The English Teachers Who Don’t Like Books

The English Teachers Who Don’t Like Books by Mark Bauerlein at First Things. The National Council of Teachers of English is the largest body of primary and secondary English teachers in the country. This organization certifies state-of-the-art teaching and research, hosts conferences, and advocates for the field in public affairs. Earlier this month, NCTE issued a position statement that calls for a fundamental change in the discipline…. Here are the sentences summarizing the goal: “The time has come to decenter book reading and essay writing as the pinnacles of English language arts education. Speaking and listening are increasingly valued as forms of expression that are vital to personal and professional success . . . It behooves our profession, as stewards of the communication arts, to confront and challenge the tacit and implicit ways in which print media is valorized above the full range of literacy competencies students should master.” Read

What Makes a School Catholic? Part 1 of 3 by Peter M.J. Stravinskas at Catholic World Report. What is the purpose of education? “The formation of the human person.” A correct understanding of education does not allow for this to be merely a process of information-giving (which any computer can provide) but is a matter of formation, which demands genuine human interaction – an insight which was re-discovered during the Covid-imposed “virtual learning.” Because real education does involve – necessarily – the forming of a person in mind and heart, this is “a universal right.” Read

Half of the Public Thinks Parents Should Have More Say in School Curriculum: Poll by Jeremiah Poff at Washington Examiner. Half of America thinks both parents do not have enough influence over classroom curriculum, according to a new poll, including nearly 40% of Democrats. The new poll from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and the Associated Press found exactly 50% think parents do not have enough say in what children are learning, and 51% think teachers do not. The poll's findings illustrate a growing unease among U.S. parents who are concerned that their local public schools are using classroom instruction on race, sexuality, and gender identity as a means to promote a political agenda. Read

Throwback Thursday

Divini Illius Magisti, Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Christian Education, on December 31, 1929. "By nature parents have a right to the training of their children, but with this added duty that the education and instruction of the child be in accord with the end for which by God's blessing it was begotten. Therefore it is the duty of parents to make every effort to prevent any invasion of their rights in this matter, and to make absolutely sure that the education of their children remain under their own control in keeping with their Christian duty, and above all to refuse to send them to those schools in which there is danger of imbibing the deadly poison of impiety." (quoting Pope Leo XIII) Read