I’m currently reading the March/April 2020 issue of Harvard Magazine (122:4), an article about Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health. Hu explores a range of topics, and the article centers around the intersection of nutrition, health, and the climate. Hu had participated …
A few nights ago, I pulled a play off my bookshelf, A Thousand Clowns by Herb Gardner. It’s the story of an outsider, the self-appointed court jester Murray, who can’t keep a job or a friendship, because he won’t play by anyone else’s rules. Murray is raising his nephew, Nick, …
When a student gets sent to my office for some misbehavior in class, I take the opportunity to have them talk to me about what went wrong. In a roundabout way, having them tell me this can reinforce community norms by bringing to the surface what they already know about …
Jennifer Gonzalez’s Cult of Pedagogy post on block scheduling is a quick dive into the block-scheduled classroom. She reviews what a block schedule refers to—1½ to 2 hour long classes, with fewer classes meeting each day—and finishes strong by quickly presenting five models for using the long block of time. …
I first heard Austin Kleon speak on the Stacking Benjamins podcast. I was drawn to his comments in the 04/10/2019 show that the gig economy can be stifling to a person’s creativity, and artistic people shouldn’t feel pressured to sell everything we make. Cynically, I thought to myself how the …
Our grade 6 Country Fair project is getting underway in the next few weeks. Country Fair Night is a great annual event at the school—think “Science Fair” for Social Studies—for parents & other involved adults to come see the kids, and alumni often return to sample the food! For Country …
American society is characterized by pluralities. Whether you consider the U.S. a “melting pot” or a “salad bowl,” our society is a blend from various world cultures, and also the unique local cultures of this country. I find myself often thinking about the socialization processes that create and continue our …
The story goes that the Athenians had defeated a larger Persian army in battle at a place called Marathon. A runner was sent back to announce the victory and he ran the whole way, about 25 miles, collapsing in death the moment after he triumphantly shouted “Nike!” the Greek word …
In his recent blog post, Thomas Martellone takes a methodical walk through the debate around data in education, and provides an excellent primer along with a rational argument. Basically, the concept is that data are useful, but get a bad rap because they are touted as the end all and …
OK, I find this article on procrastination fascinating. It’s one of those discoveries that I find myself still thinking about days after the initial read. As a degenerate procrastinator, I’m always looking for strategies to save me from myself, but this article also speaks to me as a manager thinking …