Backporch Education Podcast

“The Opinion Show” Poem:  “To a Thinker” by Robert Frost Statement of the Whole: How much of the classroom experience should be humane conversation?  Is conversation or dialogue a better way to teach than lecture?  Can conversation alone move the … Continue reading →

Poem: “The Pasture,” by Robert Frost Statement of the Whole: Classically, teachers were called magistri from the Latin magis “greater.”Yet, often we feel (especially in the Christian community) an impulse to be ministers (ministri) to our students. Are we to … Continue reading →

The “Which One is This?” Episode Poem: A Question – Poem by Robert Frost Statement of the Whole: What is a question?  Is a question worth asking in class?  Is there any truth?  What makes a question great?  This episode … Continue reading →

This is a continuation of Part A, found here. God bless us, one and all!

Our First Christmas Special, and it comes in two parts, so listen to both! Poem: “Descent” by Luci Shaw Please Note: We got excited making this episode, so be sure to listen to both parts! We had to split it … Continue reading →

How does the discussion of “The One and the Many” inform education? Poem: Cosmetics, By Owen Barfield Statement of the Whole:  Long ago, the Greeks began a discussion of how the One and the Many work together and fight each … Continue reading →

Poem: “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by Randall Jarrell Statement of the Whole: What are some basic foundational principles to constantly contemplate when trying to provide a student with a great education?  With all the specialization and misdirection … Continue reading →

Cultivating Virtue Poem: “Sonnet 94” by William Shakespeare Statement of the Whole: Once we know what virtue is, it still a lot of hard work to flesh it out in the classroom.  In a world where virtue and vice are personal … Continue reading →

A Brief History of Virtue Poem: “The Day is Done” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Statement of the Whole: Educators talk often about education as the cultivation of Wisdom and Virtue. Cultivating something, such as Virtue, requires that we both understand it … Continue reading →

Comparing Farming with Teaching Poem: “Choose Something Like a Star” by Robert Frost Statement of the Whole: Comparison is a powerful way to define.  In this episode we compare farming with teaching, drawing out many ways that the two are … Continue reading →