Today, most of the defenses of traditional morality in the public square are pretty crappy. A lot of them are negative in formulation, reduced to exposing inconsistencies in the other side’s arguments, or warning of dire consequences if X or Y is allowed. Even many of those who generally support traditional morals feel that
READ MOREJohn Dewey (1859-1952) was the education philosopher largely credited with the creation of the modern, progressive approach to education that now dominates American schools. His influence was far-reaching and cannot be denied. As always, we must remember that there is no value-neutral education. All education is the purposeful shaping of young minds towards a certain
READ MOREWe live in strange times. At once both the tyranny and fragility of young Americans is on display. Over at Yale, earlier this week we were treated to the following reaction over Halloween costumes that some folks clearly thought were offensive: When a student gets away with screaming at a professor to “be quiet” and
READ MORE“Spare the rod and spoil the child” isn’t in the Bible; it’s from the 17th-century Samuel Butler poem “Hudibras.” However, the phrase certainly expresses the spirit of the Bible’s Book of Proverbs and the prevailing wisdom of Western tradition. Recent polls show that almost seven in 10 Americans believe spanking is an acceptable form of
READ MOREParent-child reading times – even into the teen years – are one of the best ways to turn your child into a well-rounded and educated reader, at least according to early twentieth century author Walter Taylor Field. To encourage parents to read with their children, Field includes a number of age-appropriate suggestions in his book
READ MORE“Mom, I have to get out of my history class and transfer to another. I’m never going to learn anything because the kids are so disruptive.” That’s what an acquaintance’s son recently said about his high school. Because his parents were unable to afford private school, this young man transferred to a local public school
READ MORELast week we shared several recommendations on how to turn a student into a good writer. One of these suggestions was to regularly read high quality literature. How can you ensure your child is reading high quality and worthwhile material? Author Walter Taylor Field offers several relevant tips in his 1907 work entitled Fingerposts to
READ MOREWinston Churchill is one of the most quotable of modern figures. As such, he’s also one of the most frequently misquoted people, in company with Alfred Einstein and Mark Twain. Here are 5 quotes that are popularly attributed to Churchill, but that he didn’t actually say or write: 1. “Success is not final, failure
READ MORELast week the Nation’s Report Card announced that no more than 40% of America’s 4th and 8th graders are proficient in reading and math. Those are scary numbers, but the numbers for writing are even more frightening: only 27% of American 8th and 12th graders attained proficiency. Why are American students such terrible writers? Several
READ MORE