Tag: stories

MP Daily Telegraph: October 16, 2025

Photo by Amsterdam City Archives on Unsplash
Photo by Amsterdam City Archives on Unsplash
  • New Oklahoma Superintendent Rescinds Bible Mandate: Oklahoma’s new superintendent, Lindel Fields, will not enforce the previous mandate to place Bibles in public school classrooms. This change marks a shift away from the former superintendent’s focus on culture war issues. Fields aims to improve the quality of education and student outcomes in the state.
  • Life: The First Few Levels – Traditional education resembles old computer games in its reliance on manuals and tests. Modern games teach players through simple, fun challenges that build skills and allow failure without harsh consequences. Education should be more like these games, using real-life examples to prepare students for the future.
  • As more question the value of a degree, colleges fight to prove their return on investment: Many students and families now question if college degrees are worth the high costs. Colleges are working hard to show that degrees can lead to good jobs and higher earnings. Transparency about job outcomes and skills needed is helping students make better choices.
  • Why Stories Make You Smarter Than Self-Help Books: This is a quick read, but oh so important. STORIES MATTER.

“A life of dangerous adventures might seem worth it now… but one day, you will have children, and you will not want that life for them.” — M. L. Wang, The Sword of Kaigen


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Disturbing Stories, Violence, and Professional Liars

harlan ellison

I see myself as a writer; I’m a professional liar.

– Harlan Ellison, 1976

Every now and then, we need a little reminder of our need to be antagonistic toward the establishment and really break things open that need to be broken.

In this interview from British television in 1976 (sorry, it won’t let me embed here), Harlan Ellison speaks about a bit of his life and his consistent efforts to be a thorn in the side of those in power.

The world might be a better place if we could stir up a little trouble as teachers and students by being a little more contrarian.

Interviewer: “I’ve read your stories and I was quite disturbed. There’s a lot of violence sometimes.

HE: “There’s a lot of violence in the world.”

Truth.

Interviewer: “I would call you a science fiction writer. Now, is that exactly what you are?”

HE: “No, that is exactly what I am not… I take contemporary events and look at them through the lens of fantasy and see what they really mean in mythic terms.”

Critiquing the world as it is through stories has been the primary mode of improving society since societies first formed.

On why he owns a gun (after describing taking out a sniper outside his home):

I own a gun because as much as I’d like to believe the world is a soft, pink & white bunny story, it isn’t. I deal with reality; I’m a pragmatist.

I still miss Harlan.


The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!