In this episode, Dr. Andrew Bernstein takes us all on a thought-provoking discussion of what we -- teachers and parents and all involved -- are doing right and doing wrong in education. This is an important episode to make us think, reflect, and be self-critical, for what we are doing in education is what we are doing to our children/students, our society, and our world.

Dr. Bernstein discusses:
-his background and expertise
-what American education is doing right and wrong
-evidence for the failures
-historical context of the failures
-philosophical causes of the failures
-what parents and teachers can do to help their children
-the importance of phonics and Montessori


A theme song, at least partly, for the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w


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About Dr. Bernstein:
Andrew Bernstein holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. He has taught Philosophy at the State University of New York at Purchase, Marist College, Hunter College, the State University of New York at New Paltz, and other New York-area universities. He was selected as 'Teacher of the Year' at both SUNY Purchase—and at Marymount College. In 2016-17, he was a Visiting Professor at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), where he taught Business Ethics.

"He lectures regularly on college campuses, including at Harvard University, Stanford University, the University of Chicago, Oxford University (the U.K.), Yale University, the United States Military Academy at West Point, Columbia University, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Northwestern University, and numerous others.

Dr. Bernstein's Website: https://www.andrewbernstein.net


Scott Powell's Outschool page: https://outschool.com/teachers/Scott-Powell
Scott's Website: https://historyatourhouse.com

Michael's Outschool page (not many courses yet; just starting on the site): https://outschool.com/teachers/Michael-Gold
Michael's Website: http://goldams.com

Contact Scott Harris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-k-harris-b037966
Contact Melanie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-katragadda-nctm-9b14522a
Contact Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/

External Links (no more notes! no more room!):
1. Dr. Bernstein's Heroes and Villains in American Education: https://www.andrewbernstein.net/2019/03/heroes-and-villains-in-american-education/

2. PISA results: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2015/pisa2015highlights_3.asp
2.a. See also: http://factsmaps.com/pisa-worldwide-ranking-average-score-of-math-science-reading/

3. "Why Johnny can’t write, and why employers are mad” by Kelley Holland: https://www.cnbc.com/2013/11/08/why-johnny-cant-write-and-why-employers-are-mad.html

4. Michael can no longer find on the Internet: "ABC’s Tinley Park High School 1988 – America’s Kids: Why They Flunk," hosted by Barbara Walters

5. Kira Hoffman writing samples
a. Book review of Quentin Reynolds' book The Wright Brothers: Pioneers of American Aviation: http://goldams.com/review-of-quentin-reynolds-book-the-wright-brothers-pioneers-of-american-aviation-by-kira-h/
b. Book review of Dan Flores' book Coyote America: http://goldams.com/book-review-by-kira-hoffman-of-dan-flores-book-coyote-america/

6. Montessori Education
a. https://www.montessori.edu
b. http://imsmontessori.org/index.html
c. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education
d. https://amiusa.org

7. Biography of Maria Montessori
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqeTYHn0p4
b. https://www.whitepaperpress.us/bbc-documentary-on-maria-montessori/
c. https://montessori-ami.org/resource-library/facts/biography-dr-maria-montessori

8. Books by Dr. Montessori
a. Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook: A Short Guide to Her Ideas and Materials: https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Montessoris-Own-Handbook-Materials/dp/0805209212/
b. The Discovery of the Child by Maria Montessori: https://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Child-Maria-Montessori/dp/0345336569/
c. The Absorbent Mind: A Classic in Education and Child Development for Educators and Parents by Maria Montessori: https://www.amazon.com/Absorbent-Mind-Maria-Montessori/dp/0805041567/

9. Marva Collins' Way by Marva Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Marva-Collins-Way/dp/0874775728

10. Marva Collins Documentary
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK7GUSISFjY
b. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-2Ovk7cuHY

11. Ayn Rand
a. A Sense of Life (documentary about Rand): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Q9VQ6
b. short bio: http://aynrandlexicon.com/about-ayn-rand/bio.html
c. Atlas Shrugged: https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145
d. Facets of Ayn Rand by Mary Ann and Charles Sures: https://www.amazon.com/Facets-of-Ayn-Rand/dp/B00026WUS2/
e. 100 Voices: An Oral History of Ayn Rand by Scott McConnell: https://www.amazon.com/100-Voices-Oral-History-Rand/dp/0451231309/

12. Ayn Rand on Montessori
a. https://www.montessorieducation.com/blog/ayn-rand-and-montessori
b. Montessori mentioned in the Rand essay The Comprachicos: http://www.stephenhicks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/RandAyn-The-Comprachicos.pdf

12. Phonics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonics
12.a. Hooked on Phonics: https://www.hookedonphonics.com

13. The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Fat-Surprise-Butter-Healthy/dp/1451624425

14. FDA: you have no fundamental right to choose foods.
a. https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=nlj
b. https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=nlj

15. Abraham Lincoln in the National Wresting Hall of Fame
a. https://www.wwe.com/classics/abraham-lincoln-president-and-wrestler
b. https://nwhof.org/stillwater/resources-library/history/wrestling-in-the-usa/

16. Abraham Lincoln memorized Euclid's Elements (geometry!) when in his 40s: http://goldams.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-a-rational-study-of-mathematics/

17. Isaac Newton beats up a school bully.
a. https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-isaac-newton
b. http://mentalfloss.com/article/81487/15-observational-facts-about-isaac-newton
c. search on "antagonist:" http://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/view/texts/normalized/THEM00166

18. About the "danger" of lions and other predators
a. Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cat’s Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Lion-Lone-Across-America/dp/1620405520/
b. Coyote American by Dan Flores: https://www.amazon.com/Coyote-America-Natural-Supernatural-History/dp/0465093728/

19. Plato's Republic
a. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/
b. https://www.iep.utm.edu/republic/

20. The study of the two men who ate only meat for a year: "Prolonged Meat Diets with a Study of Kidney Function and Ketosis" by Walter S. McClellan and Eugene F. DuBois (From the Russell Sage Institute of Pathology in Affiliation with the Second Medical (Cornell) Division of Bellevue Hospital, New York (Received for publication February 13, 1930)): http://www.jbc.org/content/87/3/651.full.pdf?fbclid=IwAR05gJ2GX4lbdIXzBYA9R9uU65UOUv7DG2iovIHhMVEv0ZjVJsE4nke6zNA

21. Quotes from the book Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein: https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214484/
a. "Science students learned the facts of their specific field without understanding how science should work in order to draw true conclusions."
b. “The correlation between the test of broad, conceptual thinking and GPA was about zero.”

22. Resources for Parents
a. Scott Powell's Outschool page: https://outschool.com/teachers/Scott-Powell
b. Scott's Website: https://historyatourhouse.com
c. Michael's Outschool page (not many courses yet; just starting on the site): https://outschool.com/teachers/Michael-Gold
d. Michael's Website: http://goldams.com
e. Contact Scott Harris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-k-harris-b037966
f. Contact Melanie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-katragadda-nctm-9b14522a
g. Contact Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/

See also:
1. Good books that demonstrate the importance of independent, logical thinking to our well-being:
a. The Soul of a Horse by Joe (and Kathleen) Camp: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Horse-Life-Lessons-Herd/dp/0307406865/
b. Horsemanship Through Life: A Trainer's Guide to Better Living and Better Riding
by Mark Rashid: https://www.amazon.com/Horsemanship-Through-Life-Trainers-Better-ebook/dp/B007TV3VJK/

2. A quote on the importance of philosophy.
In a debate involving two scientists and two philosophers, “Richard Dawkins said ‘You know, I’m not a philosopher, I’m a scientist. I’m only interested in truth.’
...
A Frenchman in the audience said ‘What is truth?’ “
—Dennis Noble, in Episode 2: Harnessing Randomness of the Big Biology Podcast (https://www.bigbiology.org/podcast#episode2)

3. “Few [scientists] are philosophers. Most are intellectual journeyman, exploring locally, hoping for a strike, living for the present." —E.O. Wilson, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge: https://www.amazon.com/Consilience-Knowledge-Edward-Osborne-Wilson/dp/067976867X/



Image courtesy Mark DeCunha.