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

Gouverneur Morris (1804)

“I charge you to protect his fame. It is all that he has left.”

NEW YORK, New York, July 14, 1804 – All that Alexander Hamilton might have wished to have said of him in life was poured forth today in a moving funeral oration by Gouverneur Morris, diplomat and former colleague of Mr. Hamilton both in the Continental Congress and on the Committee that framed the Constitution.

He spoke over the open coffin holding the body that collapsed in sudden death only four days ago on the Weehawken Heights, across the Hudson River in New Jersey, when Mr. Hamilton engaged in a duel with Aaron Burr.

Today no words were spoken of the controversies over politics and finance that culminated in this tragic event. Neither did Mr. Morris mention the fugitive Burr. 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

DeWeese: What Price Liberty? A Family Answers the Call

When their ship from the Netherlands docked in the harbor of New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1688, Garrett Hendricks DeWeese, and his wife Zytian, could not have known of the historic events that would direct the destiny of their future family. Nor could they have known how those future sons and daughters would be central figures in molding those events. Continue reading

A Teacher for ALL Times: The Ron Clark Story

Last night after my nightly broadcast, I went into the kitchen to prepare something to eat and my wife had a movie running on TV that drew me in – and THAT is rare.

I stayed glued to that television for the entire film. From the very beginning – something spoke to me – and if you watch it – it will draw you in as well. As one viewer on You Tube stated, “What a beautiful inspiring movie. I wish all teachers were more like him in this world. I pray many educators are inspired to do/be better after watching this movie.” ~ Editor

~ Other Comments ~

“Ron Clark was indeed ‘the white tornado ‘ of inspiration that Harlem Elementary kids needed. He saw their potential & would never give up on them, where others had.”

…and from Adrian: “One of the most difficult and least paid jobs. And all to benefit children an opportunity to develop their skills for the rest of their lives. If only the children and parents respected and understand that the future lies in the hands of themselves.”

…and finally from Laura: What a great movie. All children and parents should be inspired by this true story. It goes to show that when a teacher truly cares about his students not only will the children notice he will earn their respect. No matter what street, what city or nationality you are that if you work hard you can do anything. It doesn’t matter where you came from or how much money the parents have. These parents of these students most likely work more than one job and in doing this just to put food on the table is all the love a child needs. Children want to have a voice but sometimes you have to break through that tough exterior to see who that person is on the inside. A good solid teacher that loves what he or she does can turn a failing child into a passing one.

King Andrew and the Bank

Andrew Jackson stares down the national bank and wins.

“Jackson Slaying the Many-Headed Monster,” 1828. Private collection, Peter Newark American Pictures / Bridgeman Art Library

On July l0, 1832, President Andrew Jackson sent a message to the United States Senate. He returned unsigned, with his objections, a bill that extended the charter of the Second Bank of the United States, due to expire in 1836, for another fifteen years. As Jackson drily noted, the bill was presented to him on the Fourth of July, a day freighted with portent.

Today Jackson’s Bank Veto and the political conflagration known as the “Bank War” that it touched off seem arcane and nearly incomprehensible. While misdeeds among the rich and powerful still garner headlines and incite congressional inquiries, the core instruments of our economic system-the network of banks capped by the Federal Reserve; the corporate form of business enterprise; the very dollars in our wallets, issued and guaranteed by the federal government – are utterly taken for granted. That these could have been the subject of controversy, that anyone could seriously contemplate organizing American capitalism differently, seems nearly unthinkable. Andrew Jackson is recalled today, when recalled at all, for other things, primarily as the architect of forced Indian removal. His face on the $20 bill is a mystery to many, an outrage to some, and, to the knowing, a curious irony. Continue reading

The Founding Fathers on Education — and Education Today

I was recently looking through Intellectual Takeout’s archives and once again stumbled upon Annie Holmquist’s article “Middle School Reading Lists 100 Years Ago vs. Today.” Annie’s comparison of how reading lists have changed reveals how students today aren’t held to as high of standards as students 100 years ago, and Annie’s commentary got me curious about how else education has changed through the decades, particularly since America’s founding.

What did the Founding Fathers, many of whom had a homeschool educational upbringing, think about education? And how does American education compare today? Continue reading

School Principal Quits Job to Homeschool Her 3 Kids on a 10-Acre Homestead: ‘I Wanted to Raise Thinkers

(Courtesy of Byrndle Photo via Mandy Davis)

A former school principal who grew frustrated with the school system quit her job and instead chose to homeschool her three kids on a 10-acre (4.05-hectare) homestead. Merging her children’s learning with their land and home, she has created an immersive “real world” educational experience based on her kids’ unique needs. Continue reading

Franklin Roosevelt’s Speech on the Meaning of Public Policy in the Depths of the Great Depression

Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Commonwealth Club Speech” (September 23, 1932)

In this speech, delivered in the depths of the Great Depression, ­ presidential candidate Franklin Roosevelt sought to explain the dramatic ideological differences between himself and the Republican President Herbert Hoover, ‘the Great Engineer.’

In this speech Roosevelt attempts to distinguish the role of government as addressing public policy goals, in serving the public good, rather than simply administering some predetermined economic principles handed down by ‘the market’ and a class of professional economists and financiers.

The speech and the candidate were not well received by the media and the movers and the shakers of the day, the very serious and very comfortable people largely untouched by the economic hardship of the collapse of the stock bubble in 1929, who derided it as ‘too Socialist.’
Continue reading

The First Ukrainian American

Learning more about the first Ukrainian American and his contributions to a foundational American story helps remind us that America has been profoundly transnational at every stage of its history.

The first settlers arriving in Jamestown (National Park Service)

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine has unfolded over the last few weeks, most Americans have certainly been united in their support for the Ukrainian people and condemnation of Russia’s increasingly brutal attacks and tactics. But one area where there has been significantly less consensus is the question of whether and how the U.S. and its allies should intervene in the conflict. Among the arguments for the U.S. maintaining its distance from this unfolding European war is that this conflict is ultimately unrelated to the United States and that it concerns two foreign nations from whom we would do well to remain isolated.

There are various ways to challenge such isolationist arguments, including highlighting the historic moments when isolationism not only failed to end unfolding world wars, but also led directly to belated and more fraught U.S. involvement in those conflicts.

But there are also stories of early Americans who found their way to the continent from across the globe; these stories contradict any perspective on the U.S. as isolated from seemingly foreign nations like Ukraine. Learning more about the first Ukrainian American and his contributions to a foundational American story helps remind us that America has been profoundly transnational at every stage of its history. Continue reading

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in the Americas

The story of the Roanoke Colony is one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. In the late 16th century, a group of English settlers established a colony on Roanoke Island, located off the coast of present-day North Carolina. However, when a supply ship returned to the colony in 1590, all its inhabitants had vanished without a trace. This puzzling event has captivated historians and researchers for centuries, with various theories and speculations attempting to unravel the fate of the lost Roanoke Colony. Continue reading

James Madison (June 6, 1788)

“Would it be possible for government to have credit, without having the power of raising money?”

RICHMOND, Va., June 6, 1788 – James Madison, second only to Thomas Jefferson as architect of the new Federal Constitution, today urged ratification of that document in most compelling terms, as he addressed the Convention of Virginia on the need for a responsible, powerful central government but one to be held in check by a care~y contrived diversification of protections for the individual states.

His speech pointed up the vagaries of arguments mustered against the Constitution since its completion by the Philadelphia Convention a year ago. As he spoke here, the principal argument to be overcome was the fear that Virginia, already having assumed responsibility for its debts incurred in the Revolution, would be made the tax dupe of other and less provident states in future tax laws by the Federal Government. This fear was not unlike the arguments advanced in the New York Convention one year ago, when Alexander Hamilton was attempting to allay similar fears on the part of New York’s vested interests.

Mr. Madison, at 33 years of age, has few of the arts of oratory, but he already has shown by his writings his capacity to muster argument with cogent words, as when he stated, “Direct taxes will only be recurred to for great purposes.”
Continue reading

School Choice Gaining Momentum

Several states across the nation are letting parents have control of school funds to steer their child’s education.

Education is one of the most important aspects of having a functioning society. Good education for everyone seems like a fairly uncontroversial proposal. Unfortunately, we live in a world where not all educational institutions are created equal.

Public schools in the inner cities and rural outer ranges are much worse off than schools in the hearts of thriving suburbs. Private schools are expensive and have the right to choose who they do or don’t accept. Charter schools are largely on a lottery system. Homeschooling comes with tremendous advantages but ultimately is also expensive. Continue reading

Celebrating a Milestone For Homeschooling Freedoms

Pat Montgomery

The ubiquity and widespread acceptance of homeschooling as a valid educational option for American families can obscure the fact that homeschooling freedoms were hard-fought.

The ubiquity and widespread acceptance of homeschooling as a valid educational option for American families can obscure the fact that homeschooling freedoms were hard-fought.

Homeschooling didn’t become legally recognized in all U.S. states until the 1990s, with families who chose to teach their own children in earlier years often harassed and sometimes criminally charged with truancy. The DeJonge family of Michigan was among them. On a fall day in 1984, the DeJonges were visited at their home by the Michigan Department of Social Services telling them they were breaking the law by homeschooling. A year later, the parents were charged and convicted of educating their children without a state teaching license. Continue reading

The LIE that is the Gettysburg Address

On Nov. 19, 1863, at the dedication of the military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln spoke these words:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. Continue reading

The 14th Amendment to the united States Constitution

Because of the US Supreme Court, the 14th Amendment’s greatest impact is not the protection of citizens’ rights, though it is cited for that purpose. It is and has been the granting of human rights to corporations – an exercise not founded in the Constitution itself nor in the Amendment itself, nor in any other part of the Constitution. It was an extension of power to corporations that the Court, without any explicit foundation, allowed to be promulgated in a summary of its 1886 decision in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railway by the Court’s reporter. Continue reading