Schools are lowering the bar and calling it equity. Here’s how to stop it!

0:00Our friend, Aaron Gifford, at the E-Pike Times, has a peace hour just a couple days ago. That really sums up wherever we're at. And it's not good. I'm telling you none of it is good. We knew this, though. It's unfortunate. We knew it. But we have to highlight it. And we have to, we have to describe it, especially in light of history. We're going to go back to a history class today. That is, it shines a light on where we once were. And where we currently are. Here,

1:02we'll get there in a minute. I'm Dean Bowen. You're listening to the Dean's list on America, Out Loud Talk radio. Thank you for joining us. You can find us here Monday through Friday, the 2 p.m. Eastern time slot, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. We are there. You know, the best way though, the best way to listen to the podcast is it's go to america out loud.News. Go to the show page. And every single show is there in a beautiful chronological order in podcast. Or you know, we're on iTunes in Spotify in Pandora and Iheart and all the other, all the other places. Also, also friends, you can find us at Substack. If you've not subscribed to Substack yet, go do it now. There are good things happening over there at Substack. Subscribe to the Dean's list over there. And the goodness will just continue to come. All right. So Gifford has this piece. It's called School Districts Grapple with how to grade K-12 students fairly.

2:09How do we do it fairly? We're grappling with this problem. So South Carolina's new law, a new law passed in South Carolina prohibits minimum grades in K-12. That law just took effect. It prohibits a minimum grade. There can't be a minimum. Texas passed a similar law back in 2009. So what does that mean? Well, we're going to explore all of it today. But there's some interesting data that I want to get into first. The mean grade point average for high school graduates in 1990. Are you ready for this? 1990. The average grade, the mean, was 2.68. I mean, that's about right. I think I was, I don't know, 2.5. Yeah, no, I wasn't,

3:09I wasn't the genius that you that you have before you today. Not in high school, I wasn't. I was not a genius. I wasn't classically educated though. I think would have been different in high school and in middle school. And if I had gone through a classical education, I lament it. You know, I do. I lament here publicly all the time that I wasn't exposed. Ah, nonetheless. K1990, the mean average GPA 2.68. All right. Well, what was it in 2000? You're ready? A decade later in 2000, it rose from 2.68 to 2.94. What? We're getting smarter. Are you serious? High schoolers are getting smarter. And guess what? The class of 2019, the dreaded and feared class prior to COVID-19, prior to the pandemic of 2020, the mean grade point

4:18average for the class of 2019 increased to 3.11. Holy smokes. We're just getting smarter by the day around here. And yet, the latest nation's report card released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2025 indicates that we're not smarter. It indicates that we're dumber, that we're stupider. Most high school seniors, 2025, most high school seniors can earn a diploma, even if their state standardized test scores show they aren't at grade level in reading or math. That doesn't matter. You can still get a diploma by by golly. It also states that 69% of eighth graders were below proficiency levels and science.

5:22At the local level, some districts mandate a minimum score of 50. On any assignment or test, you gotta at least get a 50. While others have outlawed non-zero in grading floor policies, that would be South Carolina and a few others. If you are moving toward a more complex system, where grades and scores are not just based on mastery of content. As of the 2627 academic year, while this year is beginning and getting underway, and Gifford notes that educators across the country are attempting to seek a better way to to assign scores and grades, children can now use AI to cheat on assignments. Colleges are increasingly offering remedial courses to students who arrive unprepared. We're searching and scrambling. Is there a better way? Is there a better way that we can assess our students

6:30a 2025 survey by the Rand Corporation and the Thomas B Fordham Foundation. Found that even though half the schools in the nation require equitable, equitable grading, the vast majority of teachers are opposed to it. Now, equitable grading, we've talked about this. There's got to be equity in grading, and this is the program. We highlighted the equitable grading policy out of San Francisco a little while ago. Maybe last year, did we talk about this last year? Where San Francisco had proposed that the failing, the traditional F is a 59. You can pass with a 60. That's a D minus. So the F is a 59. San Francisco proposed that D minus be dropped to, I don't remember what it was, it was like 21.

7:31You drop it to 21. So you get a 20, then you fail. By golly, if you get a 21, I mean, they are basing equitable grading off of baseball stats. Because I mean, if you have an on-base percentage, or if you make contact with the ball, I shouldn't say on-base percentage, but if you have a batting average, where you're getting on-base three out of 10 times, you're batting average at 30% baseball, it's 300, because you're batting 1,000. Then you're in the Hall of Fame. Those are Hall of Fame numbers. And so we've got educators over here saying, well, why are we doing this with our students, with our population here in high school and middle school and elementary? But they should be in the Hall of Fame if they're getting 30% on their tests.

8:32These practices, of course, in an equitable grading include unlimited retakes. You can take that bad boy as often as you want. In baseball, you can't even, you can't have unlimited, you can't strike out and say, well, hang on, I want to do it again. I should get another shot at it. But here, in equitable grading, you can. Unlimited retakes, no late penalties. If you hand in assignment late, the assignment Mr. Bowen was due on September 15th. Yeah, so what? Well, it's now May 1st. Yeah, well, so what? Here it is. You can't get a zero. And there's no homework and no required participation. Well, this is dumb. But this is what equitable grading is. And this is what it's come to. And schools have had

9:36to do this because they're the academic performance is so low. It's so poor. So we've got a great equitably. We've got a, we can't, we, no required participation. You're going to get a grade just for walking in the classroom. I mean, it's like in Detroit. You get, you get $100 just for showing up. You hear five days this week. Boom, there's your money. $100. Did you participate? Nope. Did you do any homework? Nope. Did you, did you do anything? Did you, did you open up a book? And nope, I just showed up for my $100. Turns out, according to this report here, this 25 survey by the Rand Corporation and the Thomas B Fordham Foundation, turns out teachers don't like it when the powers that be take a sledgehammer to their few sources of leverage over student motivation. A la grades. And in order they like giving grades that the kids don't deserve. Well, there's

10:40that there's a novel thing that teachers don't like to pass out grades that the kids did not deserve. Well, this is, this is why the, the mean GPA in 2019 was 3.11. Because kids are getting grades that they don't deserve that they're not earning. And it's also why they are graduating high school, even though they're not proficient at their grade level and reading in math. Oh, can they, can they do the basics? I mean, many of them can't even do the basics. Not only are they not proficient, they can't do the basics. The report raised eyebrows and districts across the country. And Gifford gives us a look at what he calls this evolving situation. Well, of course, this report's going to raise eyebrows throughout the country.

11:41I'm shocked that half of the schools in the country are requiring equitable grading. I didn't realize it was, it was half quite frankly, I was unaware it was half. I mean, I thought, now it's happening in places like San Francisco. That's to be expected. Places like Chicago, the, the blue states and blue districts. Of course, it's happening there. But in 50% of the country and 50% of the public school districts throughout the nation were getting equitable, some form of equitable grading. And, and you have the teachers are, even though the teachers are opposed to it, apparently it's, it's still happening. Apparently, it's still underway. South Carolina's new law eliminating no zero policies and minimum grades to affect as schools open their doors this month. The legislation was spearheaded at the local board of

12:46education level after leaders noticed inconsistencies across districts. Many of them were unaware their districts had policies that essentially prevented zeros and Fs from being doled out. I almost didn't believe it when I was told about it. Bryce Field, director of the Carolina's academic leadership network told, told Gifford here in the Epoch Times. It seems outrageous, he said, that district policies prevented any zeros from being given. There's a minimum score. So, here's how it works. If a student scores a 30 on a test, then it automatically goes to a 50 because that's, that's the floor. You can't get below a 50. And, you know, I understand that the rationale is that, look, if it's, if it is,

13:50you know, a 90 to 100 is the A range. And 80 to 90 is the B range and 70 to 80 is the C range and 60 to 70 is the D range, then the F range should be 50 to 60. It should be equal to the other ranges. And so, but at this point, it's not, it's 50 to zero. So, if you get a one, then it tanks your GPA and it's very difficult to, to get out of that. So, look, I understand that there is, there is a reason to think that way without going down the road of equitable grading. Nonetheless, is that we could say that if they get, you know, if you get the 13, no, I mean, you got to know it's going to tank your grade. You know, this going in. And so,

14:51you know, good luck. Don't get the 13th study hard and it can kind of act as a, as an extra motivator. Whereas if the student says, you know, I, I get a 10 or a 49, it doesn't matter. It's going to go up to a 50. And so I understand that. I get it. I get both sides of the, of the argument here. This, this teacher here, Bryce Fielder. I guess he's not a teacher. He's the director of the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network. He said a board member in Sumter County, later championed grading reformed in the, in the state, South Carolina here. And this appears in North, in North Carolina, expect to consider a similar measure in the year ahead. South Carolina still has a long way to go in its quest to have 75% of students at grade level by 2030. I move overwhelmingly

15:54supported by state lawmakers, 75%. Okay. The measure allows students a second chance on some tests and assignments if they have a solid record of attending class and completing assignments. Fielder said that if you know there's a minimum grade waiting for you, then you are far less motivated. It's an erosion of academic integrity. And I agree with that point. If, if you know, again, as I said, and you, if you get a 13 or a 49, it doesn't matter. If you know you're going to automatically bump to a 50, then there could be an erosion of academic integrity of academic thought of effort of, you know, I'm going to, I'm going to really put it in here. Instead of mailing it in, I'm really going to, I'm really going to give it my best. That way of thinking erodes in the, in the minds of these students that are just struggling. And I understand if you're, if you, if you don't have a good start to the year, it can take

16:59everything. And then just some kids just want to mail it in. Others are motivated. Others feel like, you know, I want to go after it. I want to turn this thing around, but that's not everybody. Texas says truth in grading a lot was passed in 2009. It applies to both traditional public schools and charter schools. Chairman of the New Jersey Policy Institute, Andy Mollville, he's also the former State Board of Education member or a member. He said he hopes similar legislation can be put for some day in the garden state. Considering that many schools, their bolster graduation rates by ensuring that high school students never score below a 65 on tests. Holy smokes. You got to be kidding me. You can't get below a 65. Well, that's, I mean,

18:00that may make the numbers look better, he said, but it doesn't make our students look better. Lowering the bar might feel good in the short term, but in the long run, he said it short changes our children and their potential. Well, well, well, absolutely. 100%. Yeah, it's going to make those numbers look good. It's going to make the graduation rates look fantastic, but get the kids are dumber. They are, they're just, they're stupid. Okay, maybe, maybe they're not stupid. You know, maybe I'm being a little too harsh here, but they're being lied to. They're being fed a pack of lies. They're being told, Hey, you're an A student or you're a B student or even you're a C student. When in fact, are they? Are they A students? I mean, I guess by today's standard of measurement, they are, but not by yesterday's standard of measurement, not by

19:03yesterday's standard of measurement. And here we are for the first time it's being reported. For the very first time in our nation's history, the current generation is not smarter than the generation that's gone before them. They're dumber. And my, and my friends, if we keep going down this road, I'm telling you, this is not an option that we want to take. We keep traveling this path. And we're not going to be happy about it in the future. Have you been looking for a healthy snack for on the go? Well, not all energy bars are soft and sugary. Bear bars are a crunchy, savory bar made from just six simple natural ingredients. Bear bars are plant-based organic gluten-free, contained six grams of protein in a low temperature dried for a unique crunch. Most energy bars are based on chocolate or fruit and are held together with syrups or sweeteners. To learn more,

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22:22When you subscribe to your favorite wellness company product at the shop and use code AOL, you'll get 20% off every reoccurring order. On subscription every time every month, 20% off like clockwork. It's exclusive here. Listeners of this program and this network, you're not going to get this anywhere else. I know you see the wellness company out there in other places, but you're not going to get the 20% on subscription. 20% off on subscription every single month. Anywhere else. Go to the shop and use code AOL. Then think us later. Back to the speech here by Gifford. School districts are grappling with how to grade K-12 students fairly. To me, it's not really a grapple. It's, I don't, okay. Well, let's finish the piece here and then I will dissect my own thoughts. An event, a board of education member for the Higley United

23:30school district in Arizona said that grade inflation has masked actual academic achievement in schools where fewer than half of seventh graders are proficient in math and most high school juniors fall well short of the college benchmark on the rect scores. This is obvious. This is, of course, we're going to inflate the grades and we're going to mask actual academic performance. And we're not surprised that only half of seventh graders are proficient in math. She told the Epoch Times, Mr. Gifford here, that students deserve the support and opportunities necessary to master the material. And parents deserve an honest picture of where their child is academically, but she, here's the problem. Parents brought to say, man, my Johnny's better than this. You better, you better up his grade. You better, you better pass him on this. Gifford.

24:36You may have heard it for years. I have heard that complaint for years. So yeah, parents deserve an honest picture, but they don't want it. Parents out there, now you might, you might want an honest picture of where your child is academically, but I would be willing to say eight out of 10 parents, they don't care. Maybe seven out of 10 parents, they just, they want Johnny to have a good grade. That's all they want. And so we know that lowering the bar does not prepare students for college career or life. We get that, but parents like, I, Johnny's got to feel good. Johnny's upset that he got a 50 and he should have passed. I mean, okay, it's not every parent, but there are a, like, like I said, I mean 70 to 80% of them in my estimation. And it's not you. I know it's not you, but 70 to 80% of the others,

25:39they don't want an honest picture. Yes, what's her name here? Who's Anna Van Hoek? Yes, Anna Van Hoek, you are right. Parents deserve an honest picture of where their child is academically, but they don't want it. Okay, in Utah, the Sutherland Institute recommends that if a district refuses to prohibit grading floors, then it should at least inform district residents. So parents can choose a different school if they don't like the policy. Well, well, well, there's a, there's a concept, isn't it? A school informing the parents of what their policies are? A school actually keeping parents in the loop on this policy. Here is what Christian Fairbanks told different in the epoch times. Fairbanks is the Sutherland Institute's education policy fellow. He said to fulfill their role as education partners and

26:45decision makers, parents need to know how well their child is really doing in each subject. Okay, I mean, here we are. Yeah, they do. They need to know. But when the child isn't doing well, what does the parent do? Do they go to the child and do they say, Johnny, you better start studying and better? Johnny, you better start actually reading the book. Johnny, you better actually start doing the math homework. Or do they go to the parent and demand that, or I'm sorry, do they go to the teacher and demand that the teacher give Johnny a better grade? Well, eight times out of ten, my friend seven times out of ten, and my estimation. The parent is not going to little Johnny and making little Johnny responsible for his work. The parent is complaining to the teacher. Parents complaining to administration. Why did Johnny get this grade?

27:49Yeah, I know. I don't mean to vent on parents here. But you know what? It's a problem. Grade inflation is a problem. And I think parents have contributed to the problem. By their whining and complaining. And we wonder why Johnny whining of blame? We listen to Johnny's parents and the parents whining. Okay, that's it. Yeah, I know. Normally I'm bashing schools here. Now I'm bashing parents. Maybe I'm just, I don't mean to bash parents. But I think we just have to call it like it is. I do. I think we have to call it like we see it. Schools to blame for inflating grades. Yes, they are to blame. And should they inflate the grades? No, they should stop inflating grades. They should stop grading equitably. But what are parents going to do when Johnny, all of a sudden, isn't getting that A. Now he's getting a B or a C, which is probably what he deserves.

28:55Huh? What's going to happen then? Well, why wasn't getting an A? It's not now. Well, we stopped grading equitably. Well, why'd you do that? We should grade equitably again. The vicious cycle. K the proponents of equitable grading. Schools implement grade equity practices to counter low state test scores or to bolster graduation rates and address academic achievement gaps based on race and socio economic status. Author and former teacher Joe Feldman in this book grading for equity describes a four point scale system in which zeros are not allowed. It is focused on practices that value knowledge, not in vibrant mentor behavior. And it does not grade students completion or accuracy of homework. I don't know how you, yeah, homework has to be accurate, doesn't it? Or if it's not, at least the student has to understand

30:00why it's not accurate. And I think it should be completed, shouldn't it? Retakes of tests and projects are allowed under this arrangement. The higher scores are counted instead of an average from multiple attempts. All right, so you get the highest, so you can take this test 57 times. And we're not going to take the average score of all 57. We're going to take the highest because that was your best day by ding aim. We're taking your best day. Feldman's nonprofit consulting company, crescendo education, has helped schools in several states implement these practices as a means to counter inequity. We're going to counter inequity. And so we're going to focus on practice that values knowledge rather than behavior. We're not going to

31:01grade students completion or accuracy of homework because that's behavior. But doesn't that determine knowledge? This is retakes of tests and projects. Doesn't that determine, I mean, doesn't it determine knowledge? Of course, if you're going to let them retake it 57 times, they're going to know the answer on the other end. Okay, the New York City or yet, the New York City Los Angeles and San Francisco districts are listed as partners along with, oh, you guessed it, the lead partner here is the National Education Association, the famed teachers union. Yes, they are partnering with this crescendo education group and equitable grading. This is what crescendo's website has to say about it. We believe in the moral imperative to disrupt harmful cycles and systemic barriers that preserve and promote white

32:08supremacy and other harmful cycles of power and privilege and to amplify the voices of those historically underserved or silenced so that we can create environments that are more just and that allow for all people to succeed. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You mean you can create environments that are more just you just said here, Mr. Feldman and your grading for equity debacle, you just said that your practices are focused on the value of knowledge, not on environment or behavior. So if your practices aren't focused on environment, why do you say that you want to create an environment that's more just and allows for people to succeed? I didn't think that was the focus here. And it all comes down to white supremacy and other harmful cycles of power and privilege.

33:10That's it. If you're not white, you don't have the privilege. If you're not white, you don't have the power. And if you're not white, you're trapped in a harmful cycle of systemic barriers that preserve and promote white supremacy. Your voice needs to be amplified. Your voices historically underserved or silenced it must be amplified. This is racism. This is racism. This is racism to the to the highest order right here. This is what is being pumped into New York City schools, Los Angeles schools, San Francisco schools, schools, it's racism. Equitable grading is it's racism. That's Marxism 101. Albuquerque is the largest school district in New Mexico. It lists equitable grading recommendations on its website. It discourages participation grades.

34:15Discourages taking points off for late work and it discourages grading for homework. Especially homework that is an excessive amount of practice skills. I get an excessive amount. Why you want Johnny to do 10 math problems? All the same problems, that's excessive. Why we're not we're not grading that. That can't be a thing. It also suggests having students submit assignments with their identification number rather than a name to guard against unconscious bias. Boy, hi. Okay, so this is literally this is what we're up against. This is the this is the stupidity here that we are that we're steeped in. Laura Link is director of the University of North Dakota's Masters in Teaching and Leadership Program. Laura said there's some merit to the argument

35:23that an F-grade is harsh for an assignment or test where the students still got most of the answers correct even if only by a slim margin. Equitable grading practices were founded on good intentions but non-zero or grading floor policies do nothing to help students learn. The same goes for automatic zeros on latest assignments. She added. Okay, tell you what. I don't I mean okay, I'm just I'm looking at this where she said equitable grading practices were founded on good intentions. I think I think having a ceiling or a floor a grading floor of 50 is a good intention. I think if we're talking about that it's founded on good intentions. I don't think it's helpful. So, and then when you start throwing in your what's the your unconscious bias and you start

36:25throwing in white supremacy and you start throwing in these these racial terms, I think that's just when it just takes the whole thing. I mean at this point now we are in we are in full blown Marxism here and there's at this point is there any way to stop it? Is there any way to stop full blown Marxism that that we're experiencing here? I mean there is but but if we keep going down this road we're not going to do it. Laura Link has designed an expanded way of communicating academic achievement and learning progress with students and parents without minimizing the importance of content mastery because really what's the most important thing here? It's to be able to show that the student has or has not mastered the content. Grade inflation doesn't doesn't show that. So, Link's new designed and expanded way here includes adding scores for

37:26effort, scores for participation and responsibility or other measures of durable skills. So, she has persistence and engagement on report cards, transcripts. She told the Epoch Times that it's all about making grades more meaningful. Colleges want to see those durable skills alongside academic knowledge. I'm on board with this. I'm completely in support of this. We need to know what type of effort the student has made. Okay? While accurately giving them the grade that they deserve, so if they've received a C, what's their score on effort or participation or responsibility? If those scores are high and they're getting a C, then okay, we're okay with this. We're on board with this and parents should also be on board with it. If they're getting an A in their effort and participation and responsibility are low,

38:27then we've got to start questioning the A or if they're getting a C in their effort, participation and responsibility are low, then perhaps we know why. She advised the Bethlehem Area School District in Pennsylvania. They implemented a multiple grades report card system for grades six through 12. And this was for the 2324 academic year. She's currently working on a similar initiative with the East Aurora District in upstate New York. Bethlehem's assistant superintendent Maureen Leeson said the expanded grading mechanism has been well received by parents, students, teachers and administrators. Well, I can see why. Traditional methods for final scores and letter grades remain intact, but for every course, there's also a score of one, two, or three for both engagement

39:31and responsibility. Plus, area where teachers can personalize their comments. This makes sense to me. I would be on board with this. And these scores are reflected on high school transcripts used in college applications, but the teacher comments are withheld. I think this is important information for colleges to look at. So they can see, hey, did Johnny get a three in an engagement and responsibility that Colin Seis would maybe his C or his B. I mean, if he's willing to put forth the effort, he's willing to put forth the work, then we know what kind of person, what kind of student Johnny is. School of profile information with an explanation of the multiple grade system is also included on transcripts. There's no indication of grade inflation or deflation with this system.

40:32Students have indicated that they have a greater understanding of the learning process, as well as the importance of engagement. Well, yeah, I can see where they would understand the importance of engagement when it's when it's noted on their on their report card. The most important thing we did was emphasize the why. This again is coming from a leeson, Maureen Leeson, who's Bethlehem's assistant superintendent. She said, we emphasize the why. She added that the local Chamber of Commerce members applauded the district for adding durable skills assessment, which are important to employers. Overwhelmingly, people say they prefer this. Yeah, an employer is going to want to look to see, hey, is Johnny putting forth the effort or is he a lazy scumbag? No, Johnny is not a scumbag. He might be lazy, but he's probably probably most likely, you wouldn't go a day without brushing your teeth or washing your hands. What about

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42:38Go to thesproutingcompany.com, slash out loud and use the code out loud for an exclusive off. Your heart is crucial. Are you supporting it as you age? Try the wellness company's healthy heart formula with touring, Dribose and Coenzyme Q10. Designed by Dr. Peter McCullough, Healthy Heart Helps Boost Heart Function and Support Cardiac Strength. Get 20% off your first order plus free shipping at TWC.health. forward slash out loud with code out loud. Ultimately, what we want to see here is the student is the child putting forth the effort. Are they are they making the effort to study? Are they making the effort to apply themselves? Or are they being paid $100 a week just to show up? Because in Detroit, they're being paid $100 a week just to show up. I mean, that's the game plan. Let's get them in the building. If we get

43:40them in the building, then things will go better. No, we have to actually see if they're applying themselves. Now, today, speaking of applying oneself, today's an anniversary. And so on this anniversary, I think we should go to history class. Shouldn't we? It's been a minute. It's been a minute since we've been to history class. Today, September 9th, 1836. Abraham Lincoln earned his license to practice law in Illinois. Yeah, today was the day. And did you know that he earned his license to practice law with less than a year of formal education, less than a year's worth of formal education. That's what Lincoln had or what he didn't have. But what he did have was a desire to learn. He had a work ethic. And he wanted to know he wanted

44:44to study Lincoln was a reader. I mean, we know the stories. The stories are told about about his integrity, about his longing and his desire to learn and about his reading prowess. I mean, he asked to borrow the book on George Washington from a local farmer and took the book home, scoured it, read it, covered it, cover it, and he would stick it in the crack of the law cabin. One night, the storm came and it drenched the book, ruining it. And Lincoln took responsibility for it. He felt responsible was that his fault, I mean, did he forpressively pour water over the book? Was he malicious? No. He didn't think it would do any harm putting it in the crack of the wall there at the log cabin sticking it between a couple logs. But the rain came and the rain ruined the

45:47book. Lincoln took responsibility for it. Went to the farmer and said, sorry, sir, I ruined your book. I don't have money to pay it back. I was borrowing the book in the first place. The farmer said, well, you can work it off. And so Lincoln did. He worked it off. There was a lesson here in integrity, a lesson in responsibility, a lesson in fortitude, a lesson in and things that would prepare Lincoln for the rest of his life. And it was a bumpy life. It was met with both successes and setbacks. But Lincoln said, I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep doing so until the end. And he was serious about it. He put forth an effort. And I think this is important to know. Not only in addition to the grade students are receiving, but what type of effort are they putting, putting forth? What type of ingenuity are they

46:54showing? What kind of responsibility are they stringing together? Speaking of stringing together, take a listen to Lincoln's list of accomplishments or perhaps a list of anti-accomplishments. Because it includes both. I guess let's put it this way. Let's include a list of his successes and failures. His progressions and his setbacks. He gets his law license in 1836. But before 1836, 1832, he's elected captain of an Illinois militia company. 1832, he's defeated for a state legislature. 1833, he proved to be a failure in business. 1833, after he failed in business,

47:54he's appointed postmaster of New Salem, Illinois. 1834, he runs again for a state legislature. This time, he's elected. 1835, a crushing blow. One of the worst, his sweetheart passes away. Devastates him. 1836, he received his license to practice law in the state of Illinois. 1838, he's defeated for speaker of the Illinois House. 1841, he suffers deep, deep depression. 1842, he marries Mary Todd. 1844, he establishes his own law practice. 1846, he's elected to the U.S. Congress. And it's here, by the way, 1846 in this U.S. Congress that John Quincy Adams

48:55takes a young freshman congressman by the name of Abraham Lincoln, takes him under his wing, mentors him, tutors him, especially in the anti-slavery movement. Lincoln learned from the best here in JQA. And Lincoln is one of the Paul Bears because John Quincy Adams dies from a stroke a year later. And Lincoln is a Paul Bear, after being tutored and mentored by John Quincy Adams. 1849, Lincoln fails to get an appointment to the U.S. Land Office. 1850, his four-year-old son dies. 1855, he is defeated for the U.S. Senate. 1857. Here he earned a large attorney fee in a very successful case, so now he is thinking, hey, I'm going after this. 1858, he is again defeated for the U.S. Senate.

49:581860, it's here. And finally, that Lincoln is elected president of the United States of America. He is the first Republican president. And the Republican party, of course, is founded to put an end to slavery. That's its purpose. That's one of its stated goals. And Lincoln is its nominee. Lincoln, who was tutored by John Quincy Adams, who was considered to have called his epitaph was, his moniker was the hellhound of slavery. Because he despised the evil so much, spoke out against it so often. We talked about this last week. We spent a good portion of the day talking about John Quincy Adams as the hellhound of slavery, that the Democrats literally filed a gag order to

51:01get him to stop talking. And that gag order held for eight years. Finally, he brings a motion to the floor. He being John Quincy Adams brings a motion to the floor. I think it's 42 or 44. And the gag order is defeated once and for all. The tide begins to turn. And helping that tide turn is the election to the House, Lincoln's election to the House in 1846, allowing John Quincy Adams to spend a few years with him. Lincoln endured a lot. And he did so with less than a year of formal education, but what did he have? Yet a desire. Yet a longing. Yet a work ethic. He took responsibility for himself. He took responsibility for his actions. He took self-government seriously. I was having a conversation with someone the other day and talking about this virtue of self-government.

52:08It really is a virtue. And it takes other virtues to make it happen. It takes fortitude. It takes prudence. It takes justice. It takes temperance. A combination of these virtues it takes to cause the virtue of self-government to be fulfilled. Wait, frankly, that's that... Well, I talk about it here all the time. And yes, that's what's lacking. It's what's lacking in our education system. While schools are grappling with how to grade K-12 students and how to do it fairly. The inclusion of marking them on their ability to govern themselves would be one of the most welcomed additions under the report card. I think that that has ever been established. How responsible are they? How ethical are they? How engaged are they? Are they willing to put forth

53:11the effort? Are they willing to persevere through that effort? Do they have courage? Do they have fortitude? Do they have these things? Are they prudent? Are they prudent with their time? Do they have time management? Let's start listing this information. Because then the kids will be made aware, hey, this stuff is important. I know I'm not learning it in school, but by golly it's important. I mean, it'd be great if they were learning it in school. You know what? Some schools they are learning it in classical schools all over the country. They are learning to govern themselves through being prudent, through being courageous, through justice, through temperance, through faith, hope, and love. They are learning and really by learning to govern ourselves we're learning how to be American citizens. Because that's the hallmark of being an American citizen

54:12is having the ability to govern yourselves. It's un-American to not govern yourself. It's un-American. And when we aren't governing ourselves, chances are we are committing every vice under the book, probably not every vice, but a lot of the vices. We list them right out when we don't govern ourselves. And the socialists then say, well, it's not that person's fault that he's not governing himself. It's not his fault. It's the fault of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and we shouldn't have prisons because he needs help. Wrong. We need prisons. We need prisons. People need to okay, I'm going to get out of a rant here and I'm looking at the clock. I just don't have enough time to rant. I wish I did. I wish I had more time to rant, but the bottom line is the bottom line is virtue. We need a virtuous education, re-established in America yet again. All right,

55:18my friends, listen, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for being a part of this program. I mean, thank you for showing up every single day because you do. You're out there showing up, and I appreciate it. Thank you for going to Substack. Go there now, by the way. If you've not subscribed to the Dean's List on Substack yet, go do it. There are some great announcements coming down the pike here real soon. I don't want to say too much about it. I mean, I will. I will win the time comps, but we've got some good things coming, some great things in store for really all of America, but especially for those people who are interested in a self-education. Adult Americans who want to proceed through lifelong learning, who want to continue to educate themselves and educate themselves classically. We've got some exciting stuff coming down the

56:23pike. Classical education for adults. What do you think about that? All right, I've said too much. I've said way too much. We'll say more about it here in the coming days and weeks. Good things. Good things ahead. So, good at Substack. Subscribe to us over there. All right, my friends encourage your friends and your family to get on the Dean's List. Let's unite to renovate the age.