Mission Moment

Dear Covenant Families,

I am consistently amazed at the way the brain works. Last night, my daughter asked me to pick something up for her on the way home from school. Unfortunately, between taking a call on my drive home and thinking about what I was going to cook for dinner, I completely forgot. Not two hours later, sparked by something she said, I was quoting a good bit of a long-ago memorized speech by Marc Anthony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. 

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me…

During my freshman year of high school, I memorized and recited this speech as an assignment for my literature class. Along with the words, I remember the classroom layout, the nerves I felt presenting, and being thankful to arrive on the other side of the two minutes without dying! The process was challenging and exhilarating at the same time. Taking the words of another, someone from long ago, and bringing them to life for my classmates to hear and consider was a profound experience.

Though I can’t explain why it came to mind yesterday evening—or why it seemed, in my daughter’s mind, to occupy brain space better reserved for her errand—it’s fascinating how such memories surface unexpectedly.

After learning about the brain science confirming narration as a way to move information from short-term to long-term memory, and hearing from John Muir Laws about our brain’s ability to use “I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of…” to ignite creativity, our imaginations, and deepen understanding, I’m certain that these teaching principles woven into the warp and woof of classical Christian education indeed equip us with the tools necessary to become lifelong learners.

Declamation is no different, nor is it an isolated event like my memorization of Shakespeare. At Covenant, by the time a student reaches Logic School, they have built a strong foundation through years of oral presentations, scripture recitations, and classroom discussions guided by the five canons of rhetoric—often without realizing it. When our second graders memorize Matthew 2:1-12 for Christmas Chapel, they are writing both the enduring Word of God and the burgeoning skill of rhetoric on their hearts and minds. One day, sooner than you think, they’ll be researching, writing, memorizing, presenting, and defending words of their own. They’ll be ready.

As people of the Book and lovers of the written word, Declamation at Covenant is a right and meaningful practice. Through this annual exercise, and all the in-between efforts that come before and after it, we aim to foster eloquence, a deeper understanding and appreciation of literature, and the development of memory and discipline. Our hope is that these memorized works linger in students’ minds, serving as champions that cheer them on and remind them of the good, the true and the beautiful in enduring words from the past.

No doubt your Logic and Rhetoric students have been working hard on their poems or speeches for weeks. If they’re practicing aloud, there’s a good chance you’re memorizing their poems or speech vicariously. Persist with joy my friends! Soon, they will stand up in front of their classmates—or ultimately, the Covenant community—to present their unique combination of beautiful phrases, ideas, tenacity, and fortitude. Your students are meeting mind-to-mind with their chosen authors, aiming to understand context and intent and then communicate it clearly and with conviction. It’s a magnificent and worthwhile endeavor and every year, we have the privilege and blessing of marveling at their hard work alongside you.

Non Nobis,

Melissa Hill
Logic School Head