Tag Archives: Education
“We are a thinking species”: Carl Sagan on creationism, skepticism, and why science is the birthright of everyone
In 1981, Carl Sagan — astronomer and science educator par excellence — was named Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association, and delivered his acceptance speech at the association’s annual conference in San Diego. The AHA has now … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
“Sometimes a dream almost whispers”
Steven Spielberg praises teachers, talks about how he fell into filmmaking, and offers inspirational advice: When you have a dream, it often doesn’t come at you screaming in your face, “This is who you are, this is who you must … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
What do teachers make? They make a goddamn difference.
A classic performance by the fiery spoken-word poet, teacher, and teachers’ advocate Taylor Mali: A more recent version, coinciding with the publication of Mali’s book, What Teachers Make: I love this poem for what it says about teachers’ passion, commitment, … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Stephen Colbert on all things science
Another long-but-absolutely-worth-it video: Neil deGrasse Tyson talks with Stephen Colbert (out of character!) about all things science. If you’re a Tyson junkie like me, you’ve heard much of this before — the Titanic story, Apophis, how he fell in love … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
On government, humanism, and Tony Bennett
Reason #5,167 why government matters: because Tony Bennett is absolutely sublime*… …and he wouldn’t be who he is if the G.I. Bill didn’t play a big part in his musical education. From an interview on NPR: I had very good … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
“For learning, against usefulness”: The Phantom Tollbooth and the purpose of education
My mind has been on education a lot these days, as we take our fifth-grade daughter to visit middle school after middle school, analyzing and comparing notes, trying to decide which ones to apply to next year. It’s funny — … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
“An invention that’s killing us”: The double-edged sword of modern time
Our daughter is waging a losing battle with time. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make that sound morbid. No, she’s fine and in good health. But she is discovering what most of us eventually learn — that in the … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Richard Dawkins on childhood, religion, and science
The New York Times has an excellent profile of Richard Dawkins — presumably on the occasion of the publication of his first children’s book, The Magic of Reality, now out in the UK and out soon in the US. A … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
“We’ve got to be that light”: Paying tribute to America’s teachers
To celebrate the beginning of a new schoolyear in the U.S., here’s a very moving musical tribute to America’s teachers — a collaboration between John Boswell of Symphony of Science and educator-astrophysicist Jeff Goldstein: An international version, which leaves out … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
