Never Underestimate the Child

From the Internet . . .

Lessons in Grandparenting

Even though the title of Lesley Stahl's book is Becoming Grandma, grandpas will learn a lot from the wisdom, experience, interviews, and research presented by this charming, smart journalist . . . and grandma. Also, the parents of the grand children will learn lessons, especially the in-laws—mother-, father-, daughter-, and son-.

Here are a few excerpts from among many, many lessons presented:

"In fact, it appears that we humans are at our unhappiest in our late thirties and forties. We bottom out in our early fifties, then keep getting happier through our sixties and seventies and even beyond, until disability kicks in."

"Relationships with grandfathers usually grow stronger as children age. Kids tend to prefer Gramma at first, but then things even out."

"It reminds me me of something Tom Brokaw said: 'For parents, bribery is a white-collar crime; for grandparents, it's a business plan!' "

"I used to think life had four necessities: food, oxygen, love and friendship. Now I know there's a fifth: purpose."


Here is the book trailer:

Independent Teacher - Latest Edition

Click over to the latest edition of NAIS's Independent Teacher online magazine — for teachers and by teachers.

From the Editor, Stan Izen

"We sometimes forget about the importance of allowing students to be themselves, that one of our primary jobs as teachers is to promote the development of individual personalities, to make space for idiosyncrasies. . ."

Great Grit Resources

Angela Duckworth has made a name for herself with one word: Grit. After reading her first book and seeing her TED Talk, I am convinced that she has been on to something for a long time. Here are two quotes from her book:

"Together, the research reveals the psychological assets that mature paragons of grit have in common. There are four. . . and they tend to develop over the years, in a particular order.

• Interest
• Practice
• Purpose
• Hope" (pg. 91)

"If you want to bring forth grit in your child, first ask how much passion and perseverance you have for your own life goals. Then ask yourself how likely it is that your approach to parenting encourages your child to emulate you. If the answer to the first question is 'a great deal,' and your answer to the second is 'very likely,' you're already parenting for grit." (pg. 216)

I highly recommend her book, and you may want to check out these recent gritty articles.

"Is Grit Overrated?" by Jerry Useem [The Atlantic]

"Is 'grit' overrated in explaining student success? Harvard researchers have a new theory." by Jeffrey J. Selingo [The Washington Post]