Every modern American should understand the Stargazer analogy from Plato’s Republic because it shows that things that may look useless and like a waste of time can be important.
Tag Archives: history
By the Students: What Everyone Should Know about Ancient Greece
The students’ list of key principles gleaned from their study of Homer, Herodotus, and Thucydides shows most clearly that, although we enjoy advantages the Greeks never imagined, we still have much in common with the ancient Greeks, and there is much we can learn from them.
Leonidas, Lenin, and Larry walk into a pub…
I am a Spartan. I am a free man. The Persians wanted to destroy Sparta and to take away freedom from all of the Greeks. They wanted to destroy what we are. They wanted to take away a large part of our very existence. To take Sparta from Leonidas and to take freedom from Leonidas leaves you with someone who is not fully Leonidas. To be fully myself, I must be a Spartan and a free man—not a Persian slave.
Lessons from the Dancing Horses
The Spanish Riding School exists because, for thousands of years, people have recognized the exquisite beauty of horse and rider in motion. The tradition continues because those who practice it love it, and their love leads them to train the next generation.
75th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion – Resources
Resources that demonstrate the significance of that day:
Classical Education and Christian Worldview
Both classical education and a Christian worldview are based on the search for truth.
“This Story Shall the Good Man Teach His Son”: How Most Modern Education Fails Students and How I Respond
Limiting students’ encounter with World War I, or with any instance of suffering, to Owen’s poem and its philosophy that our view of suffering should be determined by its visible effects, gives students a false and soul-embittering view of human life.
Missing in Action: Why Classical Educators Must Teach Military History
We as classical educators must teach military history to see in sharper relief the causes for which we should act and the causes for which we should be prepared to die.
Executing Tradition: Cultural Death and the Manipulation of the Young
Increasingly, there are calls for educators to reject “adultism” in teaching their students. “Adultism” is essentially the idea that adults (parents, teachers, law enforcement officials, pastors, government leaders, etc.) have too much authority over children and young people. This must be done, anti-adultists (who are all adults themselves) say, because children lose self-esteem when theyContinue reading “Executing Tradition: Cultural Death and the Manipulation of the Young”
The President’s Speech: Reagan on History Education
Today is the 28th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s farewell address, January 11, 1989. His comments on history education are spot on, and worth quoting at length. Read the rest here. Finally, there is a great tradition of warnings in Presidential farewells, and I’ve got one that’s been on my mind for some time. ButContinue reading “The President’s Speech: Reagan on History Education”
Greatness, Not Perfection: Food for Thought on the Study of History
As I was listening to the radio the other day, one commentator noted that few people bother to make the distinction between “greatness” and “perfection.” Greatness is moral excellence; perfection is moral perfection. We should want to be great, and we know that some individuals are great; we should also hope for perfection, although weContinue reading “Greatness, Not Perfection: Food for Thought on the Study of History”
ACTA: American Students Don’t Know American History or Government
In a study released this month, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni reveals that college graduates have low levels of knowledge about American history and government. For example, roughly 50% of college graduates could not explain the term lengths of Congressmen, roughly 70% could not “identify James Madison as the Father of the Constitution,”Continue reading “ACTA: American Students Don’t Know American History or Government”
SCRIPTORIUM HALL 