I couldn’t bring myself to post this yesterday. Here’s Jay Leno asking the man-woman-child-and-college-professor on the street exactly what it is that we celebrate on the 4th of July. It’s pretty depressing stuff. And where does that college professor teach? A few observations: The narrowing of the curriculum under No Child Left Behind (an unintended [...]
Adam Brodsky at the New York Post reminds us why we celebrate the Boy Scouts. It’s an organization that teaches boys qualities that are not only valuable in themselves but are essential for American citizens: …self-reliance, leadership, a sense of duty toward others — that is, a personal obligation to act with integrity and treat [...]
A second-grader in Providence, RI was told by his teacher that the hat he would not be allowed to wear the hat he made for hat day. According to the AP: Christan Morales said her son just wanted to honor American troops when he wore a hat to school decorated with an American flag and [...]
A couple of days ago, David Brooks made the argument for studying the humanities even in this economic climate, when having a practical skill—Brooks offers accounting as an example– seems most likely to get you a job. Studying the humanities improves your ability to read and write. No matter what you do in life, you [...]
From the AP via the NYT: Seven seniors at a Southern California high school were facing disciplinary action for participating in a game called “Beat the Jew” in which losers were subjected to “incineration” or “enslavement,” a school administrator said Friday. The game involved some students playing Nazis, who blindfolded and dropped off other students [...]
Updated 11:00 PM: La Quinta High School is a “California Distinguished School.” That means it’s been recognized for its “exemplary and quality educational programs.” Recently, though, La Quinta has earned recognition of another kind. About 40 students from the school have been playing a game called “Beat the Jew.” According to Michelle Mitchell in the [...]
In the disheartening-at-best-tragic-at-worse department, most American students don’t know anything about the fundamental ideas America is based on. (Though they most likely know about the instances when America failed to live up to her own high standards — but that’s a post for another day.) As former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor– who’s out [...]
A judge in Idaho recently ruled that a charter school could not use the Bible in class. But the case is about much more than that. As the recent controversy over the work of the social studies textbook selection committee in Texas makes plain, the issue isn’t just textbooks—as my own students point out, they [...]
You might not think this would be controversial, but apparently some people are stirred up. Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer, signed a bill that would prohibit the teaching of classes that call for “the overthrow of the US Government.” H/T Gateway Pundit Update: Joanne Jacobs takes a look at the actual text of the bill.