This week, we will start off the year with an article from Touchstone Magazine. In Education Normal Mark Mitchell discusses the difference between children raised on TV versus those raised on books and the Scriptures. Although he applies his points to his own homeschooled children, the argument absolutely applies to the education provided at Veritas. All of the reading we do strengthens phonemic awareness, improves reading fluency, and increases reading speed, but it also profoundly shapes the child’s heart and thinking. Mitchell argues well that the Bible (and good books in general –i.e. written stories) can powerfully shape a child’s moral imagination -far more effectively than the mere application of moral rules. Telling a child to be courageous is certainly good, but it is not nearly as powerful as instilling a picture of courage in the child’s memory and imagination through reading and teaching stories like David or Daniel or Henry V on St. Crispin’s Day. Happy reading!