Pacifica Stories

At Pacifica Christian, a serious independent high school in the heart of West Los Angeles, we challenge students' intellect—as we should. Any school of excellence must provide high-quality instruction and pedagogy that will shape a student's brain—a pedagogy of the mind, if you will. However, teenagers are more than just brains. We have ample evidence of this. Students are complex, integrated individuals that have a soul. They have reason, emotions, and desires. All these factors and more come into play during adolescence as students grow from children to young men and women. Reason, a pedagogy of the mind,  is a significant factor in helping promote self-control. Reason helps guide the passions and the emotions so they don’t run us off a cliff. We use wisdom to sift through desires and emotions that will enhance our well-being and those that will damage us. Unrestricted emotions and desires will enslave us. At Pacifica, we have a pedagogy of the mind that will help. Perhaps one of the most critical outcomes for a Pacifcia student is the ability to make wise decisions in executing passions. 

We are not just minds. We also have a heart. The heart allows us to feel. It is equally as important as the mind. At Pacifica, we also practice the pedagogy of the heart.  Pedagogy of the heart pursues relationships, exercises empathy and grace, and understands context. Very few people will remember what we say. They will remember how we made them feel. Of course, what we say matters, alot. Words can uplift or tear down. Words can provide direction. How we make others feel draws them in. It creates community, and community is the epicenter of flourishing. 

The business of education is like none other because the human person is so complex. There are many layers to the adolescent journey. I am thrilled each day as we work together to sort through each person's unique story. We seek to make more of gifts, helping to restore what is broken. We have the privilege to form lives of faith, meaning, and purpose, helping our students, created in God’s image, to look like Christ. Formation is no easy task. However, it is the best task.  It is much easier to teach the graduation requirements, deliver some information, a little skill, and some college and career guidance mixed in, and be on our way. I work at an institution that asks me to grow in heart, mind, and soul. As I challenge students, staff, and parents, I must set an example. Students are inspired when they see the adults around them diving into the formation process. They see that it works, is not just another platitude, and maybe the older crowd is onto something. We don’t just teach subjects or expertise; we teach ourselves. Pedagogy of the heart and mind produces a community and a people who can succeed wherever their hard work and gifts take them. More than that, it produces a people filled with joy and light. It is compelling.