There's That Word Again

"Grit" (aka resilience) keeps showing itself when I read or hear about success and happiness. I really began to appreciate the word when I watched Angela Duckworth's TED Talk. Most recently, the word appeared in Thomas Friedman's OP-ED piece, "How to Get a Job at Google, Part 2" in the NYTimes.

With graduation almost upon us, parents and college graduates shudder at the prospect of the next step—getting that first job. Read what Friedman has to say for hope and understanding of the value of grit.

Why do we follow? 5 Leadership Traits

Whether for ourselves or for our children and students, the question "Why do we follow?" provokes good thought. In this ASCD edge article, the author boils it all down to five traits. It is a short and worthwhile read to see what is said about

1. Trusting
2. Valued
3. Empathetic
4. Encourage risk-taking
5. Growth

A Conference Call in Real Life

If you have ever participated in a more-than-one-person call with family, or parents and teachers, or board or committee meetings, . . .  you must view this funny rendition of a conference call. See if you agree with what the video is portraying.

Upside Down

All of you fans of Curious George and Jack Johnson, here is a great video and song to share with your little ones.

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.

Navigation to Happiness and Success

As a parent, educator, and now, grandparent, I find myself constantly trying to connect the dots on guiding children, adults, and myself to happiness and success. The first big dots for me were listening to Sir Ken Robinson at an NAIS annual conference and hearing and reading Mihaly Csikszentmihaly's theory of Flow; then these other dots followed . . .

• Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind
• Dr. Carol Dweck's Mindset
• Ellen Galinsky's Mind in the Making
• Daniel Pink's Drive TED Talk
• Martin Seligman's Flourish
• Angela Duckworth's TED Talk on Grit 

It was Paul Tough's How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character andThomas Friedman's op-ed piece "How to Get a Job at Google" in today's NYTimes that provided the mental pencil for me to actually draw the lines between the dots.

Don't worry if you have not read or watched my "dots" mentioned above, but do take five minutes to read Friedman's article, and you will see what I mean when it comes to arriving at happiness and success—not by academic achievement but—by all of the other difficult-to-quantify characteristics, i.e. perseverance, empathy, critical thinking, curiosity, impulse control, . . .

Developing a Passion for Writing

While I personally love to write, I have always worked on encouraging other educators to write. It is such an important part of our craft . . . to be good writers. "Developing a Passion for Writing" is an article I wrote that was recently published in the Parents League of New York Review 2014 with the intent on helping all educators to write.

As a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the American Montessori Society's Montessori Life magazine, the Editorial Board of NAIS's Independent Teacher, and a former chair of the Editorial Board of NAIS's Independent School magazine, I can highly recommend to educators these publications along with the Parents League Review as places to submit your writing for consideration. Go ahead, do it now.

A Virtual Choir?

I happened upon Eric Whitacre and his choral works, putting thousands of voices together to form a world-wide chorus. The best explanation is for you to see and hear "Lux Aurumque," one of his pieces sung by 185 voices from 12 countries using 243 videos.



To learn more about this wonderful composer, click over to his TED Talk - "Eric Whitaker: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong." BTW, he will be a keynote speaker at this year's NAIS Annual Conference in Orlando, FL.

The Triple Package of Success

JI Lee - NYTimes

I wrote about success in my article "Is Good Best" back in 2003. Here is an excellent similar article that recently appeared in the NYTimes.

"What Drives Success?" by Amy Chua (the infamous Tiger Mom) and Jed Rubenfeld (her husband) posits ". . . the strikingly successful groups in America today share three traits that together, propel success. The first is a superiority complex — a deep-seated belief in their exceptionality. The second appears to be the opposite — insecurity, a feeling that you or what you've done is not good enough. The third is impulse control."

The article goes on to say "But research shows that perseverance and motivation can be taught, especially to young children." Check out Angela Duckworth's work and her TED Talk that confirm this.

Pay It Forward

I never knew what that expression meant until I saw the 2000 movie Pay It Forward with Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, and Kevin Spacey. It is such a great concept for us to do for one another but more importantly to model the concept for our students and children.

Here is a beautiful short StoryCorps piece that sends the same message. Hear Thomas Weller's short story.

The Book Thief

Every time I read a recommended young adult or middle reader book, I inevitably say, "That's the best one I have read yet." Well, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is no different. It is so good. The history alone makes it an exceptional read, and after reading it, I could not help but think of it as an opposite of Anne Frank's story.

A true testament is that it has been on the NYTimes Book Review Young Adult Bestseller list for the past 58 weeks.

Meet Sam Berns

I was first introduced to progeria when I read Harold Kushner's bestselling book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. He encountered progeria when he discovered that his three-year old son Aaron had progeria and would rapidly age and die by the age of 14.

In a recent Sunday Boston Globe, I read about Sam Berns who had progeria and passed away at the age of 17 two weeks ago Friday. This video will introduce you to Sam and his parents who are both doctors devoted to finding a cure for this dreaded genetic birth disease. To learn more about progeria go to The Progeria Research Foundation website.

Technology on the Loose

I am at an American Montessori Society (AMS) Heads' Retreat, listening to Catherine Steiner-Adair, author of The Big Disconnect, and I had to publish this post as soon as I could. After reading her book and now hearing her speak, I have to tell parents and teachers about her crucial message. She looks at various developmental stages of children from toddlers through high school and how they interact with technology. BUT, the most important message is for parents and how they are modeling the use of technology. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.

Here is a brief link to a YouTube video message from Catherine.

Noogies, Wedgies, Wet Willies?

Is it possible for squirrels to be victimized by noogies, wedgies, and wet willies? Well, if you read about Muffins, Little Old Lady Hu's huge cat, you will see how Mr. Fookwire manages the cat, neighbors, and squirrels.

A great read for children AND adults—Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door.

Salinger and His Book

I have always loved J. D. Salinger's most popular book. Published by Little, Brown and Company in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye reached the bestseller list within two weeks, remained on the list for more than six months, and has sold more than 60 million copies. Also, did you know that "at one time or another it has been both the most banned book in America and the most assigned." To learn more about the origins of the book and Salinger, click over to listen to  The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor.

Parents Sharing Careers in Class

A teacher mentioned to me that her class was about to invite parents into speak to students about what they do at work. I couldn't help it, but I immediately thought of the movie City Slickers. 

I can't resist offering you the clip from the movie that came to mind. (Warning: Rated PG-13).

More on Happiness

"A Formula for Happiness" is the title of a recent front page article in the NYTimes Sunday Review section. Written by Arthur Brooks, the article presents many important points; here are a few that might interest you:

• "After 40 years of research, they attribute happiness to three major sources: genes, events, and values. Armed with this knowledge and a few simple rules, (click on the link for a video of Brooks explaining his work) we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us.
• Every other year for four decades, roughly a third of Americans have said they’re 'very happy,' and about half report being 'pretty happy.' Only about 10 to 15 percent typically say they’re 'not too happy.' 
• For many years, researchers found that women were happier than men, although recent studies contend that the gap has narrowed or may even have been reversed."

For more good information on happiness, positive psychology, and well being, click over to Shawn Achor and Martin Seligman.

Wisdom on Health and Happiness From a 13-year Old

From the eloquent perspective of a middle school kid, this video is priceless. Logan has the right idea about what is important in life. 

He quotes Dr. Roger Walsh "Much of education is oriented, for better or for worse, towards making a living rather than making a life."

Common Sense We Need to Hear Anyway

A good reminder I came across in an ASCD SmartBrief - David L. Hough’s article, "Students' happiness at school goes a long way in learning.”

“My research team discovered that classrooms could be new, old, high tech, low tech, large, small, near the principal’s office or far away. It didn’t matter. What mattered was (and is) the teacher. The teacher’s attitude toward students (in research lingo) accounted for most of the variance in students’ perceptions of safety, enjoyment and happiness”. . . MORE

The Children Understood

Upon arriving home from grocery shopping, I remained in my car riveted to this NPR story. The best part was when the Bishop said, “But I was most impressed with the children. The children definitely were very eager to want to reach out and try to help me in some way.”

Here is the intro and link to the entire 4.5-minute piece.

“A Mormon Bishop in Taylorsville, Utah, went to great lengths last Sunday to teach his congregation a lesson. David Musselman disguised himself as a homeless person and walked around outside before the service. Then, in character, he walked up to the pulpit and asked to deliver remarks. He tells Ari Shapiro what happened next.”

Head of School Notes Revisited

Because so many people have asked me about this post that originally appeared on September 7, 2010, I am posting it again.


Over my career as a head of school, I have enjoyed reflecting on the job and writing about my impressions on being a head of school.  I wrote articles for The Head's Letter and The Trustee's Letter, which are monthly publications for heads and trustees of independent schools.  Here is a library of those articles.  You can click on the article link to read the full article.

"Education Voucher System" (June 1994) - While offering opportunities, pursuing vouchers should be handled with care.  
"Effective Heads of School" (March 1995) - Klingenstein Fellows list their thoughts on qualities of effective heads.
"The Head Outside of the School" (November 1996) - The head's job often goes beyond her/his own school community.
"Head 'n Hand" (March 1998) - The best part of the job, greeting students, teachers, and parents each morning.
"Words Work" (October 2000) - Hearing a sermon on giving up summer time to helping others can inspire.
"Choices, Changes, Transitions" (February 2003) - Insights about moving on to the next opportunity.
"A Turn in the Barrel" (April 2004) - At some point every head is on the firing line.
"Transference Revisited" (December 2004) - A look into the mysteries of transference as presented by Dr. Ned Hallowell.
"A Head of Eeeshmail" (October 2005) - The challenges and nuances of using email can be daunting to school leaders.
 "Learning and Living Leadership" (January 2007) - Heads at an annual conference sharing their thoughts on leadership.
"Taking Care of Employees" (April 2007) - When trying to balance budgets, we cannot lose sight of taking care of faculty and staff.
"Whose Decision Is It?" (December 2007) - Board or head's decision?  Written with my Board Chair.
"When is it Time to Leave?" (January 2010) - Is there a perfect time when heads should leave their school?
"30% . . . Really?" (May/June 2010) - 30% of a head's time should be devoted to caring for the board?

Moral Courage Project

I recently heard Irshad Manji, the Founder and Director of the Moral Courage Project. Learn more for yourself, your students, and your children. Start by clicking over to Moral Courage TV. The topic and videos would make for excellent faculty and staff professional development sessions.

To learn more about Irshad, her work, and thinking, check out her latest book Allah, Liberty and Love: The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom.