(Reading, Writing, and Rich-matic) by Oliver DeMille “When am I ever going to use this math in real life?” the student asks. The teacher hems and haws, and when the bell rings the whole class leaves with a sense of frustration about math. We’ve all [...]
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, [...]
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins by Oliver DeMille “Somehow it all comes back to coal in school. Besides basic reading and math, most of our instruction is coal-related. Except for the weekly lecture on the history of Panem. It’s mostly a lot of blather [...]
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 Today I read a sentence that really impacted me. It made me pause and really consider. I mean, I’ve read a lot of books about the American founding fathers and mothers, but I’ve never read this before. It’s incredibly deep and important. [...]
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 [...]
