The best description I have read of the thinking behind our public education system is Les déshérités (The Disinherited) by Francois-Xavier Bellamy, published in France in 2014. Bellamy traces the root of modern educational thinking to the philosophies of René Descartes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. René Descartes (1596-1650) believed that all knowledge could be attained by … Continue reading How did our education system get where it is today?
Learning
What happens in the brain when we read?
If we are a fluent reader we have a massive number of words stored in the occipital lobe of the left brain, which takes just 1/6 of a second to recognize each word and we read smoothly and effortlessly. But that only happens if we have learned to read by recognizing the sound made by … Continue reading What happens in the brain when we read?
Matthew Effects in Learning
“For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” (Matthew 25:29). In 1986, Keith Stanovich published a study entitled Matthew Effects in Reading: Some Consequences of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Literacy. The “Matthew Effects” … Continue reading Matthew Effects in Learning
Celebrities should not be our role models
Celebrity-worship and hero-worship should not be confused. Yet, we confuse them every day, and by doing so we come dangerously close to depriving ourselves of all role models. -Daniel J. Boorstin
Illiteracy in Elementary and Secondary Schools
[The decline in the public education system did not begin yesterday. These paragraphs are excerpted from a book published more than 60 years ago. The difference today is that most people accept this as normal – they don’t remember a time when things were different. First posted seven years ago.] Is it possible that this timidity, this … Continue reading Illiteracy in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Writing as a slave of Jesus Christ
When the apostle Paul wanted to write to Christians at Rome, he could have introduced himself by listing his credentials and experience, then said: “You see how important a man I am and I have something important to say. So listen up!” But that’s not what he said; he introduced himself as a slave, putting … Continue reading Writing as a slave of Jesus Christ
The abolition of sin in children’s literature
Nowadays the lead character in a highly acclaimed book for children is apt to be a lesbian who is a practicing Wiccan. Parents have been banished from children’s books for many years, but are making a comeback in situations where a child has two mothers or two fathers. But any mention of God, Christianity or … Continue reading The abolition of sin in children’s literature
The dinosaur question
In 1991 an archaeological research team discovered dinosaur bones in the Frenchman River Valley of south-western Saskatchewan. Over 20 years of painstaking work by hand uncovered the almost complete fossilized skeleton of a T. Rex and then removed it from the rock in which it was embedded. Named Scotty, the massive reconstructed skeleton is now … Continue reading The dinosaur question
If you want to be a writer, you first need to be a reader
The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading. In order to write a man will turn over half a library to make one book. -Samuel Johnson, 1705-1784. Johnson was a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, biographer, editor and the sole author of A Dictionary of the English Language, first published in 1755 and … Continue reading If you want to be a writer, you first need to be a reader
Hard work is not a Christian virtue
The robots are coming. Technology could eliminate half of all jobs over the next ten years. Working harder isn’t going to save your job. Working smarter won’t to do it either. The economy is changing and the way to ride the wave of change is to change our attitude about work. Several years ago a … Continue reading Hard work is not a Christian virtue
Flatlander Faith 