Middle School Student Insights

At a recent meeting with middle school teachers talking to parents who will have children in middle school next fall, I was impressed when one of the teachers quoted a middle school student; "Middle school is like a soap opera and you are either in it or watching." How insightful.

It reminded me of an article I wrote. Click over to "On Middle School Children and Their Parents" to see if it, too, provides some insight.

You also might want to read "Teenagers Are Wired For Peer Approval, Study Says" in Education Week.

Every Child Needs a Champion

Hear what Rita Pierson has to say about human connection.

She's so right when she says "Teaching and learning should bring joy."

Far From the Tree

The other night I had the opportunity to hear Andrew Solomon speak about his book, Far From the Tree. He was most impressive. The fact that the book is based on over 300 interviews and took him 11 years to write is impressive enough, but it is the many beautiful people he writes about that will capture you. Here is the book trailer. View it and see what I mean.

2 Sides 2 Bullying

Having spent much of my career in middle school education, I am especially sensitive to how middle schoolers treat one another. Sometimes when the obvious grace and courtesy you hope will prevail are lacking, an inner thoughtfulness takes over and kids do take care of each other. See what I mean when you read my recently published "Stepping Up: A Short Story" in Independent Teacher magazine.

Summer 2013 Professional Reading List

Thinking about your summer reading?

Each year our Professional Development Committee selects the summer reading for our faculty and staff. The school buys the book of choice — eBook or print version — for each faculty or staff member. When we return in September, we divide into book groups for discussion.

Here are this year's selections:

Whistling Vivaldi - Claude M. Steele
Punished by Rewards - Alfie Kohn
Packaging Boyhood: Saving Our Sons from Superheroes, Slackers, and Other Media Stereotypes - Sharon Lamb & Lyn Mikel Brown
Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes - Sharon Lamb & Lyn Mikel Brown
Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain
Smart But Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential - Peg Dawson & Richard Guare

Teachers' Expectations Can Predict How Students Perform

Take eight minutes to listen to this important NPR piece, "Teachers' Expectations Can Predict How Students Perform," to get some research and insights on how teachers and parents have to monitor what and how teachers speak to students. 

Moving Lessons Along via 20 X 20?

A different approach to PowerPoint presentations. With a Pecha Kucha (Japanese for "chatter") you watch 20 slides with 20 seconds for each slide — non-stop. 

Click here for a great example of a Pecha Kucha from my friend Dan Pink.

Portrait of a Graduate

How nice it is to hear from the graduates of our school. "Portrait of a Graduate" is a video we recently made, featuring some of them. Click over to see this 6-minute gem.

Two excellent poems from two middle school students

Office Buildings

The towering giants of corporate companies,

watching the tiny ants mill around the busy city

streets where you can smell the greasy soft

pretzels that the tourists buy. The businessmen

walk by swiftly, already late for their job in the giant

building, in a cubicle, sitting next to people they don’t

know and will never try to find out because all they

want to do is do their job like robots, not noticing,

suffocating under the heavy suit and tie.

But then they come home to their families,

and they are normal people

not ants, not robots

just people.

Tiger

Caged Tiger

Pacing back and forth,

Waiting for the food that I didn’t kill,

Ready to eat.

The fence has sparks that I can’t touch.

I can hear it humming.

People are making noise while I’m trying to sleep.

My eyes hurt from the blinking lights.

I can smell prey around me but I can’t hunt it.

My stomach is full but I feel empty.

LOL

What the heck does it mean?

If you teach or have a tween-something and you imbibe in IMing aka texting, you must listen to this 10-minute message from Adam Gopnik's March 12, 2013 LOL bit.

I promise you, you will love it laughing.

If You Have a Toddler, Read This

Much like my essay "Rethinking the 'F' Word," Montessori Learning in the 21st Century does such a good job about helping parents understand failure.

The author says, "Parents need to develop an attitude of 'friendliness with error.' This means allowing your child the opportunity to learn through natural, spontaneous 'errors' or 'mistakes.' Messes are a part of learning. Don't be afraid of them!"

Great Perspective

Ben Wiseman NYTimes

Can someone render an opinion on child rearing if he doesn't have a child? Read "A Childless Bystander's Baffled Hymn" by Frank Bruni, NYTimes Sunday Review columnist.

He ends the piece by saying, "So parents:

• Cut yourselves some slack. 
• Take a deep breath. 
• No one false step or one missed call is going to consign your children to an entirely different future. 
• Make sure they know they're loved. 
• Make sure that they know their place. 
• And make peace with the fact that you don't hold all or even most of the cards."

For My Baseball Players & Fans

As we look to a brand new baseball (and softball) season, I love this video on how baseballs are made. It will fascinate players and fans of all ages.

Strength in Family

"The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative."

"The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned."

Both quotes above come from NYTimes article "The Stories That Bind Us" by Bruce Feiler author of the book The Secret of Happy Families: How to Improve Your Morning, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smart, Go Out and Play, and Much More.

Selling Education

Pink is at his best with his latest book. What makes it so relevant to education is that he presents sales of services, something we all do in our lives whether it is convincing a class through a lesson, or asking the boss for a raise, or helping a patient understand the need for a procedure. Particularly in the education and health services fields (Ed-Med) as opposed to the manufacturing sector, sales has changed dramatically from the 1950s when the Fuller Brush salesman peddled wares door to door. 

By looking at the history and reputation of selling, Pink explores sales analytically from his ABCs—Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity to going from caveat emptor to caveat venditor; to pecha kucha, a new way of presenting Power Point presentations; and to how to be a servant-leader. Like Drive, Pink’s previous book, To Sell is Human is a must read.

This recent article from Mind/Shift How we will learn, "Dan Pink: How Teachers Can Sell Love of Learning to Students," is right on.

Also, listen to this interview with Pink on NPR.

Interview With Dr. Ned Hallowell

Here is my recently published article in Montessori Life "It Really is All About the Child: An Interview with Dr. Edward Hallowell." The interview is about his thoughts on education in general, and it highlights his passion and advocacy for children with learning difficulties.

I am off to Orlando, Florida this week to hear him speak at the American Montessori Society Annual Conference.

Who Should Decide What Students Read?

Is this what students should hear about reading?

"Comic books are useless." 
"Classics are the only books with any value." 
"Don't read 'Mad Magazine.'" 
"For summer reading, only read non-fiction. "
"The book Gossip Girl? Absolutely not."

Who decides what students should read? Read this article I wrote for Education Week a while back to get one person's view on the subject.

"Who Should Decide What Students Read?"

Montessori & Digital Learning

As I was exploring TeachThought, an education blog, I discovered the post "The Similarities Between Montessori And Digital Learning." When you read it, you can explore further what is behind the points mentioned:

1. Individual Learning Progressions & Competency-Based Learning
2. Elimination of Age and Grade Restrictions
3. Formative Assessments & Short Feedback Loops
4. Non-traditional Teacher Roles
5. A Global Citizen Perspective

Read and Listen to What the Child is Saying

The word "listen" has the same letters as the word "silent." 

I have come to realize how important it is for us as parents and educators to listen to our children. The latest article I wrote for my Public School Montessorian column is "Read and Listen to What the Child is Saying." 

 Here is a brief excerpt from the article, which is a quote from Dr. Montessori, "The child's plea is 'Help me do it myself.'"