Edwin Benson 
Distraction has always been a teacher’s biggest problem. After all, lessons can only take root if students are paying attention. Distractions are inevitable. No teacher, no matter how skilled, can filter them all out. Kids bring their distractions to school with them. A sick parent, a lost dog, lack of breakfast, an … Read more
Many members, supporters and friends of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) approach the TFP Annual Conference in Spring Grove, Penn. with great anticipation. It is always an exhilarating prospect. This year’s event was held on the October 27-29 weekend and provided a chance to catch … Read more
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal focused upon Florida’s decision to allow prospective college students to take the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as an alternative to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing Exam (ACT) to gain admission to its state-supported universities. At first blush, this may seem … Read more
Many of today’s young people decide that a college education is not worth the time and treasure it costs. Rejecting Higher Education For previous generations, this might be something of a surprise—although it shouldn’t be. Colleges have spent the first quarter of the twenty-first century making their product—the degrees they award—more expensive … Read more
Americans can resist those who try to impose gender confusion on society. That is the conclusion flowing from two crucial decisions by judges in Iowa and Florida. In the Iowa case, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the First Amendment protects students who refuse to use “preferred pronouns” at school. … Read more
The Diocese of Davenport (Iowa) issued a set of “Guidelines for Pastoral Accompaniment of Sexual and Gender Minorities,” designed to take effect on October 4, 2023. The four-page document was the product of almost three years’ work by the diocese’s “gender committee.” While its doubtful authority goes no further than that diocese’s … Read more
Collegeville, Pennsylvania is a distant suburb of Philadelphia, about thirty miles from the city limits. Like many such suburbs, it tends to be politically liberal and vote Democrat. The town is also the headquarters of the Perkiomen Valley School System, which also leans woke. Many were surprised to hear that the School … Read more
Librarians call it “weeding,” a long-standing—and legitimate—practice. Most school libraries have very limited space and must clear out shelves to make room for more titles. Usually, the process is a quiet one. Taxpayers don’t like to see expensive materials being thrown into landfills or incinerated. The Need to Weed The idea is … Read more
A recent article in The Guardian describes an “exhibition” by the Danish “artist” Jens Haaning. The show at the Kunsten Museum in Aalborg, Denmark, consists of two blank canvases titled “Take the Money and Run.” To prepare the exhibition, the museum loaned Mr. Haaning 532,000 krone (about $75,000). The museum also paid … Read more
One of the most effective idioms in the English language is the simple phrase “the blind leading the blind.” Surely, no act could be more foolish. The phrase has its basis in scripture. In Matthew 15:14, Our Lord tells us, “Let them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind. And … Read more