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]educational field trips,Educational travel programs
Saturday, June 15th, 2013
The Case for Skipping Class
What do America’s schools have against travel?In Darien, Connecticut, the public high schools’ attendance policy warns: “Inexpensive airfares are not an excuse for extended student vacations.” Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., also discourages absences for family trips, and at least one of the county’s high schools, Annandale, seems to have an outright travel ban. “Family trips and… [Read Full Article]education travel programs,education travel tours
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]education travel programs,educational field trips
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]Education Travel,educational field trips,Peace Works Travel
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]education travel tours,educational field trips,Educational travel programs