Writing to Hezekiah Niles in 1818, John Adams shared his reflections regarding the American War of Independence. As we near the 4th of July, while in the midst of our own cultural revolution, we might do well to read them (bold added): “The American Revolution was not a common event. Its effects and consequences have
READ MOREOn July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress made a momentous decision: it voted to “dissolve the connection” with Great Britain. The war had entered a new stage and everyone knew it. “We are in the very midst of a revolution,” John Adams wrote, “the most complete, unexpected, and remarkable of any in the history of
READ MOREEvery year the approach of July signals the annual National Education Association (NEA) conference. As the nation’s largest teachers’ union, the topics discussed and decisions made at this event likely have a greater bearing on what’s taught in schools than many realize. To get a flavor for the type of topics which have been on
READ MORENow that schools are out across the country, headlines abound regarding the seemingly inevitable summer learning loss, or “summer slide.” The National Summer Learning Association, which promotes summer programming, particularly for underprivileged youth, reports that teachers spend much time re-teaching content in the fall that kids supposedly learned the prior spring. Summer learning loss is
READ MOREThis year, I’m as happy as my children are to have passed the last day of school and welcomed summer. I’m not alone: Even though summer brings new challenges, like finding childcare and paying for camps and extracurricular activities, most parents I talk to are as relieved as I am to put the rigors of
READ MOREWelsh electrician Royson Leonard recently colorized images of World War II. The images are fascinating. What struck me most was Leonard’s wise observation that “Hate is an easy weed to grow and can go unnoticed until it’s too late and takes over. Be on guard as it can look like the best flower in the
READ MOREVia the Chronicle of Higher Education: “The Chronicle‘s executive-compensation package includes the latest data on more than 1,200 chief executives at more than 600 private colleges from 2008-14 and nearly 250 public universities and systems from 2010-16. Hover over bars to show total compensation as well as pay components including base, bonus and retirement. Click
READ MOREBecause American parents, teachers, and government leaders value education so highly, they have long impressed its importance upon the minds of their offspring. But the rise of various distractions in recent years – not the least of which is digital entertainment – have caused many to strive to make learning more interesting, active, and fun.
READ MOREYou are going to die. Your life is quickly passing away, and your death will be for eternity. And the moment of this death is unpredictable. It could come 50 years from now or 5 minutes from now. It’s this sobering fact that forms the starting point of one of the most famous proofs for
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