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Author Archives: Dean Forman

Reflection and Choice or Avarice and Ambition?

The outcome of the Constitutional Convention was a country of self-governing people who would elect their own representatives to govern themselves with their own laws. And what an entirely new recipe it was! A bit of democracy in the House of Representatives to represent the people. A little of aristocracy to represent monied interests in the senate. A modest amount of monarchy in the president for efficiency and dispatch. With a touch of judicial oversight in the courts to interpret the laws and defend the document from political encroachment. But the real power is in our hands to exercise our power of choice, in voting, to empower leaders with the principles we support rather than their own ambition or the avarice of individuals or corporations.

At This Moment: Let Them Be Little

Part of education is allowing our youngsters to discover, wonder and find joy. When adults use education to further their dysfunctional ideologies, children lose innocence. Children lose the chance to develop a natural moral excellence and a love for beauty and goodness. They lose the fleeting magic of just being able to be little. LetContinue reading “At This Moment: Let Them Be Little”

Constitution Day

Why should we celebrate the day of the US Constitution’s origination?  For one, it is imperative that every generation understands fully the power and importance of this miraculous document and its relationship to our personal liberty. Recognizing the importance of generational liberty George Washington said this: “A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?”

Providence Answers: A Setting or Rising Sun?

September 17, 1787 witnessed a crescendo of the Constitutional Convention that conceived the greatest nation to have ever been birthed. What emerged from the convention was a miracle of minds meeting and coalescing around forging a stronger document on which to build a nation. But one must ask: Is the sun on America still rising or is it now setting?

At This Moment: Natural Aristocracy

Why would we care about a monarch in the era of increasing democracies and mixed constitutional republics? The type of autocratic rule by one great monarch was challenged over time by barons and the Church of England, and these groups united against the monarchy. Together they wrote the extraordinary charter of rights known as Magna Carta to protect their rights as English freemen. This document became one of the types and shadows of our own Constitution and Bill of Rights.

One Year: Reflections on Leading a Revolution in Education

There’s a reason Leading a Revolution in Education starts with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. It is the allegory for our lives. When Linda and I started out on our journey to open the first John Adams Academy, we found ourselves coming out of a cave. Over and over, my life’s journey has invited me to throw off the chains and darkness of ignorance and embrace greater knowledge and wisdom for greater liberty and ultimate freedom. Revolution in Education is my invitation to you to put yourself on the path out of your own cave.

Family Mealtimes: The One Thing

If you could revive or adopt only one new family ritual at this time, I would like to suggest the one with the greatest power to improve your marriage, your family relationships, and even your education—and, additionally, it yields immediate results. Educational tradition frequently begins in the home, or in our lives, as we sit around the table sharing a meal together. This is a time when you can talk about what you are reading, learning, and thinking. Take a moment to note your recent dinnertime experiences: How were the conversations? How often were they interrupted by electronic distractions?

Education and Tradition

What traditions are you building that will last the test of time and endure the generations? Faith, family, celebrations, rituals, rites, customs — Which ones are higher in order or sequence? Education is how we discover who we are and how we establish and internalize our values. Remember that those values govern our behavior, but principles are unchanging laws of nature that are external to us and operate regardless of our awareness of them, our liking them, our belief in them or our obedience to them. Principles govern value-based choices. When we are faced with the questions around what to leave and what to take, it is wisdom to base our value system of traditions and choices on principles that are unchanging and enduring.