The word school comes from the Latin word schola and the Greek word schole. In the Greek – it this idea of “to have” or “to hold,” so literally, it’s time held for yourself.  It’s leisure time – intentional time for life insight, time spent for learning about yourself.

The first time I read about this was in a Henri Nouwen book (I don’t remember which one), but he made the point that schola means – free time or as in the previous paragraph “leisure.”  Plato and Aristotle would have use the term schole as time set aside for learning.  It wasn’t for idleness like we think of leisure today.  It was set aside for learning and discussion.  Aristotle wrote: We work in order to be at leisure. Aristotle would have use the word – schole for activities such as philosophy, aesthetic delectation, and religious worship (I got it from a website of some guy that wished that Ari would have left off worship).

Ascholia – to work.  So school was suppose to be the opposite of work.  Actually, ascholia had to do with the lack of leisure – which in this case was work or business.

I work at a school – at a college.  My students would probably not talk about their schooling as leisure time.  Right now, they are probably reading this blog – when they should be studying and it’s already past 10.  Actually, they should be a sleep because it’s that time, but they’re studying and it’s definitely not leisure.

How far we have come from schola as leisure – time set aside for learning about one’s self and worship – to school being something that stresses us out.