We considered the truth about education and success together. In The Philosopher’s Table I write: “The root of education suggests a process of bringing forward, leading up, drawing out. I picture individuals climbing a steep hill together, teachers and students in spry pursuit of knowledge. The word conveys positive images, this movement forward, up, and out so we can stand on higher ground.” We took off from this small start. I asked that they think back on a powerful learning experience in their lives, in or out of the classroom, what they learned and why it remains memorable. Interestingly, one common theme emerged: failure taught marvelous lessons. Not knowing knocks on the door of knowledge. Loss gives birth to victory. As the school year plays out, thoughts hopefully will return to the meaning of teacher, of student, of education.
Read MoreIt must have been hard for my father to dash my eight-year-old dreams, his voice quivery as he assured me that I would not grow up to play second base for the Yankees. He replaced (or tried) my bat and glove with a tennis racquet, and we set out together to hit another kind of ball. But I still have my glove just in case. I'm a baseball fan.
Read MoreHersch finds much to admire in Whitman’s work and spirit, and he composes a score to match Whitman’s “Song of the Universal” as well as excerpts from “Song of Myself.” What a thrill, imagining the union of “myself” and the “universal,” a union deeply felt by Whitman and intimately scored by Hersch. These two lives—brave, compassionate, daring, inclusive, resilient—and and their art speak to the promise of this country. Their “collaboration” soars and inspires.
Read MoreThen, in 1993, Maya Angelou stole Michael Jordan’s star power. I happily picture the young philosophers as they watched rebroadcasts of her reciting her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at the Clinton Inauguration—their eyes wide, bodies completely still, posture growing more erect, big smiles when she included “children” in her invitation to a new day. A rocking celebrity poet! Dr. Angelou was the cool one now. I repeatedly used her poem to discuss the concept of Justice with them and I also suggest an activity based on it in Little Big Minds. Quite a delight it was to witness the children’s first tiptoes into poetry—from Virginia to Chicago to California.
Read MoreMy friend and neighbor Blue O’Connell loves music, animals, nature (especially trees), and friends. A few years ago, she traded a job with financial benefits for one with other kinds of perks: writing and playing music at schools, nursing homes, hospitals, parties, just about any place. She patches jobs together to make ends meet. Recently Blue bought happiness for herself and for countless others by giving a valuable possession away.
Read MoreAn old gum tree served for over twenty years as an expansive umbrella at my home, its branches enveloping festive occasions as well as hours of restful sitting. Feet hopped gingerly on and off its countless gumballs. Having been a planter of trees all my life, I was sorely saddened when this dear one (any one, actually, is dear) came to the end of its days. What to do, other than leave home and not watch as it came down, bit by bit? It stood in the midst of a garden, quite near a bushy acuba started for me as a seedling by my aunt, ruling out grinding the stump. This video captures the sweet gum’s new life, carved out by a master carpenter who is a good friend. I supplied him with adjectives as hints—“light, airy, moving, sinewy, simple,” and he smiled, nodded, and....
Read MoreMy father had a favorite passage, still marked by yellowing paper in his tattered biblical copy, from The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (13:2). How much this sentiment meant to him has stayed with me over the years. The following story captures its essence. It was passed along to me Peter’s father, a man much-loved by my own.
Read MoreMental clarity makes a true friend for life, showing up at every turn. The contents of our minds drive our lives—whatever shape it’s in, the mind is behind the steering wheel of our thoughts and actions. I know from experience about this friendship and count on it. I also know that mental clarity can play a devilish game of hide and seek—that maintaining clarity takes work and persistence. We’re lost without it. Confusion leads us blindly, nowhere, bad wheres.
Read More“I was too busy.” “I am so busy.” “I will be busier than ever.” Suddenly phrases likes these strike me, more than ever, as at best inaccurate, and at worst self-important. The “busy” excuse rolls off tongues…just listen for it. Count the times in a day you hear or say it. But I have never, ever, heard someone with great responsibilities, much to do, complain about being too busy—they are getting it done, each thing receiving the amount of attention it deserves.
Read MoreAuthor and Philosopher Marietta McCarty answers five questions about the value of philosophy in this guest blog that appears on EnableEducation.com. In both of your philosophy books for adults, you discuss the role that philosophy can play in everyday life. What was your inspiration for taking this “grass roots” approach? My study of philosophy in college was exhilarating, liberating, and a true liftoff. It seeped into my every day easily, unasked ...
Read MoreAuthor and philosopher Marietta McCarty is passionate about challenging young minds to think big. In this post with KidsThinkAboutIt.com, she shares her inspiration, her experiences, and her successes with child philosophers. Although you’ve taught philosophy to college students for a number of years, your first experience with kid thinkers happened somewhere outside of the classroom ...
Read MoreThanks for joining me in wonder, introspection, and questions “From the Philosopher’s Desk.” Devotion to The Arts of Clear Thinking and Good Conversation lies at the heart of all my work—my books, teaching child philosophers and college students, talks and workshops, and travels with my philosopher’s toolkit. Hopefully this blog will offer readers plenty of fodder for zesty discussion and private musings. If I can give you just a touch of what a philosophical outlook has brought to my life, then hooray!
Read MoreRegardless of age, you can feel it. As August days creep by, it’s time to get ready for school. A fresh start beckons. Looking back at my college years and many more years as a college professor, memories almost always circle around food.
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finish line in sight / excitement for the future / keep pushing forward....
nine long trauma years / Kamala Harris rising / joy repairs our hearts