Andrew Solomon

I was inspired by reading Andrew Solomon's illuminating and must-read book Far From the Tree, so much so, I had the good fortune to interview him for Montessori Life magazine.  Click over to "Appreciating Unity in Diversity: An Interview With Andrew Solomon" to learn more about this amazing writer.

Andrew was a keynote speaker at the American Montessori Society Annual Conference, and I had the distinct honor to introduce him this weekend to the nearly 3,000 attendees.

Also, you may want to read his recent article "The Reckoning" in the The New Yorker. It is a very compelling interview with Peter Lanza, father of Adam.

Getting to See and Hear Temple Grandin

As a follow up to my May 15 post on the book Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon, I came across the excellent Temple Grandin TED Talk that I thought you might be interested in. Also, you can click over to her interview with PBS's Tavis Smiley about her latest book The Autistic Brain.

As a side note, I along with 3,000 other Montessori educators will have the good fortune to hear Temple Grandin and Andrew Solomon speak this week in Dallas at the American Montessori Society Annual Conference. Can't wait.

It's About Generations

After reading Susan Gregory Thomas's edutopia article, "A Teacher's Guide to Generation X Parents," it prompted me to look at the various generation names and dates. With the help of Wikipedia, I came up with the chart below. Be sure to read Susan's article, it's eye-opening.

Still The Most Important People

From the perspective of a parent and teacher, in 2001 I wrote an article for Independent School magazine, "The Most Important People." Twelve years later, I revisited the article and wrote a sequel in the current issue of Independent School magazine from a much different perspective — as a grandfather. I think you will enjoy reading "Still the Most Important People" no matter whether you are a parent, teacher, childcare giver, or grandparent.

Parenting: All Joy and No Fun?

Writer Andrew Solomon wrote an excellent review of Jenifer Senior's book All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood in the NYTimes Book Review. Here are a few notes of interest gleaned from his review:

• "In 1965, when most American women didn't work outside the home, mothers nonetheless spent almost four fewer hours a week than today's mothers do providing child care. Father's on the other hand, spend three times as many hours with their children now as they did then, but do better at keeping downtime reserved for themselves; they do not judge themselves the way mothers do, and experience few of the pressures that make women feel so guilty about being away from home during the workday."
• "Parents struggle through their children's teenage years both because of their changed relationship with their children and because of their changed relationship to themselves."
• "Senior demonstrates that there is no contradiction in this seeming paradox; she understands that tolerating children is the cornerstone of loving them."

You may want to listen to NPR's Melissa Block's interview with the author to gain some more insights into her book.

Speaking of Andrew Solomon, watch for my interview with him in the current issue of Montessori Life magazine.

Reverse Psychology

Is bedtime a problem for your children . . . and you?

Recently, I was reading books about owls to little ones at the local library, and I came across the book Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace. AND, it is a hoot, especially the part about his bedtime routine and the tactic employed by his mother and father. Here, see what I mean . . .

Cheating In School?

How much do students cheat in school?

"Cheating in High School and College: the Numbers" is a link that came across my computer. I thought you might be interested in seeing it. Here are some of the topics presented:

• 8 Ways Students Cheat
• Which Students Cheat
• 12 Reasons Why Students Cheat
• 12 Tools and Techniques Used to Prevent Cheating
• Resource Links

Also, to get a sense of what drives some students to cheat, parents — particularly those of middle and high schoolers — must read Elizabeth Kolbert's "Big Score" article in the New Yorker, which is based on the book The Perfect Score Project: Uncovering the Secrets of the SAT by Debbie Stier.