Archive for the 'Education' Category

Failing Christianity

Published at July 2, 2008 in History, Education and Church. 0 Comments

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Piedmont College professor Barbara Brown Taylor laments her Christian students’ lack of knowledge of church history and tradition.

They never noticed that Matthew and Luke tell different stories of Jesus’ birth, or that Mark and John tell no such stories at all. They never imagined that the first Christians did not walk around with New Testaments in their pockets. No one ever told them about Constantine, Augustine, Benedict or Martin Luther. They never thought about what happened during the centuries between Jesus’ resurrection and their own professions of faith. In their minds, they fell in line behind the disciples, picking up the proclamation of the gospel where those simple fishermen left off …

College students in all other regards, they remain fifth graders in religion. How, when they meet someone who asks them intelligent questions about their faith, will they come up with equally intelligent answers? Keep your class notes, I tell them. You never know when you may need them.

FAQ for SAT, PSAT and NMSQT

Published at July 1, 2008 in Education. 0 Comments

Dr. James Stobaugh has put together a helpful series of posts answering frequently asked questions about the SAT 1 (Scholastic Aptitude Test), PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test), and the NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test).

Stobaugh also offers his personal recommendations for the day of the SAT:

Here is one example of a typical test-day schedule. Times will vary depending on the actual time of the test, how far away the test site is, etc.

Homeschool Ruling Vacated

Published at March 27, 2008 in Education and Current Events. 0 Comments

The California ruling that appeared to declare most homeschooling in that state illegal has been vacated, and the case will be re-heard. Pacific Justice Institute has the details.

Pacific Justice Institute has just received word that the court ruling which declared most forms of homeschooling unlawful in California has been vacated. This means the Rachel L. decision, which has sparked a nationwide uproar, will not go into effect as it is currently written. The Second District Court of Appeal has instead decided to re-hear the case, with a new round of briefings due in late April. It would likely take the court several additional months to schedule oral argument and issue another decision.

HT: The Point

The Intellectual Devotional

Published at March 25, 2008 in Education and Books. 0 Comments

I thought this looked pretty interesting:

The Intellectual Devotional is … a collection of 365 lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each nugget of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: History, Literature, Philosophy, Mathematics & Science, Religion, Visual Arts, and Music.

I would prefer to call this a Daily Reader rather than a Devotional. Still, the concept is neat, and this looks like a great resource for strengthening your knowledge in a variety of fields.

The book presents information from a different discipline for each day of the week. Here are the links to the bibliographies for each section:

HT: Fire and Knowledge

Some Neat Spelling Mnemonics

Published at November 9, 2007 in Education. 2 Comments

Lifehack has a great article on how to improve your spelling skills. Check out some of the following neat spelling mnemonics (i.e. memory helps):

  • A piece of pie.
  • You hear with your ear.
  • There is a place just like here.
  • The inheritance is theirs because they are the heirs.
  • Pull apart to separate.
  • Definite has 2 i’s in it.
  • Because: Big elephants can always understand small elephants.
  • Cemetery has three e’s – “eee!” – like a scream.
  • In no century is murder an innocent crime.
  • Slaughter is laughter with an “s” at the beginning.
  • Br! It’s February in New England.
  • Stationery: Remember “e” for envelope or “er” for letter.

M&M’sAnd if you have trouble spelling “mnemonic,” just remember: There is an “m-n-em” at the beginning of mnemonic!

Bible Curriculum for Public Schools (2)

Published at November 2, 2007 in Education and Bible. 1 Comment

I meet monthly with a group of local clergy for lunch, fellowship and planning. Over the past year we have been in conversation with the Superintendent of Schools about the possible addition of an elective class on the Bible to be taught at the high school level in our town. The superintendent has been very open to talking with us about this proposal and recently set up a meeting with the School Committee where we could present the course for consideration. A reporter from the local paper was invited, and you can read the summary of the meeting here.

The curriculum we are recommending is called The Bible and Its Influence, produced by the Bible Literacy Project. The course examines the Bible’s influence on literature and culture and is appropriate for use in public schools. I looked through the curriculum and was very impressed. It has received sterling endorsements from a wide variety of scholars and teachers. You can also preview the “inside of the book” at Amazon if you want to take a closer look for yourself.

Previous post in series:

The Bible and Its Influence Books relating to Bible literacy:

Bible Curriculum for Public Schools (1)

Published at November 1, 2007 in Education and Bible. 2 Comments

Most people would agree that the Bible is one of the most important documents in history. However, because it is also a religious book, public schools are sometimes hesitant to teach about the Bible due to issues of separation of church and state. In 1963, however, the Supreme Court made a ruling not against the study of the Bible in public schools, but rather against the devotional, religious use of the Bible in public schools. Supreme Court Justice Clark stated:

“It might be well said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literacy and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment.” [School District of Abington Township v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203, 225 (1963)]

There are two main Bible curricula currently available for those public schools that would like to make an elective class on the Bible available to their students. These two curriculum choices are summarized below.

  1. The Bible in History and Literature
    Produced by: The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools

    The curriculum for the program shows a concern to convey the content of the Bible as compared to literature and history. The program is concerned with education rather than indoctrination of students. The central approach of the class is simply to study the Bible as a foundation document of society, and that approach is altogether appropriate in a comprehensive program of secular education.

  2. The Bible and Its Influence
    Produced by: The Bible Literacy Project

    A primary goal of the course is basic Biblical literacy—a grasp of the language, major narratives, and characters of the Bible. The course also explores the influence of the Bible in classic and contemporary poems, plays, and novels. Of course, the Bible is not merely literature—for a number of religious traditions it is sacred text. Our curriculum and online teacher training prepare teachers to address the relevant, major religious readings of the text in an academic and objective manner.

Further information concerning both of these curricula and their individual approaches is available at their respective websites as indicated above. Further information concerning the use of the Bible in public schools with respect to the First Amendment is available through the First Amendment Center at the following links:

Next post in series:

A Vision of Students Today

Published at October 23, 2007 in Video and Education. 0 Comments

How much has going to school changed? Kansas State University Professor Michael Wesch and the students in his Introduction to Cultural Anthropology class created an interesting video profiling a vision of students today. The following answers were compiled from the answers of 133 students (out of 200) who responded to the survey questions.

  • My average class size is 115.
  • 18% of my teachers know my name.
  • I complete 49% of the readings assigned to me. Only 26% are relevant to my life.
  • I buy hundred dollar textbooks that I never open.
  • My neighbor paid for class but never comes.
  • I will read 8 books this year, 2300 web pages, & 1281 Facebook profiles.
  • I will write 42 pages for class this semester and over 500 pages of email.
  • I get 7 hours of sleep each night! I spend 1.5 hours watching TV each night. I spend 3.5 hours a day online. I listen to music 2.5 hours a day. I spend 2 hours on my cell phone, spend 3 hours in class, 2 hours eating. I work 2 hours every day, 3 hours studying. That’s a total of 26.5 hours every day.
  • I am a multi-tasker. (I have to be.)
  • I will be $20,000 in debt after graduation! I’m one of the lucky ones.
  • When I graduate I will probably have a job that doesn’t exist today.
  • I Facebook through most of my classes.
  • I bring my laptop to class, but I’m not working on class stuff.

What do you think? Is this an accurate picture of students today? I have to say, I would not have been able to make any of those statements when I was in school, except maybe for the 7 hours of sleep and 2 hours eating! :-)

HT: Noel Heikkinen

My Embarrassing First Day at Seminary

Published at September 5, 2007 in Education and Personal. 2 Comments

Twenty years ago this September I attended my first day of seminary. I was serving as youth pastor at a church in Burbank, CA at the time, and figured if I was going to continue pastoring, I should get some theological training. So here I was headed back to school three years after graduating from college.

I opted to go to Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA to work on my biblical languages first. They offered language intensives where you could take a full year of Greek or Hebrew in just ten weeks. I decided to take Greek in the fall and Hebrew in the spring. So off I went to Greek class in September of 1987, my very first day at seminary. (I eventually transferred to Gordon-Conwell in Massachusetts the next year and completed my seminary training there.)

I was a little nervous going back to school after three years, so I tried to prepare myself the best I could. I got my syllabus early and purchased all my textbooks in advance. I scoped out the campus the week before and found exactly where my classroom was located. I packed my briefcase full of books and left extra early the morning of class to make sure I got there on time.

We all crowded into the classroom, and the professor introduced himself to the class. He wrote his contact information on the board and told us to write it down for future reference. I opened up my briefcase to get out a notebook when I realized that I didn’t have one. In all my preparations for class I had forgotten to get a notebook. I searched frantically through my briefcase for a piece of paper, any piece of paper, but I had none – just a bunch of Greek textbooks that I didn’t want to write in.

I got the attention of the student seated at the desk next to me. “Excuse, me. Could I borrow a piece of paper?” He looked at me a little strangely, but opened up his three-ring binder FILLED with college-ruled white paper and gave me several sheets.

I was so embarrassed. Here I was at my first day of class for my Master’s degree of all things, and I had not even brought any paper. “Oh well, Lord,” I prayed, “I guess it’s good to be humbled.” I opened my briefcase again to get out a pen to write down the teacher’s contact information. No pen. I got the attention of the student next to me again. “Excuse me, could I borrow a pen?”

That’s all I remember from my first day at seminary. But God is good, and I got through, and yes, it is good to be humbled.

Related posts:

News and Notes - 9/4/2007

Published at September 4, 2007 in Crime, Education and News and Notes. 0 Comments

Return trip. A burglar in New Zealand broke into a family’s home through a window, stole some electronics and a credit card, and then came back later the same day to return the stolen goods – along with the new items he had purchased with the stolen credit card. He left everything on the kitchen table along with an apology note and a promise to drop off some cash later to pay for the broken window.

Grade inflation. Honors journalism students in Naples, FL are graded not only on how well they write, but on how many ads they sell for the high school yearbook. The syllabus says $600 will get you an A, $500 will get you a B, $400 gets a C, $300 gets a D and less than $300 worth of ads sold will earn a student an F on the assignment. Does anyone else think this is a bad idea?

Dog heir. Hotel operator and real estate investor Leona Helmsley, who died August 20, 2007, left $12 million dollars to her dog. The article doesn’t say who gets the money when the dog dies.

Billy Madison Goes Back to School

Published at September 3, 2007 in Video, Education and Fun. 3 Comments

Here is a little Adam Sandler clip for everyone heading back to school.

(Video length: 0:32)

“Back to school! Back to school, to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool! I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don’t get in a fight! Ohhhh, back to school! Back to school! Back to school! Well, here goes nothing!”

HT: Provocations and Pantings

A Little Poem on Learning Greek

Published at August 29, 2007 in Education and Poems. 9 Comments

Any Greek students out there? You should appreciate this little poem written by a first-year student of Scot McKnight [cited in McKnight’s New Testament Greek Grammatical Analysis, 76, n. 6.]

Greek is a language,
At least it used to be.
It killed off all the Greeks
And now it’s killing me.

All have died who ever spoke it.
All have died who ever wrote it.
All will die who ever learn it.
Blessed death, they surely earn it!

Aaaaah, the good old days of learning Greek. I remember working as a night watchman in seminary from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., racing home, showering and eating breakfast, and then getting to Greek class by 8 a.m. Only by the grace of God I got through!

HT: Illumination

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