Character / Civic Education

Discerning Truths

01/2021

I, like many others, wrestle with what to believe from news outlets, the corporate elite, and politicians. Of course, I first turn to research, but this isn’t always conclusive. Here are three of my firm guiding principles when two parties claim the other is lying. Read More...

What Principles do You Live By?

03/2020

John Lord, a historian of the late 19th century, in his chapter on the Greek war for independence says, "Men are nothing; principles [of life] are everything." In context, Lord was speaking of war, but I see a challenge to think of this statement in light of the Corona virus (CV19). Read More...

Good and Angry

02/2016

I go through life analyzing situations to understand the good and the bad of things. With the bad, my first (and often my driving response) is anger… Is this good? Last night I reflected on the actions of an unjust principal… Read More...

What Does One Say About "Charter Greed"?

06/2015

Education bloggers spend a lot of their time pointing out the failures and tearing down the Charter School movement. Apparently, they don't find it difficult to find condemning data. Today, Ravitch culled comments from Sharon Higgins that seems to show profligate greed among some Charter School corporate leaders. I won't defend these cases, but neither do I believe they are strong incentives for the government to run all our schools. If anything, these comments point to the deeper moral issues of schooling. Read More...

Education Models and the Public Good

06/2015

Dr. Diane Ravitch wrote today that people already have "school choice" because they can go to any school they want to if they pay for it. I agree (to some degree!). She goes on to argue that public money should be reserved for the "public schools" because they support the public good. Here is where I differ… Read More...

Solutions for Baltimore's Rioting Students?

05/2015

Apparently there was a firestorm when Jeanne Allen, the senior fellow and president emeritus of the Center For Education Reform, tweeted, "Baltimore riots and community dysfunction remind us that we must fix school and make #edreform a reality 4 all. #Charterschools save cities." She was quick overwhelmed with responses - most from angry traditional public school teachers. Here are a couple of responses I posted to an article about the turmoil…
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Tolerance and Religious Schooling

02/2015

ISIS presents one of the worst examples of tolerance. What does this say about its god? Read More...

Owning Unity

02/2015

Ownership implies the right to control something. Can unity be owned? Read More...

Prison Dilemma and Education

01/2015

The US imprisons a greater percentage of its population than any other country. Prison reform is discussed in today's news, but it is a frequent topic at other times. Why is it that we blame police and court injustice rather than our nations education system?
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Freedom and Disagrement in the Church

01/2015

What is the role of "Spiritual Authority" in the Church and how do we teach our children to respond to it? Read More...

Morality's Dual Connections

12/2014

Morality is closely linked with religious perspectives. So how should a “secular government” relate to morality when it is meant to be separate from religious perspectives? Read More...

God and Guns

01/2013

God is for gun control that begins in the individual! He wants to change hearts and minds so that people would not even enjoy games associated with murder. Read More...

Accountability and Authority

07/2012

Just as a poor history teacher can make a child hate history, Christian school personnel can harden the hearts of their students to God. Christian school authority carries with it many responsibilities beyond the subject matter. We can learn from the responsibilities of parenting.

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Discernment: A Rare Commodity

03/2012

As churches and individual citizens, we often choose our own leaders. But why do we so often choose poor leaders? I propose that we too easily look at false “images” of spirituality and leadership that not only poorly assess leaders, but undermine our own view of the gifts God has given us.

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Poverty and Religion

11/2011

What does the “Occupy Wallstreet” movement have in common with anti-poverty movements around the world? They both tend to blame much that is intrinsic to Western culture for their woes. Though the economic and cultural model of the West only poorly reflects the goodness, wisdom, and compassion of God, it is a start in the right direction and not to be rejected.

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Is Your School Part of the Body?

10/2011

Independence and lightly given judgement are symptomatic of an unhealthy body. Christian schools, as part of the Body of Christ, must demonstrate love and concern for other Christian schools.

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Character Mediates Liberty

10/2011

We all want liberty... as long as society seems to be under control. When crime and corruption abound, we cry for government to exercise more power. You see, personal liberty and governmental control are the two sides of a balance scale...

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