Mike Thomas, a teacher and Department Head at a private Benedictine High School, writes about his own experiences in education, both as a student and a teacher.
An interesting read on how DeSantis’ plans for his state are as much about indoctrination as he claims to be fighting.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
What a loon
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And yet he is a Governor and Presidential candidate. Go figure.
You know what is kind of loony. It is you supposed Liberty loving, original intent affirming, market-place-of-ideas supporters completely discarding your principles as your MAGA compadres commit to all-out war on science and “divisive” ideas. Loony and very funny.
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Why?
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Not sure what Dr. Tabor has in mind, but the Bulwark’s writer seems loony to me. The writer has an advanced degree in English, but appears to be totally ignorant about the classical liberal arts curriculum.
Someone familiar with the classical approach would not make the mistake of assuming that the purpose of K-12 education is to teach children to think for themselves. He would therefore not be horrified that a home-school curriculum might require a student to write an essay in support of a thesis that the course materials provide.
One can argue whether or not the classical liberal arts curriculum is the best — indeed, a lot of work has been done in the last century to supplant it — but to pose as an education expert without apparently knowing the last two thousand years of liberal arts development makes the writer look foolish.
A Wikipedia article on the Trivium provides a good introduction to the classical liberal arts curriculum:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivium
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“Someone familiar with the classical approach would not make the mistake of assuming that the purpose of K-12 education is to teach children to think for themselves. ”
Here is something you should know. Someone disagreeing with your peculiar opinions is not making a mistake, nor are they “totally ignorant” of the subject at hand, nor or they “loony.”
Your invocation of the trivium is interesting but it is literally ancient history. From your source . . . “The modern use of the term liberal arts consists of four areas: the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.”
And, completely the opposite of what you seem to believe, the proper purpose of K-12 education is to produce adults capable of thinking for themselves. I would say that you are totally ignorant, loony and wrong but then I would be committing the sin that I just chastised you for, so, I won’t.
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RE: “Your invocation of the trivium is interesting but it is literally ancient history.”
Not really. Some home schooling courses and private schools market themselves as offering a classical approach, even Trivium-based materials for K-12.
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Yes really. Read your own links.
Someone who goes through K-12 and has studied ONLY the Trivium has not received a liberal education by TODAY’S standards. A liberally educated person may have studied grammar, logic, and rhetoric but they have also studied the Natural Sciences, The Social Sciences, the Arts, and the Humanities.
But even if you think so, what is your justification for calling the author a loony, or ignorant, or wrong?
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RE: “A liberally educated person may have studied grammar, logic, and rhetoric but they have also studied the Natural Sciences, The Social Sciences, the Arts, and the Humanities.”
So what? You are playing semantic games that are as ignorant as the Bulwark’s. In the classical curriculum it is not uncommon to learn math and foreign languages, but that is not a deviation from the Trivium.
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“You are playing semantic games that are as ignorant as the Bulwark’s. ”
Uh, no. That would be you.
And since we are throwing out “ignorant” let me say again that your profound ignorance is on display when you claim that teaching kids to think for themselves is NOT a goal of K-12 education. It most certainly is the goal even if some “Christians” and cultists abhor the idea of their children developing critical thinking skills.
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“One can argue “…
To being with, this is NOT a Bulwark writer. It was an English teacher who’s essay was posted by The Bulwark.
His insights into classical liberal education is based in fact and experience. You may not like it, but that it just too bad.
The only foolishness I see here is Don calling him a “loon”, and you questioning his expertise and experience.
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RE: “To being with, this is NOT a Bulwark writer. It was an English teacher who’s essay was posted by The Bulwark.”
Don’t be ridiculous. A writer published in the Bulwark is a Bulwark writer.
I substantiated my criticism of the writer. I notice you have no rebuttal.
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“I substantiated my criticism of the writer.”
LOL! No you didn’t. You threw out some epithets and some baloney about how ignorant he is. That substantiates nothing. Nor is it criticism. More like a tantrum.
Personally, I think you were on some sort of ego trip . . .
Look it me. Look how smart I am. I know about the Trivium. That’s Latin!!
Even though the Trivium has nothing to do with what the writer had to say.
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“. A writer published in the Bulwark is a Bulwark writer.”
The Bulwark has several writers on its staff. Mr. St. Thomas is NOT one of them. A contributor, yes. But NOT a Bulwark writer.
(Doncha just hate it when someone plays semantic games? Enjoy the dose of your own medicine.)
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Because he is whining about hos Marxist ideology being unwelcome in schools.
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“Because he is whining about his Marxist ideology being unwelcome in schools.”
There is nothing Marxist in the essay unless you think “Marxist” means “something I don’t like. That may be since you frequently adopt your own meanings for pejorative sounding words to make sure they apply to just about anything you don’t agree with.
One of your favorite ploys is to accuse others of ad hominem responses. Could anything be more ad hominem than “what a loon” and then justifying that with a meaningless pejorative? Or, as you frequently ask . . . where is he wrong?
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How do you what Marxism is?
Obviously I am asking where you learned about Marxist theories.
What better way to learn the virtues of capitalism than by comparison. All forms of governance wrap around some form of distribution of goods and service among its populations. None are perfect because they are human constructs. And none are pure versions of their theories. And all are subject to competing powers of wealth, humanity, empathy, greed and the aberrant.
But being ignorant of Marxism does not cast illumination on other forms any better than looking at only Ford pickups when making a purchase.
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He pines for the days of his graduate education in which “Classes involved reading lists that drew heavily from gender theory, queer theory, Marxism, deconstruction, and like. Some professors were more closed-minded than others, but let’s just say that in class conversation generally, I wasn’t inclined to admit that I had at any time in my life, even if only fleetingly, considered voting for a Republican.”
As though those would be proper topics in grade school while being blind to the social presssures he bowed to to fit in.
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Cherry picking nd misunderstanding of what he said does NOT indicate a “pining”, as you so woefully tried to put it.
And he did NOT bow to fit in. If you would use the ENTIRE essay instead of pulling out little partial paragraphs in an attempt to make the point. Reading lists, by the way, that were intended to foment DISCUSSION, NOT indoctrination.
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“He pines for the days of his graduate education in which . . .”
Can’t you read?
He made it beyond clear that he was not into any of those subjects and found then culturally alien. He was “pining” for the intellectual atmosphere where “divisive” ideas were not forbidden.
He neither said nor implied that ANY of those GRADUATE SCHOOL topics were suitable for grade school. Where in the Hell did you get that?
You have been busted again. Your ad hominen charge of Marxism was bullshit. Your attempt to justify it beyond lame.
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I knew I left out a favorite buzzword used n this forum: Marxism.
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Yerp. DeSantis is a BIG loon.
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So Mike Thomas is all for left wing indoctrination of children. Got it….
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Yeah, that’s it. 😇
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Where exactly did you get that from his piece? Or are your panties wadded so tight the oxygen supply is cut off to your brain and you can’t comprehend what he says? You just see it as an attack on your “gentle sensibilities”.
You don’t like it because you disagree with him. Yet all you can pull out of your ass hat is some gibberish about left wing indoctrination.
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It’s clearly the gist of his complaint. Just because he and you liberals want to teach white children they are racists and owe blacks, black children they are oppressed and deserve a free lunch from whites, anal sex to 5 year olds, cutting off your penis is cool, all police are racists, you can choose your gender and all of the other despicable leftvwing indoctrination trash disguised under shallow terms of inclusion and diversity doesn’t mean the rest of us want our children exposed to it and nutured by a teaching authority. Teach your despicable trash at home if you choose.
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Nothing in your comment is factual. However, it seems top be quite telling about yourself in a psychological manner. You appear obsessed with a lot of things you THINK are happening. Is it because you yourself are a practitioner of such things? Asking for a friend.
In other words, you are a shitposting hater of all things NOT you and yours.
And since is loving your neighbor “despicable trash”? Jesus is not going to judge you well.
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RE: “So Mike Thomas is all for left wing indoctrination of children.”
That’s about the size of it. If it is not “good” left wing indoctrination, it must be “bad” right wing indoctrination.
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Explain exactly where St. Thomas talks about wanting to indoctrinate in any way shape or form. Wanting to teach student to think critically is NOT indoctrination. It is a benefit to the student and to society. Because one who can think critically is better suited to be a better person.
Indoctrination, woke, communist. All buzzwords thrown around by commenters who disagree with something. It is in a word, HORESHIT!
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