Ronald Orr

Hello there! My name is Ronald (Ron) Orr and I currently live in Lubbock, TX. Throughout my life I have, in some way, shape, or form, been involved within the educational world. I was a tutor in middle school and high school. While working on my undergraduate degree, I was a teaching assistant for a variety of courses. In graduate school, I was the instructor of record for several Latin courses. I also have teaching experience in both the public and private educational world, including Classical Christian Schools.

When I am not teaching, I enjoy reading (mostly non-fiction, but Tolkien is my favorite author of all time), playing music (I play the guitar, saxophone, and oboe), and being outdoors (hunting, fishing, camping, etc.)

My primary research interests are: historiography in the ancient world, the idea of audience in Greek authors, and Greek epigram.

Teaching Philosophy

Education for me is the bridging of various content areas into one whole. The humanities are meant to dovetail with STEM. STEM pushes the boundaries of the possible while the humanities remind us of the human element. In the humanities, we learn to work with others. We learn to collaborate on projects that help create a better world. Education, then, is the crutch on which betterment rests. Without a proper education, the world slowly falls into decay and ruin, even in the pursuit of progress. A classical education, I believe, is the best tool available to educate a child completely.

Education is like a bicycle; there are many moving parts that, when assembled correctly, allow someone to move quickly from one place to another. However, the current public education model treats this bicycle piecemeal, i.e., teaching the different subjects without showing how they fit together. Students are taught the various parts to a bicycle, but often do not get how the pieces fit together. Because public school teaches the different subjects separately, students are behind. A classical education, on the other hand, gives students not only the parts to the bicycle, but also how the parts fit together. A classical education grants the students the opportunity to practice critical-thinking skills and understand how the academic subjects fit together.

Statement of Faith

I believe that there is one God, who dwells in heaven. With him is his Son, Jesus, the Christ, who, being both fully divine and fully human, was sent to earth as a ransom for our sins, caused by the Fall of Adam and Eve. After Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected, he ascended into Heaven. On Earth, the Holy Spirit dwells within all believers who have confessed their faith. God is the uncaused, first cause, who set everything in motion.

I grew up in the Presbyterian Church. I currently attend First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Lubbock, TX.