Dear colleagues, I came across four parent recommendations the other day from researchers Jonathan Haidt, Will Johnson, and Zach Rausch that I thought were worth sharing in case your role intersects with helping parents in our technological times. In their article “We Don’t Have to Give In to Smartphones” for The New York Times (paywall), […]
Only the Sith Deal in Absolutes
Dear colleague, In a recent post, I shared this JFK idea that truth is more threatened by myths than by lies. Today I want to share a related thought, not from a notable president, but from a notable Jedi: Mr. Obi Wan Kenobi. In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (hot take: the best of […]
“I Feel Like” We Shouldn’t Say That
Dear colleague, I feel like we say “I feel like” a lot. I remember a wise mentor who was coaching me to clearer thinking in my twenties giving the following counsel: “From now on, I want you to use the word feel in an accurate way. If you have a feeling, such as anger or […]
“The Full Use of Your Powers Along the Lines of Excellence”
Dear colleague, In June I went on a PD adventure to BC High, an all-boys school in Boston. While I was there, I noticed the JFK Presidential Library was in walking distance and, having time to spare, I made the trip. My favorite takeaways from the library were a couple JFK one-liners. I’ll share one […]
The Personal Best Tracker (Google Doc)
Dear colleague, Sometimes I like to get my students to keep track of the quantity of work they’re doing in my class. As I wrote about in These 6 Things, the first step to improvement in an area like reading or writing or speaking is often quantification: what is our current quantity of work (e.g., […]