Physical Education is an Education of the Soul
Physical education is not just about training your body. It is also about forming your character. Remember during the Greek games last semester when Kiertan did the wall sit for 12 straight minutes? By the end of it, her legs were shaking, her face was grimacing, it hurt…a lot. What was the point of all […]
Physical Education: Pursuing Excellence in Mind and Body
This week, we will consider the purpose and importance of physical education. It may be tempting to think of the academic pursuits—math, science, literature, etc.—as the real purpose of school, with “gym class” a fun little add-on. That is how many schools today regard it. But the history of physical education as we know it […]
Be a Writer, Join the Conversation
Mortimer Adler observed that “[w]hat binds the authors together in an intellectual community is the great conversation in which they are engaged. In the works that come later in the sequence of years, we find authors listening to what their predecessors have had to say about this idea or that, this topic or that. They […]
“You are the man!”: When Stories Teach us about Ourselves
We read literature for the adventure of it; old books to give us perspective; novels to get at the truth. But stories also teach us about ourselves. In 2 Samuel, King David sins with Bathsheba and sends her husband, Uriah, to the front lines of battle to die, in order to cover up what he […]
Literature is the Stuff of Being Human
G.K. Chesterton once observed, “People wonder why the novel is the most popular form of literature; people wonder why it is read more than books of science or books of metaphysics. The reason is very simple; it is merely that the novel is more true than they are.” What does he mean? Well, remember when […]
Old books are “the clean sea breeze of the centuries”
Some of you are reading Romeo and Juliet with Mr. Burghauser. Shakespeare wrote his plays and poems over 400 years ago. Others of you are reading Pinocchio with Mrs. Spaulding—it was written by Carlo Collodi almost 150 years ago. Have you ever wondered, “why do we bother with all these old books?” “If we have […]
Books Take us Lands Away
The Land of Story-books Robert Louis Stevenson At evening when the lamp is lit, Around the fire my parents sit; They sit at home and talk and sing, And do not play at anything. Now, with my little gun, I crawl All in the dark along the wall, And follow round the forest track Away […]
Man: The Greatest Work of Art by the Great Artist
Do you know what the most common subject of art is? It’s people. Man is fascinated with man. Ancient cave drawings, Egyptian tombs, Greek and Roman sculptures, medieval stained glass, Renaissance frescos, paintings from baroque to surrealism, photography, pop art—so much of it is about man. Even your own art—the wonderful statues and self-portraits you’ve […]
Art, Mystery, and Wrestling with the Angel
Art BY HERMAN MELVILLE In placid hours well-pleased we dream Of many a brave unbodied scheme. But form to lend, pulsed life create, What unlike things must meet and mate: A flame to melt—a wind to freeze; Sad patience—joyous energies; Humility—yet pride and scorn; Instinct and study; love and hate; Audacity—reverence. These must mate, And fuse […]
The Classroom as a Philosophy of Education
What should a classroom look like? How should it be arranged? And what belongs on the walls? Is it the teacher’s responsibility, or should students have some say in creating the “learning environment” they like best? Many educators today will give you one of two answers: The classroom either belongs to the students, or it should be about the […]
