• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • About Current
    • Masthead
  • Podcasts
  • Support

education

The Founding Fathers Rejected School Choice

John Fea   |  August 21, 2017

Earlier today University of Western Washington history professor Johann Neem visited The Author’s Corner.  Yesterday he visited the pages of the Washington Post to talk more about public education.  As Neem correctly notes, the founding fathers believed that public schools were...

Author’s Corner with Johann Neem

John Fea   |  August 21, 2017

Johann Neem is a Professor of History at Western Washington University. This interview is based on his new book, Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America (John Hopkins University Press, 2017). JF: What led you to write Democracy’s Schools? JN: I...

What is Critical Thinking?

John Fea   |  February 3, 2017

Why should we study history?  Why does the college where I teach require students to take a history course?  I asked these questions to my students today.  A few them mentioned the phrase “critical thinking” in their answers. As Georgia...

Jerry Falwell Jr. Will Head Up A Trump Task Force on Higher Education

John Fea   |  January 31, 2017

Here’s a taste of a piece from the Chronicle of Higher Education.  I am sure there will be more to come here and elsewhere. Jerry L. Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, has been asked by President Trump to head up a...

Alan Taylor Channels Gordon Wood

John Fea   |  September 7, 2016

By now many of you have probably read a review of Alan Taylor‘s new synthesis of the American Revolution.  (We will be featuring Taylor in an upcoming edition of the Author’s Corner.  Stay tuned). Writing in The New York Times,...

The Training of History Teachers: A Twitterstorm

John Fea   |  August 2, 2016

If my colleagues in history profession care about good historical thinking in US culture they need to hang out more w/ teachers. #listen — John Fea (@JohnFea1) August 2, 2016 I wrote this tweet in the midst of a great...

Quote of the Day

John Fea   |  April 26, 2016

The purpose of college…is to turn adolescents into adults.  You needn’t go to school for that, but if you’re going to be there anyway, then that’s the most important thing to get accomplished.  That is the true education: accept no...

History Teachers Who Did Not Study History in College

John Fea   |  September 21, 2015

It has been said that most high school history teachers go by the first name “coach.” The idea behind this adage is that anyone can teach history. School districts demand that their music teachers have a college degree in music...

What Can Low-Income, Minority, Urban 16-Year-Olds Learn From the Great Books?

John Fea   |  January 11, 2015

Tamara Mann teaches in the “Freedom and Citizenship Program” at Columbia University. The program is directed by American Studies scholar Casey Blake and brings low-income high school students to the Columbia campus during the summer to read Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke,...

Sam Wineburg on Historical Thinking

John Fea   |  November 11, 2014

I always need to remind myself of this quote by Wineburg.  I have it on my office door. For the narcissist sees the world–both the past and the present–in his own image.  Mature historical understanding teaches us to do the...

“Education and Economics are Essentially Incompatible”

John Fea   |  November 3, 2014

...

A 103-Year-Old Reflects on Education

John Fea   |  June 12, 2014

During the final few years of my grandfather’s life my brother Chris (a plumber living in New Jersey) spent several days a week with him.  Their regular meetings included eating meals (Chris liked to bring over a pizza on Sunday...

Gettysburg College President Responds to Obama’s Rating System

John Fea   |  August 26, 2013 Leave a Comment

Obama’s plan to rank colleges and universities has sent college administrators on the warpath.  One of the more concise and effective responses has come from Gettysburg College president Janet Morgan Riggs.  Here is her “appeal” to Obama: I share and […]

This Teacher Wore the Same Outfit for 40 Years

John Fea   |  July 3, 2013

Or at least he did in his yearbook photo.  Read all about it here....

Ph.Ds in the High School Classroom

John Fea   |  May 28, 2013

Stanford University will pay for humanities graduate students who want to pursue careers as high school teachers.  Here is a taste of an article at Inside Higher Ed: The plan consists of a new course offering that will expose graduate...

Educators and Social Media

John Fea   |  May 22, 2013

I just ran across Dana Allen-Greil‘s slides for her presentation, “Museum Studies + Social Media.”  Whether you are a museum professional, public historian, graduate student, or teacher, this presentation is very helpful.  Allen-Greil discusses the ways educators can use Twitter,...

Teach!

John Fea   |  May 22, 2013

Sharon Liao is a history major at Columbia University who is concerned that elite colleges and universities are discouraging graduates from pursuing careers as K-12 teachers.  Here is a taste of her article at The Washington Post: Working at a...

I Attended the 415th Best High School in America!

John Fea   |  May 7, 2013 2 Comments

Three cheers for Montville Township (NJ) High School.  See where your high school falls in the Newsweek/Daily Beast top 2000.

Introducing “Reckless Historians”

John Fea   |  April 11, 2013 Leave a Comment

Whenever I teach The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin I spend some time talking about The Junto–Franklin’s club for mutual improvement.  Here is how Franklin describes the Junto: I should have mentioned before, that, in the autumn of the preceding year, […]

Great Britain’s History Wars

John Fea   |  March 20, 2013

When it comes to pundits and politicians decrying the lack of historical knowledge among young people, there is nothing new under the sun.  Writing at The Times Literary Supplement, David Cannadine, author of the recent The Undivided Past: Humanity Beyond...

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Patron Access

Way of Improvement blog banner

“After Salvador kills you, all the earth falls silent”

May 28, 2022 By John Fea

Do guns have ANYTHING to do with mass shootings? No, according to Ted Cruz

May 28, 2022 By John Fea

A conversation with Felicia Wu Song, author of Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age

May 28, 2022 By John Fea

“Turns out the Roman Catholic Church has nothing on the Southern Baptists when it comes to covering up sexual misconduct”

May 27, 2022 By John Fea

What we have said about guns and gun control over the years

May 27, 2022 By John Fea

More Blog Posts

Subscribe via Email



Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

Footer

Contact Forms

General Inquiries
Pitch Us

Search

Subscribe via Email



Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
Subscribe via Email


Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide