Category Archives: Perspectives

OPINION: Dear Parents – Please Stop Asking Teachers To Give Your Kids Homework

Say WHAT???

If your kid’s teacher isn’t assigning homework, it’s for a good reason.

If I could change one thing about my past teaching, it would be homework. As in, I would never assign it. I’m just not convinced that the positives outweigh the negatives, and I’m not alone. Many teachers (even entire districts) are getting on the no homework train. Not everyone agrees, and some of the most vocal opponents of homework bans are parents. In fact, many parents seem to positively associate homework with teacher and/or school quality. I have school-age kids, and I can understand the discomfort around uprooting tradition.

But since when has “that’s the way we’ve always done it” been a good reason to continue with a practice? Fellow parents, it’s time to take a long, hard look at homework. Continue reading

Carl Sagan Saw US Schools Were Ruining Kids Decades Ago: ‘Something Terrible Has Happened

Despite the extravagant spending, our schools are failing our kids. Carl Sagan saw it. John Taylor Gatto saw it. And we all see it today.

My wife and I recently met with the principal of the school our daughter attends to discuss her education future.

My daughter, who turns 12 in a few days, wants to go to a different school in the fall, largely because many of her friends – who are a year ahead of her – are graduating to new schools. (And also because her teacher, whom she adored, took a job in a different district.)

When we stepped into the principal’s office, she offered us chairs. She was warm, knowledgeable, and helpful, and I got the feeling she knows my daughter and wants what is best for her. I suspect my daughter will return to the school for one more year, but it’s a conversation we’ll have together. Continue reading

Krblich: Did Lockdowns Finish Off Public Schooling?

We moved to a good school district. The area was growing. Built for families like ours, all of the public schools in the area received “A” or “8/10” ratings. There were two very expensive and very fancy private schools in the area. It was an idyllic place to raise children.

In retrospect, we had a few frustrations with the public schools. Some of the curriculum seemed ridiculous, the math in particular. The apps used to communicate with the teachers were barely functional. It was somewhat difficult to track what the kids were learning, but the teachers had no complaints, so we didn’t make any either.

In March 2020, the world changed. The entire school experience became a series of apps on a screen. Classes met daily in the morning on Zoom. All of the curriculum was hastily added to Schoology during the initial two-week lockdown. I still want to call it School–ology. We became intimate partners with the printer and scanner. They were necessary to scan and upload completed assignments. Continue reading

Anghis: America’s Education System Is Under Attack

The SYSTEM has FAILED

America used to have a stellular education that was 2nd to none in the world. Today we have 3rd World countries that have better education systems than we have. The 3rd world nation concentrates on math, literature, writing, and all the other important thing in life whereas our system concentrates on pro-nouns and political correctness, and gender studies.

If you study it out you‘ll find that pro-choice is the most important position to take or you’ll Be canceled in a heartbeat. One of the most common examples of censorship found on college campuses today is that of silencing pro-life views.

Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins recently spelled out the trend in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, highlighting nine ways pro-life students’ efforts to share their beliefs are shut down. Continue reading

25 Classic Novels That You Should Read

There are a lot of novels out there and choosing which to read isn’t always easy. But there are classics that we believe that everyone should read at least once. That is why we made a list of 25 classic novels that you should read. Keep reading to find out which books made our list!

We know that not everyone is a fan of classic novels. But that doesn’t mean that all of them should be avoided. As you read more books, you realize how influential some of these classic books are. We know for a fact that once you start reading these classic novels, you won’t be able to put them down. Continue reading

Unlocking Your Child’s Potential: Exploring Enriching After-School Activities

After-school activities are more than just ways to keep your child occupied once the school day is over. They play a pivotal role in shaping a child’s personality, instilling values, and building a diverse set of skills. During busy work seasons, it becomes especially important for parents to ensure that their children are engaged in productive activities that enrich their lives in multiple dimensions.

This article aims to go beyond the traditional notion of after-school programs that focus mainly on academics. In this article from Metropolis.Café, we will delve into a variety of enriching alternative activities that not only support academic achievements but also contribute to all-round character development. Continue reading

This Could Devastate Christian Education

(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

The LGBTQ lobby has targeted Christian schools for destruction, using the so-called “Equality Act” to force all Christians schools, pre-K through college, to accept all aspects of the LGBTQ agenda … or be stripped of accreditation and face lawsuits and persecution by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The bill passed the House in 2019 and 2021. It was reintroduced in the 118th Congress on June 21, 2023, in the House of Representatives and Senate. And now HR 15 already has 212 Democrat co-sponsors in the House. All they need is six Republicans to pass this bill.

With Congress back in session, HR 15 is a high priority for LGBTQ advocates. If this bill is signed into law, it would be a devastating blow to religious freedom and Christian education in America that would be very difficult to recover from. It’s not too late to stop it. ~ Mat
Continue reading

Charters Receive Far Less Money Than Traditional Public Schools. They Do Better Anyway

New research is casting doubt on the common assumption that more funding is a key driver of better educational outcomes.

If you thought charter schools received anywhere near the same amount of funding as traditional public schools, then think again.

A new, massive study from the University of Arkansas finds that “On average, charter schools across 18 cities in 16 states (…) receive about 30 percent or $7,147 (2020 dollars) less funding per pupil than traditional public schools.” Over the past two decades, this funding disparity has remained relatively stable. Continue reading

Roth: A Case for the Lost Art of Memorization

Memorization and recitation became part of my life through a club I was part of in middle and high school. With the club, I had the opportunity to recite patriotic speeches and poems along with chapters from the Bible in front of an audience of veterans, law enforcement officers, and first responders just about every month. I loved seeing how the words recited touched the people listening. Continue reading

The Great Libraries of Rome

Passersby could wander at will into grand public libraries in imperial Rome. Could they trust what they found inside?

It’s around 200 CE, in Ephesus, an Aegean city of Greek roots, now a major hub of the Roman Empire. Meandering down marble-paved Curetes Street, a dweller is lost in the bustle of the town, procuring produce and wares in shops tucked beneath the colonnades, attending the public baths – even a conveniently placed brothel. It all plays out alongside merchants from across the Mediterranean, who disembark their ships to transport cargos and conduct business in the great depot between West and East. They make their way past the shrine to the emperor Hadrian and the nymphaeum of the emperor Trajan, bold reminders that the Ephesians, in their prosperity, are now part of the realm in faraway Rome. And there, culminating at the end of this lively thoroughfare at a slight angle, as though gradually revealing itself, lies a theatrical marble-clad façade of elegant Corinthian columns, exquisite reliefs and wordy inscriptions.

Up a short flight of stairs, flanked by statues, three large doors offer a glimpse into a single large room, colonnaded and high-ceilinged. Thousands of scrolls are carefully stacked into rectangular recesses in the walls. The doors to the towering Library of Celsus are flung wide open: anyone can enter this shrine to the written word. Continue reading

In the Year 2525…

It is exceptionally RARE that I will ever post a video on Metropolis Cafe – but due the particular version of this amazing song – it has its’ own importance as the video was ceated with scenes from the silent film that this website was named for. ~ Editor

Here’s a music video I cut together with footage from the classic apocalyptic sci-fi film Metropolis, combined with sci-fi folk song In The Year 2525 by Zager & Evans. I really found them fitting together in a dystopian transhumanist meets Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World kind of way. What awaits humanity after the intense technological and biological developments set in motion? If we ever get there? Thea von Harbou had some intensively accurate visions of the future. And Fritz Lang did the visual masterpiece. Not to forget Brigitte Helm and her impressive acting. All this is now a classic topic about the future of humanity. In this video I wanted to concentrate the idea, the message and the visions of the future. With the classic one hit wonder song and outstanding vintage film footage. ~ Sanjin

Gallup Poll Reveals Americans’ Plummeting Confidence in Public Schools

Learners at Life Rediscovered PHOTO: Ada Salie

Americans have soured on public schools. That’s the takeaway from Gallup polling results released earlier this month showing that Americans’ confidence in public schools is at a low point, with only 26 percent of respondents indicating a “Great deal/Fair amount” of confidence in that institution.

Indeed, public schools join three other institutions that are also at or tied with their record lows, including the police, large technology companies, and big business. Along with the presidency, public schools are now among the most politically polarizing institutions in the US. Continue reading

Millions of Kids Are Missing Weeks of School as Attendance Tanks Across the US

When in-person school resumed after pandemic closures, Rousmery Negrón and her 11-year-old son both noticed a change: School seemed less welcoming.

Parents were no longer allowed in the building without appointments, she said, and punishments were more severe. Everyone seemed less tolerant, more angry. Negrón’s son told her he overheard a teacher mocking his learning disabilities, calling him an ugly name

Her son didn’t want to go to school anymore. And she didn’t feel he was safe there.

He would end up missing more than five months of sixth grade. Continue reading

Reading to Your Child: This is why it’s so important

If you are a parent or a teacher, you most probably read stories to young children. Together, you laugh and point at the pictures. You engage them with a few simple questions. And they respond.

So what happens to children when they participate in shared reading? Does it make a difference to their learning? If so, what aspects of their learning are affected? Continue reading

The Purpose of Mathematics in a Classical Education

One of the chief aims of mathematics has always been to reveal and describe an order in the natural world. Mathematics, as a language, reveals this order and harmony, yet it should also be lifted from this concrete foundation and brought into the world of the abstract.

A resurgence of interest in classical education has been evident in recent years. This has been due, in part, to a number of influential writings on regaining “lost” knowledge in our culture which have, in turn, inspired an increasing number of schools founded on a classical model. When surveying the landscape of classical education, it becomes evident that there is a clear vision available for the purpose of the study of humanities. What does not seem as clear, though, is the nature of mathematics in a classical education.

How is mathematics to be approached? Is mathematics a science? Is it a set of skills to be memorized? Can the study of mathematics be more deeply integrated into a classical education? If so, is this necessary or desirable? Nearly everyone would agree that the study of mathematics belongs in a classical education, but the purpose of this study is not always clear. Continue reading

Schrock Taylor: The Need to Read Better!

In 1930, 3 million American adults could not read. Most of those 1 million white illiterates and 2 million black illiterates were people over age fifty who had never been to school. (Regna Lee Wood)

In 2003, 30 million American adults could not read. Most had been to school for many years. (70% of prison inmates could not read; 19% of high school graduates could not read) (Illiteracy Statistics) Continue reading

Carl Sagan Warned Us about Government Schools Decades Ago

Despite the extravagant spending, US schools are failing children. Carl Sagan saw it. John Taylor Gatto saw it. And we all see it today.

My wife and I recently met with the principal of the school our daughter attends to discuss her education future.

My daughter, who turns 12 in a few days, wants to go to a different school in the fall, largely because many of her friends – who are a year ahead of her – are graduating to new schools. (And also because her teacher, whom she adored, took a job in a different district.)

When we stepped into the principal’s office, she offered us chairs. She was warm, knowledgeable, and helpful, and I got the feeling she knows my daughter and wants what is best for her. I suspect my daughter will return to the school for one more year, but it’s a conversation we’ll have together. Continue reading

A Rural, Waldorf Microschool Gets Shut Down By State Regulators

“It was devastating for all of these children and families to suddenly close,” said Ariel Maguire.

Children at Kulike Learning Garden; Photo: Ariel Maguire

Ariel Maguire gathered together with other moms in her rural area of the Big Island of Hawaii to create a child-centered educational solution for local families. It was late 2021 and the parents realized that nearly two years of pandemic policies had left their kids behind both academically and socially. Continue reading

What Happened To America’s Education? ~ The Series

The Old Deluder Satan Law – America’s first public education law

What used to set America apart from the rest of the world is the quality of education we used to provide to our children. It was world class and at one time second to none. Today, not so much. Our so-called education system is no more than an indoctrination center for leftist ideology. History, at least real history, is no longer taught especially America’s history because it is so unique and successful. The reason is was so successful was because it was based on Christian principles. That statement causes liberals heads to explode but truth is truth.

Our educations primary school book, the New England Primer, that was used from the mid-1600s until the late 1800s is based solely on the Bible. All areas of life were taught using biblical principles. Liberals can deny it but historical facts prove it. The first laws providing public education for all children were passed in 1642 in Massachusetts and in 1647 in Connecticut and it was called the “Old Deluder Satan Law”. These colonists believed that the proper protection from civil abuses could only be achieved by eliminating Bible illiteracy.

“It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of Scriptures, as in former time. . . . It is therefore ordered . . . [that] after the Lord hath increased [the settlement] to the number of fifty householders, [they] shall then forthwith appoint one within their town, to teach all such children as shall resort to him, to write and read. . . . And it is further ordered, that where any town shall increase to the number of one hundred families or householders, they shall set up a grammar school . . . to instruct youths, so far as they may be fitted for the university.” [1] Continue reading