Why So Few Good Books?

“The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people who can write know anything.” –Walter Bagehot

HT: George Grant

 

Bureaucracy

“Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.” –Laurence J. Peter

HT: George Grant

 

What Breaking the Sound Barrier Looks Like

An F-22 Raptor breaks the sound barrier and this picture shows that breaking the sound barrier not only can be heard but can also sometimes be seen. See the article here.

 

Reactions to the Death of Michael Jackson

Justin Taylor posted this following the death of Michael Jackson. Be sure and read what Andrew Sullivan had to say about it in the link provided.

Justin also gave a summation of what others have said here.

Denny Burk posted about Jackson’s longing for a “Dad.”

All of this is very sad.

 

I’m Just Weird

A recent conversation with my son following the death of Michael Jackson:

Spencer: There are a lot of people on the internet talking about Michael Jackson.

Me: Well, there are a lot of people who liked Michael Jackson.

Spencer: Why?!

Me: Well, I’m not really sure why. I don’t understand it. I never have understood it. But I guess I’m just weird.

 

Why A Government-Run Health Insurance Plan Should Be Oppossed

George Will gives us the reason why: it will drive other insurance companies out of business and will become the sole provider. See his article here.

HT: Gene Veith

 

Examining Education, Part Seven

Previous posts on this issue can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here. In this post we will begin to look at the philosophy of education.

There are two basic ideas set forth in philosophy which can help determine one’s philosophy of education. The first one is ontology. For our purposes, ontology would attempt to answer such questions as, what is reality? Is there an objective standard which must be adhered to in order for true education to take place?

In general, the modern public education system leaves out an objective theory of reality and if education leaves out an objective theory of reality we are only left with each person’s idea of reality. Everything becomes subjective and individualistic. How a person views reality is extremely important and will have a tremendous impact on their view of life.

What about reality itself? I would argue that the “real” world is only understood correctly where God is present and loved. Where He is ignored is a shadowy world of disbelief. Adam and Eve fell from the normal. Because of this view of reality, any education which does not have this foundation, presents a warped view of reality. Reality is understood only in relation to Christ and to God’s Word. God’s Word is the objective standard which must be adhered to in order for true education to take place.

This approach to ontology argues against sending children of Christians to government-run schools. To send your child into the “real” world of public education is to send your child to become victims in the war against Christianity. They are not equipped for such a battle. The public school system may be a great mission field for teachers and administrators, but not for children. Children are the most unqualified of all missionaries and the public school system is not the place for such unqualified missionaries. Why? It is analogous to sending a raw recruit into battle before he has had any training. It would be analogous to sending our children to the front-line of an actual battle to be shot and bombed. But it is even more like sending a raw recruit into the enemy’s training camp where he is being equipped to fight against the beliefs of his parents instead of being equipped to defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints. It is also interesting to note that the Bible gives no example of children being used as missionaries. Adults are always the missionaries.

Guy Doud (1986 National Teacher of the Year and pastor of Christ Community Church in Baxter, Minn.) argues that “the greater good can be served when Christian parents keep their children in the local school and work to make those schools even better.” He quotes Matthew 25:40 as a supporting text and then asks these questions: “What about the ‘least of these’ who will never have any alternative other than to attend public schools? Don’t we need to make public schools the best we can for them? If we love Jesus, we must look beyond our own children to those who have no one to care for them…the countless thousands of Christians who teach in the public schools are powerful witnesses for Jesus Christ. They realize that the best way to brighten the darkness is not to condemn it, but to shine a light in it.”

There are a number of responses which can be made to Mr. Doud’s comments. First, how is the “greater good” served by sending our kids into an environment which is devoid of Jesus Christ? If we “love Jesus”, should we not first and foremost see that our children are in an environment conducive for them to learn to love Jesus? I would argue that the “greater good” is not arrived at by sending your kids to public school. Second, instead of throwing our hands up in despair and saying that some of the “least of these” (which in context Matthew 25:40 is referring to believers) will have no alternative than to attend public schools, perhaps we should work toward providing alternatives. Third, there seems to be a misconstrued idea in Doud’s argument that because people do not send their children to public schools they have no influence in the public school arena. That is simply not the case. It may diminish some influence but it does not destroy it. The question becomes, is the trade-off for influencing the public school system worth putting your children in the public school system? Certainly, we would all agree with Doud that if the public school system is going to be in existence we want it to be the best it can be. Fourth, we certainly want to affirm all Christians who are working in the public school system and who do their best to live as Christ and witness of Him. We do want to shine the gospel light in the darkness of sin but that does not mean that condemnation of sin and darkness is excluded. In fact, condemnation of sin must be included if the light of the gospel is to shine in the darkness of sin.

There are numerous other categories of discussions which are connected with ontology. For instance, cosmology (the view of the world). The issue of creation vs. evolution would be discussed here. Theology is another important category. Theology is the study of God. How is God presented and studied in the particular environment of education which you have chosen for your child? Another category is what is typically called psychology. Psychology is simply the study of the soul. What psychological theory is your child being presented with?

To be continued…

 

The Problem With Socialism

“The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” –Margaret Thatcher

HT: George Grant

 

Missed Opportunity

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” –Thomas A. Edison

HT: George Grant

 

Examing Education, Part Six

Previous posts on this issue can be found here, here, here, here, and here. This post continues the discussion of the history of public education in America.

The seventh trend was the centralizing of the control of schooling. The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reserves to the states all powers not specifically delegated to the national government. Therefore, the responsibility for education has usually fallen on the states. However, that has not totally kept the federal government uninvolved.

In the Northwest Ordinance of 1785, Congress reserved land for public schools in each township of the new territory. In 1867, Congress authorized a Department of Education whose purpose was to collect and disseminate information on education. About a year later it was abolished and its functions transferred to a new Office of Education in the Department of the Interior. In 1953, this office became part of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In 1979, Congress made the Department of Education an executive department administered by a cabinet level secretary. This department oversees federal support, research programs, and information sharing. It oversees a number of financial-aid programs. For colleges and universities, the department provides money for programs in international studies, adult education courses, grants to improve instruction, assistance in building facilities, and financial aid to students. It also enforces civil rights and conducts research and gathers educational information.

In 1837, the first public school superintendent was appointed for Buffalo, New York. Beginning in the 1870’s, many local school boards were replaced by central boards of education. Supervisory positions in the schools increased as well and the supervisory function was in large part separated from teaching. Curriculum, schedules, and standards were increasingly dealt with by those in supervisory positions. Also, in 1874, the Michigan Supreme court ruled that communities could use property taxes to support schools. By 1900 the superintendent was commonly regarded as the most influential figure in elementary and secondary education. The consolidation of power continued throughout the 20th century. In 1900 more than 100,000 school districts existed in the U.S. By 1960 the number had fallen to about 40,000, and by the mid-1980’s it had been further reduced to fewer than 16,000.

Early in the twentieth century, foundations such as the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching began to set national standards for curriculum, student promotion and graduation. These were non-enforceable, but many schools adopted them in order to obtain grants from the foundation. National testing organizations also came into existence.

Following the Great Depression, there was more dependence on the government for nearly everything. The Supreme Court played an important role in educational policy from 1940 on as many social issues concerning education were decided. In 1958, the National Defense Education Act provided federal funds for education in an attempt to close the scientific gap between America and the Soviet Union following Sputnik. In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed. This act provided federal money to school districts with large numbers of disadvantaged students and defined further federal involvement in public education as well as setting the stage for many people’s expectations of federal involvement in education. In this act public schools were officially designated as agencies of the federal government for national defense and national welfare.

Educational funds administered by the states now came under the control of the federal government. The federal government was given the right to determine the nature, extent, and time of education.

To be continued…