1. Away with Memory, or: “That’s Why We Have Calculators and Google.” I didn’t memorize facts in school and I turned out okay. Trust me. I take the time necessary to whip out my smart phone and pull up the calculator app, or open the browser and navigate to Google, so...
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“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV). Growing up in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, I learned and loved the rhythm of the seasons. A new school year brought the smell of new leather shoes and book bag, the...
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“It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how,” quips the Cat in the Hat. He is referring to balancing a cup, plate, and teapot on top of his hat on a rainy day, but he speaks the truth, especially when it comes to art appreciation. Where...
Read the Full ArticleWhen we think about the world theologically, we are trying to understand the world as God sees it. We usually see the world through very finite lenses—our perspective does not extend beyond the end of our noses. Many people take what their immediate senses tell them, and use that...
Read the Full ArticleI love studying the ancients and comparing their world to ours. The Romans, specifically, were very similar to us. In Classical Conversations, we study with a classical, Christian method. Once in a while, I will google Classical Conversations reviews to see what people are saying about us. Some people...
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The meat of this essay will focus on simple pedagogical practices for young children, but first I must necessarily speak philosophically to the parents of these youngsters. In case it has been a while since you took your college philosophy class, and in case you have let such bits...
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Remember when your munchkins were young – when they were tiny, chubby, and cute? Remember all the priceless moments with your infant: cuddling, cooing, first steps, first words, first time accurately hitting the porcelain? These are the moments we treasure in our hearts. We remember these times with fondness...
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When I graduated from high school, the Foundations program was still in its infancy and my understanding of the classical model was similarly juvenile. The grammar stage of learning was for six- and seven-year-olds, I thought, not for a mature learner like me. Years later, my understanding of the...
Read the Full ArticleEvery year we celebrate the birth of our nation on the Fourth of July. The date of the document that secured our freedom, however, is of equal importance. September 17, 2012 marks the 225th anniversary of the Constitution. Our friends at The Heritage Foundation have launched a new website that...
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Remakes are wildly popular. This is true for the viewers, as well as the producers, of both books and movies. How many Batmans have there been? Spidermans? Even Homer’s Odyssey was remade as O Brother, Where Art Thou? Glenn Beck rewrote Thomas Paine’s classic, Common Sense, as a treatise of liberty for modern readers. To...
Read the Full ArticleSo, there I was, standing at the top of an 8% grade, about to go screaming down with all the protection between me and the scary pavement biking clothes can afford. Helmet and fingerless gloves on, check; odometer set to zero, check; final yes-I-want-to-do-this to my family, check. They...
Read the Full ArticleThanks to radio, television, the Internet, and ubiquitous mobile devices, Americans appear to be more connected, more informed, and more in touch with one another than ever before. I was reflecting on this while listening to terrible music on my way to work. The song had a familiar beat...
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