Backporch Education Podcast

Poem: “Ox Cart Man,” by Donald Hall  Statement of the Whole:  Amazing to think about, but Backporch Education Podcast is now beginning its fourth Season!  Jason and Steve take a few minutes to lean back and think about where we have been, where we might go from … Continue reading →

Poem: “Work without Hope” by Samuel T. Coleridge  Statement of the Whole:  Moving from the image of a car engine spread out on the back lawn to the inner workings of the inquisitive mind, Jason and Steve discuss how analysis and synthesis are both … Continue reading →

Poem: “The Hippopotamus” by T.S. Eliot  Statement of the Whole: When we began a while back to separate our lives into various spheres, especially as we moved education in the schools away from any form of religion, a new set of questions were birthed.  … Continue reading →

Poem: “Sonnets from the Portuguese, #23” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning  Statement of the Whole: Would a teacher's life be better or worse if Administrators disappeared from the Earth?  So begins a lively repartee between Jason and Steve, both of whom currently divide time at their … Continue reading →

Poem: “To a Critic” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge  Statement of the Whole: In this episode, an article sparks lively discussion between Jason and Steve on what it will take to revive the love of literature in our day. Why do so many people dislike … Continue reading →

Poem: “The Third Day” by Edith Lovejoy Pearce  Statement of the Whole: Recently an Italian artist sold an “immaterial sculpture” for about $18,000 and the Backporch dudes let the fun begin.  Join them in a far-ranging discussion about this moment in art and education history.  Did he sell nothing … Continue reading →

Yet Another Farming Metaphor  Poem: from “The Church Porch” by George Herbert  When thou dost purpose aught, within thy power, Be sure to do it, though it be but small: Constancy knits the bones, and makes us stour / When wanton pleasures beckon us to thrall. Who breaks his … Continue reading →

Poem: “The Master Speed,” by Robert Frost  Statement of the Whole:  Every teacher knows that moment when one or many students demonstrate that the lesson was not learned, or misunderstood, or missed.  What do we do when this happens?  What are the common causes … Continue reading →

Poem: “Story Telling” by Edgar A. Guest  Statement of the Whole:  Home schooling can be daunting to those considering for their children, but it can also be one of the most rewarding adventures of you and your child’s life.  Join Steve as he interviews Lisa … Continue reading →

Our Annual Teacher Appreciation Week Episode Poem: “Like Snow” by Wendell Berry  Statement of the Whole: In our annual “Teacher Appreciation Week” show, we discuss what it means to appreciate, to show honor to, our teachers.  What is the difference between a gift of … Continue reading →

Poem: “Haec Fabula Docet,” by Robert Frost  Statement of the Whole:  Anxiety can radically change behavior.  This is a predominant issue in education today in part due to the over emphasis placed on the standardized test.  What should home schooling parents do with this … Continue reading →

Poem: “Ode to My Goldfish” by Ogden Nash  “Oh, wet pet.”  Statement of the Whole: It is often through analogy and metaphor that we can see relationships between humans most clearly.  The relationship between a tutor and his pupil is a hard … Continue reading →

“Thoughts About the Covid Gap”  Poem: “On Nature,“ by Parmenides  Statement of the Whole:  Given the current concerns about what happens when disease or some other factor shuts down education in the land, the Backporch boys go on safari throughout history to look at what … Continue reading →

“The Dive into Digital Media” episode  Poem: “Bed in Summer” by Robert Louis Stevenson  Statement of the Whole:  Education is now afloat in the digital sea.  How have screens improved education and are there things that are better off without the screen involved?  … Continue reading →

Poem: Quote from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare  “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary … Continue reading →

Poem: “November, 1806” by William Wordsworth  Statement of the Whole:  Many today believe that success in education is determined by the budget given to it.  The home schooling movement is pushing back on that adage.  Jason and Steve conduct a thought experiment using the notion … Continue reading →

Poem: “To ____” by Edgar Allen Poe  Statement of the Whole:  How does what you read affect how you write?  Is it good or bad writing to see something of other writers show up in your writing?  How does this question affect the teaching … Continue reading →

Poem: “How to Be a Poet” by Wendell Berry  Statement of the Whole: How do you find the right environment that promotes good learning?  Is there just one type of such place?  Does the place learning occurs matter any more or less … Continue reading →

Our Annual Incarnation Special  Poem: none (the whole thing is about Christmas lyrics, which are afterall, poems)  Statement of the Whole:   What does singing Christmas songs have to do with education?  A lot and very little.  Jason and Steve think it has more to … Continue reading →

Reading a difficult book  Poem: none, instead Steve reads a quote from the work:  “Comes again the longing, the desire that has no name. Is it for Mrs. Prouty, for a drink, for both: for a party, for youth, for … Continue reading →

Poem: The Glove and the Lions, Leigh Hunt  Statement of the Whole: Where is the line between scaffolding and handholding? Educators build steps of mastery into their curricula, but doing so well (like our awesome guest, Tim Kemper!) requires being able to … Continue reading →

Our Top Ten List of Books Everyone Should Read  A Question from Josie P  Statement of the Whole: A listener poses the challenge and Jason and Steve almost refuse to respond.  But a lot of fun ensues when they try … Continue reading →

Poem:  none  Statement of the Whole: This question, from a listener, has elements of several issues in it.  What do we do when we have multiple students learning in a given classroom with differing levels of performance and ability?  And what do … Continue reading →

Poem:  Leaves Compared With Flowers, by Robert Frost  Statement of the Whole: Expectations come from our estimate of what a student should be able to do.  How do we avoid either over or under estimating our students?  Jason and Steve respond to this question … Continue reading →

Poem:  Introduction to Poetry, By Billy Collins  Statement of the Whole: Some folk copy the state school curriculum and just teach at home.  Some call almost any activity a part of the curriculum.  One of the great joys of home educating is the freedom … Continue reading →

Poem: Time, Real and Imaginary, By Samuel Taylor Coleridge  On the wide level of a mountain’s head, (I knew not where, but ’twas some faery place) Their pinions, ostrich-like, for sails out-spread, Two lovely children run an endless race, A sister and a brother ! This far outstripp’d the other … Continue reading →

Poem: “Not of School Age” by Robert Frost  Around bend after bend  It was blown woods and no end  I came to but one house  I made but the one friend  At the one house, a child was out  Who drew … Continue reading →

Looking Back, Looking Ahead  Poem:  A Psalm of Life, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  Statement of the Whole: Do you remember when Toto pulled back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz?  This episode resembles that scene in some regards.  The cast of The Backporch Education podcast have … Continue reading →

  An Interview with Josie Parker  Poem:  “Inside of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge,” by William Wordsworth  Statement of the Whole: What is the modern college experience?  Are all colleges and universities working off the same basic plan?  Why do colleges in Europe … Continue reading →

The panic before school episode  Poem: Interrogative by Sister M. Therese  Statement of the Whole: As soon as summer starts, the clock starts clicking loudly.  What do good teachers do with their summers?  How do you start a new school year … Continue reading →

Poem: Choruses from the Rock VI, by T.S. Eliot  Statement of the Whole: Steve and Jason look at the last 250 years of education in America in a brief survey format.  Gleaning a few lessons only whets the appetite to dig in … Continue reading →

Poem: Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent’s Narrow Room, by William Wordsworth   Statement of the Whole: Research this!  The dust clouds billow up and the sneezing begins.  Most students unfortunately have been taught to despise the task of research.  Jason and Steve … Continue reading →

A story with Craig Conticchio  Quote: by G.K. Chesterton — “The difference between the poet and the mathematician is that the poet tries to get his head into the heavens while the mathematician tries to get the heavens into his head.”  Statement of … Continue reading →

Poem: Choruses from the Rock VI, by T.S. Eliot  Statement of the Whole: Steve and Jason look at the last 250 years of education in America in a brief survey format.  Gleaning a few lessons only whets the appetite to dig in … Continue reading →

Season Two, Episode 18  Reading Retention Re-examined  Another question from our listening audience  Poem: “To Sleep” by William Wordsworth  Statement of the Whole: Good reading is a good work.  It is not simple.  Many have experienced the sinking feeling of reading something, and … Continue reading →

Poem: none  Statement of the Whole: Talking.  Conversation.  Dialectic.  Can words that pass between us really change the world?  In this podcast, Steve brings in a guest, John Donohue, to chat about the use of Seminar in education.  What are the benefits … Continue reading →

Our Annual National Teacher Appreciation Day Show  Poem: “Italian Food” by Shel Silverstein  Statement of the Whole:  This is our second annual National Teacher Appreciation Day Show.  To celebrate, Jason and Steve have fun discussing what “down time” looks like for … Continue reading →

Poem: No poem, Jason tortures Steve with Spanish instead  Statement of the Whole: Is all truth relative, or are there some things that all men can agree upon?  The implications of this issue on education cannot be overstated.  If all truth is … Continue reading →

Allowing space for profundity, welcoming revelation.  Poem: “Adam’s Curse” by William Butler Yeats  Statement of the Whole: Many times, it is the unexpected appearance of a moment of truth that makes everything change in the classroom.  We had it planned to go this … Continue reading →

Poem: “An Unstamped Letter on our Rural Letter Box” by Robert Frost  Statement of the Whole:  Any art can be taught, but it is not taught in the same way that information is imparted.  Jason and Steve share various experiences and … Continue reading →

Poem: “Stay Home” by Wendell Berry   Statement of the Whole: Our world is in a state of quarantine with the Coronavirus, and the boys on the podcast want to share a few ideas for those having to figure out educational questions during … Continue reading →

An interview on teaching Latin.  Statement of the Whole: One of the more important aspects of a great education is forming a mind that can handle language, and that can interact with the primary sources of our educational heritage.  In this … Continue reading →

Why school when there is the internet?  Poem: What’s the Railroad to Me?  by Henry D. Thoreau  Statement of the Whole: Even as internet technologies provide more and more “educational” opportunities, schools are seeking to remain relevant to the educational process.  Are there … Continue reading →

Poem: none  Statement of the Whole: Fun is a fun word to define.  It is even funner to try and inculcate into today’s educational world.  Jason and Steve play around with the word for a while in this episode on how enjoyable learning … Continue reading →

The Thermostat Episode   Poem: Section 106 from Tennyson’s In Memoriam  Statement of the Whole:  Every classroom has its own unique temperature or climate.  What determines how that classroom feels?  Given that each student is unique, is it even possible to form a specific … Continue reading →