Yearly Archives: 2008

Academic Writing

A Letter of Thanks

Note: In October of 2008 I presented at my second academic conference. Holly and I went to St. Louis together and spent a glorious few days as grown-ups without our small children (then 5 and 3). We saw the St. Louis arch. We went to the St. Louis Zoo. We bought fudge. And–momentously–we had our first alcohol. Champagne on a whim at the hotel followed by bad beer at a pizza place led two Bob Jones graduates out of a lifetime of teetotalery into the world of social alcohol consumption. All-in-all an excellent memory. This letter I wrote to the English department afterwards captures the professional aspects of the conference. (DL, Sept. 8, 20201)

I would like to express my gratitude to the English department for generously sponsoring my participation at the Sixteenth-Century Society and Conference in St. Louis on October 22 to 26 of this year. I feel privileged to have been selected for such support, especially during this time of economic trouble when the university is under additional financial pressure.

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Politics

Open Letter to Bob Inglis

Note: I was opposed to the bailouts in 2008. During the 2007 primary cycle I had discovered Rand Paul and become strongly enamored of Libertarianism and even more strongly opposed to government intervention of all sorts than I had been previously. I wrote this high-sounding appeal out of a sense of duty and urgency. Looking back, I have no confidence that my position then was the right one. I still believe our spending of the last 20 years has been unsustainable and destructive, and I still believe the core idea that in order for people to successfully self-govern, they must be willing to deny themselves and to embrace suffering when needed. But am much more conscious of how ignorant I was then (and am now) of how the economy actually works. Also, I find my tone of righteous bombast annoying and ineffective–especially given the fact that we were living with my parents at that time because we couldn’t afford our own place, and I depended on the Earned Income Credit every year to make ends meet. This may have been about the time we were on SNAP as well. (DL, Sept. 8, 2021)

Dear Congressman Inglis:

There are greater evils than a major recession, or even a depression. Both my father and grandparents lived through the Great Depression, and throughout their lives I saw the marks of character, self-discipline, and financial responsibility that that dark time left on them. My father and grandparents were thankful people, mindful that the good times should never be taken for granted.

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Academic Writing

Ninth to Twelfth Grade Latin Textbook Examination Report with Recommendations

Note: In 2008, I took a job as a Latin and American Literature teacher at a large Christian school. The goal was to pursue my calling and do what I loved (teach) while paying the bills and finishing my doctoral dissertation. Practically my first official task was to select the textbooks and develop the scope and sequence for the high-school Latin program. The school already had middle-school Latin and one of the reasons I was hired (instead of a pure literature teacher) was to establish a high-school Latin program. I prepared this textbook review as part of that process. Looking back, I’m impressed by this. I’d forgotten how thorough and clear it was. It should be clear to anyone who reads it how heavily my approach to Latin pedagogy leaned on grammar and vocab study. That kind of study is not easy work, and it’s hard to sell to students these days (and perhaps rightly so, but that’s a different conversation). But I still believe if you’re going to study a dead language, the best way to do it is the old-fashioned way. Those Renaissance schoolmasters knew what they were about when it came to teaching Latin to young people. (DL, Sept. 8, 2021)

Goal:

The purpose of the examination process is to select a multi-year Latin curriculum for grades nine through twelve. Upon adoption, the first-year course will be held in 2008-09, with successive courses added each year until the complete cycle has been implemented.

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