The importance our society places on education tends to distract us from an underlying societal confusion as to its purpose. We are fond of talking about the means of education: how should we use technology? is standardized testing beneficial? are public schools succeeding? what courses should be taught? and so on… But it seems such questions are merely secondary to the primary consideration of the “end” of education.

The American Public Schools have become a favorite scape-goat as of late for a plethora of societal problems. So much so that calls are rising from all ends of the political spectrum to slowly place the responsibility of universal education into the hands of the private sector. The idea of a universal public education is perhaps one of the loftiest experiments in modern history. As such, an examination of its successes and failures seems in order.

Long before 322 Texas Street began hosting Drink and Thinks, this living room was home to something quite similar…

Drink and Think, along with THINKDENTON.com, have been featured in a number of stories and websites. Check out all the coverage…

On February 6, the Roden House received a new Drink and Think fellow – Francis Paul Roden. He is currently participating in an 18 year residency, but we reserve the right to reconsider after year 13. Expect his contributions to upcoming Drink and Thinks.

The local enthusiasm that surrounds the 35 Conferette is in part an expression of our collective civic narcissism. This results in both intense affection toward and blunt criticism of our little town, for we expect great things from our beloved. This provides a rare, yet crucial opportunity to meaningfully reflect on our city.

As we move into another season of Denton city elections, it is worth pausing to consider the value of local engagement. We’ll use the night to discuss your thoughts about our beautiful city, to get people registered to vote, and to mobilize people onto greater civic awareness and activity.

We are working on topics for a Spring line-up of Drink and Thinks and they should be posted soon. Your hosts, Kevin and Emily, are expecting their second child any day now, so that is slowing things down a bit. Stay tuned…

As we begin our new season of Drink and Thinks, it might be appropriate to address just why it is that we do these things anyway. From politics to religion to students in today’s universities, anti-intellectualism has become commonplace. Thinking is in need of a defense. We’ll spend the evening asking just what role thinking has in our lives as humans.

The quest for “cool” drives much of today’s culture and commerce. The desire to be cool permeates all levels of society, so much so that the fear of being labeled uncool determines what we listen to, what we wear, what we purchase, and even what causes we get behind. Yet it is unclear just what it means to be cool.