dr. ken stanton
People value my objectivity, my integrity, my perspective, and my empathy. I help others solve problems, be more motivated, feel more confident, and have better relationships. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and am excited for what lies ahead.
I have been an educator for over 20 years; an engineer for nearly 10; worked in sales, cell tower upgrades, and retail; and have immersed in law, politics, technology, and health and wellness. The diversity has taught me a lot and informs so much of what I do.
Choose a topic below to learn more!
What brings you here today?
Click to jump to a specific section, or just scroll down through each.
Beliefs
A little about who I am and what I believe.
Education
I’ve been an educator for over 20 years and have a dream of starting my own school.
Freedom
Freedom, civil rights, and the role of politics in my life.
Perspective
Ramblings and insights, including my Understanding Quotes blog.
Projects
Data science, coding, engineering, and related projects of mine.
Who Am I?
I believe:
- in Integrity above all else (including loyalty)
- that Freedom grows the best people
- that the more people Know, the better people they can be
- that Controlling others is a sign of weakness
- that Leading others is a sign of strength
- that the best Decisions are those made after critique of all options
- that Strengthening the self should come before helping others
- that we understand Human Nature, but don’t pay enough attention
- that Experiences are far more valuable than possessions
- in Analytical approaches to life to yield the best results
- that Money is a means to freedom and realization of ideas
- in God, but not any specific religion
Education is Learning and Schooling
“I have never let schooling interfere with my education.” -Mark Twain
Learning is a process that we all begin naturally, even before birth. School is a place that is supposed to facilitate it. Many people argue that our schools are broken; others argue that the system is broken. They’re both absolutely right, but that doesn’t mean school is bad.
What’s missing from education today is the motivation of self-determination. There’s infinite curiosity in kids, but far less in graduating seniors. We can fix that.
As I’ve taught for over 20 years, with students from middle school to PhD candidates, and in 4 different states, I have more than a doctorate in engineering education – I have experience. I find it therapeutic to write about what I think can be done.
Freedom and Politics
In 2007, I was a PhD student at Virginia Tech. On April 16th, a mentally-ill student killed 32 people in a crazed rampage. I was anti-political before that day; I hated the vitriol. But after that day, I got pulled into the media frenzy because my friend Jeremy was one of the victims. It was fine when we were remembering the victims; then CNN demanded I give my opinion about guns. I refused, until I could do my homework.
I spent the next 4 years researching, debating, and discussing the ideas of self-defense and gun rights. I had hundreds of debates – and got thousands of insults along the way. My dad was an armed police officer but my friends died from bullets. I still held no bias when I researched the topic, like any honest PhD student should. I later came to the conclusion that allowing self-defense was the right answer.
I have my position, and I stand by it, but I have always been respectful to those who feel otherwise. How could I not? I’ve lost friends to gun violence. I get it. Those who want to disagree and exchange ideas can still find a friend in me. But don’t take my word for it – watch my interviews and speeches for yourself. Here is a C-SPAN speech and a CNN interview – click one!
Perspective
I recently posted on Facebook that I was going to leave the platform for “greener” social-media pastures. I immediately got a barrage of comments and messages begging me not to. So, I made a survey to ask people what they value about my presence there.
Overwhelmingly, the theme was that I help my friends see things in a different light than they usually hear. I’m humbled.
This blog is about things I find valuable to know. For now, I’m starting with my Understanding Quotes posts. They’re powerful!
My Projects
In my years, I’ve accomplished a lot. I’m proud of those accomplishments – and I apologize for my mistakes, from which I’ve learned. Here I’m going to share some of the projects I’ve done and what I learned from them, and what I contributed to the world. They may fall into the following categories:
- Automotive (I’ve worked on cars for over a decade)
- Data science and programming
- Engineering