I had an unsettled childhood, and went to 14 schools before age 13. I left school at 16, If I had had a teacher as passionate about their material as either of you - even once - it would have made a profound difference in my life. Philip said exactly how I feel about booktube - this community gives me the ability to grow my understanding and appreciation for something I already love, through conversations with people who care as much as I do. Thank you both - SO MUCH - for bringing your teaching energy to us.
Being moved around to that many schools when you were a child must have made it hard to feel rooted, Derri. My family moved a lot when I was young, but not that often. I’m glad we now have this community that goes wherever we might be (as long as there’s internet). Thanks so much for being a supportive and wonderful part of it!
The conversation on education was truly heartening to hear! Simultaneously negative but also positive to hear two educators echo the thoughts that the majority of students feel is really needed sometimes to put in to perspective at what level education is being corrupted and that there are still those teaching with passion for their students. And then the whiplash of Jock Philip was fantastic lol
It's alarming that our friends across the pond experience similar trends in education. Please do not imitate the corporatization of the education system that has taken place here in the United States! Also, Jock Philip only comes out at night, sort of like Mr. Hyde. Dr. Chase and Mr. Jock.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Unfortunatly, as someone from across a larger pond, we also see the same happening here. Educations seems to be a last resort job which is underpaid and undefunded. It is sad that, something so important in shaping our future generations is so disregarded yet so much is spent in military budgets
I'm in my late 30s and was pretty lucky with teachers for the most part during school, but maaaaan I would have loved to have either you or Allen as a teacher, it would have been a gamechanger. Thanks for the great chat as always!
Having gone through the Finnish educational system I can vouch for it being pretty good. I had multiple teachers take time out of their schedules to read my silly fantasy writings and critique them on their own time, and I wasn't the only one they did this for. It's amazing what motivation and being dedicated can give a person the energy to do.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Hate to squish your dreams my son but you may be a little old to enjoy the experience of a primary or even secondary education here.
I have been waiting for this chat forever, and it was totally worth the wait. The conversation about education was so emotional and it saddens me that we have reach to this level. However it's really refreshing to have 2 enthusiastic and dedicated educators talk it out like that. The rest was just pure gold. I loved spending 2 hours just listening to you guys. Thank you for the awesome content and RESPECT to both of you.
Thank you so much, Avi! It's heartening to hear that many people respect teachers and what they do in spite of the negative trends affecting education these days.
I would have loved to have either of you as a teacher. I hated history growing up, but I had filmstrip teachers up until college. I was forced to take one history course, and I loved it! Also, I invited one of my high school teachers to my wedding, because she was a huge part of my life for four years and I wanted to show my appreciation.
The teachers who end up coming to your wedding are definitely the ones who had an impact. I’m sure Allen makes history and Latin a blast for his students! Cheers, Noah!
I pretty much got c's in most classes except for history I got straight A's because I was actually interested in it. My history teacher would always defend me to the other teachers and they would look at them crazy, like he's your best student but he sleeps in my class lol. A good history teacher is worth their weight in gold!
I had a great history teacher in high school too, Joseph, and he helped to awaken a love of learning in me that extended to other classes. An enthusiastic teacher can make a huge difference and change the direction of a person's life.
Thank you for the conversation, gentlemen. Regarding your discussion about putting together these videos, I just want to hear you talk about books. I've recently started watching Raf Blutaxt's channel and all he does is grab a bottle of beer and start recording. That's good enough for me.
Raf is fantastic! I could not imitate his trademark beer ritual, especially considering the number of videos he makes, but I have invited him for a future episode of Dear Dr. Fantasy!
While I have alot of passionate things to say about the way education treats the humanities, I'll avoid that high horse. Instead, I want to express how mind blowing it was when I took courses that studied John Locke, or the romantic poets, and the enlightenment. The beauty and growth that comes with learning and seeking knowledge. Watching the art and culture grow is something I wish our society appreciates.
I love hearing you two discuss the education systems in which you work As someone who knows more about education theory than anyone needs, it's always fascinating to me to hear about how various places "function"
I’m glad you enjoyed the chat! Unusually, I learned some education theory in grad school (how to teach composition), and I found it helpful when I started teaching at the college level.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I should start by saying I'm in the UK But I grew up home-educated, so I picked up education theory from my mum and other home-educating parents in order to defend myself against "why aren't you in school?". As a teenager, I spent 6 months in Germany on a language exchange, so I engaged with a stratified secondary education system. That is, they test kids at 10 and, if you don't test into the top stream, university is pretty much an impossibility; it's easy to be dropped down to a less academic school but very hard to move up if you show promise later than 10. One of the qualifications I took before uni was in English linguistics, so I learnt a fair bit about language acquisition in infants. Then, after my law degree (which is an undergraduate course here), I trained to teach English as a foreign language. So, I learnt about language acquisition in adult/conscious learners and various teaching methodologies. Hence, I know more than I probably need to about how humans actually acquire new knowledge and have (what I expect to be) a life-long interest in comparative education systems. And debating ways to make how we teach better match how students learn. ☺️
@@RadellasReadingRoom Marvelous! I almost always find that the “home-schooled” (as we call it here) students I see in my classes are among the best prepared. It sounds like your particular educational journey has given you some valuable perspectives!
For me, fantasy (also sci-fi, but let's focus on fantasy here) is an amalgam (is that an English word or did I just badly translated from French, here... oh well 🤷♀️) of creativity, imagination and human studies. I love how everything is possible but also very much relatable. I find it helps me broaden my horizons. I also love that, although the books are often long, I get to spend a lot of hours with characters I love in an environment I'm fond of, which I really apprecitate. When I want to read something more realistic, I tend to gravitate towards non fiction memoirs, especially some that discuss implicitely or explicitely on resilience like Breath becomes air, The glass castle or Know my name.
@@nl3237 Je peux lire le français sans trop de difficulté, mais je ne parle pas très bien le français. Le français est une langue que j'admire beaucoup. Merci et bonne nuit!
Took a couple of days to watch, but it was worth it. Such a great conversation. I have a few comments... If you ever make it to Greece, up in Macedonia, near the town of Veria is a museum with the tombs of Philip II and Alexander IV. The museum is buried underground and is built around the tombs. It's really neat. I know a lot of people who said that college killed reading for them. Fortunately, I chose to make sure I always had some time to read for pleasure. Some friends wondered how I had the time. I told them I _made_ the time. I identify a bit with the jock thing. Although I did not play any of the Big 3 sports, so maybe I was not a jock but simply an athlete. I ran track and cross country, along with several in one of my social groups. We were kinda the jock-nerds: honor roll, Honor Society, loved sci-fi/fantasy. You know... totally NOT popular. 😀 The teacher rant was spot-on. Allen's Book Jeopardy is my favorite thing on UA-cam.
I knew there would be other jock/nerds out there! And, yes, my sports all involved a lot of running. I will make a point of visiting Veria if I ever make it to Greece, which is a goal. Thanks so much for watching!
I'm like a month late to this - I wanted a day where I could watch the whole thing at once. The part where Allen is talking about teaching, and how passionate he is, and that kids will turn up just for that class - to know how the story ends - absolutely incredible. Gods I wish I had an experience like that.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy yeah that is true. You and Allen def make up for the academic side of fantasy (yet very much fun) that I wished I had gotten normally in life :) Much thank you, its a joy to watch these discussions!
I definitely relate to the love of languages and grammar that probably has its foundation in learning Latin in high school! I've had a hard time buckling down and learning languages because there are so many that I'd love to know and I didn't know where to begin. Having a partner who is fluent in another language definitely helps with that aspect
That's so true about having a partner who speaks another language -- a huge help, I can tell you from experience. I think BookTube D&D is going to be a big hit!
Great episode guys, the conversation between two educators about the education system was fascinating to listen to, but it's a depressing state of affairs. I've never played D&D but booktube D&D has me very excited!
Hey, Jimmy! Well, there are chads, and there are CHADS. You are most welcome to join in on LOTR. I was telling Andrew there could end up being nine of us, and we'd be The Fellowship. Also, I call Gandalf.
A lot of thoughtful talking points. I particularly liked the content creation section and both of your different approaches. I also would've loved taking your fantasy literature class in college. One was offered at mine until the year I graduated high school, then it got cancelled. I had be content with independent study haha.
I’ve had to offer my Fantasy Novels course as an independent study in recent years too, Niki. Curricular decisions made the course impossible to fit in most students’ requirements for graduation. Thanks for watching!
Actually, with your platform and established credibility as a fantasy guru, you could totally offer an online course for fantasy literature as a side-hustle and advertise here. You know, because you probably don't have enough going on already lol.
@@TheObsessiveBookseller It’s a thought! I’m certainly glad to have this platform, where I can still discuss fantasy with lots of interested people and fellow fans.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I can relate - I had to go back in after I graduated to take some of the fun classes I couldn't do while working towards a degree. I tell you what, it would've given me a good recharge between other things to have been able to do them while taking so many hard courses. I agree with your points in the video on how the curriculum sometimes does more harm than good.
Second half of this video is one of the best discussion I've ever heard on UA-cam not just booktube. I love wear you say getting good grades does not mean you have knowledge.
Thanks, Joseph! Grades do more harm than good, in my opinion. There are much more effective ways to assess learning, and ways that actually encourage deep learning.
I 100% agree with you guys about the state of education in this country. I used to want to major in English because I loved to read and write. I actually took 2 years of an English major in college before completely switching majors to biology. And now I'm in healthcare, all because I realized that I couldn't make a living from English. And this was 20 years ago. I can't imagine how bad it is now.
It is, unfortunately, even worse now because the corporatization of higher education has continued to the point where students are customers to get through the doors as fast as possible while keeping the quality (expenses) as low as possible. You were smart to go into healthcare!
As a soon-to-be-graduated college student who studies incredibly niche humanities-centered topics, it was so great to hear this conversation. I just want to scream with you both about how ridiculous the education system is right now
To me, a big part of the problem is how corporate-minded higher education has become. Students are customers. Costs for things like faculty are cut, while perceived money-makers (like football teams and gimmicky facilities) are invested in. The “college experience” is sold as the centerpiece, while actual learning takes a back seat. Thanks for watching and screaming with us, Sheyenne!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I absolutely agree! My college is run by a corporation and it’s just a thing that is accepted by everyone. I also feel like the stress of getting tenure and all that entails plays a role. Many profs (usually in STEM fields) are only teaching because they are required to do so in order to do their research. They don’t know how to teach and lack the humanities-based education to do so. Then you have the stress of publishing and research for humanities professors so they have less time to focus on actually teaching. It’s the reason that I decided to not go into academia but focus instead of high school education despite my love of weirdly niche topics that I know I won’t be able to teach on in a high school setting. Regardless, this was wonderful!
@@sheyslibrary I agree about the negative consequences of the pressure to publish and the all too frequent ignorance among faculty about how to teach. Professors at community colleges have almost no pressure to publish, and instead most of their time and energy go towards teaching, but community colleges are also woefully underfunded. I wish you the best in your goals!
Another great episode! I have to say I was really moved because of the conversation around education and what Allen said about how only STEM is really valued sometimes. Speaking from personal experience I've always been the "art" kid especially in highschool. I was an AP student in every art/literature class I could get. However, my math and science classes always lagged behind. It made me feel like I was just plain stupid sometimes because it just didn't come easily to me. It got to the point where I spent my first year in college at a school known for medicine and engineering. I realized about 9 months in that I was the most unhappy I had ever been. I dropped out and about 4 months later I enrolled into an art based college and just last week I got my degree in Graphic Design and I was Valedictorian of my class. I don't know if anyone currently in highschool or college will see this but I just wanted to say that there are so many different types of intelligence and new ways to create a life with your passions. You are valuable and you can do something that isn't "a real job". Again, what a lovely conversation about what we value as a culture. I grew up in Spain and moved to the US and I was shocked to see how different the cultures shift and what's deemed important.
Beautifully said! Also, congratulations on not only finishing your degree but also becoming Valedictorian! That’s a marvelous accomplishment, and I’m glad your educational journey turned out to be fulfilling for you. Best wishes!
Soooo good. Really enjoyed the education discussion (my wife is a teacher and I hear the same frustrations from her for the past 20 years that she has been teaching), the system is so aggravating.
I've never had a group of friends to play D&D with, but if I did, in every video game I play, I am decidedly one of the number min / maxers who loves to build the most overpowered characters possible. I feel attacked by Allen 😅
Lol I do this in video games for sure. And there's nothing wrong with min/maxing DND if that's the group you're playing with but when one person is min/maxed and others aren't, there's one person doing all the killing while the others feel really underpowered when they wouldn't otherwise. It's just about keeping the dynamic of the group coherent!
@@Paul_van_Doleweerd Speaking of the fittest and fastest, I started reading your latest adventures of Doctor Fantasy and that other guy. Excellent so far!
What an absolutely riveting discussion this was! Grammar and classical languages , King Killer ( which I was ecstatic to learn you both have read AND taught ), the hopes and struggles of being an educator, suggested TBR’s and gaming involving my favorite Booktubers!! Bravo Gentleman!
I enjoyed this talk immensely. Any conversation where I start joining in, talking to the screen, even though no-one can hear me, is a win in my book. ♥️
I have good memories of weekend D&D campaigns. I too played through the 80's. I still have a (heavy) chest full of all the books, modules, dice, etc.. (mostly original and 2nd ED) that I've been carting around ever since which I haven't been willing to let go of in hope of playing again one day. Although I'm not sure that will happen for me anymore. It will be nice to imagine being part of a campaign on youtube if you go into one with Allen. I remember the troubles D&D had in opinion, where some people back then were saying "Oh no! You don't want your children playing some violent game like that. It's evil. Satanic" etc.. Those people having no idea of the playing of it, where within the boundaries of some rules you'd basically create your own stories. I giggle at comparing it to some games now. The game made you think. Got people to be creative. I think many young people put in front of it today might be those, like Allen mentioned in the classroom, that would throw up a blank face waiting for the next instruction rather than checking a reference or figuring out what to do in their situation. It seems a sign of the times, like some great hypnosis, where even some of my adult friends have become people who would say "you do this because that's what you do". No questions allowed. The disappointments in the education system have been prevalent for decades. I remember having to do a laboratory course to get a "required certificate" for a work place where the educational laboratory equipment was so very outdated it made it a pointless education. You'd have to learn on the job anyway. The teachers were badly paid and expected to teach using equipment that made it impossible to teach what was required. The argument against funding new stuff and staff was that more funding needed to be put into administration. Ironically admin had better computers than the lab and we could not access them. So the funding went to those doing the paperwork so students could get a piece of paper which wasn't worth the ink printed on it in terms of knowing anything of value.
Administrations are more bloated than ever, I’m sad to say. We have more deans and vice presidents and provosts than ever before, with big salaries and perks, and fewer faculty with less competitive salaries. It’s extremely frustrating and yet another sign of the corporatization of higher education. I remember the objections to D&D too - cultish satan worship and leading youth to commit suicide and all the usual nonsense. Those of us who played were definitely not among the “popular” kids, but we didn’t care - we were too busy exercising our imaginations and having a great time.
Yeah, this was 2 hours of my life well-spent. I loved listening to you two chat! 🤩 And even though it was quite sad to hear about the state of education, it's just incredible to see how much passion you both have for your jobs. I have also always loved languages etc., so I can definitely relate to feeling like my interests/knowledge are somehow inferior to that of people who study something outside of the humanities department. Also, I 100% agree with you that actually gaining knowledge and learning how to think critically is way more valuable than any sports stuff. And yes, yes, yes, students will for sure remember and appreciate their former teachers. Some teachers I had in high school are still some of my favourite people ever, because I truly feel like they helped me grow as a person and feel more confident about my own study/life choices. Thanks for this wonderful chat. It was a joy to watch 🤍
Thank you, Esmay! You should know that, as much as you remember those teachers, they remember wonderful students like you because you are what gives them purpose and a sense of mattering. Teaching can be a beautiful thing. My very best to you!
You guys were talking about how difficult writing is. When I was in grad school and having to write papers and my thesis, I received the best advise. My professor said "when you're writing your first draft, drink. Potentially a lot. You can edit sober later, but you'll stay out of your way if you're drinking." 🤣 obviously, I was over 21.
Ha ha! Well, I would "echo" that advice in that you shouldn't feel inhibited when you write the first draft. Don't worry about quality. Just get something out, and know that you can work on it -- must work on it -- later.
Wow I definitely keep learning a lot from you two guys. These conversation took some interesting turns and I completely agree with the education problems the world is facing at. And in the country where I live we face the same and more problems. But as Dr Fantasy said, we have to have hope that reasoning will prevail. I can't wait to see that d&d campaign, even if it's half as good as book jeopardy is gonna be awesome. Also got interested in K J Parker work. These episode sure was filled with a lot of awesome stuff. And my comment is loosing coherence, but keep it up
This was a great installment of Dear Dr Fantasy, Philip. I enjoyed hearing two educators discuss the current state of academia at its various levels. On another note, you mentioned that you read some books about writing while you were writing your books. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for books on writing that you found particularly useful.
They’re a bit older, but John Gardner’s books The Art of Fiction and On Writers and Writing are classics for good reasons. There are also many creative writing textbooks to help get a grasp of the basics - I used one, but I can’t remember its name. I think if you did a search on Amazon for “Fiction Writing textbooks” or something like that, you’d find some useful ones listed. Some of what I found there was obvious, but I learned enough for it to be worth it. Best wishes!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you, Philip. I am really hopeful that your book series gets published. I will definitely be pre-ordering book one and it will go right to the top of my TBR!
Absolutely loved listening and watching this. I am a firm believer in classical education, and my two boys attended (in college now) and currently attend a classical academy (charter, so no tuition😁). The curriculum is excellent and includes Latin, Western Civilization, Literature, art, etc. They also take math and science courses, but the emphasis is in the humanities. My son who is now in college is minoring in Classical Studies, and is thinking about majoring in Latin and potentially becoming a teacher or professor. There is hope in education, and I see it daily in my sons.😁. Once again, loved listening to this!
That is beautiful to hear, David! Congratulations on raising what sound like excellent young men. I wish them much fulfillment in their studies and careers. Thank you for watching and leaving the encouraging comment!
In Italy Latin is compulsory in high school. Before that I was studying English and French and I remember never liking them until I started Latin and it really helped me to understand languages better. We also have different kind of high schools, and you can choose whether you want to attend a school that is more focused on science/math or one that does mainly humanities. Or course, all schools teach all subjects, but you can actually choose which one has more importance to you. I always thought that to be a great thing about our school system. I also believe it depends on the countries. Like in Italy culture and history are just too important to be ignored. But maybe other countries might be more focused on technology and the future instead of the past.
It's a lot easier to go to university. As long as you have a diploma you can enter pretty much any school you want, though few do have entrance examinations (medicine, engineering...). We don't have any gpa requirements or other things like that. I can never understand why things in the States are so complicated, as if education were a privilege. It shouldn't be. Everyone should get a chance.
It sounds like you’re doing many things well in the realm of education in Italy - from treasuring your heritage to allowing freedom of choice and access to education to everyone and even emphasizing Latin! I’m envious of all those things. I completely agree with you - quality education should not be the privilege of a few, but rather the right of everyone.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy there are many problems in Italy when it comes to education, but there are also many good things😊 I'm glad I could study what I wanted! I hope things get better over there in the future!
On the brighter side of things, I love linguistics and languages. I wish my high school had courses in all that. Like Allen I also love Japanese, since it’s related to the research I’m doing for my novel and series.
I had a similar experience in 5th grade where I got a 'needs to improve' in reading as I only read Teo books that quarter. In my defense the two books were Return of the King and Dune. The gaming group sounds fun. And perhaps a stronger challenge for a Stabby next year against Critical Roll.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy It was around that time I found my Dad's sci fi books - Dune, Philip Jose Farmer, John Carter, etc. and read in between the numerous Xanth, Jack L Chalker and Thieve's World Books. I always did read above my grade and had some risque Boris/Frazetta covers I didn't take to school. The Forgotten Realms books, or setting, the young pup Allen talks about hadn't come out yet so we had to make due with Dragonlance.
Hi, love watching your channel. I'm wanting to read more fantasy but I read other things. Right now I'm reading a fantasy in a graphic novel form, called monstress. It's really interesting so far.
Hello, Shelly - I’m glad you’re enjoying Monstress. I’d like to read some graphic novels too. With The Sandman television series out, I thought I’d pick up the original.
So happy to watch you two have this wonderful conversation!!! Love the clickbait thumbnail! I just played my first D&D session last weekend, so maybe I'm the one going through the mid-life crisis. I wish I were good at languages. My brain just doesn't learn them well though I've always enjoyed singing in different languages. Loved the education rant though sad for the reasons prompting it. I failed Freshman English (because I was a rebel and didn't want to read what was assigned either), so there is always hope! 😁
Johanna, you rebel! I'm sure you would have earned an A in Freshman English if you had been my student. Congratulations on your first session of D&D -- I'd love to hear about your character, which I assume is an elf!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy You would have been my favorite teacher (though I'm glad you didn't have to teach high English)! I did end up having a fabulous summer school English teacher, and I'm pretty sure I was his favorite student. I loved everything I read in the summer class and was very engaged. Yes, my character is an elf! 😄
I always knew I was going to go into STEM since I was born legally blind, but as a child in school I was very gifted and never challenged - to the point I never studied a single moment in my life through K-12. This wasn't due to lazy teachers, but education generally being tailored to prevent the slowest kids from falling behind. As teachers taught, I just went ahead in the book and learned on my own if the subject interested me - like math. This was somewhat of a problem in my undergraduate work, but I mostly still coasted by with a 3.6 or so without having to study at all. By this point I was way too lazy to study, and it wasn't really a problem until graduate school, where I had a bad habit of waiting until 3 AM the night before to start an assignment due at midnight. I never really liked English because I felt like we were doing the same grammar basically ever year from a certain point onward, and the reading material they made us read was atrocious. I was a big weeb, so I would have loved to take Japanese in college, but it wasn't offered until graduate school (and while there, I thought the rules around my graduate assistantship prevented me from taking it, which ended up being a misunderstanding), so I just took the minimum of Spanish for the requirements and never cared about it. I sympathize with the both of you for your struggles with teaching. Teachers are indeed paid like shit, and that's why I knew I never wanted to be one. Then I go to open houses or whatever for my brother and hear the children "screeching" for lack of a better word, and I'm like "Was I ever this annoying? How did my teachers not kill me?" One of my favorite quotes is applicable for this education discussion: “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” - Isaac Asimov
That's a brilliant quote by Isaac Asimov and probably explains many of the problems our nation faces today. It sounds like you would have benefited from more challenges during your educational journey. Boredom in school should not exist, and the fact that it's so common is a indictment of the educational system.
Great chat, gentlemen! Nice to see two teachers wax poetically about the joys of learning and the immense power that teachers have to transform lives. Loved to hear Alan’s backstory as well.
Wow, if only my history teachers at school did voices for historical characters. It was dates and reigns and "list the four main causes of...", so I learned to appreciate history only later on.
If only we all had teachers with Allen’s enthusiasm! It’s excellent to hear from you, Igor, and I’m sure you’ve done an excellent job of studying history - handy for Jeopardy too!
Great chat so far! Was only able to watch the first half today and will watch the rest tomorrow. But great to hear you both on why you love teaching. Also wondering if I could sue my high school for not providing me with a Latin teacher like Allen. Loved hearing about your language learning journeys even though it makes me feel quite old. In the mid 80s I had started university. And of course more origin stories!😄 Thank you, for a great first half! To be continued.
I am fortunate in having had a wonderful Latin teacher, who happened to have taught at the same public high school when my mother was a student there. I wish Allen could have met Thelda Graves -- I would have enjoyed hearing them chat in Latin!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy That sounds wonderful! And she must have been quite influentual for you still to remember her so fondly. My Latin teacher was very uninspiring but like you I had a great history teacher and a biology teacher who also was giving yoga classes which was pretty cool. Btw a Lord of the Rings re-read would be great.
@@brush2canvas849 Yoga would have been good for me in high school. I think a LOTR reread is looking more likely this year, perhaps late summer. It would be fantastic to have you join!
Another fantastic episode of Dear Dr. Fantasy. Slightly depressing for someone who is considering going into teaching at some point after I get my Bachelors, but was a great thing to listen to for a couple hours
Perhaps education is in better shape in Canada? I can’t imagine it being as bad as it is here since Canadians seem more willing to contribute toward the public good. Because of students, teaching can still be a fulfilling and rewarding career, so I wouldn’t dissuade you from it, Jake.
I don't know about where you are, but here in California it's not good. Whenever someone tells me they want to be a teacher, I tell them to only do it if they feel they have a calling for it. For the most part, it's a thankless job.
Thank you, Christian! In a way, our channels are just that: an online course on fantasy, but with no assignments and no grades! 😁Thanks so much for watching!
Very cool conversation between the two of you. I got a pretty deep understanding of the "dark underbelly" of the educational world. In fact, I have a few friends that are teachers, middle school and high school (and I was a substitute for a couple years) so I know that things certainly have changed since my high school days... but I will admit, my love of learning came later on in life.
You never know when the love for learning will awaken in someone, but sometimes all it takes is the right teacher. That said, there is no wrong time to begin loving learning. Thanks for watching, Anthony!
I loved the rant against the school system! I initially started college with the intent of teaching algebra to high school students... ended up as a paralegal 🤣 I certainly feel like I dodged misery, that's for sure!
You probably made a smart move there! Teaching high school has always seemed extremely challenging to me. I’m happy with college level students, but I sometimes toyed with the idea of teaching Kindergarten.
Another incredible chat! Wow, so much in common with you guys, I was so excited for all of it I ended up watching it in one sitting ^^ You two are incredible human beings and I love that you touched on such a great subject with education and the things we value as a culture. It's really interesting to see (and sad I guess, too) that these issues are so much bigger than just one country. I'm Venezuelan and I saw so much of the things you mentioned in our own education system back when I still lived there. I share your hope that the great teachers out there like you guys give your two cents on why it is important to raise critical thinkers and well rounded citizens. Looking forward to seeing you guys play DnD together, I bet it will also be a blast.
Thank you, Astrid! As you correctly observe, the corporatization of education, where students are customers to be indoctrinated instead of taught to think, is, sadly, not limited to the United States. I hope and believe we can do better. And, yes, BookTube D&D would be a lot of fun!
That starting conversation is why I want to teach. It’s nice to see it in my fellow students, because many don’t have that desire for knowledge. I think it is an encouraging thing when erudition is actually sought. So I’m not a teacher but I love teaching, if that makes sense. Maybe one day I’ll actually be qualified, seems like it’s taking forever.
I have no doubt that you'll be a brilliant teacher someday, Liam! It's an incredibly rewarding profession because of the students, but it requires dedication, empathy, and a deep well of enthusiasm.
Bit late to the party, but about the part of kids not studying. I feel like teaching how to study should be a major part of early education. My highschool grades were absolutely abysmal, as I had never needed to or learned to study properly. In Uni I had to really pull it together somehow and improved by almost 2 grades on average. The mixture of having more passionate educators, subjects I was more into and teaching myself how to learn really made such a difference.
That’s an excellent point. I wish I knew the formula for igniting passion for learning in my students. I bring my own passion for the subject matter and try to be empathetic to my students as well as conscientious in attending to them. Some students respond by loving the class, while others . . . Well, I don’t take it personally, but the subject just doesn’t interest them. But if everyone learned how to study and, perhaps more importantly, why they’re studying early on, I think it would help.
I've been having problems trying to find the first one in Sandman series. I seem to find all the other. So, my next buy is Saga. This is something I don't think I could pull off. I'm 57 and my tastes are different. I did read Brandon Sanderson first storm light book and loved it. It was really, really long.
Finland mentioned, great talk you guys! Your education system in the States seems to be a a mess, but to be fair, we've had our difficulties with the system here in Finland as well
Thanks! In truth, no education system is perfect, but our punishment-oriented, numbers-centered, bulimic style of education is a lot further from perfect than what you have, and I think we have a lot to learn from places like Finland, where you seem to value education much more. All the best!
Treated myself to the second half. And no surprise it's as good if not better than the first! The state of education. We talked about this before so no need to repeat this. But it's sad and almost frightening. 😬😱😭Cameras in classroom? Really? So not surprising in a world where companies record every keystroke of their employees and even monitor their toilette breaks. If I ever get doubts about having made the right decision in leaving education I will watch this video again! Reading as a form of self care. I so agree and loved how you described that. And look at the gamer in you getting all excited. I actually watched a gaming session with Erikson taking part not too long ago and would definitely watch you and Allen. In other news: About halfway through Night of Knives and having a great time. Why is BookTube not all over this author? In more other news: I created a second channel on my youtube account. We see if it will lead to anything and I'll actually upload a video. (Yes, I can be as teasing as you Philip.😁).
Oh! When do I get to hear the name of this mystery channel?! Yay! No pressure, but please do let me know if you upload a video, and, with your permission, I’ll send out a community post and mention it on The Week That Was. I completely agree about the ridiculous lack of attention for Esslemont’s incredible books.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you, Philip for your generous offer to be my PR department. At the moment I still need to sort a couple of things like a channel icon. Meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow to talk about a couple of video ideas so after that I will probably have decided what the first one will be about. And yes, Esslemont is definitely a contender. Have also lined up some more people to answer some tech question but for the first video it's probably more how far a mobile phone and free editing software will get me. So if I go through with it I recon maybe another two weeks or so. Never achieved anything by overthinking, especially as it seems to be something where I will only know if I enjoy doing it if I actually do it. But I will definitely keep you updated.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Oh no, I knew this would be more complicated than I thought. Because where will I get a wife on such short notice who also has a suitable labtop? Damn!😁😁
Of course I watch Allen's channel as well! So happy he's now promoting KJ Parker 😄 Excellent talk once again, Dr Fantasy. Education may be ailing, but we're better off with the both of you spreading your teachings here 🤓 Looking forward to that DnD game, by the way. Sounds good. And maybe we'll see Dr Fantasy make an appearance on Book Jeopardy too, someday? 😇
Thanks, Rob! I figured you were watching The Library of Allenxandria. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some of your comments over there. I’ll certainly keep fighting the good fight in education, and the truth is that Allen is dealing with much worse down in Florida than I am here in New Jersey, though it’s far from ideal in any of the states. D&D would be a lot of fun, as would Jeopardy!
There have been some frightening developments lately - some politicians and a loud minority wanting to ban books and control education so that it reflects their political and religious agenda. We must always guard democracy.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Some politicians and vocal minorities would prefer an electorate with a short attention span and the inability to think critically. For them, that's a double plus good thing.
Really enjoyed the discussion. I went to school for childhood education. I'm not currently teaching for the exact thing Allen discussed. I got really tired of all the nonsensical things that surrounded the physical teaching and learning. It took the fun away.
Unfortunately, teachers are leaving their jobs in droves for exactly these reasons. They love teaching, they love their students, but the idiocy coming from politicians, administrators, and a lot of parents is too much.
Allen. How many elements of Lion of Macedon by Gemmel were on point? Just heard you say about Phillip studying in the southern states and sure I remember Parmenion meeting him there.
You two should partner with UA-cam and create UA-cam University. You can gather passionate teachers and professors to build communities with equally passionate students and learners. Just like how cable television became awful and streaming services have all but replaced it, we need a new form of education to replace the current broken system. I think Phillip, you have alluded to this before how underutilized the internet and even UA-cam are. We could easily create the ultimate education and learning platform, instead we spend hours sifting through misinformation. I truly think you guys could help pioneer a new segment or transformation of this platform to reform education
That’s a brilliant idea, Drew! There are individuals out there providing great educational content, but to organize them under the umbrella of something like a UA-cam University, or perhaps we should call it the Youniversity, would be next level.
Lots of stuff from that class has made its way into the videos. I've had two former students in videos as well -- one for Kingkiller, and another who taught me about video games (I "learned" to play Witcher III). Thanks so much for watching!
Phillip - got to the KJ Parker section - don’t do it. It will crush your heart (even though it is very very good). This is pseudonym for Tom Holt in case your familiar with his historical fiction novels But tbh - Parker is excellent so give it a try. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Sadly everything that Allen has said about US’s views on education rang true. American culture focuses on money and worshipping celebrities. American culture values only that which puts money in your pocket. Not that money isn’t needed cause it is, but we need humanities, damn it. We need history, philosophy, literature, the arts, etc. I hate American University and everything about it, that’s one reason I dropped out of college twice, I didn’t want to deal with all the nonsense. Teachers don’t get paid enough. Yet the football coach makes way more, that’s absurd.
Where we put our resources says everything about what we value. In the case of public education, we have been defunding it for a while. There will be negative, if not disastrous, consequences down the road. On the bright side, many people still seek to broaden their lives by being informed.
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I had an unsettled childhood, and went to 14 schools before age 13. I left school at 16,
If I had had a teacher as passionate about their material as either of you - even once - it would have made a profound difference in my life.
Philip said exactly how I feel about booktube - this community gives me the ability to grow my understanding and appreciation for something I already love, through conversations with people who care as much as I do.
Thank you both - SO MUCH - for bringing your teaching energy to us.
Being moved around to that many schools when you were a child must have made it hard to feel rooted, Derri. My family moved a lot when I was young, but not that often. I’m glad we now have this community that goes wherever we might be (as long as there’s internet). Thanks so much for being a supportive and wonderful part of it!
The conversation on education was truly heartening to hear! Simultaneously negative but also positive to hear two educators echo the thoughts that the majority of students feel is really needed sometimes to put in to perspective at what level education is being corrupted and that there are still those teaching with passion for their students. And then the whiplash of Jock Philip was fantastic lol
It's alarming that our friends across the pond experience similar trends in education. Please do not imitate the corporatization of the education system that has taken place here in the United States! Also, Jock Philip only comes out at night, sort of like Mr. Hyde. Dr. Chase and Mr. Jock.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Unfortunatly, as someone from across a larger pond, we also see the same happening here. Educations seems to be a last resort job which is underpaid and undefunded. It is sad that, something so important in shaping our future generations is so disregarded yet so much is spent in military budgets
@@KainPT And perhaps there is no better explanation for the state of humanity than that: Bloated militaries and impoverished schools.
I'm in my late 30s and was pretty lucky with teachers for the most part during school, but maaaaan I would have loved to have either you or Allen as a teacher, it would have been a gamechanger. Thanks for the great chat as always!
Thank you for the kind words!
Having gone through the Finnish educational system I can vouch for it being pretty good. I had multiple teachers take time out of their schedules to read my silly fantasy writings and critique them on their own time, and I wasn't the only one they did this for. It's amazing what motivation and being dedicated can give a person the energy to do.
Will you please adopt me so that I can move to Finland?
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Hate to squish your dreams my son but you may be a little old to enjoy the experience of a primary or even secondary education here.
@@KalleVilenius Darn! Was it the beard that gave me away? 😁 🧙♂️
I have been waiting for this chat forever, and it was totally worth the wait. The conversation about education was so emotional and it saddens me that we have reach to this level. However it's really refreshing to have 2 enthusiastic and dedicated educators talk it out like that. The rest was just pure gold. I loved spending 2 hours just listening to you guys. Thank you for the awesome content and RESPECT to both of you.
Thank you so much, Avi! It's heartening to hear that many people respect teachers and what they do in spite of the negative trends affecting education these days.
Loved your Origin story Allen.
It’s a great story!
I would have loved to have either of you as a teacher. I hated history growing up, but I had filmstrip teachers up until college. I was forced to take one history course, and I loved it!
Also, I invited one of my high school teachers to my wedding, because she was a huge part of my life for four years and I wanted to show my appreciation.
The teachers who end up coming to your wedding are definitely the ones who had an impact. I’m sure Allen makes history and Latin a blast for his students! Cheers, Noah!
Yesss Lord of the rings re read!!! I would join for that
I'm so down for that.
You are most welcome -- we'll end up with nine of us and be The Fellowship of the Ring. I call Gandalf!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I call Samwise since I know Allen won’t
@@AndrewsWizardlyReads 🤣🤣🤣 True! We should make him Pippin, though! 🤣🤣🤣
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yesssss
I pretty much got c's in most classes except for history I got straight A's because I was actually interested in it. My history teacher would always defend me to the other teachers and they would look at them crazy, like he's your best student but he sleeps in my class lol. A good history teacher is worth their weight in gold!
I had a great history teacher in high school too, Joseph, and he helped to awaken a love of learning in me that extended to other classes. An enthusiastic teacher can make a huge difference and change the direction of a person's life.
Allen will love that book. Its so focused.
The God Is Not Willing also has everything Allen loves about Malazan.
Thank you for the conversation, gentlemen. Regarding your discussion about putting together these videos, I just want to hear you talk about books. I've recently started watching Raf Blutaxt's channel and all he does is grab a bottle of beer and start recording. That's good enough for me.
Raf is fantastic! I could not imitate his trademark beer ritual, especially considering the number of videos he makes, but I have invited him for a future episode of Dear Dr. Fantasy!
Great - I will look forward to that episode of "Dear Dr. Fantasy"!!!
Is that still a Christmas tree in Allen's background? That's dedication!
Yes, and I completely agree. Of course, in Florida, it could feel like Christmas anytime you like, I suppose. 😁
While I have alot of passionate things to say about the way education treats the humanities, I'll avoid that high horse. Instead, I want to express how mind blowing it was when I took courses that studied John Locke, or the romantic poets, and the enlightenment. The beauty and growth that comes with learning and seeking knowledge. Watching the art and culture grow is something I wish our society appreciates.
Beautifully said, Dylan!
I love hearing you two discuss the education systems in which you work
As someone who knows more about education theory than anyone needs, it's always fascinating to me to hear about how various places "function"
I’m glad you enjoyed the chat! Unusually, I learned some education theory in grad school (how to teach composition), and I found it helpful when I started teaching at the college level.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I should start by saying I'm in the UK
But I grew up home-educated, so I picked up education theory from my mum and other home-educating parents in order to defend myself against "why aren't you in school?".
As a teenager, I spent 6 months in Germany on a language exchange, so I engaged with a stratified secondary education system. That is, they test kids at 10 and, if you don't test into the top stream, university is pretty much an impossibility; it's easy to be dropped down to a less academic school but very hard to move up if you show promise later than 10.
One of the qualifications I took before uni was in English linguistics, so I learnt a fair bit about language acquisition in infants. Then, after my law degree (which is an undergraduate course here), I trained to teach English as a foreign language. So, I learnt about language acquisition in adult/conscious learners and various teaching methodologies.
Hence, I know more than I probably need to about how humans actually acquire new knowledge and have (what I expect to be) a life-long interest in comparative education systems. And debating ways to make how we teach better match how students learn. ☺️
@@RadellasReadingRoom Marvelous! I almost always find that the “home-schooled” (as we call it here) students I see in my classes are among the best prepared. It sounds like your particular educational journey has given you some valuable perspectives!
For me, fantasy (also sci-fi, but let's focus on fantasy here) is an amalgam (is that an English word or did I just badly translated from French, here... oh well 🤷♀️) of creativity, imagination and human studies. I love how everything is possible but also very much relatable. I find it helps me broaden my horizons. I also love that, although the books are often long, I get to spend a lot of hours with characters I love in an environment I'm fond of, which I really apprecitate. When I want to read something more realistic, I tend to gravitate towards non fiction memoirs, especially some that discuss implicitely or explicitely on resilience like Breath becomes air, The glass castle or Know my name.
Beautifully said, and yes, “amalgam” is the right word. I used to do something similar when translating from English to French. 😁
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Oh ! Je ne savais pas que vous parliez français ! Je vous souhaite une magnifique soirée et merci pour vos vidéos !
@@nl3237 Je peux lire le français sans trop de difficulté, mais je ne parle pas très bien le français. Le français est une langue que j'admire beaucoup. Merci et bonne nuit!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Aucune faute d'orthographe ! Je suis impressionnée
@@nl3237 Merci! 😄
Took a couple of days to watch, but it was worth it. Such a great conversation. I have a few comments...
If you ever make it to Greece, up in Macedonia, near the town of Veria is a museum with the tombs of Philip II and Alexander IV. The museum is buried underground and is built around the tombs. It's really neat.
I know a lot of people who said that college killed reading for them. Fortunately, I chose to make sure I always had some time to read for pleasure. Some friends wondered how I had the time. I told them I _made_ the time.
I identify a bit with the jock thing. Although I did not play any of the Big 3 sports, so maybe I was not a jock but simply an athlete. I ran track and cross country, along with several in one of my social groups. We were kinda the jock-nerds: honor roll, Honor Society, loved sci-fi/fantasy. You know... totally NOT popular. 😀
The teacher rant was spot-on.
Allen's Book Jeopardy is my favorite thing on UA-cam.
I knew there would be other jock/nerds out there! And, yes, my sports all involved a lot of running. I will make a point of visiting Veria if I ever make it to Greece, which is a goal. Thanks so much for watching!
I'm like a month late to this - I wanted a day where I could watch the whole thing at once. The part where Allen is talking about teaching, and how passionate he is, and that kids will turn up just for that class - to know how the story ends - absolutely incredible. Gods I wish I had an experience like that.
I hope you can have that experience, Chirag! At least we have BookTube.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy yeah that is true. You and Allen def make up for the academic side of fantasy (yet very much fun) that I wished I had gotten normally in life :) Much thank you, its a joy to watch these discussions!
@@Nxrth2001 I’m happy that you enjoy them!
I definitely relate to the love of languages and grammar that probably has its foundation in learning Latin in high school! I've had a hard time buckling down and learning languages because there are so many that I'd love to know and I didn't know where to begin. Having a partner who is fluent in another language definitely helps with that aspect
And I would love to watch you guys play D&D!
That's so true about having a partner who speaks another language -- a huge help, I can tell you from experience. I think BookTube D&D is going to be a big hit!
Great episode guys, the conversation between two educators about the education system was fascinating to listen to, but it's a depressing state of affairs. I've never played D&D but booktube D&D has me very excited!
Thanks, Nick! I’m glad you enjoyed the chat!
This will be taking up my afternoon 👌
I'd be down to read LOTR
I KNEW PHILIP WAS A CHAD!!!
I absolutely will be the wildcard
Hey, Jimmy! Well, there are chads, and there are CHADS. You are most welcome to join in on LOTR. I was telling Andrew there could end up being nine of us, and we'd be The Fellowship. Also, I call Gandalf.
A lot of thoughtful talking points. I particularly liked the content creation section and both of your different approaches. I also would've loved taking your fantasy literature class in college. One was offered at mine until the year I graduated high school, then it got cancelled. I had be content with independent study haha.
I’ve had to offer my Fantasy Novels course as an independent study in recent years too, Niki. Curricular decisions made the course impossible to fit in most students’ requirements for graduation. Thanks for watching!
Actually, with your platform and established credibility as a fantasy guru, you could totally offer an online course for fantasy literature as a side-hustle and advertise here. You know, because you probably don't have enough going on already lol.
@@TheObsessiveBookseller It’s a thought! I’m certainly glad to have this platform, where I can still discuss fantasy with lots of interested people and fellow fans.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I can relate - I had to go back in after I graduated to take some of the fun classes I couldn't do while working towards a degree. I tell you what, it would've given me a good recharge between other things to have been able to do them while taking so many hard courses. I agree with your points in the video on how the curriculum sometimes does more harm than good.
I would love some classics taught by Allen, specially some latin. Dr Chase doing a series on Thomas Covenant, that would be a treat for the mind.
Someday I’ll revisit Thomas Covenant, and I hope to make videos as I read each book. Cheers, Benjamin!
Second half of this video is one of the best discussion I've ever heard on UA-cam not just booktube. I love wear you say getting good grades does not mean you have knowledge.
Thanks, Joseph! Grades do more harm than good, in my opinion. There are much more effective ways to assess learning, and ways that actually encourage deep learning.
I 100% agree with you guys about the state of education in this country. I used to want to major in English because I loved to read and write. I actually took 2 years of an English major in college before completely switching majors to biology. And now I'm in healthcare, all because I realized that I couldn't make a living from English. And this was 20 years ago. I can't imagine how bad it is now.
It is, unfortunately, even worse now because the corporatization of higher education has continued to the point where students are customers to get through the doors as fast as possible while keeping the quality (expenses) as low as possible. You were smart to go into healthcare!
There is nothing better than an Allen Walker truth rant. Great discussion! And D&D with you all would be amazing 👏
Allen's truth rants are epic!
As a soon-to-be-graduated college student who studies incredibly niche humanities-centered topics, it was so great to hear this conversation. I just want to scream with you both about how ridiculous the education system is right now
To me, a big part of the problem is how corporate-minded higher education has become. Students are customers. Costs for things like faculty are cut, while perceived money-makers (like football teams and gimmicky facilities) are invested in. The “college experience” is sold as the centerpiece, while actual learning takes a back seat. Thanks for watching and screaming with us, Sheyenne!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I absolutely agree! My college is run by a corporation and it’s just a thing that is accepted by everyone. I also feel like the stress of getting tenure and all that entails plays a role. Many profs (usually in STEM fields) are only teaching because they are required to do so in order to do their research. They don’t know how to teach and lack the humanities-based education to do so. Then you have the stress of publishing and research for humanities professors so they have less time to focus on actually teaching. It’s the reason that I decided to not go into academia but focus instead of high school education despite my love of weirdly niche topics that I know I won’t be able to teach on in a high school setting. Regardless, this was wonderful!
@@sheyslibrary I agree about the negative consequences of the pressure to publish and the all too frequent ignorance among faculty about how to teach. Professors at community colleges have almost no pressure to publish, and instead most of their time and energy go towards teaching, but community colleges are also woefully underfunded. I wish you the best in your goals!
Another great episode! I have to say I was really moved because of the conversation around education and what Allen said about how only STEM is really valued sometimes. Speaking from personal experience I've always been the "art" kid especially in highschool. I was an AP student in every art/literature class I could get. However, my math and science classes always lagged behind. It made me feel like I was just plain stupid sometimes because it just didn't come easily to me. It got to the point where I spent my first year in college at a school known for medicine and engineering. I realized about 9 months in that I was the most unhappy I had ever been. I dropped out and about 4 months later I enrolled into an art based college and just last week I got my degree in Graphic Design and I was Valedictorian of my class. I don't know if anyone currently in highschool or college will see this but I just wanted to say that there are so many different types of intelligence and new ways to create a life with your passions. You are valuable and you can do something that isn't "a real job". Again, what a lovely conversation about what we value as a culture. I grew up in Spain and moved to the US and I was shocked to see how different the cultures shift and what's deemed important.
Beautifully said! Also, congratulations on not only finishing your degree but also becoming Valedictorian! That’s a marvelous accomplishment, and I’m glad your educational journey turned out to be fulfilling for you. Best wishes!
Soooo good. Really enjoyed the education discussion (my wife is a teacher and I hear the same frustrations from her for the past 20 years that she has been teaching), the system is so aggravating.
Thanks, Scott, and my very best wishes to your wife as she fights the good fight!
I've never had a group of friends to play D&D with, but if I did, in every video game I play, I am decidedly one of the number min / maxers who loves to build the most overpowered characters possible. I feel attacked by Allen 😅
Lol I do this in video games for sure. And there's nothing wrong with min/maxing DND if that's the group you're playing with but when one person is min/maxed and others aren't, there's one person doing all the killing while the others feel really underpowered when they wouldn't otherwise. It's just about keeping the dynamic of the group coherent!
Survival of the fittest!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Fastest... 😁
@@Paul_van_Doleweerd Speaking of the fittest and fastest, I started reading your latest adventures of Doctor Fantasy and that other guy. Excellent so far!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thanks, I appreciate that. It got away from me for a bit, but I think it's nearly complete.
What an absolutely riveting discussion this was! Grammar and classical languages , King Killer ( which I was ecstatic to learn you both have read AND taught ), the hopes and struggles of being an educator, suggested TBR’s and gaming involving my favorite Booktubers!! Bravo Gentleman!
Thank you, Michael! I’m happy that you enjoyed the chat!
I enjoyed this talk immensely. Any conversation where I start joining in, talking to the screen, even though no-one can hear me, is a win in my book. ♥️
Thanks so much, Tamara! I wish I could have responded to all your remarks, but I’m glad to be replying to this comment! 😁
I have good memories of weekend D&D campaigns. I too played through the 80's. I still have a (heavy) chest full of all the books, modules, dice, etc.. (mostly original and 2nd ED) that I've been carting around ever since which I haven't been willing to let go of in hope of playing again one day. Although I'm not sure that will happen for me anymore. It will be nice to imagine being part of a campaign on youtube if you go into one with Allen.
I remember the troubles D&D had in opinion, where some people back then were saying "Oh no! You don't want your children playing some violent game like that. It's evil. Satanic" etc.. Those people having no idea of the playing of it, where within the boundaries of some rules you'd basically create your own stories. I giggle at comparing it to some games now. The game made you think. Got people to be creative. I think many young people put in front of it today might be those, like Allen mentioned in the classroom, that would throw up a blank face waiting for the next instruction rather than checking a reference or figuring out what to do in their situation. It seems a sign of the times, like some great hypnosis, where even some of my adult friends have become people who would say "you do this because that's what you do". No questions allowed.
The disappointments in the education system have been prevalent for decades. I remember having to do a laboratory course to get a "required certificate" for a work place where the educational laboratory equipment was so very outdated it made it a pointless education. You'd have to learn on the job anyway. The teachers were badly paid and expected to teach using equipment that made it impossible to teach what was required. The argument against funding new stuff and staff was that more funding needed to be put into administration. Ironically admin had better computers than the lab and we could not access them. So the funding went to those doing the paperwork so students could get a piece of paper which wasn't worth the ink printed on it in terms of knowing anything of value.
Administrations are more bloated than ever, I’m sad to say. We have more deans and vice presidents and provosts than ever before, with big salaries and perks, and fewer faculty with less competitive salaries. It’s extremely frustrating and yet another sign of the corporatization of higher education. I remember the objections to D&D too - cultish satan worship and leading youth to commit suicide and all the usual nonsense. Those of us who played were definitely not among the “popular” kids, but we didn’t care - we were too busy exercising our imaginations and having a great time.
Yeah, this was 2 hours of my life well-spent. I loved listening to you two chat! 🤩
And even though it was quite sad to hear about the state of education, it's just incredible to see how much passion you both have for your jobs.
I have also always loved languages etc., so I can definitely relate to feeling like my interests/knowledge are somehow inferior to that of people who study something outside of the humanities department.
Also, I 100% agree with you that actually gaining knowledge and learning how to think critically is way more valuable than any sports stuff.
And yes, yes, yes, students will for sure remember and appreciate their former teachers. Some teachers I had in high school are still some of my favourite people ever, because I truly feel like they helped me grow as a person and feel more confident about my own study/life choices.
Thanks for this wonderful chat. It was a joy to watch 🤍
Thank you, Esmay! You should know that, as much as you remember those teachers, they remember wonderful students like you because you are what gives them purpose and a sense of mattering. Teaching can be a beautiful thing. My very best to you!
You guys were talking about how difficult writing is. When I was in grad school and having to write papers and my thesis, I received the best advise. My professor said "when you're writing your first draft, drink. Potentially a lot. You can edit sober later, but you'll stay out of your way if you're drinking." 🤣 obviously, I was over 21.
Ha ha! Well, I would "echo" that advice in that you shouldn't feel inhibited when you write the first draft. Don't worry about quality. Just get something out, and know that you can work on it -- must work on it -- later.
Wow I definitely keep learning a lot from you two guys. These conversation took some interesting turns and I completely agree with the education problems the world is facing at. And in the country where I live we face the same and more problems. But as Dr Fantasy said, we have to have hope that reasoning will prevail.
I can't wait to see that d&d campaign, even if it's half as good as book jeopardy is gonna be awesome.
Also got interested in K J Parker work.
These episode sure was filled with a lot of awesome stuff. And my comment is loosing coherence, but keep it up
Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging comment - much appreciated!
This was a great installment of Dear Dr Fantasy, Philip. I enjoyed hearing two educators discuss the current state of academia at its various levels. On another note, you mentioned that you read some books about writing while you were writing your books. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for books on writing that you found particularly useful.
They’re a bit older, but John Gardner’s books The Art of Fiction and On Writers and Writing are classics for good reasons. There are also many creative writing textbooks to help get a grasp of the basics - I used one, but I can’t remember its name. I think if you did a search on Amazon for “Fiction Writing textbooks” or something like that, you’d find some useful ones listed. Some of what I found there was obvious, but I learned enough for it to be worth it. Best wishes!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you, Philip. I am really hopeful that your book series gets published. I will definitely be pre-ordering book one and it will go right to the top of my TBR!
@@adamcrawford6421 Thanks so much, Adam!
This was so much fun! I am right there with you guys on the way priorities are placed in education. It’s a travesty.
We need a big shift in the way our culture looks at education, and then we can fix the rest. Thanks, Chas!
Early in the video but wanted to give you Kudos Philip on how respectful and engaged you are in this series 👍👍❤️
Thanks so much! I’m lucky to have such awesome conversation partners here on BookTube!
Absolutely loved listening and watching this. I am a firm believer in classical education, and my two boys attended (in college now) and currently attend a classical academy (charter, so no tuition😁). The curriculum is excellent and includes Latin, Western Civilization, Literature, art, etc. They also take math and science courses, but the emphasis is in the humanities. My son who is now in college is minoring in Classical Studies, and is thinking about majoring in Latin and potentially becoming a teacher or professor. There is hope in education, and I see it daily in my sons.😁. Once again, loved listening to this!
That is beautiful to hear, David! Congratulations on raising what sound like excellent young men. I wish them much fulfillment in their studies and careers. Thank you for watching and leaving the encouraging comment!
Loved the discussion about the education system!
Thank you, Dwight! It’s a topic of vast importance, and Allen and I both have a personal stake in it.
This was absolutely brilliant to watch, both really passionate great to see 👌
Thank you! Allen definitely has passion for teaching and for books, and I’d like to think that I do too. Thanks for watching!
D&D is HAPPENING?! SO FREAKIN AWESOME
As long as Allen is the DM, it’s going to be awesome!
Another great conversation. I enjoy your Dear Dr. Fantasy.
Thank you, Roxie!
In Italy Latin is compulsory in high school. Before that I was studying English and French and I remember never liking them until I started Latin and it really helped me to understand languages better. We also have different kind of high schools, and you can choose whether you want to attend a school that is more focused on science/math or one that does mainly humanities. Or course, all schools teach all subjects, but you can actually choose which one has more importance to you. I always thought that to be a great thing about our school system. I also believe it depends on the countries. Like in Italy culture and history are just too important to be ignored. But maybe other countries might be more focused on technology and the future instead of the past.
It's a lot easier to go to university. As long as you have a diploma you can enter pretty much any school you want, though few do have entrance examinations (medicine, engineering...). We don't have any gpa requirements or other things like that. I can never understand why things in the States are so complicated, as if education were a privilege. It shouldn't be. Everyone should get a chance.
It sounds like you’re doing many things well in the realm of education in Italy - from treasuring your heritage to allowing freedom of choice and access to education to everyone and even emphasizing Latin! I’m envious of all those things. I completely agree with you - quality education should not be the privilege of a few, but rather the right of everyone.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy there are many problems in Italy when it comes to education, but there are also many good things😊 I'm glad I could study what I wanted! I hope things get better over there in the future!
@@miriam-thebookhunter5393 Thank you!
On the brighter side of things, I love linguistics and languages. I wish my high school had courses in all that. Like Allen I also love Japanese, since it’s related to the research I’m doing for my novel and series.
Japanese inspiration for your novel sounds very intriguing and cool, Marco!
Beats are amazing and very good for you. Try roasting them and put them on a salad with goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette.😋
Thanks, Tony! You’re absolutely right that beets are good for you. That sounds like a recipe that might make them tolerable for me! 😁
I had a similar experience in 5th grade where I got a 'needs to improve' in reading as I only read Teo books that quarter. In my defense the two books were Return of the King and Dune.
The gaming group sounds fun. And perhaps a stronger challenge for a Stabby next year against Critical Roll.
You should have been commended for reading Lord of the Rings and Dune at that age! Ugh. Education shouldn’t scar people.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy It was around that time I found my Dad's sci fi books - Dune, Philip Jose Farmer, John Carter, etc. and read in between the numerous Xanth, Jack L Chalker and Thieve's World Books. I always did read above my grade and had some risque Boris/Frazetta covers I didn't take to school.
The Forgotten Realms books, or setting, the young pup Allen talks about hadn't come out yet so we had to make due with Dragonlance.
@@EricMcLuen Those were the days!
Hi, love watching your channel. I'm wanting to read more fantasy but I read other things. Right now I'm reading a fantasy in a graphic novel form, called monstress. It's really interesting so far.
Hello, Shelly - I’m glad you’re enjoying Monstress. I’d like to read some graphic novels too. With The Sandman television series out, I thought I’d pick up the original.
So happy to watch you two have this wonderful conversation!!! Love the clickbait thumbnail! I just played my first D&D session last weekend, so maybe I'm the one going through the mid-life crisis. I wish I were good at languages. My brain just doesn't learn them well though I've always enjoyed singing in different languages. Loved the education rant though sad for the reasons prompting it. I failed Freshman English (because I was a rebel and didn't want to read what was assigned either), so there is always hope! 😁
Johanna, you rebel! I'm sure you would have earned an A in Freshman English if you had been my student. Congratulations on your first session of D&D -- I'd love to hear about your character, which I assume is an elf!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy You would have been my favorite teacher (though I'm glad you didn't have to teach high English)! I did end up having a fabulous summer school English teacher, and I'm pretty sure I was his favorite student. I loved everything I read in the summer class and was very engaged. Yes, my character is an elf! 😄
@@Johanna_reads I knew it! You had to be an elf! 😁
It's heartbreaking to hear about the state of Humanities. If we destroy humanities, we will surely destroy ourselves. ☹
Truer words were never written!
YEAH!!!! ANOTHER DEAR DR. FANTASY!!!
Thank you for the enthusiasm -- I love it!
Highly enjoyed this!! Two of my fav booktubers = 🙌🙌
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chat, Penny. It’s hard to go wrong with Allen!
I always knew I was going to go into STEM since I was born legally blind, but as a child in school I was very gifted and never challenged - to the point I never studied a single moment in my life through K-12. This wasn't due to lazy teachers, but education generally being tailored to prevent the slowest kids from falling behind. As teachers taught, I just went ahead in the book and learned on my own if the subject interested me - like math. This was somewhat of a problem in my undergraduate work, but I mostly still coasted by with a 3.6 or so without having to study at all. By this point I was way too lazy to study, and it wasn't really a problem until graduate school, where I had a bad habit of waiting until 3 AM the night before to start an assignment due at midnight.
I never really liked English because I felt like we were doing the same grammar basically ever year from a certain point onward, and the reading material they made us read was atrocious.
I was a big weeb, so I would have loved to take Japanese in college, but it wasn't offered until graduate school (and while there, I thought the rules around my graduate assistantship prevented me from taking it, which ended up being a misunderstanding), so I just took the minimum of Spanish for the requirements and never cared about it.
I sympathize with the both of you for your struggles with teaching. Teachers are indeed paid like shit, and that's why I knew I never wanted to be one. Then I go to open houses or whatever for my brother and hear the children "screeching" for lack of a better word, and I'm like "Was I ever this annoying? How did my teachers not kill me?"
One of my favorite quotes is applicable for this education discussion:
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” - Isaac Asimov
That's a brilliant quote by Isaac Asimov and probably explains many of the problems our nation faces today. It sounds like you would have benefited from more challenges during your educational journey. Boredom in school should not exist, and the fact that it's so common is a indictment of the educational system.
Great chat, gentlemen! Nice to see two teachers wax poetically about the joys of learning and the immense power that teachers have to transform lives. Loved to hear Alan’s backstory as well.
I'm glad you enjoyed the chat! We educators have to get together sometimes to trade war stories. 😄
Wow, if only my history teachers at school did voices for historical characters. It was dates and reigns and "list the four main causes of...", so I learned to appreciate history only later on.
If only we all had teachers with Allen’s enthusiasm! It’s excellent to hear from you, Igor, and I’m sure you’ve done an excellent job of studying history - handy for Jeopardy too!
Great chat so far! Was only able to watch the first half today and will watch the rest tomorrow. But great to hear you both on why you love teaching. Also wondering if I could sue my high school for not providing me with a Latin teacher like Allen.
Loved hearing about your language learning journeys even though it makes me feel quite old. In the mid 80s I had started university. And of course more origin stories!😄
Thank you, for a great first half! To be continued.
I am fortunate in having had a wonderful Latin teacher, who happened to have taught at the same public high school when my mother was a student there. I wish Allen could have met Thelda Graves -- I would have enjoyed hearing them chat in Latin!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy That sounds wonderful! And she must have been quite influentual for you still to remember her so fondly. My Latin teacher was very uninspiring but like you I had a great history teacher and a biology teacher who also was giving yoga classes which was pretty cool.
Btw a Lord of the Rings re-read would be great.
@@brush2canvas849 Yoga would have been good for me in high school. I think a LOTR reread is looking more likely this year, perhaps late summer. It would be fantastic to have you join!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Its over twenty years since my last LOTR re-read. That makes it more than overdue. So count me in.
Another fantastic episode of Dear Dr. Fantasy. Slightly depressing for someone who is considering going into teaching at some point after I get my Bachelors, but was a great thing to listen to for a couple hours
Perhaps education is in better shape in Canada? I can’t imagine it being as bad as it is here since Canadians seem more willing to contribute toward the public good. Because of students, teaching can still be a fulfilling and rewarding career, so I wouldn’t dissuade you from it, Jake.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy i do think it is slightly in Canada
I don't know about where you are, but here in California it's not good. Whenever someone tells me they want to be a teacher, I tell them to only do it if they feel they have a calling for it. For the most part, it's a thankless job.
@@Rogue_VI Passion is necessary, or there’s a good chance you won’t last.
Fantastic discussion gentlemen! Ever think of offering an online course on Fantasy in Literature? Can't wait to see that D&D game!
Thank you, Christian! In a way, our channels are just that: an online course on fantasy, but with no assignments and no grades! 😁Thanks so much for watching!
Very cool conversation between the two of you. I got a pretty deep understanding of the "dark underbelly" of the educational world. In fact, I have a few friends that are teachers, middle school and high school (and I was a substitute for a couple years) so I know that things certainly have changed since my high school days... but I will admit, my love of learning came later on in life.
You never know when the love for learning will awaken in someone, but sometimes all it takes is the right teacher. That said, there is no wrong time to begin loving learning. Thanks for watching, Anthony!
I loved the rant against the school system! I initially started college with the intent of teaching algebra to high school students... ended up as a paralegal 🤣 I certainly feel like I dodged misery, that's for sure!
You probably made a smart move there! Teaching high school has always seemed extremely challenging to me. I’m happy with college level students, but I sometimes toyed with the idea of teaching Kindergarten.
Another incredible chat! Wow, so much in common with you guys, I was so excited for all of it I ended up watching it in one sitting ^^ You two are incredible human beings and I love that you touched on such a great subject with education and the things we value as a culture. It's really interesting to see (and sad I guess, too) that these issues are so much bigger than just one country. I'm Venezuelan and I saw so much of the things you mentioned in our own education system back when I still lived there. I share your hope that the great teachers out there like you guys give your two cents on why it is important to raise critical thinkers and well rounded citizens. Looking forward to seeing you guys play DnD together, I bet it will also be a blast.
Thank you, Astrid! As you correctly observe, the corporatization of education, where students are customers to be indoctrinated instead of taught to think, is, sadly, not limited to the United States. I hope and believe we can do better. And, yes, BookTube D&D would be a lot of fun!
That was a great semi-ranty video for a bleh Tuesday afternoon. Note for Allan: give Philip a cape, perhaps the pelt of some animal in crazy heat.
🤣🤣🤣
I already have a cape! And it’s made of the finest cruelty-free velvet, I’ll have you know!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy But that's not as funny as the image in my head. 🤣
Exit: pursued by a bear.
@@Paul_van_Doleweerd A very hungry and grumpy bear!
That starting conversation is why I want to teach. It’s nice to see it in my fellow students, because many don’t have that desire for knowledge. I think it is an encouraging thing when erudition is actually sought. So I’m not a teacher but I love teaching, if that makes sense. Maybe one day I’ll actually be qualified, seems like it’s taking forever.
I have no doubt that you'll be a brilliant teacher someday, Liam! It's an incredibly rewarding profession because of the students, but it requires dedication, empathy, and a deep well of enthusiasm.
Bit late to the party, but about the part of kids not studying. I feel like teaching how to study should be a major part of early education. My highschool grades were absolutely abysmal, as I had never needed to or learned to study properly. In Uni I had to really pull it together somehow and improved by almost 2 grades on average. The mixture of having more passionate educators, subjects I was more into and teaching myself how to learn really made such a difference.
That’s an excellent point. I wish I knew the formula for igniting passion for learning in my students. I bring my own passion for the subject matter and try to be empathetic to my students as well as conscientious in attending to them. Some students respond by loving the class, while others . . . Well, I don’t take it personally, but the subject just doesn’t interest them. But if everyone learned how to study and, perhaps more importantly, why they’re studying early on, I think it would help.
I've been having problems trying to find the first one in Sandman series. I seem to find all the other. So, my next buy is Saga. This is something I don't think I could pull off. I'm 57 and my tastes are different. I did read Brandon Sanderson first storm light book and loved it. It was really, really long.
Yes, those Stormlight books are big!
Finland mentioned, great talk you guys! Your education system in the States seems to be a a mess, but to be fair, we've had our difficulties with the system here in Finland as well
Thanks! In truth, no education system is perfect, but our punishment-oriented, numbers-centered, bulimic style of education is a lot further from perfect than what you have, and I think we have a lot to learn from places like Finland, where you seem to value education much more. All the best!
I'd like to see a booktuber D&D game with you guys and Mike
I would vote for that! BookTube D&D would be a huge hit, I predict, especially if Allen is the DM.
Treated myself to the second half. And no surprise it's as good if not better than the first!
The state of education. We talked about this before so no need to repeat this. But it's sad and almost frightening. 😬😱😭Cameras in classroom? Really? So not surprising in a world where companies record every keystroke of their employees and even monitor their toilette breaks. If I ever get doubts about having made the right decision in leaving education I will watch this video again!
Reading as a form of self care. I so agree and loved how you described that. And look at the gamer in you getting all excited. I actually watched a gaming session with Erikson taking part not too long ago and would definitely watch you and Allen.
In other news: About halfway through Night of Knives and having a great time. Why is BookTube not all over this author?
In more other news: I created a second channel on my youtube account. We see if it will lead to anything and I'll actually upload a video.
(Yes, I can be as teasing as you Philip.😁).
Oh! When do I get to hear the name of this mystery channel?! Yay! No pressure, but please do let me know if you upload a video, and, with your permission, I’ll send out a community post and mention it on The Week That Was. I completely agree about the ridiculous lack of attention for Esslemont’s incredible books.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Thank you, Philip for your generous offer to be my PR department. At the moment I still need to sort a couple of things like a channel icon. Meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow to talk about a couple of video ideas so after that I will probably have decided what the first one will be about. And yes, Esslemont is definitely a contender. Have also lined up some more people to answer some tech question but for the first video it's probably more how far a mobile phone and free editing software will get me. So if I go through with it I recon maybe another two weeks or so. Never achieved anything by overthinking, especially as it seems to be something where I will only know if I enjoy doing it if I actually do it. But I will definitely keep you updated.
@@brush2canvas849 Sounds great! I still use nothing more than an iPhone, my wife’s Mac (for Zoom chats), and iMovie, which is free. Best wishes!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Oh no, I knew this would be more complicated than I thought. Because where will I get a wife on such short notice who also has a suitable labtop? Damn!😁😁
@@brush2canvas849 Good luck finding one! 😁
thanks fellas!
Thanks for watching, Mathias!
I have been waiting for this
me too 😀
Here we are! It was, of course, a ton of fun to chat with Allen.
Of course I watch Allen's channel as well! So happy he's now promoting KJ Parker 😄
Excellent talk once again, Dr Fantasy. Education may be ailing, but we're better off with the both of you spreading your teachings here 🤓
Looking forward to that DnD game, by the way. Sounds good.
And maybe we'll see Dr Fantasy make an appearance on Book Jeopardy too, someday? 😇
I wonder how Allen feels about Tom Holt? 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks, Rob! I figured you were watching The Library of Allenxandria. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some of your comments over there. I’ll certainly keep fighting the good fight in education, and the truth is that Allen is dealing with much worse down in Florida than I am here in New Jersey, though it’s far from ideal in any of the states. D&D would be a lot of fun, as would Jeopardy!
@@Paul_van_Doleweerd
Should I tell him ? Again 😂🤣🤐
Ah, got to love Allen and so sad to hear about the state of education in the US. Especially if they want to control what is being taught and how.
There have been some frightening developments lately - some politicians and a loud minority wanting to ban books and control education so that it reflects their political and religious agenda. We must always guard democracy.
Ah, take care of yourself. Hope this is only a phase.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Some politicians and vocal minorities would prefer an electorate with a short attention span and the inability to think critically.
For them, that's a double plus good thing.
@@Paul_van_Doleweerd Exactly.
Really enjoyed the discussion. I went to school for childhood education. I'm not currently teaching for the exact thing Allen discussed. I got really tired of all the nonsensical things that surrounded the physical teaching and learning. It took the fun away.
Unfortunately, teachers are leaving their jobs in droves for exactly these reasons. They love teaching, they love their students, but the idiocy coming from politicians, administrators, and a lot of parents is too much.
Allen. How many elements of Lion of Macedon by Gemmel were on point? Just heard you say about Phillip studying in the southern states and sure I remember Parmenion meeting him there.
Yes! In Thebes!
I have not yet read Lion of Macedon, though it is on my list!
Surely Professor Fireballs, Erikson and Esslemont are getting amongst Alan’s D+D game?
Now THAT would be a true convergence!
You two should partner with UA-cam and create UA-cam University. You can gather passionate teachers and professors to build communities with equally passionate students and learners. Just like how cable television became awful and streaming services have all but replaced it, we need a new form of education to replace the current broken system. I think Phillip, you have alluded to this before how underutilized the internet and even UA-cam are. We could easily create the ultimate education and learning platform, instead we spend hours sifting through misinformation. I truly think you guys could help pioneer a new segment or transformation of this platform to reform education
That’s a brilliant idea, Drew! There are individuals out there providing great educational content, but to organize them under the umbrella of something like a UA-cam University, or perhaps we should call it the Youniversity, would be next level.
👍 great video 🎬📖🎥🎥
Thank you so much, Safina!
Anything you wanted to teach in your fantasy novels class I will happily watch and learn from if you wanna turn those lessons into videos
Lots of stuff from that class has made its way into the videos. I've had two former students in videos as well -- one for Kingkiller, and another who taught me about video games (I "learned" to play Witcher III). Thanks so much for watching!
Yes please
I'm here for the book youtuber dnd, only Phillip has to play the low int warrior and Jimmy goes full int spellcaster
That might actually be far more entertaining! I guess we’ll see what sort of characters we roll up.
Phillip - got to the KJ Parker section - don’t do it. It will crush your heart (even though it is very very good). This is pseudonym for Tom Holt in case your familiar with his historical fiction novels
But tbh - Parker is excellent so give it a try. I think you’ll enjoy it.
I hear great things about him under both names. I’m prepared to have my heart broken! 😁
I'd love to join you on the Lord of the Rings reread. Please keep us posted. :-)
Will do, and you are most welcome to join!
Omg! Dr. Fantasy EXPOSED! He is a closet jock😱
😂😂😂
Ha ha ha! Yep. I’ll never recover my reputation!
Allen did you ever read Lone Wolf? Noone remembers it.
K J Parker wrote a book called “Who’s Afraid of Beowulf?” under his real name: Tom Holt. There’s word play for you.
Sounds intriguing! Of course, all you have to do is say “Beowulf,” and you have my interest. 😁
Allen - can you do a short campaign for Booktubers ?
We hope so!
I wish I liked Kingkiller :( it drives me up the wall
That's okay, Andrew -- we still love you! In fact, half the people I know on BookTube love Kingkiller, and the other half can't stand it.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy lol 😂 it’s true you either love it or hate it.
✌✌
Sadly everything that Allen has said about US’s views on education rang true. American culture focuses on money and worshipping celebrities. American culture values only that which puts money in your pocket. Not that money isn’t needed cause it is, but we need humanities, damn it. We need history, philosophy, literature, the arts, etc. I hate American University and everything about it, that’s one reason I dropped out of college twice, I didn’t want to deal with all the nonsense. Teachers don’t get paid enough. Yet the football coach makes way more, that’s absurd.
Where we put our resources says everything about what we value. In the case of public education, we have been defunding it for a while. There will be negative, if not disastrous, consequences down the road. On the bright side, many people still seek to broaden their lives by being informed.
Allen should hire Philip's daughter for thumbnails. Maybe she could develop another style.
But poor Allen wouldn’t get the family discount rate! Thanks for watching, Gabby!
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