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A Colossal Wreck: Our Sad Presidential Politics 0
- Culture
- March 4, 2016
On Presidents’ Day, in the week that the Republican presidential candidates were crisscrossing my home state of South Carolina, I stumbled across an essay in a magazine that tells how you can find the gigantic busts of forty-three American presidents standing broken and decaying in a farmer’s field in Virginia. The essay is full of dramatic
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Erasmus’ Beautiful Advice to a Student in 1497 0
- Education
- March 4, 2016
Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was one of the greatest scholars the Western world has ever known. A humanist, he played a large role in the revival of classical studies that took place during the Renaissance. In a 1497 letter, Erasmus offered the following 14 pieces of advice to Christian Northoff, the son of a prosperous merchant
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Apprenticeships Are Not a Sign of Failure 0
- Culture
- March 4, 2016
There’s a clear message given to almost every high school student these days: go to college or you’ll be a failure. According to The Guardian, this mentality is what is holding many young people back from pursuing the apprenticeships as an alternative to higher education. But in reality, students who pursue apprenticeships are actually the
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A Parent’s Secret Weapon for Finding Good Children’s Literature 0
- Culture
- March 4, 2016
By now we’ve heard over and over again how important it is for parents to read to their children and encourage them to read on their own. Doing so: Improves family relationships. Builds vocabulary and comprehension. Increases brain activity. Arouses imagination. Yet for many busy parents and teachers, it’s hard to know which books are
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Should Advanced Math Be Optional?0
- Education
- March 3, 2016
Advanced math is hard. It’s keeping people from graduating high school and college. So, we should drop it. At least that’s what Andrew Hacker, author of The Math Myth: And Other STEM Delusions, argued in a recent interview with NPR: “I’m saying: No, we don’t need that many people studying mathematics. We’re shooting ourselves in
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Why People Should Still Study Latin 0
- Culture
- March 3, 2016
Why would anybody bother to study Latin anymore? Its value isn’t readily apparent, which is probably why it has largely dropped out of curriculum in this country. Modern language study is more about which language will get you ahead in your career or help you vacation to other countries. Latin is not likely to help you
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