I have begun work on my next writing project, which will be an 8000 word pamphlet which begins: Greetings. If you are reading this, it means your parents are considering whether or not they ought to enroll you in a classical Christian school. There are a number of directions things could go from here. AsContinue reading “Filling A Void”
Category Archives: Sane Fantasies
Growth
Last week, our church (St. Cyprian of Carthage in Midlothian, VA) received eight new catechumens, all of whom appeared to be under the age of thirty, and more than half of whom were unmarried. And this, at a small church in the middle of the woods, half an hour away from the city, with noContinue reading “Growth”
Dear
In the last several years, it seems that the conventional greeting “Dear” has become stigmatized, and so emails now begin, “Hey Josh,” “Hi Josh,” “Hey there,” “Hey,” “Hi ya Josh,” and so forth. Really, though, we should all use “Dear.” Unless you’re in fourth grade, “Dear So-and-So” isn’t a sign you’re in love. It isContinue reading “Dear”
The 2022 Gibbs Classical Online Conference
Save the date: July 8th and 9th, 2022. Tell your friends. Full details will be available soon.
A Proposition For Fellow Teachers
One of the reasons there is so much acrimony about grades is because a 0 to 100 scale is way too broad. If you hate grades as they are, and I know you do, imagine how much less you would hate them if every grade was issued on a 1 to 3 scale. Suppose alsoContinue reading “A Proposition For Fellow Teachers”
Gwyneth Who?
For as chic as the 90s are once again, the line, “What’s in the box?” was uttered during Dune and absolutely no one in the theater laughed.
Quit Taking Notes
After an epiphany over the summer, I began my in-person classes this year with an exercise (or an experiment) wherein I aimed to prove to my literature students and theology students that they were better off not taking notes during class. In the last six weeks of school, I have often required students to putContinue reading “Quit Taking Notes”
Jane Austen’s Unusual Brilliance
I am teaching Pride & Prejudice this year for the first time since instituting catechisms in my classroom. Oddly enough, the book is entirely bereft of passages that might suit a catechism. Austen’s brilliance is real, but known only in slow accumulations. Despite her deep understanding of human nature, she is one of the leastContinue reading “Jane Austen’s Unusual Brilliance”
Every Now And Again, The Universe Bends To Your Will
Jarvis Cocker has made an album of French pop covers entitled Chansons d’Ennui Tip Top which will accompany The French Dispatch.
Snobs
There is nothing the modern man finds quite so pretentious as obedience. Obedience creates a real bond between the ruler and the ruled, the transcendent and the ephemeral, the obeyed and the obedient. This bond is simply not possible for the egalitarian, the radical individual, the self-made man, or the rebel. In the end, whoeverContinue reading “Snobs”
