The Reason We Learn

Have you ever read a book on a subject you thought you already understood inside and out—only to realize something so blindingly obvious, you feel almost foolish for not having seen it before?That’s how I felt reading Ian Underwood’s Rethinking Fairness in Education and Stop Lying About Education Savings Accounts. In these two books, Ian takes the issue of money in education—a complicated and contentious topic—makes it almost effortless to understand. Using compelling visuals, humor, and simple thought exercises, he subtly leads the reader to first principles, making it nearly impossible to mistake opinion for fact, or wishful thinking for reality.In this conversation, Ian and I talk about how “fairness” could apply in education, why the talking points in support of ESAs are lies, and how we can have more productive conversations about reforming education in the future if we just start asking different questions.I can’t recommend his books enough. If you’re a parent, teacher, policymaker—or just someone who believes we all deserve better—kids and taxpayers alike—these books are essential reading.Get the books:* Rethinking Fairness in Education* Stop Lying About Education Savings AccountsWatch the full conversation here, and then read them. You’ll come away seeing public education in a whole new light!You can also find Ian’s writing at Granite Grok blog.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You can also buy me a coffee! Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

In this video, I challenge the way “freedom” is being defined and sold to us today. Using the debate over school choice and vouchers as a case study, I argue that more government-approved options aren’t freedom at all—just a rebranded form of control. I share my own definition (“the right to say no”) and ask: if the state still holds the strings, can we really call it freedom?PS: If adults struggle to communicate when we use the same words in very different ways, imagine how much harder it is for our teens—especially if no one has taught them to question the meanings of the words they use and hear. That’s exactly what my Words Matter course at Cogito Learning Center is designed to do. This fall, I’ll help teens closely examine loaded terms like “freedom,” “rights,” and “fairness” so they can think more critically and communicate more clearly in public discourse. Read my article about it here. Registration is now open, and space is limited. Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

This Substack-only segment from my conversation with Matt Bowman, co-founder of OpenEd, is a focused follow-up to our longer YouTube interview. In this shorter discussion, we step back from the big picture and ask a more immediate question:What should parents be asking themselves before committing to another year of school?If you’re sitting at the kitchen table wondering whether the conventional path is working for your child — or your family — this short segment is for you.Matt offers simple, clear starting points:* Is your child happy?* Is your current plan working — or just familiar?* What are your child’s actual interests?* What does your family need — logistically, emotionally, spiritually — from an education plan?* How can those needs intersect to support real growth?We talk about what it looks like to pause, reflect, and begin shifting your mindset from system compliance to family-centered learning. This isn’t a deep critique, it’s a practical entry point for families serious about taking charge of their children’s education.To explore the broader conversation — including why the system is failing and why open education is the alternative every family should at least consider — watch the full interview on YouTube:Want to learn more about OpenEd? Check out Open Education: How to Reimagine Learning, Ignite Curiosity, and Prepare Your Kids for Success by Matt Bowman and Isaac Morehouse—a hands-on guide from two practitioners who’ve worked with over 100,000 students to help families escape one-size-fits-all schooling and build personalized learning journeys.Disclaimer: I’m referencing this book because Matt is a co-author not because I endorse every approach or detail it presents. However if you want to explore the OpenEd model more deeply, it’s a solid place to start.If you value independent writing that tells the truth about education, subscribe. To support me directly, buy me a coffee. Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I sit down with veteran educator James Furey to unpack a question many parents and educators grapple with: What makes a school “good”? We explore how standardized test scores, college admissions, and school rankings often fail to capture the true quality of education. James shares insights from his years in the classroom, discussing the impact of school culture, teacher autonomy, and student engagement on learning outcomes.Whether you're a parent evaluating school options or an educator reflecting on your practice, this conversation offers a thought-provoking look at the deeper elements that contribute to a meaningful education.🎓 Want More Than School Can Offer? Let’s Work Together.If you're ready to give your child a real education—not just schooling—visit CogitoLearningCenter.com to explore how I can help. Whether you need expert tutoring, personalized curriculum guidance, or full enrichment courses, I work directly with families to design a learning path that actually works.🟢 Start here: CogitoLearningCenter.com💡 Support This WorkIf you value the conversations and content I share, you can help in a few simple ways:☕ Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/trwl💸 Direct Support via PayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillman📰 Subscribe on Substack: thereasonwelearn.substack.com🛍️ Shop & Learn with My Affiliates📚 Heroes of Liberty Books: Get 10% off with my link: heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq🧠 The Socratic Experience: Give your child deep, discussion-based learning. Get 10% off here:socraticexperience.com/parent-guide/?utm_source=thereasonwelearn📲 Follow for MoreX (Twitter): @owl_elcInstagram: @thereasonwelearn Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

What If School Is Unconstitutional?How compulsory education laws violate your First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rightsWhat’s the underlying assumption behind compulsory education laws?That you, as a parent, will neglect your child — or more to the point, are already neglecting your child. That’s the premise the state must adopt in order to justify compulsory education. If the government truly believed parents were, on the whole, responsible and capable of educating their children, these laws wouldn’t exist.We don’t pass laws that compel action based purely on what might happen. At least, we’re not supposed to. We don’t incarcerate people preemptively because they might commit a crime. But with schooling? You had a baby — and the state assumes you're going to neglect their education. Not some parents. All parents. That’s what compulsory schooling assumes.And how do they act on that assumption? By sentencing every parent and child to a 13-year obligation, regardless of individual circumstances. The law applies equally to families with no history of neglect or concern. You don’t get a day in court. There is no probable cause. There is only your child’s birth certificate, your tax return, and your zip code — and that’s enough to trigger state control over your child’s education.Let’s talk about rights.The Fourth AmendmentThis amendment protects against unlawful searches and seizures — meaning the government cannot intrude on your privacy or property without probable cause. So what is the state’s probable cause for seizing control of your child’s education the moment they turn five or six?There is none.Compulsory education laws function on a blanket presumption of guilt. The state doesn’t investigate your family or review your individual circumstances. It simply assumes that because you're a parent, you're potentially dangerous — and your child's education must be monitored and directed by law.The Fifth AmendmentThe Fifth Amendment guarantees due process. Before the government can deprive you of liberty or property, you’re supposed to have your day in court.But when it comes to education, the sentence is handed down with no trial. No hearing. No opportunity to argue that you are, in fact, capable of educating your child — or that you intend to do so in your own way.Instead, you’re told what education is, what it looks like, how many hours it must happen, which subjects must be covered, and when. And if you decide to homeschool, you must apply for permission, meet qualifications, log hours, submit test scores — and still be held to the state’s definition of “schooling.”Where is the due process in that?The First AmendmentNow let’s talk about speech, thought, and association.Who decides what your child hears, says, or thinks during their 13-year sentence? The state. Who they’re around, what ideas they’re exposed to, what beliefs are promoted — it’s all decided for you. Freedom of association? Gone. Freedom of expression? Only within the bounds the state permits.And if you object? If you keep your child home too many days, for any number of personal reasons — sickness, mental health, family needs — you could be charged with truancy. Social services might come knocking.The Cost of CompulsionYou are also compelled to pay for all of it. Even if your child never sets foot in a public school. Even if you’re educating them at home or sending them to a private institution. You’re still taxed to support a system that presumes you unfit and overrides your rights.This is not just about poor outcomes. Yes, public education often fails to teach children to read or calculate, even after years of standards, reforms, and record funding. But that’s not the central issue.The central issue is this: the system violates your rights. And it does so under the guise of benevolence, of progress, of social good.And now, school choice is being sold as the solution — but it doesn’t solve the problem. It expands it. School choice doesn’t restore your rights. It entrenches the state’s role. It simply lets you satisfy your legal obligations in a slightly different way, with a different set of government-approved options — and with more oversight, not less.It’s not liberation. It’s rebranding.Why I'm an AbolitionistWhen I say I’m an education abolitionist, this is what I mean.I don’t believe the government has the right to override your parental authority without due process. I don’t believe your child should be subject to ideological programming in a state-mandated environment. I don’t believe you should be taxed to fund a system you didn’t choose and may even object to on principle.The existence of bad parents does not justify treating every parent as one.We don’t abolish rights because someone might abuse them. We don’t eliminate speech because someone might say something hateful. We don’t ban due process because someone might be guilty. And we should not accept compulsory schooling — with all of its constitutional violations — just because s

When teachers don’t teach, students don’t learn everything they’ll need to know to be successful in school, or in life. It’s as simple as that. Contrary to the assertions of the PhDs from Columbia and UPENN, most students do not, and will not, “discover” reading and writing proficiency, never mind proficiency at math, science, history, civics, and logic (what some call “critical thinking”). My good friend Dissident Teacher has written prolifically on this topic, and I strongly suggest you read every word, but make sure you listen to what I have to report from my experiences as an independent enrichment tutor. If, after listening to this, you’d like to discuss enrichment tutoring for your children, schedule a free 30-minute consultation here. Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

What are your children learning in school about man and what he should do in life? What kind of "self" are they being encouraged to develop? Do you even know? James Lindsay joins me to discuss the Marxian religious questions our children are being taught to ask in school, how the answers are purging enlightenment values from American culture, one lost "self" at a time. An American-born author, mathematician, and professional troublemaker, Dr. James Lindsay has written six books spanning a range of subjects including religion, the philosophy of science and postmodern theory. He is a leading expert on Critical Race Theory, which leads him to reject it completely. He is the founder of New Discourses and currently promoting his new book "Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody," which is currently being translated into more than fifteen languages.Join us for a discussion about what it means for all of us when our children are taught an anti-enlightenment theory of mind? Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

How often have you heard someone say “We have a mental health problem!” in the aftermath of a school shooting? It’s usually the thing you hear immediately after “We need commonsense gun control,” or "gun-free zones make easy targets."I’m going to guess it’s roughly every time, and it’s even possible you’ve said it yourself. Who could blame you? No one would deny the fact that anyone shooting up a school is mentally disturbed, but is that the whole story? Why schools? Why students and teachers? Why aren’t we asking these questions?My guests for this show, Pamela Garfield Jaeger and Cyndi O'Brien have some thoughts on that subject, as well as some fascinating stories to share about how “mental health” is actually addressed at school, some of which may surprise you. They'll explain how there might be more to the choice of location than the usual narratives would have us believe.Also, if you are currently under the impression we need more mental healthcare at school, or that every child should be evaluated for mental illness by default by school counselors, you’ll want to hear what these ladies have to say.My Guests:Pamela Garfield-Jaeger has worked as an LCSW for over 20 years in a variety of settings and programs. Most recently she worked with teens in school and outpatient settings. She realized that the vast majority of parents are unprepared to engage the Mental Health system from a position on knowledge and understanding. She is here to help educate parents on what to expect and how to interact with a very complicated and insular system.Follow Pam on X @truththerapist, and check out her website, work, public speaking and service offerings here: https://linktr.ee/thetruthfultherapistCyndi O'Brien is a former K12 education insider. She was an English teacher for 17 years and a school counselor for 3 years. She finally quit because of the corruption. She has been a whistleblower and produces her own videos and podcasts exposing what goes on behind the scenes in K12 education.Cyndi is currently employed as a child trauma therapist while she works toward professional counselor licensure (which should occur in just a couple of months). She also works as a college instructor of both English and Counseling. Follow Cyndi on X @ObrienCynd72601 and on YouTube @k12formerinsider Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever had a negative gut reaction to something that everyone else was excited about? That was me with EdTech. Everything I’d learned about learning, from brain science, to child psychology and development, told me “This is a bad idea,” but everyone I knew, parents and teachers alike, thought it was just fabulous. Here’s a sampling of what I heard most often from teachers:”They’ll be so much more engaged, and it will make differentiation so much easier!””I can be so much more creative with my teaching, and with so many online lessons, I’ll save so much time.””Now we don’t have to hear ‘I forgot my book,’ and kids don’t take good care of books anyway.””We are really lucky actually; Some schools don’t have devices yet, so their kids will lag behind in their 21st Century skill development.”Parents were slow to catch on to the fact that their kids weren’t bringing books home anymore, but when they did, most I knew were happy their kids were getting “access” to technology, and even called it a “privilege” they hoped all students would soon have. I remember fundraising efforts to raise money for the purpose of purchasing one-to-one devices for schools that didn’t have them yet, and electronic white boards to go with them too. *Sigh.* I felt very lonely on my island of skepticism and concern, even as test scores dropped like a stone, and the number of ADHD, anxiety, and depression diagnoses increased dramatically. That is until today, when my gut was validated, and my concern vindicated by this article by Jared Cooney Hovrath for After Babel. The article inspired me to do a mini podcast as a companion/reaction specifically about dopamine addiction, so you will understand how EdTech combines with tech use outside of school to create and exacerbate the very problems we’re told EdTech prevents: boredom, disengagement, demotivation, and depression.Please read the article because you need to see the data for yourselves! You also need to understand the science behind the damage. In particular, I recommend you pay close attention to the section on Multitasking. If you’re the parent of a middle or high school student who insists he or she can “multitask,” you’ll finally have the evidence to back you up when you say “No, no you can’t.”The Reason We Learn is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new here, you might be surprised to learn that someone as critical of America’s public education system would oppose School Choice, but it’s true. I do. I want education liberty, and that means I’m what’s called a government school abolitionist. That means exactly what you think it means: I want to abolish the government education system in America, at the federal AND state levels. I truly believe children cannot possibly get the education that’s right for them, or that they deserve, as long as the state controls education, and as you’ll hear Courtenay Turner say in our interview: what the government funds, the government runs.Public Education is Not a “Right”In the clip above, Courtenay recounts a conversation she had with people involved in school “reform” at the state level in her new home state of Tennessee. They insisted public education is a “right.” Is it though? Let’s look:* In the Declaration of Rights, which is the Bill of Rights of the Tennessee Constitution, there is no mention of Education whatsoever, never mind as a “right.” I read it twice, all 36 sections. Not a peep. * However, somewhat ironically, the same Declaration of Rights does say the following: * Section 1. That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; for the advancement of those ends they have at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.* Section 22. That perpetuities and monopolies are contrary to the genius of a free State, and shall not be allowed.* After the Declaration of Rights, Article XI, Section 12 reads: The State of Tennessee recognizes the inherent value of education and encourages its support. The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools. The General Assembly may establish and support such postsecondary educational institutions, including public institutions of higher learning, as it determines.So what Courtenay Turner said — what they tossed her from the meeting for saying — is actually correct. The Tennessee state constitution says that the state “shall provide,” it doesn’t say the parents or the children must take. Additionally, when these people referenced “children’s rights,” they were either imagining them or inventing them to support their argument. There is no language in the document referencing “children’s rights” to anything other than the same right to due process their parents have (see Section 7 below):That the people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and possessions, from unreasonable searches and seizures; and that general warrants, whereby an officer may be commanded to search suspected places, without evidence of the fact committed, or to seize any person or persons not named, whose offences are not particularly described and supported by evidence, are dangerous to liberty, and ought not to be granted. In other words, unless and until the state has evidence that parents are willfully neglecting, exploiting, or otherwise harming their children, they have no authority under this constitution to force the children of Tennessee out of their homes, and away from their parents period, never mind for thirteen years, all day, for at least nine months of the year. If you’re still skeptical, read Section 8:That no man shall be taken or imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liberties or privileges, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any manner destroyed or deprived of his life, liberty or property, but by the judgment of his peers, or the law of the land.So, at least in Tennessee, public education is neither a right to receive, nor an obligation to take, despite what Courtenay was told. What’s more, the Bill of Rights of the United States — as properly-educated Americans know — guarantees due process to all Americans, regardless of where they live. Federalism aside, no state has the authority to nullify the following: Amendment IVThe right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.These facts notwithstanding, Tennessee has this compulsory education law: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0520-01-02-.17 reads:(1) Children entering kindergarten shall be five (5) years of age on or before August 15. However, a child does not have to enroll in school at five (5) years of age, but enrollment must occur no later than the beginning of the academic year following the child's sixth (6th) birthday.(2) Any transfer student applying for admission who was legally enrolled in an approved kindergarten in another state and who will be five (5) years of age no later

We were warned.Almost seventy years ago, reading expert Rudolph Flesch’s bestselling book, Why Johnny Can’t Read, and What You Can Do About It warned Americans of the dangers of using the ‘look-say’ method to teach reading rather than phonics. Flesch argued that because look-say teaches students to memorize whole words by sight, rather than phonics, it was ineffective. He also said the simple stories typical of the look-say readers (e.g., Dick & Jane) did not help students develop a broad enough vocabulary to prepare them for reading increasingly complex material as they progressed through school. Rather than heed his warning, we doubled down on whole word reading instruction, and by the year 2000, most American schools, led by the New York City Schools, and Columbia Teacher’s College, had implemented Lucy Calkins’ Balanced Literacy Units of Study For Teaching Reading curriculum. Calkins’ program took the look-say method, and expanded on it, teaching children to guess words they didn’t know using “context clues” like pictures, rather than phonics. Balanced literacy limited the vocabulary students could learn just as much as look-say, but added an element of frustration for the children. Since they were expected to fill in their own gaps using “context clues,” students would interpret their lack of progress as evidence they were “no good at reading.” If they didn’t improve at school, teachers would advise parents to encourage students to read more outside of school, and if that failed, teachers would simply blame parents.There were always those exceptions, those students who learned to read at home, before entering school, or whose parents filled in gaps with things like Hooked on Phonics, or tutoring, and plenty of private schools still taught reading using phonics for a while, but eventually, even private schools adopted the Calkins method, and for decades, America’s children learned to read in a way that took what ought to have resulted in hours of cognitive growth, and enjoyment, into self-esteem-crushing drudgery that few students voluntarily pursued outside of school.The groundswell of anger and frustration that had been building amongst parents and teachers over the years finally caught up with Calkins in the form of a podcast. Sold a Story, produced by award-winning journalist Emily Hanford in 2022, had more people sharing it than any other show in 2023, and finally, in October of the same year, Columbia Teacher’s College finally parted ways with the Calkins curriculum. Did we take too long to listen?Just this week, The Atlantic published a piece entitled The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books, by Rose Horowitch, in which she tells readers something I’ve known for a long time: starting in middle school America’s teachers have stopped asking students to read books. Yes, you read that correctly. Students in the vast majority of middle and high schools are never assigned a book. That is not to say they don’t read at all, or that they aren’t told to select a book to read on their own; they’re just never required to read a book with the class, or asked to read it closely enough to learn new vocabulary, or analyze the text along with a teacher who knows it well, and can help the student think about the themes, characters, or problems more deeply than they possibly could with their limited life experience and cultural knowledge. Most students today read passages, and most of those are non-fiction as well. As a result, even elite college students today lack the stamina to read the sheer amount of material they would (should) be expected to read at the college level. Compounding the problem is the fact that their lack of reading has resulted in a limited vocabulary, and lack of writing skill. These are students who have not been exposed to great writing at all in some cases, never mind often enough, and with enough study or understanding (never mind grammar instruction) to write coherently, never mind well.This isn’t just a description of what most students are capable of doing, it’s also indicative of what they are inclined to do. Factor in competition for their attention from technology, and their anxieties about everything from their job prospects (made more limited by their lack of reading and writing skill) to climate change, and we have a huge challenge on our hands in this country.Most professors have simply decided not to assign challenging books at all because they know the students won’t read them. After all, at many elite schools, thanks to grade inflation, the students know they don’t have to complete their assignments at all, and they won’t “flunk out.” If their schools are anything like Harvard, as many as 79% of them could still have an A average.So did we wait too long? I suppose time will tell, but the simple fact is, this is where we are: even elite college students don’t read, and their employers, and possibly the rest of us, to the extent we need them to do things that require rea

I want to dig into the topic of “socialization” brought up today on X (see post below from Homeschool_LLC) because I truly believe the enduring myth he describes is likely the primary reason most people who could and would be inclined to homeschool their children, choose not to. “What about Socialization” was, and still is, the most common question I get, often followed by “but aren’t you afraid they’ll be weird?”The following details what I now say to people who ask this question. Feel free to use it yourself or, if you’re one of the people inclined to ask the question, please read this with an open mind.Define “weird?”Hey, this is me. If you don’t know already, you soon will; I am a person who insists that people define their terms before I will engage in any discussion, least of all one aimed at (unsolicited) denigration or judgement of my life choices.Here’s what the dictionary says:Well look at that: “Of strange or extraordinary character: ODD, FANTASTIC.” That would only be a bad thing if the opposite of weird is universally desirable, right? Well what are the antonyms for “weird?”Hmmm…I don’t know about y’all, but I’m not aiming to raise a “typical” adult, or an “ordinary” one either. I’m not saying I’ll be disappointed in my kids if they aren’t stand-outs in some way, but I want them to be individuals, not conformists, especially if I don’t approve of the “commonplace” “standards” that are “usual” in today’s society.Still, I doubt most people using the term mean “weird” exclusively the way it’s defined above. My guess is they mean “Won’t know how to get along or interact with people,” or “Won’t know how to make friends.” So that brings me to my next point:What does “getting along with” others look like?There are two interpretations of the phrase “getting along with.” I’m not using the dictionary now, I’m defining these based on my own experience, and answers given to me by anti-homeschoolers when I’ve asked them:* Able to interact with people who disagree, or are not like them, without experiencing unmanageable distress or conflict, and while still maintaining their own personal boundaries (that is, behaving in polite, respectful, situationally-appropriate ways, without sacrificing their own needs, or abandoning their own values). * Conforming to the behavior of the dominant personalities in any given space, or subjugating their own needs and values to the demands and desires of the collective.OK, to be fair, no one actually gave me that second definition as-written, I’m extrapolating from comments like “C’mon, you know what I mean!” and “Not standing out, not being a creepy loner…Doing what the other kids are doing, you know, having an active social life with friends!”Most people would probably agree that answer number one makes sense, and is probably what most parents think “getting along with” others ought to look like, so then the question is, are homeschoolers really hobbled in their ability to “get along” with others by that definition? No, they are not, and research backs me up on this. Kerry McDonald reported in February of this year that research done by the Harvard Human Flourishing Program found:“…home-schooled children generally develop into well-adjusted, responsible and socially engaged young adults,” So then the next logical question should be,How are kids “socialized” at school?Homeschoolers like me don’t dispute the fact that schools do “socialize” kids, we just dispute that they do it better than homeschooling. We say that because our definition of “good” includes “getting along with others” as described above. Therefore to be objectively “better” at socialization, schools would have to produce people who get along “better” by those standards than people who are homeschooled. Look around; Is it your experience that the average public school kid “gets along better” with people? Are they more respectful towards their teachers, parents, and strangers in public? Do they get into fewer fights with their peers, or express less rage or extreme disappointment when they don’t get what they want? When they meet new people, are they more comfortable making eye-contact, introducing themselves, and starting conversations than their homeschooled peers? Evidence would strongly suggest they don’t. One in six school-aged children is suffering with some form of mental illness. School attendance alone is strongly correlated with youth suicide, and especially since the lockdowns, school violence has gone up steadily year after year. Are these statistics that argue for school-based socialization? Even if you don’t blame the school, or its approach to setting and enforcing standards of behavior, for all that dysfunction, you can’t deny that telling families their kids will be “weird” if they don’t go to school isn’t a compelling argument against homeschooling. Even if “weird” did mean friendless and awkward, is that really worse than suicidally depressed and violent, or in classes all day with kids who

This post is not the first I’ve ever seen on social media from someone insisting we’re not “qualified” to homeschool our own children. I’ve addressed this before on my YouTube channel many times, within the context of other videos, but here I’m trying to give you some responses you can use to push back on people who say you’re not qualified (because you are).1. Define Qualified?The first thing you should always do when someone says you’re not qualified is to insist they define their terms. Don’t assume you know, and start defending yourself. If they throw something at you like “You don’t have a certification,” or “You haven’t been properly trained,” or “Where did you get your teaching degree?” simply follow that with the following:* What does “certification” do for the teacher, or the student, do you know? * Define “properly trained,” to do what exactly?* What do people with teaching degrees have that makes them more qualified to teach my individual child (whom you do not know) than I am?You could keep going with this all day if need be. The point is not to convince them you are qualified, the point is to challenge the validity of their claim. Unless and until they can define what qualified is, what teachers do that you could not do, and what teacher training delivers that you could not get on your own (if you don’t already have it), they have no point, and should be made aware of that.There is no specific class a parent takes to learn to teach their child to walk, talk, and go to the toilet, and yet most parents figure out it, often by asking other parents, their own parents, or even the Internet what to do, and those who have a child who struggles with these milestones — if they love their children — tend to start looking for help from people who are trained to find out why. Why would you not be able to do the same thing with teaching your child how to read, write, and do math?2. How Do You Know Teachers Are Qualified?It cracks me up how many people assume teachers are qualified to teach, just because the government, or some college or university said so! There’s a teacher shortage, first of all, so many sates have relaxed their standards to make it easier, not harder, for people to “qualify” to teach. Additionally, “qualified” and “certified” are not the same thing (see question above — make sure your interlocutor knows that). Certification has as much (if not more) to do with professional standards, and the laws and liabilities associated with teaching within the government system as it has to to with knowledge of pedagogy or praxis.3. My House is Not a School.Why would you need to be qualified to do what a teacher does when your house is not a school? Teachers, by definition, are professionals whose job is to work with many children at one time in a standardized way, covering required material, or material “aligned to state standards,” not to your individual child’s cognitive abilities, or interests. So the school might teach reading at a rate faster or slower than your child’s optimal speed, and there really is no way for the teacher to “individuate” the instruction without discriminating against other students. As the parent, you are not limited by such concerns. You can spend as much, or as little time as you like, and what’s more, you can tailor every hour, not just every day, to your child’s specific needs. 4. What if the Teacher is Not Qualified to Teach MY Child?You’d think, especially given the abysmal results we’re seeing nationwide on aptitude and achievement tests, at all levels of education, that more people would be questioning the teachers’ qualifications, not the parents’! It defies common sense to assume such a high percentage of students are performing so poorly purely because they are intellectually impaired, lazy, or have terrible home environments. It’s also unlikely that all these students would perform better if the schools just had more money. As a nation, we have been spending more every year, and the results have remained flat, or worsened year-after-year. So it’s perfectly fair to wonder whether parents can’t do any worse than teachers are doing, and might in fact do better if only because they know their children better, and can provide more consistent, individual attention at home.5. I Have Skin in the Game, Literally.The anti-homeschoolers can argue all they want FOR school if they like, but they cannot argue that anyone has more to lose (or gain) than you and your family from you taking charge of your own child’s education. They can also say your children “belong” to the community, but they don’t, they belong to themselves, and until they’re 18, legally, to you, not as property, but from a responsibility standpoint, it’s all on you. The school, and every allegedly “qualified” teacher there, won’t have to live with the guilt (or legal liability) if your child fails to learn what he or she needs to learn to graduate, never mind to be happy, well-adjusted, and successful. You

I saw this post on X implying that giftedness should correlate with material success in life, and had to respond. Myths like this are neither rare, nor benign, so they deserve to be challenged. As tempting as it is sometimes to knee-jerk reject posts like the one Seamus reacted to because they use woke sounding words like “neurodivergencies,” don’t. There is usually a kernel of truth to woke claims, and when you react by rejecting them out of hand, you inevitably substantiate one of their truly false premises.Take the original image, for example. It’s factually correct about most gifted kids — they do tend to be what is called “twice exceptional” in that they have underlying neurological issues, or a learning disability like dyslexia to go with their high IQ (Winston Churchill is an example). Think how frustrating it would be to have a better vocabulary and grasp of subject matter complexity, while being unable to easily decode the written word. That’s just one of many examples, and yes, if the child’s needs go unmet for long enough, it can be traumatic.The sunk premise you could legitimately react to is the last bit about the “world that was not designed to meet their needs.” That’s the world for everyone, not just gifted kids. NO world is “designed” to meet anyone’s needs for the simple reason that humans don’t design the world, only respond to it, and even the institutions and spaces we do design in response to the world can’t, and don’t, meet everyone’s needs, ever. It has nothing to do with whether the people are gifted or not. It should say the kids may be traumatized by years of frustration and neglect in schools that were not designed to meet their needs, or that went out of their way to deny their needs, or misrepresent their needs to their parents. Any one of those could produce an adult with residual “trauma” from childhood, but most gifted children experience more than one of the situations on that list.What frustrates me about the X-post’s knee-jerk reaction though is it doubles-down on the false premise that the “world” should be designed around individual special needs (and if it’s not, individuals will be traumatized), and promotes a myth about giftedness that is at least as traumatizing as coping with schools designed around average and below-average cognitive abilities: that gifted kids should be more materially successful than those without intellectual gifts, and if they’re not, they were never gifted to begin with.Think of all the things that go into being “successful” in life, whether materially, or personally! From talent, to personality, to being in the right place at the right time, there are so many contributing factors that have nothing to do with cognitive ability, most of which are beyond even the gifted child’s control. Personality traits alone can make a huge difference, as can support from the adults around you growing up, so it defies logic and reason to assume the cognitively gifted would automatically be successful, never mind more successful than their non-gifted peers.What’s more, this assumption — that gifted kids will be “fine” or successful without extra help or support — is likely the thing that prevents gifted kids from getting their needs met in a school setting, which in turn contributes to unresolved trauma that may contribute to their lack of success in adulthood.Look, I kind of “get” why people like Seamus react as they do. We’re all sick to death of hearing the word “trauma,” and we’re especially sick of trauma being used as an excuse for all kind of human failings and poor behavior, but we have to be very careful not to react to every use of the word without thinking. Trauma is a real thing, and gifted kids suffer plenty of it.If we genuinely want to improve education, and help kids grow up happy, healthy, well-adjusted, and yes, even successful, we need to stop thoughtlessly responding to flawed or false narratives about children. If you want to learn more about how the “world” within the public school setting is not designed to meet the gifted child’s needs, please watch this video with my friend Lisa Johnson of BrightLinks, an organization that is designed to meet their needs. Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Imagine growing up and not knowing your parents were Holocaust survivors…That was childhood for my guest today, Anna Salton Eisen. Anna is the author of The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir, The Twentieth Anniversary Edition (A National Jewish Book Awards Finalist in 2022) and Pillar of Salt: A Daughter’s Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust. She is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors and executive producer of the upcoming documentary film In My Father’s Words based on both of her books. Her writing has been published in The Jerusalem Post and The Forward, among other publications. As the founder of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, site of the antisemitic synagogue hostage crisis in January 2022, Anna has been featured in numerous major news outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Fox News. A social worker, Salton Eisen formerly practiced as a therapist, specializing in mental health and trauma.Today, Anna works to bring Holocaust education to everyone who wants and needs it. In this show, we will discuss why and how she’s doing it.Find Anna:Facebook: Anna Salton Eisen, AuthorX: @AnnaSaltonEisenInstagram: @annasaltoneisenWebsite, where you can buy the books:https://annasaltoneisen.com/TIMESTAMPS01:38 Intro03:55 Anna's story09:09 Why we need Holocaust education17:14 What has changed in education to make so many students hostile to Holocaust education?26:53 What works WELL for Holocaust education?44:02 Connecting Jewish history to American history49:10 Looking ahead, wrapping upSUPORT MY WORK// Donate:Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillman// Join:If you want to join weekly calls with me and my audience, and get access to my curated lists of education enrichment and homeschooling resources, join one or both of my private communities: TRWL @Wokescreen: https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/TRWP Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-parent///Work With Me:I offer a wide range of consulting services to parents and parent advocacy organizations. Learn more about my services, and book my time using these links Tutoring & Homeschool Teaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/online-tutoring-and-homeschool-teaching/ College Counseling and Essay Coaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/consulting/ Education Consulting & School Search: https://thereasonwelearn.com/1942-2/ Public Speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com/speaking/ Writing: https://thereasonwelearn.com/writing-2///Do Business With My Affiliates Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off! https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...Enroll your child in The Socratic Experience, a virtual school grades 3-12. They provide Socratic discussions of classic texts with a commitment to rationality while supporting students in entrepreneurial and creative projects. My listeners can now get a 10% discount by using the link below!https://socraticexperience.com/parent-guide/?utm_source=thereasonwelearn#teachingtheholocaust #holocaustsurvivor #holocausteducation #holocaustsurvivors #publiceducation #k12education #antisemitism--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

You may have noticed that Mental Health, sometimes referred to as “wellness” or wellbeing, has, both in terms of funding, and staffing, become job 1 for most schools, and you may even have heard that students “can’t learn” until they’ve been seen, heard, and assessed psychologically. Earlier, I sat down to talk with Jake Wiskerchen, marriage and family therapist, national certified counselor, and founder of Nevada based Zephyr Wellness, to get an update on what’s going on in counseling, especially in schools. I asked Jake because of his broad and deep experience in the field. He has given consultations, talks, seminars, continuing education classes, and staff trainings, to many agencies, groups, organizations, and individuals, including the Nevada Bar Association, Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy (POST), Nevada State Civil Attorneys Association, Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce, University of Nevada, Washoe County School District, Nevada School Counselors Association, Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, Lyon County School District, Pershing County School District, Sixth Judicial District Court, VanNess Group Homes, and CSA/Head Start, and he’s the host of not one, but TWO podcasts: noggin notes and guns and mental health.In this show, you’ll learn why mental health is front and center in education, and why that may be much too much of an otherwise good thing. Follow Jake @jakewiskPodcast host: Guns & Mental Health, Noggin NotesYouTube @ZephyrWellness SUPPORT MY WORK// Donate:Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillman// Join:If you want to join weekly calls with me and my audience, and get access to my curated lists of education enrichment and homeschooling resources, join one or both of my private communities: TRWL @Wokescreen: https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/TRWP Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-parent///Do Business With My Affiliates Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off! https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...Enroll your child in The Socratic Experience, a virtual school grades 3-12. They provide Socratic discussions of classic texts with a commitment to rationality while supporting students in entrepreneurial and creative projects. My listeners can now get a 10% discount by using the link below!https://socraticexperience.com/parent-guide/?utm_source=thereasonwelearn#schoolcounseling #mentalhealthandwellbeing #mentalhealthatschool #schoolcounselors #sel #mtss--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

If you haven't yet watched the Hulu miniseries Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, I highly recommend that you do. I watched it, and invited Josh Slocum, from @DisaffectedPodcast here to discuss coercive control -- what it is, and how it works -- because he's a graduate of Sarah Lawrence, and because he is an expert in cluster-B personality disorders, and while not all who are cluster-B engage in coercive control, all those who coercively control are cluster-B. Follow Josh on X @DisaffectedPod Subscribe to his Substack at https://disaffectedpod.substack.com/Watch the Hulu series: https://press.hulu.com/shows/stolen-youth-inside-the-cult-at-sarah-lawrence/SUPPORT MY WORK:// Donate:Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillman// Join:If you want to join weekly calls with me and my audience, and get access to my curated lists of education enrichment and homeschooling resources, join one or both of my private communities: TRWL @Wokescreen: https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/TRWP Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-parent///Work With Me:I offer a wide range of consulting services to parents and parent advocacy organizations. Learn more about my services, and book my time using these links Tutoring & Homeschool Teaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/online-tutoring-and-homeschool-teaching/ College Counseling and Essay Coaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/consulting/ Education Consulting & School Search: https://thereasonwelearn.com/1942-2/ Public Speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com/speaking/ Writing: https://thereasonwelearn.com/writing-2///Do Business With My Affiliates Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off! https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...Enroll your child in The Socratic Experience, a virtual school grades 3-12. They provide Socratic discussions of classic texts with a commitment to rationality while supporting students in entrepreneurial and creative projects. My listeners can now get a 10% discount by using the link below!https://socraticexperience.com/parent-guide/?utm_source=thereasonwelearn#sarahlawrence #hulu #coercivecontrol #clusterb #narcissism #narcissiticabuse #humantrafficking--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Jon England is the Education Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He is a fourteen-year veteran public schools who became frustrated with the lack of innovation, transparency and accountability in the system, and decided to leave the system and join Libertas to work on empowering parents, and defending parental rights.Find Jon on X @Principal_Jon Website: https://libertas.orgTIMESTAMPS03:16 - Welcome Jon!04:47 - COVID: The Final Straw09:01 - School vs. Parents13:12 - The School Trap20:00 - The Push to College32:32 - New Models for K12 44:15 - Government Roadblocks to Alternatives48:55 - Let's Talk About School Choice...1:00:00 - How to Get More Involved in Making Education BetterSUPPORT MY WORK:// Donate:Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillman// Join:If you want to join weekly calls with me and my audience, and get access to my curated lists of education enrichment and homeschooling resources, join one or both of my private communities: TRWL @Wokescreen: https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/TRWP Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-parent///Work With Me:I offer a wide range of consulting services to parents and parent advocacy organizations. Learn more about my services, and book my time using these links Tutoring & Homeschool Teaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/online-tutoring-and-homeschool-teaching/ College Counseling and Essay Coaching: https://thereasonwelearn.com/consulting/ Education Consulting & School Search: https://thereasonwelearn.com/1942-2/ Public Speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com/speaking/ Writing: https://thereasonwelearn.com/writing-2///Do Business With My Affiliates Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off! https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...Enroll your child in The Socratic Experience, a virtual school grades 3-12. They provide Socratic discussions of classic texts with a commitment to rationality while supporting students in entrepreneurial and creative projects. My listeners can now get a 10% discount by using the link below!https://socraticexperience.com/parent-guide/?utm_source=thereasonwelearn#publicschoolsystem #walkaway #publicschool #education #microschool #homeschooling #schoolchoice--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Professor William B. Allen is the Emeritus Dean of James Madison College, and Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at Michigan State University. I had the privilege of hearing Professor Allen speak at the Alumni Summit on Free Expression hosted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, also known as ACTA, and the Alumni Free Speech Alliance, also known as AFSA. The title of his talk was Criminals Think, but Thinking is not Criminal, and I felt strongly then, as I do today, that my audience, parents and teachers in particular, needed to hear from him directly.Professor Allen's Talk:https://youtu.be/P1nLRW_hXC4?si=PETMTDS6mfqOC_HWTranscript as an Article at The Journal of Free Black Thought:https://freeblackthought.substack.com/p/criminals-think-but-thinking-is-notProfessor Allen's book:https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IZ0ZS8/allbooksSUPPORT THIS CHANNELYour support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-parent/Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-learn/Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#philosophyofeducation #educationreform #highereducationreform #academicfreedom #raisingreaders--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Wilfred Reilly and I look back on the 70 years since Brown v Board of Education to ask if we are trying to re-segregate American Education, if so why, and what does "segregation" post Brown vs Board?We also take a look at recent statistics concerning the racial achievement gap, and Wil gives his take on new questions to ask about achievement gaps in general.Wilfred Reilly is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University, and the author of the books "Taboo: 10 Facts You Can't Talk About,' "Hate Crime Hoax," and "The $50,000,000 Question." He is currently working on the upcoming project "Alt-Wrongs: an American Case against Racial Nationalism," as well as sketching out a book looking at the transgender, gender-fluid, and Otherkin communities and the idea of flexible identity. Reilly has published pieces in Academic Questions, Commentary, Quillette, and a number of other journals and magazines. His research interests include international relations and the prevention of war, contemporary American race relations, and the use of modern quantitative methods to test "sacred cow" theories such as the existence of widespread white privilege. Off work, he enjoys dogs, archery, basketball, Asian cooking, and beer. Reilly has been described, by himself, as "the greatest mind of a generation."Follow him on X @wil_da_beast630Buy his books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/...SUPPORT THIS CHANNELYour support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#race #segregation #brownvboard #education #k12 #desegregation #publicschools #teaching #achievementgap #blackachievementgap #blackexcellence--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Ron Coleman joins me again, this time to talk about legal education and its impact on the practice of law, and the justice system in America. Ron Coleman is a Partner at the Dhillon Law Group and resident in its New York Metro office. Ron is a commercial litigator with extensive first-seat trial and appellate experience who focuses on torts of competition such as trademark infringement, unfair competition and consumer law.Besides his trademark work Ron is also known for his Internet-related and First Amendment advocacy, regarding both religious and free speech rights, including his representation of Simon Tam and “The Slants” in the watershed free speech case, Matal v. Tam, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition against registration of “disparaging” trademarks was unconstitutional.Having recently semi-retired his popular “Likelihood of Confusion” blog on trademark law, Ron is a popular influencer on Twitter with over 200,000 followers (@roncoleman) and hosts the ColemanNation video podcast which focuses on free expression, cancel culture and law. He attended Princeton University and Northwestern University School of Law.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELYour support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#legaleducation #justicesystem #lawschool #education #civilrights #lawfare #harvard #activism--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Join me for a conversation with Justine Deterling, founder of a new resource for families called Gender Health Query, a medical and queer theory watchdog organization with a focus on same-sex attracted youth. The site provides extensive information on many topics relating to pediatric medical transition of gender dysphoric youth and the impacts of contemporary gender ideology.Justine is an LGB human rights activist. Justine and her organization's members would like people to join them in opposing indoctrinating school children and teens into radicalization and unscientific worldviews around sex and gender. They have released a pro-parental rights document with well-researched and well-articulated reasons why gender activism in schools is inappropriate and harmful. It may help inform educators or be useful at public meetings. Activist-controlled institutions are a wider cultural problem and this trend must be reversed.Gender Health Query:https://thehomoarchy.com/ghq-homeParent/Educator Resource landing page:https://thehomoarchy.com/lgbt-trans-p...SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#gendereducation #publicschool #parenting #education #k12 #parentresource --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Freedom of expression on college campuses has been under assault across America for years, and at Cornell University the problem was particularly bad, so a group of alumni decided they'd had enough. Through hard work and dedication, they persuaded the President to launch a university-wide free expression initiative. Cornell Alum Paul Rossi and Cornell Professor Randy Wayne join me to discuss how the University's freedom of expression initiative is working as we approach the one year anniversary of its implementation. Paul Rossi is an active high school math teacher and the co-founder and CEO of Terra Firma Teaching Alliance, a peer support and placement network of traditional K-12 teachers. Find Paul at: https://tfteach.org/Randy Wayne is an associate professor at Cornell University. He is a biophysical plant cell biologist, in the Laboratory of Natural Philosophy, who researches the nature of light. He teaches Plant Cell Biology, Light and Video Microscopy, and a nonmajors course called Light and Life. He is the author of Plant Cell Biology: From Astronomy to Zoology and Light and Video Microscopy. He is co-chair of the Heterodox Academy Campus Community at Cornell University, which brings heterodox thinkers to campus. He is the recipient of the Steamboat Institute’s 2023 Courage in Education Award for being a tireless advocate for free speech and intellectual diversity.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq... #freedomofexpression #college #cornell #cornelluniversity #freedomofspeech #DEI #diversity #heterodoxacademy--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

What if we've known exactly how to educate children so they continue to love learning throughout the process, for thousands of years? What if "progressive" education is taking us backwards?Michael Strong, Founder and Chief Visionary of The Socratic Experience joins me to discuss!Michael Strong is one of the most experienced designers of innovative school programs in the United States. His projects include a public school program in which minority female students gained four years’ worth of critical thinking gains in four months (on the Watson-Glaser). He later went into Montessori secondary school program design at The Judson Montessori School (San Antonio), The Emerson School, and Hacienda School. He created The Winston Academy, where middle school students passed AP exams, making it the most academically advanced school in the country at the time.Another of Michael’s projects, Moreno Valley High School, a Paideia charter high school, was ranked the 36th-best U.S. public high school by Newsweek. More recently he co-founded KoSchool in Austin, Texas, which combined his high-performance approach to AP coursework and SAT score gains with a focus on entrepreneurial and creative projects. KoSchool, in turn, became the original model for The Academy of Thought and Industry, the high school model for the largest Montessori network in the United States.Students from Michael’s schools have been admitted to Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, Smith, Bard, Bennington, McGill, UT-Austin, University of Colorado, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Parsons School of Design, Quest, St. John’s and many dozens of other post-secondary institutions.He is the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice and lead author of Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems.Find Michael @flowidealismSUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#education #K12 #homeschool #homeschooling #socratic #teaching #parentalrights #parenting --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I'm joined by Diana Blum, a mom featured in Eli Steele's new documentary, "Killing America." We will discuss the film, but can only show stills because YT will not allow the film of any clips of it to be shown on this platform.Please visit the link below watch the film prior to watching this episode to fully understand what we will be discussing.https://rumble.com/v4np95x-killing-am...Dr. Diana Blum is a board-certified neurologist who graduated from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine and completed her Neurology Residency at Stanford Hospital and Clinics. She is a mom of two currently enrolled SUHSD students and during the pandemic, she began noticing that an illiberal ideology was dominating the narrative in school curriculums. She spent the following two years volunteering in the classroom at Belle Haven Elementary in East Menlo Park to better understand what the root issues were.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#DEI #education #k12 #censorship #hypocrisy #antisemitism #equity #criticalracetheory #intersectionality #holocaust #history #americandream #parenting #SFUSD --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

John Wilson is back to give us an update on how things are going with Math education in California, something everyone should care about because as CA goes, so goes the nation when it comes to school curriculum. He'll also share what he's hearing from students about the UC system's growing anti-Jewish problem on its campuses.John H. Wilson, III became the full-time Education and Enrichment Program (EEP) Director in 2006 at West Angeles Church after earning his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University and enjoying a 20-year career as an aerospace engineer and years of volunteer youth work in his church and community.Under his direction for over two decades, EEP has grown from modest math tutoring sessions to a noteworthy educational program that has provided year-round enrichment opportunities to thousands of youth, mostly non-members, from over 50 middle and high schools across Los Angeles County and serving more than 600 families.From 2004 until now, through his vision and work, over 2,000 youth in the Los Angeles and Long Beach area have attained an affordable college. Over this time, John has developed an expertise for admission, enrollment, financial aid and many other details of the college access processJohn’s vision to provide the best resources developed into a partnership with Princeton Review for SAT Prep classes; a CSU Summer Algebra Institute for 6th through 9th graders; a Summer Bridge Program to enhance math, science and language skills; and a College Readiness Program to equip students for higher-learning. He also established youth Life Skills Workshops and a Parent Institute to communicate vital information. Finally, John has mentored dozens of students to and through successful careers.His region-wide outreach includes coaching math teachers and consulting with charter school staff to help them build strong math curriculums. John has also served on several community boards at El Camino Community College, received the Vertie Blackwell Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, El Camino Community Service Award in 2007, and the NAACP Man of Valor Award in 2006 and 2010. John has 3 successful grown children and is married and lives in Long Beach.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#matheducation #K12 #california #public schools #teaching #math #woke #joboaler #antisemitism--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Dennis is back to discuss the WPATH files revelations, as well as this week's ban by the NHS on giving puberty blockers to minors.We will discuss what this means for the overall battle for reality-based medicine and responsible treatment of gender dysphoria, as well as what it took to get this far.Dennis Noel Kavanagh is a former criminal barrister and now legal commentator, he is one of the three directors of the "Gay Men's Network", a not for profit organisation fighting modern forms of homophobia.Subscribe to Dennis's Substack at https://dennisnoelkavanagh.substack.com/SHOW NOTES:Andrew Doyle's Free Speech Nation: • The WPATH Files: ‘One of the Biggest ... WPATH Files: https://environmentalprogress.org/big...WPATH FAQ: https://static1.squarespace.com/stati...Puberty Blockers Banned in England and Wales: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/polit...SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/57025435...#WPATHfiles #genderdysphoria #education #woke--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

In this show, we will discuss Pam's new book: A Rational Response to Gender Distress: Tips and Tools for Families, coming out March 12th, 2024.Pamela Garfield-Jaeger has worked as an LCSW for over 20 years in a variety of settings and programs. Most recently she worked with teens in school and outpatient settings. She realized that the vast majority of parents are unprepared to engage the Mental Health system from a position on knowledge and understanding. She is here to help educate parents on what to expect and how to interact with a very complicated and insular system.Follow Pam on X @truththerapist, and check out her website, work, public speaking and service offerings here: https://linktr.ee/thetruthfultherapistSUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#genderdysphoria #therapyforkids #parenting #gendertheory #WPATHfiles #newbook #LIVE--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

There's a bigger story behind Google's AI than you may realize. Watch this show to learn more...About Shannon Edwards:For nearly 20 years Shannon worked for startups in Silicon Valley and Europe, first in marketing and communications, and later in general management, including at Netflix, LinkedIn, eBay, luxury resale marketplace Vestiaire Collective, and shopping search engine ShopStyle. As CEO of Styloko, in 2016 she oversaw the development of a shopping app that used computer vision and machine learning to suggest similar items of clothing to consumers. With her experience in data-rich shopping marketplaces and advertising platforms, Shannon became a frequent global media contributor covering data trends in the online shopping space. With her mantra of “there is no AI without all of us” Shannon is calling for a reset in how freely and absentmindedly we give of our information without consideration for the exchange we are making with the companies now building AI. Shannon has a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. She lives in New York City with her husband and two teenage daughters.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#google #AI #Gemini #datamining #dataprivacy --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

"School Choice" is all the rage these days, especially with conservatives and GOP candidates in 2024, but ESAs and voucher programs keep government in charge of education, which is what most parents say they don't want.Is there a way to get government OUT of education? Mike Ross, Libertarian candidate for NC governor will be here to discuss!Mike Ross has lived in the Charlotte area for more than two decades with his wife of 18 years and their son. He obtained degrees in business and finance before becoming a Certified Financial Planner.After getting his start in tech, he began working in the corporate sector in the early 2000s until he left to start “My Money Coach” in 2018 to help provide quality financial advice to people of all economic backgrounds.Using the Golden Rule as his guide, he works hard to provide for his family and to help others in need.His modesty and selfless attitude have led him to become active in his community, non-profit groups, and movements like the Sunshine Project.When he is not running his business, homeschooling his son, or working with various groups that serve those in need, he and his family enjoy spending time by attending church, going to the gun range, and having family nights at their Gaston County home.SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#politics #schoolchoice #NC2024election #education #libertarian #NCgovernor #k12 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Stephen R. C. Hicks joins me to discuss the Illiberalism on College and University Campuses. We will address the following:1. How the ideological capture at American, Russian and Chinese universities share the same illiberal pattern2. What is the dominant philosophy in the American college/university right now, and why is that a problem?3. What would take to restore academic and intellectual freedom to higher education (is it even possible)?Stephen R.C. Hicks is Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, Illinois, USA, Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship, and Senior Scholar at The Atlas Society.* He has six books:* Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (Scholarly Publishing, 2004; Expanded Edition, 2011)* His writings have been translated into seventeen languages: * He has published in academic journals such as Business Ethics Quarterly, Teaching Philosophy, and Review of Metaphysics, as well as other publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Cato Unbound.* In 2010, he won his university’s Excellence in Teaching Award.* He has been Visiting Professor of Business Ethics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Visiting Professor at Jagiellonian University, Poland, Visiting Fellow at the Social Philosophy & Policy Center in Bowling Green, Ohio, Visiting Fellow at Harris Manchester College at Oxford University in England, Senior Fellow at The Objectivist Center in New York, and Visiting Professor at the University of Kasimir the Great, Poland.* He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Guelph, Canada, and his Ph.D. in philosophy from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA.Article referenced:https://www.stephenhicks.org/2024/02/...On Education:https://www.stephenhicks.org/education/SUPPORT THIS CHANNELYour support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#college #university #philosophy #stephenhicks #teaching #education --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

How does radicalized language hurt race relations? Do you even know that language has been radicalized? Are you using it yourself without even realizing it? Ada Akpala joins me to discuss this topic. Ada Akpala is a writer, commentator, and content creator. She is particularly interested in subjects and narratives about race and identity. Once featured on BBC Radio 4's Analysis, she seeks to empower individuals by challenging victimhood and defeatist mentalities. She aims to uplift people and discourage divisive beliefs that undermine personal morale and fuel intergroup tensions.Subscribe to Ada's YT channel: www.youtube.com/@adaakpalaFollow Ada on X: twitter.com/ada_akpalaGet in touch with her at [email protected] THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-parent/Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-learn/Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#race #language #racerelations #racism #antiracism #education #k12 #radicalizedlanguage --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

The Trans movement, indeed Queer Theory itself, has been called a "gnostic cult," but is it one, gnostic or otherwise? Simone & Malcolm Collins, hosts of the Based Camp YouTube channel and authors of The Pragmatist's Guides - to Life, Relationships, Sexuality, Governance, and Crafting Religion, all of which have been bestsellers, join me to discuss!Simone & Malcolm Collins are entrepreneurs, authors of The Pragmatist's Guide to Life, Relationships, Sexuality, Governance, and Crafting Religion (all of which have been bestsellers, with one topping the Wall Street Journal bestseller list) and advocates for pronatalism (Pronatalist.org) and education reform (CollinsInstitute.org). Among other channels, their work has been covered by Insider, VICE News, the Telegraph, Entrepreneur, Bloomberg, and the National Post. In addition to addressing a variety of topics on their podcast, Based Camp, Simone and Malcolm lecture on business operations, demographic collapse, education innovation, and relationships.Based Camp: / @simoneandmalcolm SUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#trans #transmovement #queertheory #gnosticcult #cult #religion #education #k12 #gendertheory #queertheory #queerpedagogy--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

How much do you know about the detransitioning process, or how much patients are told about it prior to medical transition? The truth may shock you, but you should know, because even if you don't think this issue affects you, it may someday affect someone in your life, and you likely won't hear what we'll be discussing from doctors, therapists, teachers, and definitely not from politicians.Camille Kiefel is a pathfinder. She brings the message that mental and physical health are connected; in an area of medicine dominated by medical institutions and their bottom line. Instead of pursuing risky, experimental and life-altering treatments for gender dysphoria, she advocates for a medical protocol grounded in the physical fundamentals of health.A detransitioner, Camille once believed a non-binary double mastectomy would finally provide relief where 20- years of talk therapy with conventional modalities hadn’t; she lives with physical health issues from the surgery. Through improved diet, and directly addressing her physical health imbalances, her mental health resolved. She now brings awareness to the often overlooked, but undeniable link between physical health and mental health. Camille determined that the discomforts that lead to her gender dysphoria were rooted in the state of her physical health all along—and they had been overlooked by her doctor, two mental health professionals, and a surgeon.Camille lives at the intersection of a foundational controversy in how we define health: That mental health is not separate from the biological systems of the body. She believes every Human being needs a solid foundation in physical health from which to thrive—an integrated approach to health, that incorporates all three foundational domains of health—physical, mental and dietary—is needed to address the biggest health issues of our time.Website: https://www.camillekiefel.com/Detrans Help: https://detranshelp.org/Allmylinks: https://allmylinks.com/camille-kiefelSUPPORT MY WORK:Your support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

David Krae is a writer, actor, director and producer. In 2007, he won the Golden Palm Award for Best Screenplay at the Beverly Hills Film Festival for his script Lucretia. In 2006, he directed The House, an independent feature film and has since produced several other independent feature film projects. It was the official selection at the Canadian Filmmakers' Festival. Krae has been in various TV shows as well. He has been in Degrassi: The Next Generation as Julien, and Queer as Folk (North American TV series)You can find him at https://www.davidkrae.comFind his historical fiction on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A13314...SUPPORT MY WORK:Your support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#surveillancestate #education #spying #sovietunion #communism #stasi #k12 #camerasintheclassroom #survellance--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Ron Coleman is a Partner at the Dhillon Law Group and resident in its New York Metro office. Ron is a commercial litigator with extensive first-seat trial and appellate experience who focuses on torts of competition such as trademark infringement, unfair competition and consumer law.Besides his trademark work Ron is also known for his Internet-related and First Amendment advocacy, regarding both religious and free speech rights, including his representation of Simon Tam and “The Slants” in the watershed free speech case, Matal v. Tam, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition against registration of “disparaging” trademarks was unconstitutional.Having recently semi-retired his popular “Likelihood of Confusion” blog on trademark law, Ron is a popular influencer on Twitter with over 200,000 followers (@roncoleman) and hosts the ColemanNation video podcast which focuses on free expression, cancel culture and law. He attended Princeton University and Northwestern University School of Law.SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL:Your support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Daniel Buck is an Editorial and Policy Associate at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. He is the author of What Is Wrong with Our Schools? and taught English and English as a second language at the middle and high school levels. He earned his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, along with bachelor’s degrees in English literature and the Spanish language. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, National Affairs, National Review, the New York Post, First Things, and many other publications.Find Daniel @MrDanielBuckSUPPORT MY WORK:Your support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#education #teaching #k12 #parenting #publicschool #instructor #projectbasedlearning #studentled #teachersunions #edtech #21stcenturyskills #sel--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Kate Wand is a content creator, video and podcast producer, and author of the Very Opinionated Kate Wand Substack. In this video, we sit down to discuss collectivism vs. individualism, how the former dominates our culture, politics, and education establishment right now, and how to deal with the fact that no one is coming to save you from any of it.Some recent samples of Kate's work that are relevant:Who Will Be The Leaders of Tomorrow? | Harry Wade & Kate Wand • Who Will Be The Leaders of Tomorrow? ... The Recent Scandal Breaking the Internet • The Scandal BREAKING the internet How the Left Poisoned Education with Phil Magness • How the Left POISONED Education | Phi... Kate's Reading List for Viewers:The Road to Serfdom, F.A. Hayekhttps://a.co/d/fgdHiUmMan's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Franklhttps://a.co/d/32gt6kRReading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi https://a.co/d/5BRJ4HPFind Kate at:Website: very-opinionated.comPodcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...YouTube: / katewand Substack: katewand.substack.com Your support makes my work possible. If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting me in one of the following ways:Join The Reason We Learn Community @WOKESCREEN : https://wokescreen.com/thereasonwelearn/Join The Reason We Parent - Parent Support Group: https://wokescreen.com/the-reason-we-...Hire me for consulting, tutoring and public speaking: https://thereasonwelearn.com Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...#education #philosophy #history #culture #indoctrination #hivemind #collectivism #individualism #objectivism #viktorfrankl #dei #racism #antisemitism--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

When it comes to the word "abuse," woke projection is REAL. Not only are they claiming "Your parents won't love you" to lure the kids into toxic ideologies, they're browbeating parents with "If you don't do this, your kid won't love you anymore" or "you don't want a dead child, do you?" Many parents are so scared of even being accused of "abuse," they're allowing their children to run their homes. Joshua Slocum, host of the Disaffected podcast will join us to discuss the misuse of the word "abuse," as well as the discipline that's lacking because of it.Josh Slocum is the host of the weekly show Disaffected. The show looks at society, culture, and politics through the lens of abnormal psychology. Society now runs on "domestic abuse" rules, and features narcissistic and emotionally unstable behavior known to any child who grew up in an abusive home. At 41, a family crisis forced Josh to see that his mother was deranged beyond help with Borderline and Narcissistic personality disorders. It quickly became clear that the same derangement at home had gone public and feral with the "woke" left. This connection between private domestic abuse and public narcissism is the basis of Disaffected.Disaffected on Youtube: / @disaffectedpodcast Disaffected on Rumble:https://rumble.com/c/Disaffected/live...Book a coaching session with Josh:https://joshuaslocum.net/Disaffected on Substack:https://disaffectedpod.substack.com/Disaffected on Twitter: / disaffectedpod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

J.D. Haltigan holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology, and an MA in Forensic Psychology. His work is in the field of developmental psychopathology.In this broadcast, we will discuss what he calls "pathological" empathy, and the high cost we all pay for it in our culture, in particular when it comes to our children.Find J.D. on X @jdhaltigan--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

f the title of this stream alarms you, good. You should be alarmed, especially if you're one of the millions of parents who think the purpose of a K12 education is to prepare your children to attend college, because you also believe a college degree is essential to getting hired at a so-called "good" job.Dr. James Lindsay joins me to talk about what's going on in America's institutions of "higher" learning, and why he's advising employers to STOP hiring college graduates.An American-born author, mathematician, and professional troublemaker, Dr. James Lindsay has written six books spanning a range of subjects including religion, the philosophy of science and postmodern theory. He is a leading expert on Critical Race Theory, which leads him to reject it completely. He is the founder of New Discourses and currently promoting his new book "Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody," which is currently being translated into more than fifteen languages.Follow his important work here:https://newdiscourses.com/@ConceptualJames--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Join us as we take a look not so much at what Jew hatred is, but how it is manufactured for purpose. My guests include Dr. Naya Lecht and Oona Trien, two scholars of the subject who will bring their unique backgrounds and perspectives to this important discussion.There's a method to the madness, and once you see it, you cannot un-see it!Dr. Naya Lekht is a scholar on contemporary anti-Semitism and works with the Jewish community to enhance pride and education in the history of the Jewish people and the Arab-Israeli conflict. In addition to her interest in the history of anti-Semitism, Naya likewise writes and teaches about Soviet history. In 2022, Naya was a guest educator for the National Teachers' Seminar at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, where she taught a cohort of teachers on the topic of Soviet literature and film. She holds a Ph.D. from UCLA, where she wrote about Holocaust literature in the Soviet Union, where she was born.Find Naya on Instagram @naya_lecht Read her work at White Rose Magazine: https://whiterosemagazine.com/contrib...Ooana Trien, a graduate of Tish school of the arts with a concentration in experimental and classical theater. Daughter of a Hungarian mother, and survivor of both Hitler and Stalin, whose father--a former nobleman--who died in Stalin's Romanian Gulag, otherwise known as the Pitesti Prison experiment (an experiment to prove that human beings were nothing more than reactive MEAT).Find Ooana on YouTube at @ooana and on Twitter @oonaSUPPORT THIS CHANNELIf you appreciate this type of programming, please consider supporting my work: Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trwlPayPal: paypal.me/deborahfillmanSubscribe to my Substack: https://thereasonwelearn.substack.comPurchase TRWL Merch: https://store.wokescreen.com/the-reas...Purchase books from Heroes of Liberty with my referral link and get 10% off!https://heroesofliberty.com/?ref=Zqpq...Contact me:X @deb_fillman and @ReasonWeLearnInstagram: @thereasonwelearn#antisemitism #socialism #totalitarianism #education #israel #hamas #oligarchy #gorky #sovietunion #communism #marxism #literature #art #history #parenting #jewish--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

"Trauma-Informed" is a term you've likely heard a lot lately, but what does it mean in the context of your child's education? We'll explain why you need to know, and need to push back on it, hard. Beanie Geoghegan is Manager of Content & Solutions and Co-Founder of Freedom in Education. She has been involved in education for over two decades as a teacher, parent, volunteer, and advocate. She spent the last 2 ½ years in a leadership position for a national parents organization where she also created mission driven content and worked side by side with parents in Kentucky and nationally to champion parents rights and shine a light on the harmful content in K-12 schools. She is passionate about ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education that shapes them into virtuous citizens and prepares them for a purposeful life. Though her four children are no longer in school, she is using her experience in the classroom and as a parent to continue to advocate for the next generation. Beanie is married to her high school sweetheart and spends a lot of her free time letting dogs in and out of the house.Find Beanie at Freedom in Education: https://freedomined.org/On X @Beanie0597--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Margo Margen (not her real name) has an important story to tell us all, her Gen Z peers especially. Hear what it was like to have history and English classes focus almost exclusively on the race or ethnicity of historical figures, characters, and authors, as well as how frustrating it was to leave class each day feeling like every conversation you’ll have with anyone is, and should be, a social minefield. Hear hear how endless repetition of the same narratives and themes was not only boring, but also sent a clear message: there are correct and incorrect ways of thinking and “knowing,” and those must critique and deconstruct historical ‘norms.” This show is for you if you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to attend a postmodern “woke” private school from 8th through 12th grade, or walk through life in general believing that everyone is either an oppressor, or oppressed.Find Margo's Work:Third Factor: https://www.thirdfactor.org/ Maladjusted to Maladjustment group: https://www.thirdfactor.org/member-gr... CroXcards and my other creative works: https://boardgamesmargomargan.wordpre... --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

This is part 2 of my fascinating conversation with Christine Jones, aka The Palmer Worm on X. If you have not yet listened to Part 1, I strongly recommend you do so this will make more sense.This portion is longer than Part 1 so as to avoid breaking it into three parts in an unnatural way. Whereas part one introduced the the core values and ideas of the unconstrained, “affective” approach to education (as opposed to the constrained (or traditional/classical), “cognitive” approach, part 2 delves into the people, and the policies that set the West on its current path towards memory erasure, and cultural suicide.If you truly want to understand why AND how this happened, these shows are essential listening.Please also subscribe to and support Christine’s work, which she does tirelessly and voluntarily, and shares with us so generously in the hope that we may salvage some semblance of sanity, at least for ourselves and our individual posterity, before it’s too late.To learn more about the why and how of where we are, in education and our culture at large, please also watch this incredible video series produced and presented by Canadian Historian, Curtis McManus: The Age of Nihilism. Watch ALL five parts.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

This is part 2 of my fascinating conversation with Christine Jones, aka The Palmer Worm on X and here on Substack. If you have not yet listened to Part 1, I strongly recommend you do so this will make more sense. This portion is longer than Part 1 so as to avoid breaking it into three parts in an unnatural way. Whereas part one introduced the the core values and ideas of the unconstrained, “affective” approach to education (as opposed to the constrained (or traditional/classical), “cognitive” approach, part 2 delves into the people, and the policies that set the West on its current path towards memory erasure, and cultural suicide. If you truly want to understand why AND how this happened, these shows are essential listening. Please also subscribe to and support Christine’s work, which she does tirelessly and voluntarily, and shares with us so generously in the hope that we may salvage some semblance of sanity, at least for ourselves and our individual posterity, before it’s too late.To learn more about the why and how of where we are, in education and our culture at large, please also watch this incredible video series produced and presented by Canadian Historian, Curtis McManus: The Age of Nihilism. Watch ALL five parts. Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

* ScioSophia has graciously permitted me to publish the audio for the SciChat Saturday show where she and I discussed what’s happening in science education broadly, and physics specifically. We cover the following:* the hidden premises in the drive to insert “equity” into physics (and science education in general);* the underlying philosophy driving “educators” preoccupied with equity in the first place;* the risks to our kids, and to humankind, of failing to stop these teachers before they do any more damage to the science curriculum, at all levels of education.To watch the show, visit ScioSophia’s channel here. Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

This is Part 1 of a 2 part series with Christine Jones of .Christine presents her research on what appears to be a new ideology she (and some others) call "Mental Healthism." Christine Jones is wife and mother of four. She graduated with a degree in Classical Music Analysis & Performance, began working in the mid-90s, entering the teaching field via an apprenticeship scheme. She has 25 yrs experience in Education comprising: Public, Private & Alternative Secondary & 6th Form Classroom Teaching; Choral Directing (County Youth Choirs, Adult Choirs, School Choirs, University Choirs); Singing Teaching (coaching for ABRSM Gr.5-8 & National Youth Choir Auditions); Advisory Teacher Professional Development Program Delivery (Aural/Vocal Approach Musicianship); Delivering Whole School INSET Programs & Conference Presentations across the UK (over 10 yrs); Corporate Choral Sessions for Management Training Programs, and Delivery of CiPD Training Program; Co-Teaching (& Designing) of Module on Concert Audience Engagement for Post Grad Ed Students. She is not a trained mental health professional, just a keen observer of reality, and independent researcher seeking answers to questions about what ails our education system, our culture, and our kids. You can find Christine on X @thepalmerworm, and Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Pamela Garfield-Jaeger has worked as an LCSW for over 20 years in a variety of settings and programs. Most recently she worked with teens in school and outpatient settings. She realized that the vast majority of parents are unprepared to engage the Mental Health system from a position on knowledge and understanding. She is here to help educate parents on what to expect and how to interact with a very complicated and insular system. Topics of this conversation include: * school counselors being horrible;* involving parents;* parental rights;* how wrong our mental health system is;* how therapy speak is ruining us all;* how kids shouldn’t be encouraged to be peer counselors;and whatever else is on her mind… Follow Pam on X @truththerapist, and check out her website, work, public speaking and service offerings here: https://linktr.ee/thetruthfultherapist Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe

Daniel Buck, practicing classroom teacher, and author of "What is wrong with our schools?" joins me to discuss his book, so I can (I hope) persuade you to BUY IT AND READ IT. To be an effective advocate for your children, you to know and understand what you're asking for (and rejecting) when it comes to their education. If you want transparency, you need to know enough about education to evaluate what you're given. Daniel's book will give you both, in a short 200 pages! I am NOT paid to endorse the book, nor was I given a copy. I bought myself, so you can trust me completely on this, it will be the most important book you read all year. Buy it here: https://a.co/d/foMcs8R Daniel Buck is a senior visiting fellow at the Fordham Institute, editor-in-chief of Chalkboard Review, and author. He earned his master's degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His work has appeared in various publications including National Review, the Wall Street Journal, RealClearEducation, and The New York Post. He has taught English literature and English as a second language in public and private schools at the middle and high-school levels. Find Daniel on Twitter @mrdanielbuck Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/debf/support Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe