What should schools focus their curricula on? In this lesson, we'll examine perennialism, the

philosophy of education that proposes that schools should focus on the classics and evergreen

ideas, and we'll examine how teachers can design curriculum based on it.

Perennialism

Sita is very excited. She's a teacher, and her principal has just asked her to plan her school's

curriculum for next school year. It's a great honor; it shows that her principal has faith that Sita

knows what should be taught!

But what, exactly, should Sita choose for the curriculum? Some people believe that the school

should be teaching the classics, like Shakespeare and Darwin. Others think it's important to look

at newer, less classic figures and learn from them.

Perennialism in education is the idea that school curricula should focus on what is everlasting.

You can remember the word 'perennialism' by remembering that perennial means lasting for many

years. Thus, perennialism is focused on things that have lasted for many years.

Let's look closer at perennialism and how Sita might use it in her curriculum planning.

Evergreen Ideas

One of the cornerstones of perennialism is the concept of evergreen ideas, or philosophies that

last through many generations. Think of the old adage, 'All's fair in love and war.' Whether you

believe that it's true or not, it's been around a long time, and many people have explored it in

different ways.

To create a perennialist curriculum, Sita will want to focus on evergreen ideas and avoid fads and

other new ideas. In other words, she'll want to stick with what's tried and true. The way that an

evergreen lasts all year round (and for many, many years), evergreen ideas last a long time and are

applicable to many people through many generations.

For example, in social studies, Sita might want to focus on big, evergreen ideas of democracy; that

is, things like human rights, educating voters, and things like that. Voting machines and drones

may be new issues faced by humans today, but they are tied to the same ideals that our grandparents

and great-grandparents faced, things like national security versus privacy, or voting rights for all.

So instead of talking about drones in social studies, Sita will want the school to look at how the

founding fathers balanced personal rights with national security.

Because perennialism is so focused on evergreen ideas, Sita should make most of the curriculum

about evergreen ideas. That way, students are learning what their grandparents learned. The belief

is that ideas that have stood the test of time have proven themselves to be worthy of study.

Newfangled concepts might add something to the curriculum, but they may not. Why not just stick

with what Sita knows will work because it's worked for generations before?

The Great Conversation

As we've already said, perennialism is focused on teaching things that are applicable to many

generations. It will probably come as no surprise, then, that the classics, or a canon of books written

long ago, are a big part of a perennialist curriculum.

Instead of reading modern writers and philosophers, Sita will want to design her perennialist

curriculum around classical writers, like Homer, Shakespeare and Locke. She'll want to avoid

writers who have written in the last generation or two, and focus, instead, on those who wrote

hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago.

Why are the classics such a big part of perennialism? There are two main ideas about the classics

in perennialism:

1. They have the potential to solve problems in any era.

Many, many people write and publish books and essays every year. Many of those books and

essays are forgotten as time moves on. There are many reasons that a piece of writing may be

forgotten, but those that stand the test of time tend to be able to answer questions and problems in

many different eras.

Take Shakespeare's classic play Macbeth. The play is about a man who kills in order to gain power.

As a result, though, he sets off a chain of events that lead to his downfall. The play explores themes

of power, destiny, guilt, and honor. These are themes that are still around today, and there are

many CEOs, politicians, and other people who could learn a lesson or two from Macbeth

2. They are engaged in a Great Conversation with each other.

Another key idea about the classics is that they are engaged in a Great Conversation, or discussions

between authors over time. For example, Macbeth didn't come out of nowhere: Shakespeare was

writing it based on a history book that he read, and he was using that history book. And, after

Shakespeare, many other writers have commented on Macbeth, using him in their own writing as

examples. It's like the author of the history book, Shakespeare himself, and the authors that came

after him, are all talking to each other and sharing ideas. They are engaged in a great conversation.

Because classics have proven themselves across generations, and because they are engaged in a

deep discussion with other literary pieces, they are pieces of work for Sita to include in her

perennialist curriculum. Perennialism in education is the belief that schools should teach ideas that

are everlasting. Evergreen ideas, which have lasted through many generations, are a major focus

of a perennialist curriculum. Further, the canon of books known as the classics form a key

component of perennialist education, since they have the potential to solve problems in any era,

and they are engaged in a Great Conversation with each other.