It isn’t often I recommend that classes (or families) watch a commercial, but for this one I’ll make an exception. Take a look. General Electric (which is barely mentioned) lives up to its slogan “Imagination at Work.” What a great way to start a conversation about innovation, risk taking, and the kind of atmosphere we … Continue reading
I’ve always been curious. In one of my more memorable childhood experiments, I decided (age 5) that it was very important to know how loudly I could scream. I mean, if I never tried screaming my loudest, how would I know how loud I could be? What if something terrible happened and I wasn’t good … Continue reading
I don’t often post profoundly personal things here, but there are times in life when only the profound things are meaningful. This was one of those weeks for me. I buried my father this week. He had as good a death as a person could wish—fully himself nearly to the end, surrounded by those who … Continue reading
If, as the adage suggests, curiosity killed the cat, what killed curiosity? I’ve been wondering about curiosity lately. Anyone who has ever spent time with toddlers knows they are full of questions. “Why is my cat fluffier than Jane’s cat?” “Where does milk go when I drink it?” “What is dirt made of?” “Why can’t … Continue reading
One of my favorite moments for not-exactly-guilty pleasures is any time I spend in a waiting room browsing magazines. Those few minutes before a dentist or hair stylist appointment give me the chance to explore publications I don’t have time to read during the rest of my hectic life. Recently while browsing Better Homes and … Continue reading
Not long ago I wrote about how depressed I was by a Washington Post article titled, “Can Kickstarter save arts education?” It was full of gloomy statistics: Nearly one in 10 U.S. secondary schools has no music program. Eleven percent don’t teach art. More than half have cut theater. Nine in 10 have cut … Continue reading
How smart are you? Really. How smart do you think you are? How do you know? What about your students? How smart are they? How smart to they think they are? Does it matter? Psychologists use a lot of intertwining ideas to describe how we think about ourselves, our abilities, and our capacity for change: … Continue reading
This is Part 2 of my resolutions for a creative new school year. Perhaps, like me, you have more success writing resolutions—at least professional ones—in September. If so, come along and think with me. This year I’m trying to think in broader terms about the types of classroom I want to establish. For more specific … Continue reading
I’ve never been good at traditional New Year’s Resolutions. Somehow, coming on the heels of the most intense time of year—when holiday and end-of-semester craziness merge—by January 1 I’m more inclined to be grateful for survival than set new goals. But September is different. Even when I’m teaching summer term, the end of August brings … Continue reading
This month (perhaps while you were taking a few well-earned days off) the National Public Radio (NPR) series Playing to Learn presented a fascinating look into the relationship between play and learning. At this time of year when so many of us put summer relaxation behind and get back to the “serious business” of teaching, … Continue reading
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