I’m trying to saturate my mind with the meaning, structure, and embodiment of a liberal arts, or classical, education. So I’ve been tearing through some related books lately and will post some short reviews both for your interest and to help me think about what I’m reading. The author’s first name irritates me immensely. It’s pronounced “lee,” and I always… Read more →
A lot of the time when thinking about education policy, I don’t like the positions of either side on an issue. That’s how I feel about testing and anti-testers: Despite all the people with great credentials who will tell you otherwise, standardized tests are accurate, cheap, and valid measurements. But that doesn’t mean I think states and governments should impose… Read more →
In Part 1 I talked about basic things you can do to help your child gain verbal ability, the biggest predictor of later intelligence (and, therefore, job prospects and likely increased happiness): Start early, talk to him a lot, get some books, read to your kids, and avoid screens. This time, I’m going to talk about what to do while… Read more →
Verbal ability is one of the best, if not the best, predictors of a child’s future academic and life success. What does that mean? If a child hears lots of words early and often, he will be much more likely to think clearly and creatively, do well in school, hold down a job, get better jobs, and enjoy the world… Read more →
My almost-two-year-old can already name several colors, count to three, and draw lines and circles, all with no obsessive Tiger Mothering. I take a rather dim view of preschool for most children because I’ve read so many studies that indicate it’s not programs but rich exposure to language that “prepares a child for school” (I have critiques of that phrase,… Read more →
Last week, my mom was in town, graciously helping me handle the kids through several traveling engagements. One night, like grandmas do, she took me and the babies out for ice cream. There’s a little, extremely popular local stand about a mile from our house. So I got there and strategized how I would get Ransom, the almost 2-year-old, as… Read more →
Teacher in America, Jacques Barzun (1946). This summer (and probably beyond), I am sashaying into Hillsdale College’s recommended reading list for those studying education. I thought it would be helpful both for my memory and a benefit to some others to take notes as I read. I’m not going to publish them in note form, but in short essay form,… Read more →
As we have just moved house in the past few weeks, we have been cleaning, organizing, and tossing things out. I like to use Freecycle to hand off perfectly usable stuff without sending it to the trash. We’ve also posted things on Craigslist, like one of our two microwaves and our old lawn mower, which is basically usable only for… Read more →
There’s a dichotomy between the public policy I’m likely to advocate and what I know to be a real education: Generally, I think it a good idea for schools to begin incorporating online instruction, particularly for classes they can’t offer like AP courses or Ancient Greek, and even support full-time virtual schooling for those students that may do better with… Read more →
We three galloped up to Nowhere, Michigan, last weekend, to attend a seminar in Russell Kirk’s library on the Catholicity of Hamlet. I read and write buckets all day, but 99 percent of it nonfiction, policy, and task-oriented (as in, email). So it was a great joy and relief to spend whatever time Ransom would allow in thought about complex… Read more →
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