Monday, June 24th, 2013

The Dog Wore Black

A Teacher’s Rant on Current Events as Polite Conversation I’m lucky: as a teacher, I get to think and read and talk for a living. Talking about controversial things is one of the luxuries we enjoy in a democracy. I’ve been told it’s impolite – or worse, “bad for small business”-- to discuss current events about which reasonable minds can differ.… [Read Full Article]

Wednesday, June 12th, 2013

A Teacher’s Rant on the Fourth Amendment and War

I experienced a strange confluence of public, historical and personal events last week:I was asked to lecture at student film project about How and Why the Holocaust Happened. International newspapers revealed that some “inalienable rights” – expectations of privacy -- for the American citizenry are in fact alienable on a federal scale. A few students graduating from Laguna Blanca School… [Read Full Article]

Monday, June 10th, 2013

At White House, liberal hawks ascend

The elevation of Susan Rice as national security advisor and Samantha Power as U.N. envoy hints at a foreign policy fight.With his decision to elevate Susan Rice to become his national security advisor and the nomination of Samantha Power as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, President Obama is not simply rewarding the loyalty of two women who have backed… [Read Full Article]

Thursday, June 06th, 2013

A Teacher’s Rant on Literacy and War

“War is what happens when language fails,” observes Margaret Atwood. In this sense, the crude methods of uncommunicative adversaries are not unlike pre-verbal toddlers resolving territorial and property disputes with violence. But on closer inspection, these words reveal a broader truth about cultural literacy and peace: what if war is the goal of an Elite, and manipulating the masses to… [Read Full Article]

Monday, May 06th, 2013

‘He gave me the most heartfelt smile’

All educational travel programs are not created equally. Our student spring break packages invite teachers to creatively integrate their passion, our history curriculum and long-term relationships with dynamic NGO’s in the destination country. This year’s Investigative Journalism Adventure in Laos taught students how to make compelling videos through interviewing survivors of UXO (unexploded ordnance) leftover from the Vietnam War. Student… [Read Full Article]