An Evening with Jhumpa Lahiri at BHMS - May 8th

Author Jhumpa Lahiri will talk about her newest book, "Unaccustomed Earth", at BHMS next Thursday. Doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Interpreter of Maladies" was a wonderful introduction to her writing. "The Namesake," her second book, was made into a popular movie. Click to read an interview with the author and to hear her read.

Seeing the Forest From the Trees

A recent letter to the editor in the NYTimes Book Review gives a perfect example of someone who struggled with seeing the forest from the trees when reader Dan Willenbring commented on a review of Mary Roach's newest bestseller Bonk The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.

Math Wars

Whether you live in New York City, Des Moines, Oakland, or Biloxi and you are a math teacher or parent of a school-age child, you know that there is a math war going on in our schools and homes. For some children . . . and adults, learning math is a challenge. To get a better understanding about the battles going on, listen to "The End of the Math Wars?" from "On Point." You may find that you can holster your weapons.

The Most Important People

My work with children and parents over the years often comes down to one axiom: children need to know that they are the most important person in someone's life. This became clear to me in 1999 when I wrote "The Most Important People" for Independent School magazine. See if you agree.

Pi

Pi, is a non-repeating, never-ending decimal that is the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter. Recently, the number came to my attention when I read the book Born on a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet's autobiography about his life with Asperger's and synaesthesia. If you have 10 minutes watch this fascinating video where he calculates Pi to 22,500 decimal places.

Get to Know Dr. Carol Dweck

Dr. Carol Dweck's research is impressive and provides a balanced, almost perfect look into raising children in the best possible ways. Dr. Dweck hit New York in a big way when her research appeared in the February 12 issue of New York magazine.  "How Not to Talk to Your Kids" takes the reader through the world of "Is it better to praise your child for how smart she/he is or for how much effort she/he puts into her/his work?"

"Brainology," which appeared in the winter issue of Independent School magazine, helps educators and parents understand how children look at intellegence. 

Get to know her better by reading these two articles and visiting her home page.  

Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a young adult book that is one of the best ways to get closer to understanding diversity for middle school students through adults.  Follow the life of Junior as he navigates adolescence and living on the "res."

If you want to get to know Sherman Alexie better, click on one of these links: San Francisco Chronicle, interview #1, interview #2, or audio excerpts.

Dr. Michael Thompson

If you are an educator or parent, it is important to get to know Dr. Michael Thompson.  You can click to his website right here or read one of his impressive articles "The Fear Equation."  Every parent, teacher, and school administrator must read it.  Also, when you do click to his website, note his latest book, It's a Boy, the follow-up to his best seller Raising Cain.