Tag Archives: education

Is School a Prison?

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Poem: “We Real Cool,” by Gwendolyn Brooks 

Statement of the Whole:  Comparison is a valuable and powerful form of education.  In this episode Jason and Steve take on a common student comparison: school is too much like a prison.  Is this true?  To what extent?  Should we do anything to change the comparison?  Why are questions a bad thing to ask in prison?  Join them in the exercise yard to a lap or two around this topic. 

Resources:  We could not help noticing that this topic is being considered by others in various places.  The following might further your thinking on this topic. 

Foundation for Economic Education article 

New York School Talk post 

Business Insider article 

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! 

Should Homeschooling Teachers Give Grades?

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Poem: “There was a little girl” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

Statement of the Whole: 

There can be no doubt that modern education deals in the currency of grades.  But how far down that road does the homeschool teacher need to go?  Steve and Jason have some fun discussing this issue, suggesting that while the homeschool affords you a great deal of freedom from such things, you need to keep the big picture in view and “play the game.” 

Is Education a Game Show?

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Poem:  Game Show Host, by Mark Evan Johnston (First Stanza) 

Statement of the Whole: Metaphor can help understanding.  In this episode, Jason and Steve extend out the metaphor of a game show as it applies to the classroom and learning.  In particular, they take on the currency of grades and the prize behind the curtain, a sure fire big paycheck through a college degree.  Surprises with every spin of the game wheel, to be sure.

Can You Compel a Student to Learn?

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The compulsory schooling issue 

Poem: Something For Hope, by Robert Frost 

Statement of the Whole:   

The common notion is that a democracy demands a well educated populace, thus all American kids must go to school.  Given that they won’t show up on their own, we have made it compulsory so as to ensure a good voting citizenry.  Has that logic held?  Is compulsory education even possible?  Jason and Steve run down the many issues of this challenging question of compulsion in education.  

Resources: 

Macdonald, Kerry. “Compulsory Schooling Laws: What If We Didn’t Have Them?” Intellectual Takeout, 8 Oct. 2018, www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/compulsory-schooling-laws-what-if-we-didnt-have-them. Accessed 8 Sept. 2019. 

‌Ravitch, Diane. Left Back: a Century of Battles over School Reform. Simon & Schuster, 2001. 

Have You Read…Pieper’s Leisure the Basis of Culture?

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Poem: None!  Can you believe it?  Jason skipped the poem, this discuss was so exciting. 

Statement of the Whole:  In a world swimming with books and information, Jason and Steve take an episode from time to time to highlight a great reading on education.  Join them in a discussion of Josef Pieper’s classic, Leisure: the Basis of Culture, and how cultivating a classroom of leisure and contemplation is the best way to ensure students receive a human education. 

Link to the book on Amazon:  here 

Brief Overview of the work and life of Josef Pieper: here

Have You Seen? “Finding Forrester”

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Poem: How Wonderful by Irving Feldman 

Statement of the Whole: In this episode we look at a film that reflects on teaching.  Is there redemptive value in the teacher/student relationship?  Can education bring together people who have almost nothing in common?  What is the role of cross generational relationships in education?  Steve and Jason talk about a film that takes on these questions and a whole lot more. 

Finding the Movie: 

Amazon Prime video carries it 

Themes to explore: 

Friendship, Coaching, Mentoring, Writing, the tension between Academics and Athletics, Courage