I read a book some decades ago the title of which, The Dilemma of Education in a Democracy, expresses the problem perfectly. But allow me to explain. A few weeks ago, I took issue with the idea that “age- segregated” education was a Prussian invention, and as such, a pedagogical corruption to be steered away …
Not All Cake
Levi Heiple has graciously interacted with my post on technology and education here. As he notes, we have a good bit of common ground — and so what follows here is simply what I believe to be a necessary voice of caution. There are principles involved in education, and there are methods, and whenever you …
Chasing the Laser Pointer Dot
If I may, I would like to urge all Christians interested in the future of education reform to continue their hot pursuit of said reform, but not to do so like a kitten pursuing a laser pointer dot on the rug. We live in exciting pedagogical times, and the arrival of many more options in …
Spooky Levels
Remarks I gave for the Seattle Classical Christian School on March 7, 2013. Thank you very much for the kind invitation to address you all. Nancy and I really enjoy coming to Seattle, and it is even better when we have a good reason for doing it. It was well said by somebody, somewhere, that …
Insoucient Hair Gel
This is the outline of the comments I made to the students at Annapolis Christian Academy in Corpus Christi. The apostle Paul tells us to be transformed in the renewing of our minds, and so to prove what is the good and acceptable will of God. Because an apostle told us this, we know it …
Hypocrisy and the Young
One of our stock characters in literature and film, and in other parts of our imagination as well, is that of the old hypocrite. This is fueled by a number of things including, but not limited to, the actual existence of old hypocrites, the shock value of suddenly revealed old hypocrisies, and the fact that …
A Graduate Degree in Hivebuzz
One of our great modern diseases is the inability to see the big picture. We specialize in our tasks, which Adam Smith described as the source of our wealth. But we also put our heads down and specialize in our thoughts. And this is how it comes about that we can be easily robbed of …
Bad News. They Have Successfully Occupied Rush’s Head
Rush Limbaugh recently went on a little rant about classical education. He was riffing off the protest of an Occupy demonstrator, whose sign bemoaned her “useless” classical studies degree, and his basic response was that anybody who was dumb enough to get a classical studies degree deserved whatever they got, good and hard. Now as …
The Right Kind of Bright in Your Eyes
Here are the remarks, in substance anyway, I gave at the commencement ceremony for the graduating class of New Covenant Schools for 2011. They have just finished their 20th year under God’s blessing, and many congratulations. I begin, of course, with the salutations. I want to thank the members of the board, your headmaster John Heaton, …
Art Noise
There is no way to begin a post on this subject without referencing Mark Twain’s quip about the music of Wagner, to wit, that his music was much better than it sounded. For there’s the rub. I have noticed something over the years at various music events organized and hosted by conservative Christians — events …