside from whether that’s true or not, it just seems like school and learning is pointless. We have Google to answer any question we could ever have, not to mention how ChatGPT can help us in so many ways. Calculators exist, so math class is redundant. Plus, nowadays, there are so many ways to make money online, especially if you really hustle. The people that will make it are those that are able to generate passive income streams and make money off social media marketing and stuff like that. Don’t you want to teach us how to use the tools that will make us successful?

Mrs. Nyberg: It is my prayer that I am able to teach you to use “tools” to be “successful.” But we would probably define these things differently; here I am using the word “tools” to mean those functions of the mind and soul that God has given you to glorify Him, and “success” here means the cultivation of virtue.

Student: That’s disingenuous. Everyone knows what success actually means. Are you really going to tell me that a person living in poverty but going to church every week has attained “success?” Come on.

Mrs. Nyberg: Your description brings to mind all of the monastics that live pious lives in poverty. And I don’t necessarily disagree with you; the word “success” does connote a certain lifestyle, which is part of why here at this school, we don’t say things like “We set our students up for ‘success.’” That’s not what we’re aiming for here. Again I ask you, what is the purpose of education? And more broadly, what is the purpose of life? What are you here to do, and how can you do that well?

Student: Well, I know you’re probably wanting me to talk about the virtues and loving God and stuff like that, and maybe those things are good, but when it comes down to my life and my future, I need to prioritize pragmatic ways to become the successful person I want to be. “Good” and “evil” may exist, but these things won’t actually help me rise to my full potential.

Mrs. Nyberg: So the highest good is to use any means to rise above and get as much as you can for yourself?

Student: Well, yes… What else is there to do?