Professor d'Arques
@profdarques.bsky.social
Gothic pedagogue of the dying arts. Older than I look. Literature lessons from the oubliette. http://linktr.ee/profdarques
"I am the messenger of the suns, and I renew my strength continually in their burning heat, that I may dispense it on my journey to young worlds which have as yet insufficient warmth, and to ancient stars which have grown cold in their solitude." —Éliphas Lévi
November 2, 2025 at 12:41 PM
"I am the messenger of the suns, and I renew my strength continually in their burning heat, that I may dispense it on my journey to young worlds which have as yet insufficient warmth, and to ancient stars which have grown cold in their solitude." —Éliphas Lévi
Ye are the light of golden candelabra; I am the flame of sacrifice. We are not the same.
November 2, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Ye are the light of golden candelabra; I am the flame of sacrifice. We are not the same.
"Few poets of the highest class have chosen to exhibit the beauty of their conceptions in its naked truth and splendor; and it is doubtful whether the alloy of costume, habit, etc., be not necessary to temper this planetary music for mortal ears." —Percy Bysshe Shelley, A Defence of Poetry
October 21, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"Few poets of the highest class have chosen to exhibit the beauty of their conceptions in its naked truth and splendor; and it is doubtful whether the alloy of costume, habit, etc., be not necessary to temper this planetary music for mortal ears." —Percy Bysshe Shelley, A Defence of Poetry
"Misology" is the hatred of reason, and Kant observed that the self-centered pursuit of satisfaction leads one to envy rather than despise those who are ruled by their instincts rather than by reason. This resonates forcefully in our anti-intellectual age, where the ruling party runs on vibes alone.
October 19, 2025 at 10:02 PM
"Misology" is the hatred of reason, and Kant observed that the self-centered pursuit of satisfaction leads one to envy rather than despise those who are ruled by their instincts rather than by reason. This resonates forcefully in our anti-intellectual age, where the ruling party runs on vibes alone.
"The facility with which a principle can be used and its apparent adequacy furnish no quite certain proof of its correctness but, instead, awaken a certain bias against investigating it and weighing it in itself and without any regard for what follows from it." —Immanuel Kant
October 18, 2025 at 12:30 AM
"The facility with which a principle can be used and its apparent adequacy furnish no quite certain proof of its correctness but, instead, awaken a certain bias against investigating it and weighing it in itself and without any regard for what follows from it." —Immanuel Kant
My students have to respect everyone's humanity, but they don't have to respect everyone's beliefs. Some beliefs are not respectable, and contorting oneself to be polite to unhinged expressions of hatred and prejudice is partially what got us here. Docile centrism between fascism and not is useless.
August 24, 2025 at 1:16 PM
My students have to respect everyone's humanity, but they don't have to respect everyone's beliefs. Some beliefs are not respectable, and contorting oneself to be polite to unhinged expressions of hatred and prejudice is partially what got us here. Docile centrism between fascism and not is useless.
It's 2025. There are really better, more thorough, and accurate worldviews to explore and hold than whatever we had in Bronze Age Mesopotamia. We've learned so much since then. It's okay to let it go.
August 23, 2025 at 6:42 PM
It's 2025. There are really better, more thorough, and accurate worldviews to explore and hold than whatever we had in Bronze Age Mesopotamia. We've learned so much since then. It's okay to let it go.
I'm a public school teacher. Parents are not my customers. I don't give a shit about what their whims and preferences are. However, I care unfailingly about their child's needs, preferences, well-being, boundaries, and success. I care about what society needs their children to learn.
August 22, 2025 at 1:06 AM
I'm a public school teacher. Parents are not my customers. I don't give a shit about what their whims and preferences are. However, I care unfailingly about their child's needs, preferences, well-being, boundaries, and success. I care about what society needs their children to learn.
Darling, I've been teaching Shakespeare's Richard III for years, and it's always a thrill on the day when the children find out the royal family tree is a wreath.
August 21, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Darling, I've been teaching Shakespeare's Richard III for years, and it's always a thrill on the day when the children find out the royal family tree is a wreath.
It is still worth it to be a teacher, perhaps now more than ever. Join the resistance. Stand for critical thinking and free inquiry. Stand for empathy and human solidarity. Those are the real lessons we teach our children. Do not abandon education.
August 21, 2025 at 12:14 AM
It is still worth it to be a teacher, perhaps now more than ever. Join the resistance. Stand for critical thinking and free inquiry. Stand for empathy and human solidarity. Those are the real lessons we teach our children. Do not abandon education.
My only allegiances are beauty, truth, and my commitment to delivering a critical and secular education. I hold reason sacrosanct and believe a well-turned phrase can be deadlier than any sword—though, in my time, I should say that I have seen both put to good use.
August 13, 2025 at 11:46 PM
My only allegiances are beauty, truth, and my commitment to delivering a critical and secular education. I hold reason sacrosanct and believe a well-turned phrase can be deadlier than any sword—though, in my time, I should say that I have seen both put to good use.
I'm fortunate enough to teach where I have undisturbed lunch periods. As a result, I am able to sit down and eat on real dishes. A good day is when my meal looks like a still life—fruit, vegetables, bread, and cheese, with iced hibiscus tea in a chalice (which I can say is the blood of my enemies).
August 13, 2025 at 3:55 PM
I'm fortunate enough to teach where I have undisturbed lunch periods. As a result, I am able to sit down and eat on real dishes. A good day is when my meal looks like a still life—fruit, vegetables, bread, and cheese, with iced hibiscus tea in a chalice (which I can say is the blood of my enemies).
Reposted by Professor d'Arques
All three branches are lost. States need to hire any generals, intel experts, soldiers, educators, anyone pushed out or terminated by this administration. We will need the people they fear.
August 12, 2025 at 12:35 PM
All three branches are lost. States need to hire any generals, intel experts, soldiers, educators, anyone pushed out or terminated by this administration. We will need the people they fear.
Jungian psychology is unfortunately so much more gender-dependent than it needs to be. For every enticing glimmer of mysticism, there is a puzzling limitation imposed upon gender lines that doesn't feel authentic to life as we know it.
August 8, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Jungian psychology is unfortunately so much more gender-dependent than it needs to be. For every enticing glimmer of mysticism, there is a puzzling limitation imposed upon gender lines that doesn't feel authentic to life as we know it.
English teachers don't just teach book units. We teach our students how to unpack assumptions, how to argue, how to recognize rhetorical manipulation. The stories are just a vehicle for the real lesson of self-sovereignty. My students become empowered to read like thieves and evade deception.
August 5, 2025 at 9:18 PM
English teachers don't just teach book units. We teach our students how to unpack assumptions, how to argue, how to recognize rhetorical manipulation. The stories are just a vehicle for the real lesson of self-sovereignty. My students become empowered to read like thieves and evade deception.
Must-haves for the classroom: A genuine 1623 Shakespeare folio, a working shrine to Apollo or Hermes, and the calcified heart of Percy Shelley in your desk drawer. (Mary would wish it.)
July 30, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Must-haves for the classroom: A genuine 1623 Shakespeare folio, a working shrine to Apollo or Hermes, and the calcified heart of Percy Shelley in your desk drawer. (Mary would wish it.)
Reposted by Professor d'Arques
The FTC is seeking public comment about gender affirming care in order to go after providers and restrict access. Share your stories instead of how this care has helped you and how it is life saving.
We need to counteract their false narratives. Please share!
www.regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2...
We need to counteract their false narratives. Please share!
www.regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2...
Regulations.gov
www.regulations.gov
July 29, 2025 at 1:50 AM
The FTC is seeking public comment about gender affirming care in order to go after providers and restrict access. Share your stories instead of how this care has helped you and how it is life saving.
We need to counteract their false narratives. Please share!
www.regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2...
We need to counteract their false narratives. Please share!
www.regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2...
My fellow teachers, don't hold your bladder for hours. Admin should be humanely arranging coverage for your restroom breaks. If they don't, bring in a doctor's note which insists upon it. You should not be risking UTIs or kidney issues because your admin can't figure it out.
July 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
My fellow teachers, don't hold your bladder for hours. Admin should be humanely arranging coverage for your restroom breaks. If they don't, bring in a doctor's note which insists upon it. You should not be risking UTIs or kidney issues because your admin can't figure it out.
Sometimes the answer to your troubles is to dress up like a mortician, go to a centre-ville tapas bar, and sample a flight of Euro wines.
July 26, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Sometimes the answer to your troubles is to dress up like a mortician, go to a centre-ville tapas bar, and sample a flight of Euro wines.
You should wear whatever makes you feel powerful. For me, it's usually finding the most haunted piece at the consignment shop and taming the attached spirit, but it's different for everyone.
July 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
You should wear whatever makes you feel powerful. For me, it's usually finding the most haunted piece at the consignment shop and taming the attached spirit, but it's different for everyone.
Organized religion is oppressively holding us back as a species, especially since, in most cases, a personal, internal mysticism would suffice instead (for those inclined to feel the religious urge).
July 24, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Organized religion is oppressively holding us back as a species, especially since, in most cases, a personal, internal mysticism would suffice instead (for those inclined to feel the religious urge).
Re: Using fake Obama outrage to cover the Epstein scandal: It's quite sad that "shiny new object" ploys have historically been so successful for this regime in deferring public ire at their failures and atrocities.
July 23, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Re: Using fake Obama outrage to cover the Epstein scandal: It's quite sad that "shiny new object" ploys have historically been so successful for this regime in deferring public ire at their failures and atrocities.
PSA: If you make me do a back-to-school icebreaker during in-service meetings, I WILL be turning "Two Truths and a Lie" into "Three Lies" purely for my own entertainment.
July 18, 2025 at 10:48 PM
PSA: If you make me do a back-to-school icebreaker during in-service meetings, I WILL be turning "Two Truths and a Lie" into "Three Lies" purely for my own entertainment.
5 of my favorite things:
⚔️ Devastating retorts in an argument that are either hostile or flirtatious, but I can't immediately tell which
🍷 A glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with cured meats and manchego cheese
🌿 The gardens of Versailles at night, when the moon is full and glittering on the lake 🧵
⚔️ Devastating retorts in an argument that are either hostile or flirtatious, but I can't immediately tell which
🍷 A glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with cured meats and manchego cheese
🌿 The gardens of Versailles at night, when the moon is full and glittering on the lake 🧵
July 17, 2025 at 7:03 PM
5 of my favorite things:
⚔️ Devastating retorts in an argument that are either hostile or flirtatious, but I can't immediately tell which
🍷 A glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with cured meats and manchego cheese
🌿 The gardens of Versailles at night, when the moon is full and glittering on the lake 🧵
⚔️ Devastating retorts in an argument that are either hostile or flirtatious, but I can't immediately tell which
🍷 A glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with cured meats and manchego cheese
🌿 The gardens of Versailles at night, when the moon is full and glittering on the lake 🧵
Sharing a belief isn't indoctrination, otherwise every conversation is indoctrination. Indoctrination involves the withholding of alternatives, claiming that one way of thinking is the only legitimate way. Sharing a belief is non-threatening as long as it is presented as one of many in a wide array.
July 17, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Sharing a belief isn't indoctrination, otherwise every conversation is indoctrination. Indoctrination involves the withholding of alternatives, claiming that one way of thinking is the only legitimate way. Sharing a belief is non-threatening as long as it is presented as one of many in a wide array.