Mythology and philosophy were the two pillars that established early society. Without them, the world would have remained an infinite wilderness of cracks and crags with darkness all around; mythology and philosophy brought light to an otherwise abysmal landscape, and it was good. Early humanity gathered round the fire to dispense their didactic tales about […]
Missing the Mark: Representation in Storytelling Read More »
Stories are the most powerful tool for communicating truth. Truth is a logos and idea that must be incarnated for the mind to apprehend it, to contemplate it, and then to incarnate it itself. The classical educator, the parent, the teacher, the mentor, each leads another in the hope that the student, child, or apprentice
The Power of Story: Perfect for Children, Dangerous for Adults Read More »
A while back, in my rhetoric class, my students and I finished studying a number of short stories to look at persuasion’s role in fiction. Among the stories, “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne evoked the most rewarding discussion (maybe the year’s best). At first it didn’t look like this would be the case. A number
I have been told that fear of math is irrational. Perhaps this is so, but it seems very rational to acknowledge one’s algebraic limitations or to express a tested dislike of geometry. I have also been told that math is good for me. To this I reply that Brussels Sprouts are good for me as
How the Nature of Story Taught Me To Love Math (with a Little Help from Euclid) Read More »
This post is presented in partnership with our friends at Story Warren. Babe is a children’s novel about a pig who becomes a sheep dog. Pig. Sheep-pig! Despite this deeply philosophical foundation, it’s a funny, enjoyable tale. In the last third of the book, there is a scene where wild dogs break in and worry
Yesterday we posted an article by one Mr. Andrew Kern in which the author attacks progressive education for the way it teaches children to read. He claims that “…when we teach reading, we treat the child like she is a mechanism learning a process. We do not teach it like she is a person interacting
