Book Thoughts — Education
This category is a latest-to-earliest collection of all blogs.
Book Thoughts — Politics
This category is a latest-to-earliest collection of all blogs on Politics.
Book Thoughts — Religion
This category is a latest-to-earliest collection of all blogs on Religion.
Cut the Crap
Education and political commentators use language that hypes their side of an argument more than it enlightens the public. This was the theme of my first Guest Commentary in the Asheville Citizen-Times (2002)
http://paws.wcu.edu/churley/actcolumns/amediaheat.htm
The crap we have to cut today is even thicker.
Bill Gates blogs
Bill Gates donates millions of dollars to the reform of public education. Philanthropists can define “educated” however they want. Gates defines it as having high test scores. How will that definition reform education?
For Teachers, By Teachers
Teachers can read, comment on, and share stories about when school situations were made better by any of the six virtues.
Manuscripts & Presentations
I submit manuscripts to journals with themes that relate to ideas in my book. Here I publish rejected and accepted manuscripts, related commentaries, and presentations.
Media Reviews
These blogs review the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly of what gets published and produced in the American discussion of public education. I pay special attention to how these works define what it means to be educated.
NurtureSchlock
This 3-part blog discusses NurtureShock; a popular book about the “new science of child rearing.” Read why philosophy offers child rearing guidance that is more useful than social science.
Presentations
When I present on the six virtues of the educated person I ask three questions: (1) “What if these are the six virtues of the educated person?” (2) “Why do Americans not know them?” (3) “What would happen if we adopted this definition of the educated person?”
Revering Democracy
Teachers, policymakers, researchers and even school “reformers” believe we must govern public education democratically. These blogs point out that democratic governance of schools is dysfunctional because it models our uneducated, instead of our educated human nature.
Series on Beliefs
Beliefs drive thought and action. Where do they come from? Why are they important? How do we assess them? change them?
Six Virtues Revisited
As I continue to think about how to use the six virtue definition of the educated person to make situations better, I revise the original scheme to make it more useful.
Teacher Reads
Many teachers are weary of being regarded as less than dedicated educators. The six virtue philosophy speaks to many of them. They can read blogs in this category and be reminded of why they became teachers.
The Emperor’s New Clothes
I have been influenced by my mother, who was fond of pointing out that physicians, and other so-called experts, were just guessing about how to solve problems. Yes, Mom — when they believe they are wearing the finest, their nakedness reveals more than one stark reality. Enjoy.
University Students’ K-12 Experiences
This four-part blog shares the final exam responses of college students who were in high school just a few years ago. These aspiring teachers discuss the art and science of teaching, what their schools were like, and their experiences with tests and three curricula.
Usefulness of the 6-Virtue Definition
One of the great ironies of American public education is the belief that educational research findings are useful. The irony is that they are not, but a deep, meaningful philosophy of education is. These blogs give examples of both ideas.
