Marching to an education
Jon Fisher
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Features
Picture having early morning inspections of uniform and gear, weekly marches at a 30-inch step, a chain of command and swats on the buttocks for misbehavior - during elementary school.
At 4 years old, Jon Fennell enrolled at Brown Military Academy in San Diego, Calif. Reluctant to place their son in a public school system affected by John Dewey's philosophies, Fennell's parents opted for a stronger education.
"I still remember that room," said Fennell, director of Teacher Education at Hillsdale College. "I remember my mother leaving me there, and I was devastated."
But Fennell said he quickly adjusted to his new atmosphere. Like the military, it consisted of hard work, deference to authority and endless routine, he said.
Fennell would shine his shoes and brass every night before bed and ensure his uniform was in "good order" for the next morning's inspection.
In the morning, all the classes from high school to preschool would line up and be counted. Then the students would march to their respective classes. No one ever walked to class, Fennell said.
"We were always marching," he said. "Marching was a part of life."
At times the marching was difficult, Fennell said.
"When you're five feet, two inches, carrying a 30-pound rifle up a hill, a 30-inch step is asking a lot," he said.
Despite the obvious challenge, not once did the cadets think they should quit, Fennell said.
Many facets of the school demanded this endurance. The uniforms were either starched cotton or wool, and always uncomfortable. Also, when in formation, the children had to remain at attention regardless of itching or heat exhaustion.
Fennell said he remembers a day when he saw six people faint from the heat. He too once succumbed to the heat but was so intent on standing at attention that, rather than collapsing, he fell face-forward without changing posture.
"You learn how to live with discomfort," Fennell said. "You became a person who persists."
At 4 years old, Jon Fennell enrolled at Brown Military Academy in San Diego, Calif. Reluctant to place their son in a public school system affected by John Dewey's philosophies, Fennell's parents opted for a stronger education.
"I still remember that room," said Fennell, director of Teacher Education at Hillsdale College. "I remember my mother leaving me there, and I was devastated."
But Fennell said he quickly adjusted to his new atmosphere. Like the military, it consisted of hard work, deference to authority and endless routine, he said.
Fennell would shine his shoes and brass every night before bed and ensure his uniform was in "good order" for the next morning's inspection.
In the morning, all the classes from high school to preschool would line up and be counted. Then the students would march to their respective classes. No one ever walked to class, Fennell said.
"We were always marching," he said. "Marching was a part of life."
At times the marching was difficult, Fennell said.
"When you're five feet, two inches, carrying a 30-pound rifle up a hill, a 30-inch step is asking a lot," he said.
Despite the obvious challenge, not once did the cadets think they should quit, Fennell said.
Many facets of the school demanded this endurance. The uniforms were either starched cotton or wool, and always uncomfortable. Also, when in formation, the children had to remain at attention regardless of itching or heat exhaustion.
Fennell said he remembers a day when he saw six people faint from the heat. He too once succumbed to the heat but was so intent on standing at attention that, rather than collapsing, he fell face-forward without changing posture.
"You learn how to live with discomfort," Fennell said. "You became a person who persists."
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