by John Clark | Has anyone else noticed that coffee has become the financial “fall guy” lately? We live in an age of bailouts, zombie banks, troubled assets, and more troubled liabilities, yet coffee is often pointed to as the real financial problem.
Read More »4 Reasons Why Homeschooling is the Exact Opposite of Common Core
by John Clark | 1) Common Core is about testing. Homeschooling is about learning. 2) Common Core...
Read More »4 Things Mother Teresa Taught The World About Poverty and How We Can Help The Poor
by John Clark | A short reflection about a few of the ways that she shaped, and continues to shape, our notion of poverty and how we can help the poor.
Read More »How Much Do You Love Me? – One Answer for the Depression Discussion
by John Clark | I knew that depression was common, but it seems to be more widespread than I thought, and often so well-hidden.
Read More »Is A “Holy Hour” A Date?
by John Clark | "What do you mean we haven’t been on a date in a while? We went to Holy Hour just last night!”
Read More »Airbrushing My Life: Why Do It?
by John Clark | I was recently preparing some photos for printing and came across a software program that corrects imperfections. Commonly referred to as airbrushing, this is all the rage.
Read More »The #1 Best Way to Avoid Criticism
by John Clark | There is a saying that has been attributed to Aristotle; “If you want to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
Read More »‘Heresy Check’: One App I Really Want Made
For those of you about forty-years-old or older, you can probably remember a time when there was neither internet nor cable. There was no TV recording capability: if you wanted ...
Read More »Penance and Partridge: Why Saints *Must* Smile
by John Clark | I was struck by the fact that they all looked so happy. When I met them and smiled, the joy of their smiles dwarfed mine.
Read More »Setting Aside All Earthly Cares: Why Dads Need Holy Hours
by John Clark| I occasionally admit to certain things that I probably shouldn’t... I had never committed to a Holy Hour. Of course, I have spent time in adoration...
Read More »What I Learned from Spelling Workbooks: An Open Letter to Homeschool Moms
by John Clark | You don’t see the fruits of your many hours of homeschool labor, and you wonder whether you ever will.
Read More »If Butterflies Can Change the World, Think About How Much You Can Do!
by John Clark | Chaos theory has posited a concept referred to as the “Butterfly Effect.” The idea that little people can change the world is possible.
Read More »700 Years Later—Everyone’s Still Talking About the ‘Summa’
by John Clark | Many are familiar with the Summa Theologica, but there is a lesser-known fact about Thomas’ masterpiece: it was never finished.
Read More »Fathers, Children, and the Mercy of the Fourth Commandment
by John Clark | When Twain was 18 years old, he thought his father was the dumbest man alive. When he turned 21, he thought his father was among the wisest.
Read More »Chariot of Fire
by John Clark | It’s official. My beloved 2002 Mustang convertible has gone its last mile. It is going to car Heaven, otherwise known as “the junkyard.”
Read More »Rain Delay
by John Clark | It is often said that baseball is a game between fathers and sons. I have a thirteen-year-old daughter named Philomena who would disagree, or would at least argue that this definition is incomplete.
Read More »Organizing my Life
by John Clark | To all you organizers out there, can you please write an organization book for me? To help you get started, I have some questions.
Read More »A Day at the Spa for Homeschooling Moms
by John Clark | Alright, homeschool Dads. Your wife is reaching the end of another academic year. She has endured arguments from the teenagers about book reports for Goodbye, Mr. Chips. She has sharpened dozens of number 2 pencils.
Read More »Writing That Matters | Part 2
by John Clark | Why don’t more people write moving pieces? I think that one of the answers is that it’s risky. When you leave a part of yourself on the page, and someone doesn’t like it, it is hard to accept that fact—when people don’t like your work, you sometimes feel like they don’t like you. That can be a bitter pill to swallow.
Read More »Writing That Matters | Part 1
by John Clark | In the homeschool world, articles abound about how to teach our children to write well. They tend to cover areas such as how to outline, how to write a strong thesis statement, and so forth. These articles are certainly necessary, but as we teach our children composition, we need to remember another aspect of good writing.
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