Brian Phillips

The Thinking Man sculpture at Musée Rodin in Paris (Photo credit: Wikipedia) With the first days of school upon me, time for reflection and productive thought becomes scarce. I must rise earlier, stay up later, and carefully plan for such times. I dare say, the majority of teachers experience the same occurrence – with the […]

“Ethos is the in articulate expression of what the community values. It includes the quality of relationships within the school, the traditions, the professional comportment, the approach to classroom management, the out-of-class decorum, the aesthetic personality of the school reflected in the student and faculty dress codes, the visual and auditory imagery, and the physical

Part 1 The solid darkness of the spires stood in subtle contrast against the moon light. Our hearts lifted slightly at the knowledge of the place, so, wearily we put forth what energy we could to reach the gates. We escaped the Plague, but no one left the gruesome scene unscathed; nearly half our city

Wicked men are unkind to the thoughtful. Even the shortest historical survey reveals great hatred and violence aimed at the virtuous, at those who call upon men to examine their way. Jesus was “taken, and by wicked hands…crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23), a sentence encouraged by the Pharisees, the experts in the Law, ones we

“Having now had an opportunity to study schools as a headmaster as well as a teacher, I would argue that the teacher, not the curriculum, needs to be the focus of reform. The greatest value of the curriculum proposed in this book, I now believe, is that it sustains and nurtures teachers as practitioners of

The “must read” list, like the making of books, never ends. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius hardly stands as a newcomer to that list, yet its place has been lifted by the recent translation from Scot and David Hicks. Accessible, accurate, and consistent with the sense of Marcus, The Emperor’s Handbook provides inspiration and endless

Oppressive heat comes standard with a North Carolina August. Hoping to avoid the soon-to-be ninety-plus temperatures, I got up early, strapped my road bike onto the carrier, and set out. Off to complete one last trial run for an upcoming charity race, more than twenty-one miles awaited me – 3.1 running, 16.2 on bike, and

“Classical education is an agrarian form of education. Modern education is industrial. The human body is made of the dirt of the ground; we can’t know ourselves apart from the garden. It’s simpler, more local, more focused on the rhythms and harmonies of nature and the soul. Someday, perhaps, we’ll be able to see it

Malnourished Souls “Money isn’t everything” seems to be a truth we feel compelled to confess without really believing. In our cultural context, money is the dominant indicator of “success.” By this definition, the same teachers who are counted upon to prepare young people for success are utter failures themselves. Such an irony is lost on

I lay on my back, starring at the sky with my feet above me on the hill. My bike flew overhead – that much I knew – but where it landed was a mystery. The ditch crept up on me, as tends to happen on unfamiliar roads, while I was trying my best to keep

“Where my moon?” he asks, one hand raised slightly, palm up. His other hand grips a freeze pop wrapped in a paper towel that serves no purpose for a two-year-old boy. The syrup soaks his hands and face. “Keep looking, Ian. Did you check higher up?” So far, his eyes have scanned only as high

Every teacher that has twelfth grade students understands “senioritis” and its symptoms – lack of focus, daydreaming, poor attitudes, slackening work ethic. Of course, such symptoms could be said to describe all high school students at one time or another. True enough, but seniors tend to have them in heavier doses. Growing restless, occupied with