JoAnn Deak Knows the Brain

I just returned from hearing JoAnn Deak speak about the brain. Funny, thoughtful, and very bright, she provided so much good information about differences in girls and boys. Brain-based research continues to find its way into the world of education and the study of child development, and it is all so helpful.


By the way, JoAnn's book You're Fantastic Elastic Brain has won two awards: the Mom's Choice Award and the Nautilus Award.


Make sure you listen to her the next time you see her name listed in a conference program, or better yet, get her to speak at your school.

More Bridge for Kids?

My earlier post on Louis Sacher's (Holes) latest, delightful book The Cardturner, a Novel About a King, a Queen, and a Joker got some cred in yesterday's NYTimes article by Winnie Hu. "For Students Raised on iPods, Lessons in Bridge" suggests that the post WWII popular game is making a bid for younger followers.

We're Never Through Learning

I was at a meeting of graduate students where three of my interns were presenting their end-of-year projects to their cohort. After the first intern presented her project, I had the opportunity to give comment and speak about being life-long learners. So, whether we are a teacher, or a graduate student, or a parent, or a head of school, we are life-long learners, and it is particularly important as we become adults because we are modeling for our students.

I sat down and the person in front of me, without turning around, handed me a torn piece of paper with a brief quote inscribed (the image above is a scan of that piece of paper). It really says it all!

Seven Ways to Love a Child

I came across "Seven Ways to Love a Child" by Jennifer Rogers. She opens this beautiful piece with

"A tired working mother stood in the classroom doorway, ready to depart with her two sons. Separated in age by two years, the boys were as different in appearance as they were in temperament, but they were great kids. They enjoyed math and reading, laughed hard and punched hard. They loved learning, loved life, loved each other. Mom’s secret: “There are many ways to love a child,” she said. “I keep it simple. I have expectations. I accept mistakes. And I celebrate the process.”

Click on the article title above to read the seven ways. You'll love them.

What Do Teachers Make?

In dinner conversation last night, one of the guests made a reference to Taylor Mali's 1999 poem "What Teachers Make." It caused me to view it again. If you have never heard it, you'll see that his passionate delivery is half the message. Here, see what you think . . .

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

JoAnn Deak's book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain is a powerful book to share with young and old alike. Here is a short video to give you a peek inside a brain's power.

Young Adult or Adult?

Our school librarian and I were discussing bestselling author John Green, and she enticed me to read one of his books. She went to the shelves, handed me Paper Towns, said that this was one of his most notable, and that I would enjoy it. Well, it was a good read and reminded me of what it was like to be a senior in high school all over again—funny, emotional, and sometimes lonely. The book's sophistication caused me to ask, "Young adult or adult reading?" Check out this review page.

Like Falling Off a Cliff

     Keep an eye out for 40 research videos on child development coming from Ellen Galinsky's Mind in the Making website.  I viewed 8 at the American Montessori Society Annual Conference the end of March.  Watching them is like eating potato chips: once you start, you can't stop.  See what I mean when you watch this Joseph Campos video.

Good Night [Moon] New York City

     

     

      One of my family's all-time favorite books is Margaret Wise Brown's Good Night Moon.  So, you can imagine my attraction to a book my wife recently purchased for our grand daughter.  Good Night New York City describes the City much like Brown describes the "great green room" in Good Night Moon.

Ellen Galinsky Interview

     I had the good fortune to sit with author Ellen Galinsky at the American Montessori Society (AMS) Annual Conference in Chicago last week where she was a keynote speaker to over 3,000 educators. Right after she spoke, I interviewed Ellen for a future article in Montessori Life, the quarterly magazine for AMS.  
     Bright, delightful, and thoughtful, Ellen and I spent much of our time talking about her work and research on her latest book Mind in the Making. What I appreciated most about our time together was how she drew many of her anecdotes and inspiration from her life as a child and parent. I am eager to get started on writing up the interview. Stay tuned.

Norman Rockwell, Cameras, and Kids

     

     The Norman Rockwell Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum is fascinating.  So many of his subjects are about children.  This particular exhibit focuses on the photography behind the paintings and the preliminary work he did for each of his paintings.  When you click on the link you will get a snapshot—no pun intended—of how he used photographs to walk him thorugh his paintings.

Conroy's Reading Life

     If you like books, Pat Conroy's My Reading Life is essential reading.  He mentions all of the classics that influenced his life and writing.   The chapters titled "The Teacher" and "The Librarian" alone are well worth adding the book to your collection.

     Also, having flown in F-4s as a Radar Intercept Operator in the Marine Corps, I was immediately hooked by his early best seller, The Great Santini.  The double-Oscar nominee movie staring Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, and Michael O'Keefe is Conroy at his best.

     Here is a seven-minute interview of Conroy by NPR's Scott Simon.

Montessori Transitions Into, Within and Beyond

     So, what is Montessori pedagogy all about?  While I can't describe it all in one blog post, you can click to an article I wrote in the latest edition of The Parents League of New York Review 2011 and read "Montessori Transitions Into, Within and Beyond" to get some insight into this wonderful way of educating children.

Just for a Laugh

     Click on this short video.  It's well worth it.

Fringe and Shel Silverstein

     

     Today's 2nd Annual Fringe Festival at my school closed the afternoon session with poems being read by faculty members.  I got to read two great poems by Shel Silverstein.  "Sick" is a classic and everyone enjoyed hearing it.  And, "No Difference" is one of my favorites.  It has such a good message. 

     Check out his website; it is excellent.

M. C. Escher

     When I taught geometry, I loved to introduce students to the work of Dutch, graphic artist M. C. Escher (1898-1972).  His tesselations and intriguing art capture the interst and imagination of students and adults alike.  This two-minute Waterfall video is one example.  

     Head over to the Escher website to see and learn more about his work.

In-House Professional Development

     I never met Lynda Barry, but I caught up with her work in a faculty and staff writing workshop today.  After being introduced to her book What It Is, we saw a short video featuring Lynda.  The book and video got me wanting to write.  
     One of our teachers led us in an exercise where we chose a word that was written on a slip of paper and many slips were placed in a paper bag.  Upon reaching into the bag and choosing a word, we were to write down the first five things that came to our heads based on the word we chose.  Then we had to choose one of the five and write about it.  The room was stone quiet.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, wrote for five minutes.  Those who chose to share their work helped all of us understand that writing can be fun.
     I love faculty and staff meetings that are inspirational, helpful, and not led by the head of school.

Fringe Festival — Right Here!

     Each year faculty and staff at my school apply for Summer Travel Grants.  Two summers ago, one faculty member was awarded a grant to travel to Scotland and experience the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  She not only enjoyed the experience, but she was inspired to bring the idea home and start a Fringe Festival at our school.  Now, each year one weekend in February or March (this year it is next weekend, Saturday, March12) the school community comes together to enjoy the talents of teachers, students, staff, and parents.
     Here is a clip of the Best of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival . . . 

Khan Academy

     Salman Khan developed the most used Internet, open-education resource for students and adults.  Check out Khan Academy and the available 2,100 free educational videos.  His presentation at the NAIS Annual Conference was impressive and convincing.  Students learning at a pace that inspires them to work and not be afraid to make mistakes.

     I love where Khan says, "This actually becomes the operating system for what goes on in the classroom where every student's allowed to work at their own pace and the teacher actually becomes more of a mentor or a coach."

     Perfect.  Exchange the traditional sage-on-the-stage approach for a more guide-on-the-side paradigm.

     Here, see what Bill has to say about it.

What Makes You Tic?

     I attended many impressive sessions at the NAIS Annual Conference this past week.  But after listening to Marc Elliot present "What Makes You Tic?" where he talks about his Tourette Syndrome condition and live-and-let-live (aka tolerance) approach to how we should interact with one another, I made my way to the front of the room, and extended a hug to him.  I did that 19 years ago after being similarly moved by Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot's talk to a group of educators.  Beautiful, thoughtful messengers do that to me.

     You might find it interesting, to read the message Marc hands to nearby people when he is in a restaurant, airport, or other public area when his Tourette's is troublesome:

WHY DO I ACT THIS WAY?

Because I can't control it - 

I have Tourette Syndrome - a medical condition.  It causes me to make loud sounds, have twitches and say things I don't mean.  I can't help it any more than you can stop a sneeze or cough. I'm sorry if it bothers you - it bothers me more.

For more information about Tourette Syndrome: [TS website and address - link above]

     To learn more about Marc, click to his website and consider having him speak at your school.

NAIS 2011 Annual Conference

     I am off to Washington, D.C. to the Annual Conference of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).  

     I am especially looking forward to seeing and hearing Dan Heath, author of the bestseller Switch, Wendy Mogel, author of Blessing of a Skinned Knee and Blessing of a B Minus, Sugata Mitra, the man behind the "Hole in the Wall Project," and Geoffrey Canada, the educator featured in the film "Waiting for Superman."

     A great lineup of keynote speakers.

digital_nation - PBS FRONTLINE

     The FRONTLINE special "digital_nation life on the virtual frontier" is a program you will want to see, especially if you are in the classroom, or parenting, or use technology (that doesn't leave out very many people).  PBS is very educator friendly.  
     Here, see for yourself what I mean. Click on the trailer below.

The Bottom Line - "Our Socratic Oath"

     I love author and independent school educator, Rick Ackerly's article, "Our Socratic Oath," in this issue of Independent School magazine.  To give you a flavor of the article, here is a quote from it that says it all:

"Happiness, success, winning, and achievement are not what we should wish for our children. Rather, we should wish that they develop the grit to live in life's tensions — the confidence to learn from conflict, mistakes, disappointment, failure, loneliness, and losing."

     Visit Rick at his website "The Genius in Children."

"1" Not Such a Lonely Number

     2011 is an unusual year . . . you know, 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, and 11/11/11.

     The year 2011 also brings an unusual algorithm; here, give it a try.  Add the age you are (will be) in 2011 to the last two digits of the year you were born.  I bet the sum is all ones.  Get some inspiration and listen to this Three Dog Night tune as you do the calculation.

     If anyone out there knows why this happens, please leave a comment.

Still Comes Down to Class Bias

     I was delighted to read "Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above?" in the Sunday NYTimes; it is an encouraging article about the amalgamation of races in the U.S.  One statistic stated "one in seven new marriages is between spouses of different races or ethnicities" and another stated "No one knows quite how the growth of the multiracial population will change the country. Optimists say the blending of the races is a step toward transcending race, to a place where America is free of bigotry, prejudice and programs like affirmative action."
     Nevertheless, in the end, I still believe that "Class Bias is The Real Enemy."

A Rumpus Without Books?

 

     Upon walking through a Barnes and Noble store, I looked around and sighed, thinking, "In ten years this book store will no longer exist as we know it today."  My thoughts were partially confirmed when I read the Sunday NYTimes.


"Leaving the Pictures Behind" appeared in the Week in Review section.  The three-sentence piece caught my eye.  Here are those three sentences.

"Picture books are failing. Publishers, it was reported last week, have cut down on the number of new titles, and sales are suffering.

Blame the recession, but also the increasing pressure on preschoolers to read chapter books.

Just imagine: Max is being told to put away his yellow-eyed monsters in 'Where the Wild Things Are.' Seems worth a wild rumpus."

Reprise of “Rethinking the ‘F’ Word”

      I recently had dinner with a Marine Corps officer who recruits officer candidates to serve in the Marine Corps.  I wasn’t surprised when he told me that his greatest challenge was to find young men and women who could see beyond the initial, youthful, and energetic enthusiasm and stay with the program through to accepting a commission and become an officer.  Too often he found the eager, 3.9-average student, athlete, and over-achiever who signed on and subsequently dropped out during basic training.  It was evident to him that the best recruits were those that had to deal with some kind of adversity in their lives.

     This conversation only reinforced what I wrote about in “Rethinking the ‘F’ Word.”

Dept. of Ed Regulation of Private School

In a recent NAIS Heads Listserve post, I came across this helpful U. S. Department of Education State Regulation of Private Schools Manual. It lists for each state, regulations for health and safety, including immunization and fire drills; number of school day requirements; textbook support; special education; professional development; and lots more.
See for yourself.

Klingbrief

     From Klingbrief: "Klingbrief is a free, [online] monthly publication of recommended articles, books, research reports, and media selected by and for independent school educators."  
     Coming from the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, here is a link to the January issue to get you started.  See what you think.

Life Long Learners Club (LLLC)

     In order to walk the walk, our faculty and staff model the life long learning concept to our students.  Any member of the faculty and staff can offer up a class to the rest of the faculty and staff.  Classes in pie baking, physical fitness, dancing, yoga, knitting, technology tips, coffee cupping, and jogging are some of the classes/activities offered at school since September.  Classes are usually offered at the end of the school day.  
     The LLLC provides a forum for adults to teach other adults.  What a great form of professional development, and inexpensive.