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Practically Idealistic blog
 
The title for this blog originated with use of the term “practical idealist” in this 1996 opinion piece, which asked: “To what kind of work should a practical idealist aspire?” A century and a half earlier, Emerson, in his 1841 essay Circles, wrote: “There are degrees in idealism.  We learn first to play with it academically. . . .  Then we see in the heyday of youth and poetry that it may be true, that it is true in gleams and fragments.  Then, its countenance waxes stern and grand, and we see that it must be true.  It now shows itself ethical and practical.”  John Dewey and Mahatma Gandhi embraced practical idealism in the 20th century, as did UN Secretary General U Thant.  Al Gore invoked it in a 1998 speech. In the context of this blog, the term is meant to convey idealism tempered but not overwhelmed by realism: a search for the ideal on a path guided by common sense.
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Saturday, November 8, 2014

Literacy Forum: "Libraries in the 21st Century"

The New Haven Independent published my account of a recent Literacy Forum on “Libraries in the 21st Century.”

7:01 am est 

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Yale National Initiative and STEM Education in New Haven

The website of the Yale National Initiative to strengthen teaching in public schools has a new look, with pages ranging from extensive curricular resources to information about giving opportunities, including a campaign for STEM endowment in New Haven.

6:15 am est 


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