Joshua Gibbs

Speaking Event Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will be speaking at the CiRCE regional conference in Sterling, Virginia. It’s not too late to sign up for Saturday’s block of lectures, if you would like. I will be giving a lecture which reflects on what I’ve learned about human nature from teaching short fiction workshops to high school students.

Progress

Boys in 8th grade Latin classes: “When are we actually going to use this in the real world? Boys in 12th grade: “I wrote my thesis on why travel soccer players should be paid in cryptocurrency.”

A Little Help From My Friends

Readers, if you teach at a private Christian school where seniors are required to write a thesis, I am curious to know what sort of subjects your seniors are presenting on. If you are willing to share them, I would love to look over a list of senior thesis statements/subjects from the last several years.Continue reading “A Little Help From My Friends”

Oat Milk, Goat Milk, Boat Milk

Tom: What do you take in your coffee? Harry: I’m allergic to cow’s milk. What else do you have? Tom: I’ve got oat milk. Harry: I don’t like the taste. Tom: I’ve got goat milk. Harry: It’s so expensive. Tom: I’ve got boat milk. Harry: Boat milk? What’s that? Tom: It’s part of Lockheed Martin’sContinue reading “Oat Milk, Goat Milk, Boat Milk”

The American Version Of Submission

Michel Houellebecq’s Submission (2015) is the story of a secularist college professor named François who must figure out what he actually stands for after France is (mostly) peacefully, democratically overtaken by Islamists and something like Sharia law is imposed. His university gives him a generous severance package, but offers him even more money if heContinue reading “The American Version Of Submission”

Cultivate Virtue, But Get Real

Student: I’m worried that our class just isn’t moving fast enough through the material. We’re not getting much done. Teacher: Well, a classical education isn’t about covering material. It’s about cultivating virtue. Student: No one is cultivating virtue in your class. That’s the problem. You spend so much time every day lecturing the boys onContinue reading “Cultivate Virtue, But Get Real”

Adult Slang: “Adjacent” Is The New “Pivot”

Remember back in 2020 when everybody wanted to use the word “pivot”? Journalists, critiques, commentators, everyone really, loved an excuse to use the word “pivot.” It was so modern, so edgy, and sounded so informed and zeitgeisty. Now everyone wants to say “adjacent.” “This coffee isn’t fruity, but it’s fruit-adjacent.” “This movie isn’t horror, butContinue reading “Adult Slang: “Adjacent” Is The New “Pivot””

The Cleverest Man Alive

This is Steve Coogan being funny by repeating two words over and over.

Is Classical Education Sustainable?

“Yet many school leaders misunderstand the basis of culture, seeing it as something produced more by a shared vision than by shared behavior. In other words, they emphasize the ends while giving insufficient attention to the means. In the classical sphere, many leaders commit this error because they are more comfortable in the world ofContinue reading “Is Classical Education Sustainable?”

Skipping School

“In the last several years, your school may have developed a “vacation problem,” as a colleague of mine recently put it. A “vacation problem” is a tendency among school families to take long vacations in the middle of the school year. Your school may have had vacation issues prior to 2020, but pandemic policies inevitablyContinue reading “Skipping School”