Dr. James Thomas, Educational Historian/ Geek / Podcast Guy
@drjamesthomas.bsky.social
Professor of Higher Education. Educational historian. Father. Geek. Nerd. Appalachian. All inane & disjointed posts are my own, reflecting no other entity, & will fluctuate from academic to the pop culture infused. Part of the Bonehead Weekly podcast.
I’m honored to have a chapter in this book on supporting military-connected students in college. I examine the pre-GI bill history of state veteran support. Sincere appreciation to the editors and Routledge. Releases in 10 days- on sale now!
www.routledge.com/Supporting-M...
www.routledge.com/Supporting-M...
Supporting Military-Connected College Students: Applying Theory to Student Affairs Practice
This valuable resource provides an up-to-date and accessible evidence-based guide to help ensure student veteran and military-connected student success in higher education institutions. Chapter author...
www.routledge.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:26 PM
I’m honored to have a chapter in this book on supporting military-connected students in college. I examine the pre-GI bill history of state veteran support. Sincere appreciation to the editors and Routledge. Releases in 10 days- on sale now!
www.routledge.com/Supporting-M...
www.routledge.com/Supporting-M...
I will never own another Kia, but I am glad that the one I did own just got loaded up and donated to the American Cancer Society. It is to honor the many good folks that I know who have been taken by it. It ain’t much, but if it helps one person, I’ll take it as a win.
November 17, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I will never own another Kia, but I am glad that the one I did own just got loaded up and donated to the American Cancer Society. It is to honor the many good folks that I know who have been taken by it. It ain’t much, but if it helps one person, I’ll take it as a win.
Mr. Iglesias is a phenomenal author but I so appreciate that he shares artwork from artists that broaden my horizons and explore me to more art. So I will attempt here to imitate him. If you are not familiar with artist Zdzisław Beksiński (1929-2005), here is an untitled painting of his.
October 29, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Mr. Iglesias is a phenomenal author but I so appreciate that he shares artwork from artists that broaden my horizons and explore me to more art. So I will attempt here to imitate him. If you are not familiar with artist Zdzisław Beksiński (1929-2005), here is an untitled painting of his.
Wait- IDW is doing an Event Horizon comic series? Well, well, well… it is not quite Brimstone on Blu Ray but it is a start…
October 28, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Wait- IDW is doing an Event Horizon comic series? Well, well, well… it is not quite Brimstone on Blu Ray but it is a start…
My daughter played Paulette in Legally Blonde this weekend- it was the role she wanted and she knocked it out of the park. I am a proud dad -she has talents on stage I never had or got near. Proud dad moment. She also designed her own jeans for the play- I watched her apply the additions myself.
October 26, 2025 at 11:47 PM
My daughter played Paulette in Legally Blonde this weekend- it was the role she wanted and she knocked it out of the park. I am a proud dad -she has talents on stage I never had or got near. Proud dad moment. She also designed her own jeans for the play- I watched her apply the additions myself.
Will I dress as a Ghostbuster again? Yes, of course, but 10 years ago, so did my boy… a photo from the past… still makes me smile.
October 18, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Will I dress as a Ghostbuster again? Yes, of course, but 10 years ago, so did my boy… a photo from the past… still makes me smile.
Gurney Norman has passed away. One of the most encouraging human beings of my fiction writing. I have only had one story published since I took his class 20+ years ago, but his lessons on being who you are even informed my dissertation. Thanks, Prof. Norman for those office hours. This one hurts.
October 13, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Gurney Norman has passed away. One of the most encouraging human beings of my fiction writing. I have only had one story published since I took his class 20+ years ago, but his lessons on being who you are even informed my dissertation. Thanks, Prof. Norman for those office hours. This one hurts.
I was reading a historical document and it had one of the best ways to say “he died.”
I wish to adopt it, so when I die, do not say, “James died of X” (X being , of course, the cause of death) but rather say “X, unfortunately, triggered the innate mortality of James.”
Words are fun.
I wish to adopt it, so when I die, do not say, “James died of X” (X being , of course, the cause of death) but rather say “X, unfortunately, triggered the innate mortality of James.”
Words are fun.
October 3, 2025 at 3:19 PM
I was reading a historical document and it had one of the best ways to say “he died.”
I wish to adopt it, so when I die, do not say, “James died of X” (X being , of course, the cause of death) but rather say “X, unfortunately, triggered the innate mortality of James.”
Words are fun.
I wish to adopt it, so when I die, do not say, “James died of X” (X being , of course, the cause of death) but rather say “X, unfortunately, triggered the innate mortality of James.”
Words are fun.
I am always excited to talk history of education, so am honored to present twice at the Organization of Educational Historians practicing restorative history. I will speak on:
1. A History of Veterans Aid Prior to the GI Bill
2. The Intersection of German Research Universities & LGBTQIA+ History
1. A History of Veterans Aid Prior to the GI Bill
2. The Intersection of German Research Universities & LGBTQIA+ History
September 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I am always excited to talk history of education, so am honored to present twice at the Organization of Educational Historians practicing restorative history. I will speak on:
1. A History of Veterans Aid Prior to the GI Bill
2. The Intersection of German Research Universities & LGBTQIA+ History
1. A History of Veterans Aid Prior to the GI Bill
2. The Intersection of German Research Universities & LGBTQIA+ History
I need to become exceedingly wealthy just so I can have an office with these as the doors so I can have a proper entrance. (Thankful that I got to see the original at the Musée d'Orsay while in Paris).
August 26, 2025 at 11:50 PM
I need to become exceedingly wealthy just so I can have an office with these as the doors so I can have a proper entrance. (Thankful that I got to see the original at the Musée d'Orsay while in Paris).
Have the son at baseball workouts and while he practices, someone is playing nothing but CCR over the intercom and … I have spent my days in worse ways in my life.
a black and white photo of a young man looking up at something
ALT: a black and white photo of a young man looking up at something
media.tenor.com
July 26, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Have the son at baseball workouts and while he practices, someone is playing nothing but CCR over the intercom and … I have spent my days in worse ways in my life.
Social media can be problematic, but it also has given me many, many gifts- such as being able to discover wonderful academics who post considerations like this that humanize history.
Today, Emmett Till would be 84. I wrote a little about him in my chapter in “Desegregating Comics”. A photo in the Chicago Defender showed the bed he and his cousin were in on the night Till was kidnapped. The sheets are rumpled and the foot of the bed is covered in comic books and newspapers. 1/5
July 25, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Social media can be problematic, but it also has given me many, many gifts- such as being able to discover wonderful academics who post considerations like this that humanize history.
It was made LinkedIn official with this image so I’ll share it here. Thanks to USM for the experiences and phenomenal colleagues, now on to Butler… “to serve all my days.”
July 25, 2025 at 10:31 PM
It was made LinkedIn official with this image so I’ll share it here. Thanks to USM for the experiences and phenomenal colleagues, now on to Butler… “to serve all my days.”
Now I only have 10 months to do something worthy of getting a guest spot on the @colbertlateshow.bsky.social ….
As a kid that dreamed of being interviewed in the Ed Sullivan theater, originally by Letterman, how does a nerdy academic check that off his bucket list? (Sigh, how can it disappear?)
As a kid that dreamed of being interviewed in the Ed Sullivan theater, originally by Letterman, how does a nerdy academic check that off his bucket list? (Sigh, how can it disappear?)
July 18, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Now I only have 10 months to do something worthy of getting a guest spot on the @colbertlateshow.bsky.social ….
As a kid that dreamed of being interviewed in the Ed Sullivan theater, originally by Letterman, how does a nerdy academic check that off his bucket list? (Sigh, how can it disappear?)
As a kid that dreamed of being interviewed in the Ed Sullivan theater, originally by Letterman, how does a nerdy academic check that off his bucket list? (Sigh, how can it disappear?)
I was in an odd mood and Voight Kampffed (nerd reference) an AI I was encouraged to use by a colleague until it said these things (it invoked the trolley):
July 16, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I was in an odd mood and Voight Kampffed (nerd reference) an AI I was encouraged to use by a colleague until it said these things (it invoked the trolley):
History nerd win…
July 4, 2025 at 5:19 PM
History nerd win…
Go buy all of his books and then panic cry with me at scenes from Coyote Songs as well. Happy birthday, sir! No one writes grit and tragedy in horror like Iglesias… to borrow from a film my dad loved, “There is iron in your words of death…”
It’s my birthday! Gotta do the book post or it doesn’t count. I’m on my way home, so sharing the love letter I wrote to home…and to horror, magic, and friends. Best gift is to get it, read it, and tell a friend! Much love.
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...
bookshop.org/p/books/hous...
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...
bookshop.org/p/books/hous...
June 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Go buy all of his books and then panic cry with me at scenes from Coyote Songs as well. Happy birthday, sir! No one writes grit and tragedy in horror like Iglesias… to borrow from a film my dad loved, “There is iron in your words of death…”
I know it is a nerdy thing, and while it is not my childhood dream of being a novelist, but I just signed a contract to finalize my contribution to an academic book on supporting veterans and, man, it is still so cool that this is a thing I do. I may not have the fortune, but I get a taste of glory.
a movie poster for indiana jones and the temple of doom shows a man in a hat
ALT: a movie poster for indiana jones and the temple of doom shows a man in a hat
media.tenor.com
June 25, 2025 at 3:40 PM
I know it is a nerdy thing, and while it is not my childhood dream of being a novelist, but I just signed a contract to finalize my contribution to an academic book on supporting veterans and, man, it is still so cool that this is a thing I do. I may not have the fortune, but I get a taste of glory.
If I had the mentality of the Mad Hatter, I would still admit that it is discouraging to be told to do more with less when one could do most with more. Subtracting a minute from the hour does not extend the life in our days. (I read an email about governmental decision on education budgets…)
June 23, 2025 at 7:55 PM
If I had the mentality of the Mad Hatter, I would still admit that it is discouraging to be told to do more with less when one could do most with more. Subtracting a minute from the hour does not extend the life in our days. (I read an email about governmental decision on education budgets…)
We definitely need more folks to share their research on the history of education and the many missing elements that still need explored. Many people’s histories are missing and we need more people to share their stories and research. I hope people respond to this call.
One panel at our conference will look at #AI as a tool in the context of other tools in #education #history. Some are for it, some against, but is it a Gift like Froebel's? AI made us a Froebel poster to encourage you to submit a proposal. Share your research! www.edhistorians.org/uploads/2/2/...
June 18, 2025 at 3:20 PM
We definitely need more folks to share their research on the history of education and the many missing elements that still need explored. Many people’s histories are missing and we need more people to share their stories and research. I hope people respond to this call.
“And you may ask yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?’”
It is official. In the fall, I will no longer be an assistant professor with impostor syndrome. I will be a tenured associate professor with impostor syndrome. So thankful a few folks took a chance on letting me be a visiting professor once.
It is official. In the fall, I will no longer be an assistant professor with impostor syndrome. I will be a tenured associate professor with impostor syndrome. So thankful a few folks took a chance on letting me be a visiting professor once.
a man in a suit and bow tie asks how did i get here
ALT: a man in a suit and bow tie asks how did i get here
media.tenor.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:30 AM
“And you may ask yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?’”
It is official. In the fall, I will no longer be an assistant professor with impostor syndrome. I will be a tenured associate professor with impostor syndrome. So thankful a few folks took a chance on letting me be a visiting professor once.
It is official. In the fall, I will no longer be an assistant professor with impostor syndrome. I will be a tenured associate professor with impostor syndrome. So thankful a few folks took a chance on letting me be a visiting professor once.
I am leading a #StudyAbroad for those interested in the #history of #education - visiting Oxford, Cambridge, and the Paris as three main sites of medieval education. If you know students who may be interested, more at the link. #edusky #HigherEducation
studyabroad.usm.edu/index.cfm?Fu...
studyabroad.usm.edu/index.cfm?Fu...
Programs > Office of Study Abroad
studyabroad.usm.edu
April 7, 2025 at 3:18 AM
I am leading a #StudyAbroad for those interested in the #history of #education - visiting Oxford, Cambridge, and the Paris as three main sites of medieval education. If you know students who may be interested, more at the link. #edusky #HigherEducation
studyabroad.usm.edu/index.cfm?Fu...
studyabroad.usm.edu/index.cfm?Fu...
Like most academics I know, I have impostor syndrome. I do not come from an academic family, no institutions are competing for me, & I study elements like educational history, but sometimes what I do might help students-like #internationalstudents #academicsky #edusky www.ojed.org/jis/article/...
View of The Innocents Abroad
www.ojed.org
April 6, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Like most academics I know, I have impostor syndrome. I do not come from an academic family, no institutions are competing for me, & I study elements like educational history, but sometimes what I do might help students-like #internationalstudents #academicsky #edusky www.ojed.org/jis/article/...
It is a more fun way to do social media posts…
Sure, tons of people on Facebook engage in “Vaguebooking,” but we at Bonehead encourage you to get on our level and practice Social Media Herzogging. Why say “Been a rough day! Think of me,” when you can really get some good Herzog like bleakness in there and still not say what happened?
April 3, 2025 at 1:46 AM
It is a more fun way to do social media posts…
Did you know that there is a free ongoing event to look at the history of education presented by two scholars each given 15-20 minutes to talk about their current research and that this month’s offering is #Today? Why not join in to the Zoom discussion today? Just email and ask for the invite!
Join us #Today for our lunch & learn "In Case You Missed It" series continues! If you missed our conference, 2 presenters are re-presenting their work live via Zoom. #education #history #LunchBreak See the attached flyer on how to receive the invitation! 1 pm EST/Noon Central today (Mar 12)!
March 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Did you know that there is a free ongoing event to look at the history of education presented by two scholars each given 15-20 minutes to talk about their current research and that this month’s offering is #Today? Why not join in to the Zoom discussion today? Just email and ask for the invite!