Financial Literacy: A Basic Education Need

"Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. When you are financially literate, you have the essential foundation of an intelligent relationship with money, and it will serve you as a starting point to a lifelong journey of learning about financial matters that are more advanced. The earlier you start, the better off you will be financially, because education is the key to success when it comes to money."

Click on the link below for the details:

Financial Literacy: What Is It, And Why It's So Important

Homeschooling: It's Diversity. Threat, And Warning

"Homeschooling has become America’s fastest-growing form of education, according to a Washington Post analysis. This form of education, which largely has roots within evangelical Christian households, has grown into a broader movement, especially since the pandemic. Laura Meckler is a national education writer at The Washington Post and is co-author of a series for The Post called “Homeschool Nation,” which takes an in-depth look at the surge in homeschooling in the U.S. and motivations for its rise, which include concerns over school shootings, curriculum ideologies and more. She joins WITHpod to discuss how this mode of education has evolved, the forces that have driven its growth, recent declines in public school enrollment, the increasing popularity of micro-schools, and more."

Click on the link below for the details of this important presentation signaling major issues in US education:

"Homeschool Nation"

The Most Important Book I Ever Read

There are uncountable great books. However, this one book, that I was required to read as a Freshman in college in the 1960s, was my introduction to critical/science-based thinking and it stuck. What a shame that formal education never has really adopted this simple philosophy:

"We destroy the disinterested (I do not mean uninterested) love of learning in children, which is so strong when they are small, by encouraging and compelling them to work for petty and contemptible rewards — gold stars, or papers marked 100 and tacked to the wall, or A’s on report cards. In short, for the ignoble satisfaction of feeling that they are better than someone else. We kill, not only their curiosity, but their feeling that it is a good and admirable thing to be curious so that by the age of ten most of them will not ask questions, and will show a good deal of scorn for the few who do." ~John Holt

(Book: How Children Fail [ad] https://amzn.to/47wCJvA)

(Art: Photograph by Bernard Hoffman)

The Republican War On Critical Thinking

"History has shown us repeatedly what happens when tyrants take education away from the public. Can the Republican led war on public schools turn generation Z, from Doomers to dumber? OR, will we learn from history so as not to repeat it?"

Click on the link below for the details of the Republican effort to end public education so that ignorance, unsupported ideology, and autocracy reigns in the USA:

The Frightening Reason Behind the Republican War Against Critical Thinking in Schools

A Look At The Status Of Education In The USA

One has to be willfully ignorant not to see that education in the USA is at a crisis point. There are too many factors involved with the issue for me to address in one post. The following is my STRONG opinion regarding the curriculum within public high schools. I am assuming that the elementary and middle schools are doing their job in preparing the students for high school.

This post is prompted by three deficiencies presently:

• Vocational/Trade Education is minimized.
• Many do not need a 4-year college education. It is overly expensive, with many majors not leading to liveable-wage employment.
• Civics needs to be more adequately presented.
• It should not be just one class in high school, it should begin in elementary school.
• Critical Thinking is essentially absent.

HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM

• Basic math (geometry, statistics, and algebra)
• Civics
• Critical thinking
• Reading (fiction; non-fiction)
• Writing
• Basic science (general physics, general biology, general chemistry)
• Basic US/world history
• Electives in prep for future: college; vocational/trade school

Who Should Control Books In Libraries?

Click on the link below for an analysis regarding what organization(s) should be controlling what you can or cannot read in public sources:

Let's talk about the Illinois book ban ban....

What Works In Education

"Today, we take a look at some of the fundamental problems with our education system and explore alternatives to spark ideas for improvement."

Click on the link below for a podcast presenting the serious problems in education in the USA and the evidence of what works. Nothing with change until society uses science-based thinking to solve the problem:

Alternatives and Improvement to our Educational System

Science-Based Reading Education

"Move over 'Dick and Jane.' A different approach to teaching kids how to read is on the rise.

"For decades, two schools of thought have clashed on how to best teach children to read, with passionate backers on each side of the so-called reading wars. The battle has reached into homes via commercials for Hooked on Phonics materials and through shoebox dioramas assigned by teachers seeking to instill a love of literature.

"But momentum has shifted lately in favor of the 'science of reading.' The term refers to decades of research in fields including brain science that point to effective strategies for teaching kids to read.

"The science of reading is especially crucial for struggling readers, but school curricula and programs that train teachers have been slow to embrace it. The approach began to catch on before schools went online in spring 2020. But a push to teach all students this way has intensified as schools look for ways to regain ground lost during the pandemic — and as parents of kids who can’t read demand swift change."

Click on the link below for more:

A New "Science of Reading"

Education And Democracy Are 4-Letter Words To Conservatives

"Today, we take a look at the history and present of the interconnected movements to privatize education and dismantle democracy."

Click on the link below for a podcast that exposes the harm of the conservatives in two main areas of society:

Destroying Education and Democracy for Fun and Profit

The Poster Child For Civics Education

With Donald J Trump's indictment yesterday, US society's bifurcation was magnified by the reaction to such throughout our country. Why? What accounts for so many people not understanding the horror of Trump and the Republican Party? 

Growing up, we had mandatory civics education in high school and were encouraged to read newspapers regularly. In fact, we were tested on the news of the day. Because of such, we were aware of a young, wealthy NY real estate developer scamming the city and its residents. That was beginning about 50 years ago!! Thus, there was a general awareness from then on that Trump was a moral low-life.

This blog has a Page dedicated to my vision for tomorrow: 

Parental Control

To conservative ideologues, parental rights/control is the top authority regarding the welfare of children. Is that valid? Is that the best for the individual child and for society? Does a parent with an elementary school level of education have the authority to overrule experts in the spectrum of knowledge disciplines? Click on the link below for a short video by Beau of the Fifth Column for answers to these and other questions regarding this matter:

Let's talk about parents and education

Andy Borowitz: The History Of Anti-Intellectualism In The USA

"As the world struggles with war, inflation, and climate change, political leadership is needed now more than ever. Humorist Andy Borowitz believes good leadership is increasingly hard to find these days. His new book, “Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumber and Dumber,” looks at America’s embrace of anti-intellectualism. He joins Walter Isaacson to talk about this trend's danger to our democracy."

Click on the link below for a sobering interview:

How American Politicians Devolved Intellectually

A Look At The Education Process

"This RSA Animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert, and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award.

"The RSA is a 258-year-old charity devoted to driving social progress and spreading world-changing ideas."

Click on the link below for an interesting opinion regarding changing society's educational structure and process:

Changing Education's Paradigms

Childhood Beliefs: Okay If Used To Introduce Critical Thinking Skills?

"I have been distraught by a deep moral issue lately. There is no way I will ever teach, or let my children follow religion. But I commonly relate religion and santa clause. I have been seriously debating whether or not it is a good idea to let children believe in santa clause or the tooth fairy. Since religion is so closely related, are those also terrible things to let children believe in?"

Click on the link below for science-based thoughts on this question:

On childhood beliefs

Exploding Myths In Culture, Science, And Psychology

"We too readily accept whatever we are taught. Not Tomasz Witkowski! He sets an example that we all should follow: he questions everything! His questions lead him to discover that much of psychology, culture, and even science itself are not supported by credible evidence. This book will challenge you to reconsider some of your most cherished beliefs, and to realize that much of what you thought you knew is wrong. Prepare to be discombobulated by his revelations."

The most important trait of a science-based thinker is to realize that you can be wrong in your beliefs. After all, science is performed by imperfect humans with a limited knowledge base. Ironically, it is this trait that has advanced society through positive change based on objective evidence. Unfortunately, virtually all other worldviews are resistant to change.

Click on the link below for a book review concerning the above realities:

Fads, Fakes, And Frauds

Math Education: How Much Is Needed And What Type?

One of the controversies in education is the amount and type of mathematics education needed in middle and high school. Click on the links below for examples of current thinking on the matter:

“We hear on all sides that we’re not teaching enough mathematics — you know, that the Chinese are running rings around us,” Hacker says. “I’m suggesting we’re teaching too much mathematics to too many people. … I would say everybody doesn’t have to know calculus. If you’re going to become an aeronautical engineer, fine. But most of us aren’t. It’s a bit like saying everybody should learn Arabic because they may need it someday.” (https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/how-much-math-should-everyone-know-show-your-work/)

"Casual observation tells us that most people don’t use math beyond simple arithmetic in everyday life. Few people make use of fractions, trigonometry, or multi-digit division algorithms they use in school. More advanced tools like algebra or calculus are even less likely to be brought out to solve everyday problems." (https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2022/01/24/why-dont-we-use-the-math-we-learn-in-school/)

"How many people use algebra or geometry in their adult lives? According to Andrew Hacker, who teaches political science and mathematics at Queens College and is the author of The Math Myth and Other STEM Delusions, not many -- about five percent at most. And though most of us have taken these courses as requirements for high school graduation, a national survey found that 82 percent of adults couldn’t compute the cost of a carpet when told its dimensions and square-yard price." (https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/how-much-math-too-much)

Higher Education: Its History And Present Problems

"How did college become so expensive? Why is higher education the subject of so much political and cultural division? And how can we restore a sense of equality to learning?

"This week on Now & Then, Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the history of higher education and his new book, After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It."

Click on the link below for a wide and deep look at the issue:

Educating a Nation: Higher Education in Peril

Theology: How It Is Related To Other Disciplines

*Theology by Herb Silverman

It has been said, with some justification, that philosophy is “questions that may never be answered” and “religion is answers that may never be questioned.” But some questions in philosophy have been answered— by science. Branches of science sprang out of philosophical questions, many of which were once thought to be empirically impossible to test, like the idea of an atom propounded by Greek philosopher Democritus, as represented by the above picture. Ancient Greek philosophers concerned themselves with deducing what matter is made from, what the nature of the stars are, and concepts like chemistry and physics. These were regarded as philosophical issues, but many such questions have been explored and answered by scientists.

Philosophy, religion, and science are each involved with a search for truth. Science describes the way the world is. Philosophy and religion attempt to answer questions about what ought to be and why. But religion, unlike philosophy and science, is usually based on divine revelation and authority.

The word “theology” comes from the Greek words theos meaning God and logos meaning the word about (or the study of) God. Theology assumes that the divine exists in some form, and evidence for and about that existence may be found through personal spiritual experience or historical records of such experiences as documented by others. In short, theology is the study of God and of God's relationship to the world.

I consider myself to be an expert on theology. Why? Because I think the number of experts on any topic is inversely proportional to the evidence available on that topic. And by that criterion, we are all experts on God because there is absolutely no evidence for her/his existence. Many theologians make up stuff about God or quote stuff from books made up by others. My acknowledgment that I know nothing about God makes me more of an expert than those who claim to know God or to know about him/her.

Nobody can produce evidence that God is more than a thought or belief. Scientists can see stars that have been dead for billions of years and can document microscopic bacteria that lived on Earth eons ago. But of God we have no trace, except reports about God that neither the writers nor those around them ever witnessed, and the faith of millions who convinced themselves that God lives and reigns somewhere in the sky. If I told people I have an unverifiable, invisible friend that I speak with, they would think I have an overactive imagination, if not outright insanity, unless I named this friend “God.”

Most theists recognize how intellectually feeble faith is when they see it applied to anything other than their personal god belief. Competing and contradictory claims for thousands of gods by billions of people throughout history only says that humans can believe just about anything. Religious belief is not a logical conclusion arrived at after researching all the world's faiths and deciding on the most sensible one. It usually comes from childhood indoctrination and is wrapped up with values and loyalties developed at that time. People don't make a rational choice to believe in a god, so they are unlikely to make a rational choice to stop believing in that god, though some do if they become evidence-based.

In debates, I've had with Christian theologians my opponents use what is called “apologetics,” a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity against objections. Scientists don't need apologetics because nobody must believe in science for it to exist. When I provide debate opponents with biblical contradictions or questions they can't answer because no answer matches reality, I sometimes hear the unfalsifiable response “God works in mysterious ways.”

Confirmation bias also plays a large role when interpreting passages in “holy” books. For example, some theologians claim that the Bible has it right in ways that prominent scientists had it wrong. Many scientists once believed in an eternal, steady-state universe before we learned about the “Big Bang” and an expanding universe. Genesis opens with “In the beginning,” which some Christian apologists interpret as scientific evidence that the Bible describes a Big Bang beginning. I point out that Genesis goes on to say that God then created two lights, the greater to rule the day, and the lesser the night. Almost as an afterthought, God then made stars (which biblical writers did not know were other suns, many larger than our sun). The Bible contains so much anti-scientific nonsense because it's a product of an Iron Age culture, and the Bible has no more knowledge in it than the people of Mesopotamia had at that time.

I think there is a place for teaching the philosophy of religion in academia, including by religious studies departments at public universities. Also, perhaps, in theology departments, depending on how the topics are taught. Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of gods, the examination of religious experience, the analysis of religious vocabulary and texts, and the relationship of religion to science. A good religious studies program should expose students to all kinds of religious beliefs, and some students might realize that the religion in which they were raised makes no more sense than do a lot of other religions.

A fine book for philosophy of religion or religious studies is Karen Armstrong's A History of God, though more accurately it should be called “A History of God Belief.” Within authentic academia, in the absence of proof of the existence of something that something must be deemed not to exist until verifiable proof is found. So “God” should be held not to exist pending some sort of verifiable evidence.

College theology departments that mainly promote apologetics in religion-affiliated schools do not undertake a legitimate search for truth. At such schools, I like to see what science courses are in the curriculum if any. Some religion-affiliated schools “teach” why evolution is wrong. I don't so much mind theological viewpoints that incorporate legitimate science, but too many don't. It is difficult, I would even say impossible, for apologists to show how their “holy” book is consistent with modern scientific findings. I remember a time when people would feel a little embarrassed when they admitted they knew almost nothing about science. I never expected to hear what I hear from so many today, that they don't believe in science, as if science (like religion) is no more than a belief. Ignorance is not bliss and refusing to accept what we know is ignorance squared.

* From Nov/Dec 2022 Freethought Society Ezine

Parental Rights And Responsibilities

There is a great deal of discussion, and disagreement, regarding parental rights and responsibilities in the political environment of the USA presently. While most legal sources agree that the parents are the prime sources of proper nurturing and protection of the child, they also agree that outside resources are necessary to aid in achieving the goal of a happy, healthy, and well-educated child. After all, the parent is not the "owner" of the child (and neither is the state). 

With that said, what happens when parents do not meet their responsibilities in child-rearing? There is little societal disagreement regarding not tolerating physical (exception: corporal punishment) or emotional abuse, and/or failure to provide food, clothing, and shelter. However, the areas of health and education can present situations ripe for disagreement, especially if one's ideology is based on claims unsupported by evidence:

• Health: circumcision? vaccinations? birth-control? hormone replacement therapy? gender reassignment surgery? abortion? alternatives to medicine?
• Education: religious indoctrination? secular morality? evolution, and other sciences? history (of racism, inequality,  colonialism, genocide, wars, greed, authoritarianism, individualism, communism, socialism, democracy, republicanism, tribalism, capitalism)?

What to do with all of this?

Debt: The Good, Bad, And The Ugly

"How have citizens viewed personal debt over the course of American history? What can the morality and functionality of debt tell us about the debate over President Bident’s student loan forgiveness program?

"Heather and Joanne discuss the history of debtors’ prisons in early America, the rise of bankruptcy laws after the Civil War, and the Cold War origins of federal student loans."

Click on the link below for an interesting podcast on money and debt historically and presently:

Forgiving (and Unforgiving) Debt