Monthly Archives: December 2019

Why Teach Fiction?

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Poem: “But I am Growing Old and Indolent,” by Robinson Jeffers 

Statement of the Whole: 

It seems we live in a utilitarian or practical time when education wants to cut straight to the “facts.”  So why spend so much time in school learning about things that are just made up?  Jason and Steve defend the use of fiction in the classroom as one of the great moral tools in the cultivation of wisdom and virtue. 

Books: 

Anything by Wendell Berry 

Wallace Stegner: Angle of Repose 

The Education of Ebenezer Scrooge

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Reading: from A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens 

Statement of the Whole: 

From the transformation of the Grinch who stole Christmas, to the moral found at Charlie Brown’s Christmas Dinner, to the rescue of George Bailey by a timid angel, Christmas stories love to tell about changed hearts.  In this special Christmas episode of the podcast, Jason and Steve reflect on the education of Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dicken’s classic, A Christmas Carol.  May these thoughts bring your own heart closer to a truly merry Christmas.  God bless us; every one! 

Have You Met: David Kern?

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An interview on education podcasts. 

Poem: Blackberry-Picking, by Seamus Heaney 

Statement of the Whole: Steve invites a guest onto the podcast to talk about various podcasts on education.  David Kern oversees several podcasts for the Circe Institute and is an avid listener to others as well.  He and Steve discuss what is out there, what he is doing, and how podcasting is growing and changing.  And Jason was so proud of David for bringing a poem with him! 

Resources: 

Link to Circe Podcast Universe: Click here