Teaching
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We live in an age of unprecedented cognitive surplus, yet we are haunted by a singular, hollow paradox: we have more information than any generation in history, but less “drive” to do anything meaningful with it. We are masters of the digital scroll, experts in the irony of the meme, and sophisticated deconstructors of every…
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Whether you are a parent, teacher, or grandparent, we have all faced the same dilemma: How do you start—and sustain—a meaningful conversation with a child? The answer is simpler than you think: You have to trick them. I don’t mean this in a deceptive way, but in a “pedagogical” way. Most children (and, let’s be…
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Educators and parents alike have a reliable tool for Friday afternoons: the sugary incentive. I still remember Mrs. Crow in Grade 1 treating us to popsicles after a good week, or the “penny jar” in Grade 2 that led to a class party. As adults, we often expect children to exhibit intrinsic behavior (doing right…
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During my first year in a Master’s program, I was a “deer in the headlights” who happened to stumble into a course on George MacDonald. I knew he was admired by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, so I gave him a shot. Little did I know that three years later, I would be finishing a…
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Jeffrey Overstreet is one of my favorite film critics. Whether he is writing for JeffreyOverstreet.com or drafting his fantasy series Auralia’s Colors, he remains uncompromising. Every year, he draws fire for critiquing “Best Picture” nominees that happen to be wildly popular. His response to the “popularity equals quality” argument is a simple, rhetorical analogy: McDonald’s…