I saw Avengers: Endgame on opening night at the last possible showing, 10:30 p.m.. I had to see Endgame after my kids had gone to bed, and my wife -- no fan of comic book movies -- graciously stayed home while they slept. In watching it by myself, however, I made a strategic mistake: The value of family life is one of Endgame’s chief themes.

Most comic book films provide a means of escapism. We watch superheroes battle supervillains across a CGI-enhanced galaxy as a way of detaching from the mundane details of the workweek. But Endgame’s themes of self-sacrifice, heroism, and the value of family and community seem to warn against escaping too long into the pages of a comic book or the storyline of an action flick. Indeed, the very message that the multibillion-dollar Avengers franchise has decided to end on is that you should cherish your family and your loved ones and not take them for granted.

If you know the name John Dewey, you may associate him with the decline of American education. Many believe that the absence of intellectual rigor and the lack of responsibility in schools can be blamed on Dewey, who has been called the “father of progressive education.” It’s easy for conservatives to dismiss someone described as the “father” of anything progressive, but it may be worthwhile to reconsider John Dewey (1859-1952) in light of new economic challenges posed by automation. According to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, advancements in self-driving technology and robotics threaten up to 38 percent of jobs in the United States. How can American schools prepare students to enter a competitive economy ready to upend itself?