A History of the Essay

The word has changed over time. Here’s an article that sweeps the centuries for ideas about essay writing that will provoke responses in teachers of writing. A good read, and one worth discussing.

Prince Caspian is coming!

There’s even a poster to prove it!  Unfortunately, they might not be able to watch it in our prisons because CS Lewis is among the banned authors listed by the federal Bureau of Prisons. I can’t help but wonder if the Enlightenment isn’t hitting its two limits: one, the realization that it’s foundations never existed, [...]

Grammar Ain’t Easy

No matter how many programs come out that describe fun ways to teach grammar and tell kids and parents how easy it is, the fact is, grammar ain’t easy. You can’t make it easy. Grammar is analytical and it is abstract. That makes it hard. It also makes it a subject (really an “art” or [...]

A good solution

A while ago I posted on an article from Wendell Berry in which he presented a model of thinking that seems to me to be essential to understanding and living with reality. It’s an ancient way of thinking, rooted in accepting our limits and loving wisdom; and it’s a way of thinking that seems to have [...]

Records or wins

Brett Favre tied the all time record for career touchdown passes yesterday and said he didn’t care. He wanted to win.  He must have been a terrible student in school, where all anybody cares about is records. More importantly, he demonstrates one of life’s great principles: Care about what matters most and things that matter [...]

what about the witchcraft in Harry Potter

This is the basic dilemma Christians have with the series. Both classical mythology and the Bible provide plenty of reasons to be concerned. The great witch of classical mythology is Medea, and it would be hard to find a less desirable character in life or myth. She devotes her life to avenging herself on Jason [...]

Hirsch and Gardner: Leading American Ed Leaders

Perhaps the two leading debaters in the education world these days are ED Hirsch of Cultural Literacy fame and Howard Gardner, best known for his theory of multiple intelligences. I have been turning back to one book by each of them lately (The Disciplined Mind, by Howard Gardner and The Schools We Need and Why [...]

The Power of Harry Potter and the Necessity for Romance

I just finished The Deathly Hallows again, this time taking the time to read more closely than during my first rush through it. Some initial reflections: Harry Potter continues a tradition that goes back to ancient mythology through medieval legends and early modern fairy tales and 20th century fantasy that will last as long as [...]

Opportunities over the next week

I’ve got a couple events coming up that I hope you can attend. This weekend I’ll be presenting a Lost Tools of Writing Workshop at a Christian Writers’ Conference here in Charlotte, at Southern Evangelical Seminary. Other presenters include Marvin Olaskey, Don Brown, Brian Godowa, and Catherine Claire. Click here for information. On Tuesday, I’ll be interviewed by Maurice Velazquez [...]

Smiling before Christmas?! Are you kidding me?

“In our other classes we get in trouble when we want to talk about what we’re learning.” That from an article in Teacher Magazine about how to maintain classroom discipline and still smile. Short but insightful. Click here to read it (you might need to log in but it’s free).