The Value of Failure

Some research has revealed that man’s two greatest fears are public speaking and death, in that order.  This means, of course, that most people at a funeral would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy. 
Man does his best to overcome these fears.  Schools have rhetoric and public speaking courses and teachers require [...]

Selecting Books

As many of you know, the annual CiRCE conference was last week and was quite a success.  All in attendance enjoyed informative and challenging speakers, delicious food, and gracious hosting by all of the sponsors.  All in attendance also experienced a taste of what I would call “book glut.”
You know exactly what I mean.  At [...]

How to prepare for a conference

The annual CiRCE Conference is coming up in just a couple of weeks (July 24-26) and every year many teachers, administrators, and homeschooling parents go to conferences, not just ours, in hopes of becoming better - better teachers, better mentors, better parents, better people.  But those kinds of lofty goals are not accomplished by attending [...]

Link of interest for educators and parents

http://1smartmama.blogspot.com/

Why History Class Must Die!

Currently, the Peanuts comic strip by the late Charles Shulz stands out as a source of great wisdom and insight in our culture. I say this with partial sarcasm, only partial.
One particular strip showed Sally in Sunday School class, her teacher before her. He began, “Today we are going to discuss Church history. What do you [...]

Life Lessons from a One-year-old

A little over one year ago, I became blessed and immersed into fatherhood.  From what I have been told, it is always this way – overwhelmed by joy and terror, hope and responsibility.  The thought of all I must teach and instill in my daughter regularly traipses across my mind.  Yet, in the midst of [...]

A Call for Learning Teachers

 
In the world of higher academia, the old adage “publish or perish” is a guiding principle (even if somewhat stereotypical and exaggerated).  Why the emphasis on publishing? 
One could argue, quite easily, that it is the inevitable result of a pragmatic view of education – if the faculty of the university is not “producing,” then [...]

The Importance of Stories

Brightest Heaven of Invention, a book by Dr. Peter Leithart, was composed as a guide through some of Shakespeare’s greatest writings.  The book was quite insightful in its treatment of Shakespeare, but I found Leithart’s preliminary comments about the importance of literature even more helpful. 
Why is it important to read literature?  Why do stories [...]

A Strange May Fever

Things are different now.  You are stricken with a strange fever and so are your students.  Oddly, the news fills you all with both dread and exhilaration.  Dread, because there is so much to be done before the end comes.  Exhilaration because of what awaits you on the other side. 
The temptation is to think [...]

My friend Marshall

A Protestant guy, a Catholic guy, and an Orthodox guy all sit down to dinner.  No, it’s not the beginning of a religious joke, it actually happened to me on Sunday.  My wife and I have some wonderful friends who are Orthodox Christians and we were invited over by this gracious family to celebrate Pascha [...]