One of my education professors built an entire course around one uncomfortable idea: too often, we are not taught how to think. We live “stimulus-response lives.” He said most people walk into a room, hang their brains on a hook, and don’t question anything. In retrospect, he might have ...
In April 1861, following the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, S.C., and the start of the American Civil War, Edward G. Roddy, editor of the Uniontown Genius of Liberty newspaper, wrote, "Amidst the civilizations of the 19th century, we are on the very brink of ruin, despotism, and ...
When I first wrote this column in 2005, I ran a feature where I shared wonderful teen activities. It was a vehicle for me to show our community a side of teens they may be missing. It’s been a while since I did so, but this week I feel our current teens have earned the affirmation. This ...
Last week’s column received several responses. Here are a few. Q. Your column last week made me think. My mom and dad split up when I was 10 and mom was alone for a while. Then she met and married my stepdad. I pushed back at her – and him – at first. I think I was just a scared ...
I was scrolling the other day and came across a man named Robert Arnold on TikTok. He was talking about crayons. His verbal essay stopped me cold. He was describing a 128-count box of Crayola crayons. As a kid, that wasn’t just a box. That was success, and the fancy names of the colors were ...
Lincoln scholar Matthew Pinsker recently told the Guardian newspaper that the 16th president was, "arguably," the "greatest democratic politician in the history of the world," and "all of us would appreciate having a few more Lincolns in politics today." Amen to that, brother Pinsker, who ...
