Education for pluralism--for living well with others in the midst of deep, inescapable differences--is a significant concern for philosophy of education. In this paper, the author draws the attention of philosophers of education to the resources for educating for pluralism that can be found in an altogether unexpected site: the liturgical…

When confronted with the ineffable, poets turn to metaphor. Similarly, philosophers of education often employ metaphors and analogies to explain the functions of education (e.g., schools are families, machines, prisons, etc.), and, more specifically, the role of educators. Teachers have been described as prophets, liberators, and midwives, which,…

Teachers should be connected to, not alienated from, the philosophical underpinnings of their work. Teachers who understand themselves to be philosophers of education, and who see their work as both practical "and" philosophical in nature, may be empowered with an additional foundational and theoretical "tool" to use both in…

According to Thomas Falk, an authoritarian insurgency against the institutions of liberal democracy operates along both political-economic and phenomenological axes. By corrupting language and stimulating vigilance, this insurgency endeavors to diminish the perceptual and communicative capacities that allow us to articulate a shared reality and…

Philosophers of education may imagine their work has great relevance to people trying to lead K-12 schools. In the current context, it would seem philosophers of education are sorely needed. Standardized assessments maintain their hold on curriculum and instruction, differentially affecting schools whether they are the targets of accountability…

The ability to think critically is a defining characteristic of humanity, setting humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. To perceive future consequences of an action, idea, or decision and then adjust these actions, ideas, and decisions accordingly is an integral part of existing as conscious beings in the world. Moreover, critical…

The idea that children need to be exposed to stories of patriotic heroes has again surfaced in recent legislative activity surrounding education. Often, this impulse aligns with a conservative, moralizing vision of teaching history: the flaws of past historical figures should be minimized for the purposes of national pride and traditional virtues.…

Recent legislation restricting the topics teachers may discuss with students raises the issue of what role the teacher should play in society. We argue that this legislative scrutiny of teachers is symptomatic of an aversion to defining what a teacher is. We argue that, though a reluctance to provide an explicit definition of "teacher"…

The concept of educational questions has often been taken up topically, or as a related component to topics within philosophy of education. The rabbit hole approach provides a new perspective for attempting to discover the characteristics of educational questions and to engage with six authors, Biestra, Bingham, LeGrange, Andreotti, Saeverot and…

The world, and the component parts that people generally take for granted about it are those moments put on pause, or, perhaps more accurately, peeled away, revealing something else entirely underneath. The world at the moment of suspension or peeling gives way to another world, or flashes thereof, however brief. To the author, nothing represents…

While the project of consolidating democracy into a durable and highly esteemed value in American culture has always been difficult to sustain, especially within the public schools, the struggle now assumes the character of a grave and inescapable need. Given the authoritarian and fascist resurgence across the globe, democracy and its accompanying…

Recent polling shows a marked increase in public distrust towards institutions and fellow citizens in the United States. In this context of rising distrust and democratic crisis, teachers have not been exempt from public scrutiny. Recent legislation in the United States targeting school curricula and classroom discourse reveal a mounting distrust…

The primary goal of this response to Eric C. Sheffield's presidential address "Human Expression and Meaning Making: Pondering the Role of the Medium in Creating a Life Worth Living," is to extend some of the excellent points raised and to offer some questions for continued inquiry. To extend Sheffield's critique, the author offer three…

This manuscript was originally delivered as the 2019 presidential address at the Ohio Valley Philosophy of Education Society annual meeting in September of that year. In this address, the author briefly distinguishes the Deweyan understanding of "impulsion" from that of "expression" as he discusses them in" Art as…

Two philosophers of education, Sarah Stitzlein and Lauren Bialystok, have recently expressed criticisms of so-called "Parental Conscience Acts," which allow parents to opt their children out of aspects of the public school curriculum that they find objectionable. (These laws and policies should be distinguished from those which allow…