by Oliver DeMille “Oh, no, you’re one of THOSE!” the man groaned. “One of what?” I asked. “One of those people who thinks classics are important in modern education,” he said. “I deal with people like you all the time. It’s really frustrating.” The man, [...]
By Oliver DeMille Our generation doesn’t read enough history. We especially don’t read enough biographies of great people. As Allan Bloom taught in The Closing of the American Mind, we have forgotten that the purpose of education is wisdom, and the purpose of life is [...]
By Oliver DeMille Some lessons are more difficult than others. Any parent or teacher can attest to this reality. Math is a little harder to learn than reading for some kids (and vice versa for others) and music and art are often easier to start [...]
By Oliver DeMille This is going to be short, because despite what many experts say the problem with modern education isn’t deep or complex. The problem is that we’ve forgotten why we educate. When the American founders adopted a system of education for all [...]
By Oliver DeMille “Do you love your country?” my daughter Meri asked enthusiastically. “I’ve been reading Anne of Green Gables and I love my country as much as she did!” Nearly everyone says “yes” when asked this question, but let’s look a little deeper. Do [...]
By Oliver DeMille I recently read a fantastic quote that made me think of your home. And mine. And everyone else’s who is raising great children and youth. It reminded me that today’s young people are an amazing generation, and I’m convinced that God has [...]
By Oliver DeMille Summer is the hottest season of the year. This may seem obvious, but sometimes the most obvious things go ignored. Where we live, we’ve been experiencing record-breaking high temperatures. The lawns and the swamp coolers in our region have been struggling [...]
By Oliver DeMille America is losing its leadership edge because innovation is under fire—from the classroom to the way Washington regulates business. If we aren’t the world’s leading innovators, we won’t long be its most powerful nation. Many leaders know this. No less than [...]
By Oliver DeMille Another parent asked me for recommended readings in psychology this week. This happens a lot. A student, usually one in scholar phase, is interested in studying psychology, and the parent wants to help but hopes for a good psychology text that won’t [...]
By Oliver DeMille During the last decade a number of books on education have promoted the need to put freedom back into our schools. I have long called this the Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) approach to learning, and I have enjoyed the many books and [...]
