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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis acceleration in travel illustrates a new value that has emerged for us in the modern world: speed. \u201cTime is money,\u201d we are told and the finance report does not lie. The litmus test for the quality and success of an endeavor is how fast we can complete it. For the sooner we can cross a task off our list, the more quickly we can move on to the next task. Then the next task. Then the next task. Only here\u2019s the catch in a knowledge economy: the list is infinite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In education, this obsession for speed materializes in daily schedules, pacing charts, and lesson plans. We move from subject to subject, concept to concept, and assignment to assignment at the speed of light. But is this approach best for students? Is it cultivating virtue? Are they actually developing mastery over what they are learning? Or are these moments of quick exposure creating the illusion of learning instead?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Festina Lente: Make Haste Slowly<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn The Good Teacher<\/em><\/a> (Classical Academic Press, 2025), Christopher Perrin and Carrie Eben argue that it is not. Of the ten principles for great teaching they present in their book, the first is \u201cFestina Lente<\/em>, Make Haste Slowly.\u201d They propose that instead of engaging in the rush to cover content, it is better to master each step in a lesson, setting a pace that is fitting for the time available.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Tortoise-and-the-Hare.jpg?resize=347%2C499&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPerrin and Eben go on to provide two examples of this principle in our world today. The first is drawn from Aesop\u2019s beloved fable, \u201cThe Tortoise and the Hare.\u201d In this well-known tale, two creatures, a quick-footed hare and a contemplative tortoise, engage in a foot race. While the hare is expected to win with its focus on speed, it is actually the tortoise who wins the race. The upshot is that while the hare was certainly faster, its pace was not sustainable. The tortoise, on the other hand, moves at a slower yet sustainable pace, making haste slowly<\/em>, and ultimately becomes the victor.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe other example is Jim Collins\u2019 \u201cTwenty Mile March\u201d concept in Great by Choice<\/em> <\/a>(Random House, 2011). Imagine two hikers setting out on a three-thousand mile walk from San Diego, California, to the tip of Maine. One hiker commits to twenty miles a day, no exceptions. Whether the conditions are fair or poor, the itinerary is the same. The other hiker adjusts his daily regimen to the circumstances before him. Depending on weather, terrain, and energy levels, some days he may walk 40 miles, other days he may not walk at all. Like the tortoise in Aesop\u2019s fable, the winner of the race is the hiker committed to the wise, disciplined journey, choosing sustainability over speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nNow, it must be pointed out that every analogy has its limits. Not every speedster struggles with the overconfidence exhibited in the hare or the weak will of the second hiker. It is possible to be both fast and virtuous.The key insight is not that we need to choose between the two, but in our present culture’s emphasis on speed, we would do well to slow down, resist the lure of speedy completion, and focus on a process that will instill virtues of diligence and perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connecting the twenty-mile hike example to teaching, Perrin and Eben write,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Classical education can be compared to the long journey in this story. Each segment should be intentional, planned, and exercised wisely, with ample allotted time. Students, like the winning hiker, should use time well, as they are guided and modeled along each segment of their academic journey. (p. 24)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Working at a Natural Pace <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nInterestingly, Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work<\/em>, Digital Minimalism<\/em>, and A World Without Email<\/em>, is on to a similar idea in his latest book, Slow Productivity<\/a><\/em> (Penguin Random House, 2024).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Slow-Productivity.jpg?resize=248%2C385&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNewport observes that we as a culture have succumbed to what he calls pseudo-productivity, \u201cthe use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort (22). So we work longer hours, send more emails, and complete more projects, all in the name of productivity. The only problem is that we burn ourselves out, ultimately accomplishing less and at a lower quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Newport\u2019s solution is to adopt a different philosophy of work, one in which we accomplish tasks in a sustainable and meaningful manner. His three principles for this approach are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Do fewer things.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Work at a natural pace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Obsess over quality.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
My colleague at Educational Renaissance, Jason Barney, has written extensively on these principles for the classical educator in this blog <\/a>series<\/a>. I encourage you to check out all four articles as he interacts with the likes of Aristotle, Quintilian, Charlotte Mason, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyiy, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRegarding our present focus on how to manage time in the classroom for the sake of virtue formation, Jason writes<\/a>, \u201cThere must be a purposeful movement in a meaningful direction at the same time as a willingness to delay over the details to ensure quality and a student\u2019s developing mastery. Great teachers can discern when to slow down and when to hasten on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nRather than sending students off to work on a frenzy of assignments at once, moving from one worksheet to the next, it is better to slow down and hone in on one worthy assignment that will lead students toward a greater depth of understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
True Mastery: Getting the Practice Right <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHere we come to a key distinction that must be made. Thus far, I have been encouraging teachers to focus on virtue over speed, process over outcome, and mastery over pseudo-productivity. But what does true mastery look like? And how is it achieved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I suggest that mastery is achieved when a student can repeatedly demonstrate a particular skill or lucidly explain a concept on demand. In The Good Teacher<\/em>, Perrin and Eben are adamant that until this happens, teachers should not move on to the next objective, whether it is moving on from addition to multiplication or 3rd to 4th grade (21-22). They are also careful to identify a distortion of festina lente<\/em>, namely, using the principle as an excuse to focus too long on one concept at the expense of others (27).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Students-working-.webp?resize=525%2C349&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe key clarification I want to make as we seek to implement a mastery-focused approach is regarding the type of practice<\/em> we ought to implement to meet this end. It would be natural to assume that if the focus is mastery, teachers should engage in what is called massed practice<\/em>: practice over and over a specific skill until it is mastered, and only then move on to the next skill. Make haste slowly, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning<\/a><\/em> (Belknap Press, 2014), the authors draw upon cognitive science to argue that this sort of practice can only take you so far. They seek to dispel of the myth that the focused, repetitive practice of one thing at a time is the way to mastery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nThey write:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIf learning can be defined as picking up new knowledge or skills and being able to apply them later, then how quickly you pick something up is only part of the story. Is it still there when you need to use it out in the everyday world?…The rapid gains produced by massed practice are often evident, but the rapid forgetting that follows is not.\u00a0(p. 47)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, the authors of Make it Stick<\/em> are putting their finger on the same concern as Perrin and Eben: prioritizing speed over mastery. Instead of practicing one skill over and over again until students can demonstrate mastery, they suggest mixing up the practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPerrin and Eben go on to provide two examples of this principle in our world today. The first is drawn from Aesop\u2019s beloved fable, \u201cThe Tortoise and the Hare.\u201d In this well-known tale, two creatures, a quick-footed hare and a contemplative tortoise, engage in a foot race. While the hare is expected to win with its focus on speed, it is actually the tortoise who wins the race. The upshot is that while the hare was certainly faster, its pace was not sustainable. The tortoise, on the other hand, moves at a slower yet sustainable pace, making haste slowly<\/em>, and ultimately becomes the victor.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other example is Jim Collins\u2019 \u201cTwenty Mile March\u201d concept in Great by Choice<\/em> <\/a>(Random House, 2011). Imagine two hikers setting out on a three-thousand mile walk from San Diego, California, to the tip of Maine. One hiker commits to twenty miles a day, no exceptions. Whether the conditions are fair or poor, the itinerary is the same. The other hiker adjusts his daily regimen to the circumstances before him. Depending on weather, terrain, and energy levels, some days he may walk 40 miles, other days he may not walk at all. Like the tortoise in Aesop\u2019s fable, the winner of the race is the hiker committed to the wise, disciplined journey, choosing sustainability over speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, it must be pointed out that every analogy has its limits. Not every speedster struggles with the overconfidence exhibited in the hare or the weak will of the second hiker. It is possible to be both fast and virtuous.The key insight is not that we need to choose between the two, but in our present culture’s emphasis on speed, we would do well to slow down, resist the lure of speedy completion, and focus on a process that will instill virtues of diligence and perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connecting the twenty-mile hike example to teaching, Perrin and Eben write,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Classical education can be compared to the long journey in this story. Each segment should be intentional, planned, and exercised wisely, with ample allotted time. Students, like the winning hiker, should use time well, as they are guided and modeled along each segment of their academic journey. (p. 24)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work<\/em>, Digital Minimalism<\/em>, and A World Without Email<\/em>, is on to a similar idea in his latest book, Slow Productivity<\/a><\/em> (Penguin Random House, 2024).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Newport observes that we as a culture have succumbed to what he calls pseudo-productivity, \u201cthe use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort (22). So we work longer hours, send more emails, and complete more projects, all in the name of productivity. The only problem is that we burn ourselves out, ultimately accomplishing less and at a lower quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Newport\u2019s solution is to adopt a different philosophy of work, one in which we accomplish tasks in a sustainable and meaningful manner. His three principles for this approach are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n My colleague at Educational Renaissance, Jason Barney, has written extensively on these principles for the classical educator in this blog <\/a>series<\/a>. I encourage you to check out all four articles as he interacts with the likes of Aristotle, Quintilian, Charlotte Mason, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyiy, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding our present focus on how to manage time in the classroom for the sake of virtue formation, Jason writes<\/a>, \u201cThere must be a purposeful movement in a meaningful direction at the same time as a willingness to delay over the details to ensure quality and a student\u2019s developing mastery. Great teachers can discern when to slow down and when to hasten on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than sending students off to work on a frenzy of assignments at once, moving from one worksheet to the next, it is better to slow down and hone in on one worthy assignment that will lead students toward a greater depth of understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here we come to a key distinction that must be made. Thus far, I have been encouraging teachers to focus on virtue over speed, process over outcome, and mastery over pseudo-productivity. But what does true mastery look like? And how is it achieved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I suggest that mastery is achieved when a student can repeatedly demonstrate a particular skill or lucidly explain a concept on demand. In The Good Teacher<\/em>, Perrin and Eben are adamant that until this happens, teachers should not move on to the next objective, whether it is moving on from addition to multiplication or 3rd to 4th grade (21-22). They are also careful to identify a distortion of festina lente<\/em>, namely, using the principle as an excuse to focus too long on one concept at the expense of others (27).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key clarification I want to make as we seek to implement a mastery-focused approach is regarding the type of practice<\/em> we ought to implement to meet this end. It would be natural to assume that if the focus is mastery, teachers should engage in what is called massed practice<\/em>: practice over and over a specific skill until it is mastered, and only then move on to the next skill. Make haste slowly, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning<\/a><\/em> (Belknap Press, 2014), the authors draw upon cognitive science to argue that this sort of practice can only take you so far. They seek to dispel of the myth that the focused, repetitive practice of one thing at a time is the way to mastery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n They write:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If learning can be defined as picking up new knowledge or skills and being able to apply them later, then how quickly you pick something up is only part of the story. Is it still there when you need to use it out in the everyday world?…The rapid gains produced by massed practice are often evident, but the rapid forgetting that follows is not.\u00a0(p. 47)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, the authors of Make it Stick<\/em> are putting their finger on the same concern as Perrin and Eben: prioritizing speed over mastery. Instead of practicing one skill over and over again until students can demonstrate mastery, they suggest mixing up the practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Working at a Natural Pace <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
True Mastery: Getting the Practice Right <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n