What comes to mind when you think of Rhetoric? Probably some politician spouting elegant language in a speech to get you to vote for him. Yet said politician may have, and often does, have ulterior motives. He may intend to help his constituents, but along the way, help himself and friends too. The image we conjure up in our minds of Rhetoric is often a bad one. We see how people can use words to manipulate, deceive, or rile up; so some make the assumption that, as a whole, the art of...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Riding on the coattails of last week’s Logic discussion, I find it important to discuss its place in modern education. One might think that, given the critical thinking phenomenon in contemporary schools, Logic would be an integral part of the language and arithmetic curriculum, considering the critical thinking it employs. Yet as we are all too aware, Logic and logical thinking have not been present in classrooms for decades. While the need for an extensive Logic course throughout middle and...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Readers, Thinking is a skill. A skill is something that is learned. Therefore, you must learn how to think. The simple syllogism, an art all too unfamiliar to the modern student. Even the average college graduate lacks some of the most simple logical skills that permeated the minds of medieval peasants. The second of the three trivial arts, Logic, is the art that teaches its users how to think; something that the citizens of Earth currently lack. While many treat Logic as an independent...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Readers, American schools have, for decades, pushed the needs of students and families to the back of the line in favour of federal funding and academic status as it relates to test scores. Since the adoption of Common Core standards and the implementation of standardized testing, there has been a sharp decline in student achievement. Public schools, to no fault of their own, prioritize state and federal programs to the chagrin of their teachers, who often postulate far better ways to...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Readers, What was once common practice in our schools has now become somewhat of a relic. The tradition that brought up our parents’ parents is long gone. The tradition that formed the great minds of the West, including the founders of this great nation and countless other intellectuals, is now often viewed as elitist or inappropriate for the collective good. Yet I, along with many others, would argue that in recent decades, the steep decline of academic success and overall reduction in...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Readers, The primary loyalty a school has should be to its families and the formation of young minds through the fostering of self-dependence, the upholding of moral codes, and the requirement of community service. Oftentimes, schools and school districts focus on academic and economic success, or even worse, the resolve to integrate and accept all walks of life, mainly at the expense of the former. In reality, a school must aim to foster moral and ethical growth in the minds, bodies,...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Readers, To appropriately educate and inform current, former, and future generations, we must ground ourselves in the intellect that formed Western civilization. By building a foundational base of knowledge and establishing itself as a cultural authority, the Western canon provides a framework through which students and citizens alike can engage with, question, and build upon. Before considering branching out to the far east of Asia or the tales of South America, students must be...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Readers, Without a common set of rules, discipline, rituals, and a sense of tradition, no corporation, church, government, or family can hope to succeed. It is these things exactly that help us thrive in an otherwise ever-changing world. Tradition is the foundation of human existence, the very base upon which our existence is built. Those before us knew that the exorbitant mixing of ideas and values could often lead to dissent within a group, and give rise to rejecting the best in order...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Readers, It is incredibly ironic how so many politicians, parents, and ostensibly concerned citizens comment on the seemingly ineffectual ways that schools and teachers pedagogically structure their classrooms and campuses, without having any understanding of how learning is accomplished. Pedagogy: the buzzword of all buzzwords in education. The how behind every teacher. What was once a very straightforward and clear expectation for teachers has now become a significant topic of debate...
6 months ago • 4 min read