1. School still going okay. Started getting into the weeds of the Revolution with my Government class; they were surprised to learn of some of my clarifications (i.e. that the amount of taxes weren't the issue, but rather the question of jurisdiction). Actually, the idea that the British government had a case at all seemed … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly School and Language Matters
Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: Corniness and ‘Shadows on the Rock’
1. Thinking of 50s-era educational shorts this week made me wonder: they're usually described as 'cheesy' or 'corny'. What does this mean? What constitutes corn? The heirs of Webster define it as "mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental". Fair enough, but what is the positive contrary? Up-to-date, sophisticated, and rational, I suppose. Though that … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Corniness and ‘Shadows on the Rock’
Revolution Analogies
Sorry; again, it just keeps coming up! Today I happened to come across the following in an old comments section: “Imagine that a father gave his teenage son every liberty, so that the son was accustomed to making all his decisions for himself and living his life as he chose. Then suddenly one day the … Continue reading Revolution Analogies
Sunday Thoughts: The Pull from Outside
A few Sundays ago, I felt the 'pull from outside.' I won't say it was the first time, but it was the first time I gave it that name. I had just watched a video on the Spanish Civil War, which spoke of how much of the Spanish population in those days were dead-set against … Continue reading Sunday Thoughts: The Pull from Outside
Friday Flotsam: School, Carrolls, and Sword Fight
1. Made it through my second week of teaching. I'm still finding it extremely draining, and it's a struggle to get the kids to start discussing stuff in most of the classes (my one 12th grade class is the best in that regard, but alas is the shortest one). But it's something, and I've at … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: School, Carrolls, and Sword Fight
Friday Flotsam: First Week Teaching, ‘The System’, and I Get a Review!
1. Had my first week teaching (only two days a week, thank goodness), and it went pretty well! I'm fortunate that these generally seem to be good, well-behaved kids, even the 7/8 graders, and I'm doing my best to keep them engaged and getting them thinking (teenagers get some odd ideas). So far the main … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: First Week Teaching, ‘The System’, and I Get a Review!
Friday Flotsam: On Republics and Anime Girls
1. The purpose of government is to promote the common good. The great danger of any Republic is the loss of the sense of commonality between different parts of the populace. This, of course, can happen under any form of government, but it is a particular danger for Republics, because elected governments incentivize animosity and … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Republics and Anime Girls
Thomas Jefferson and Intellectual Humility
Note: This is a reconstruction of the post mentioned in this week's Flotsam: the one eaten by WordPress. Turns out I exaggerated a bit and the opening few paragraphs at least survived, though everything after the 'Council of Nicea' bit - that is, basically all of my own thoughts - is a reconstruction, and I … Continue reading Thomas Jefferson and Intellectual Humility
Friday Flotsam: Mostly Grumpiness, Some History
1. A rather discouraging week; I had a few very productive days, but also a number of flops and didn't get as much done as I'd intended. 2. On Wednesday I spent about an hour working on a post, only to have WordPress's autosave function freeze and lose the whole thing just as I was … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly Grumpiness, Some History
Friday Flotsam: Teaching, St. John Vianney, and Beavers
1. This week was training for my new teaching job. It looks like it'll either be an amazing experience or a catastrophic disaster. I guess we'll find out. 2. At the very least, I won't have to worry about what I should read for a while; it's pretty much all read books and discuss, and … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, St. John Vianney, and Beavers
Serpent's Den 