Play

"Who knew that we learn empathy, trust, irony, and problem solving through play — something the dictionary defines as 'pleasurable and apparently purposeless activity.' Dr. Stuart Brown suggests that the rough-and-tumble play of children actually prevents violent behavior, and that play can grow human talents and character across a lifetime. Play, as he studies it, is an indispensable part of being human."

This is taken from the On Being website introducing the in depth interview host Krista Tippett had with Dr. Stuart Brown.

Teachers Touching Lives

Teachers touch their students' lives everyday, and the teacher may never know how much until a student is well into adulthood. Recently, I wrote an article entitled "Teachers Touching Lives" because I received an email that surprised me to no end.

Whether you are a teacher or a parent, at some point in your life, a teacher made a difference in your life—a difference that has affected you forever.

How Children Succeed

Paul Tough, author of the NYTimes bestselling book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, draws upon the work of Angela Duckworth (the grit and resilience guru), Dave Levin (KIPP founder), and Dominic Randolph (Head of Riverdale Country School) to demonstrate the importance of character and the non-cognitive characteristics of child development.

Fault in Our Stars - Part 2

It was a year ago when I read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, a popular young adult book. Now #1 and 77 weeks on the NYTimes bestseller list, the book will debut as a movie this week. Below is the trailer.

Be sure to listen to npr's Neda Ulaby's interview with the 36-year old Green to learn what inspired him to write the story. Oh, it is also impressive to note that Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns, and An Abundance of Katherines by Green are in the top 10 on the bestseller list as well.

It Was the Children

"But I was most impressed with the children. The children were very eager to want to reach out and try to help me, in some way."

This quote is taken from an npr interview with Mormon Bishop David Musselman when he was disguised as a homeless person and stood outside of his church before the service as congregants entered the church. Listen to his powerful interview with npr's, Ari Shapiro.

40+ Best TED Talks

Here is a link to the 40+ best TED Talks with their respective links — a la my picks. See what you think.

The Cycle of Computer Programing

Twenty-five years ago programing using Basic, Logo, Pascal, and HTML was a popular educational tool. At some point, it slipped off of the academic technology grid. Today students are designing applications for smartphones. See the TED Talk of 12-year old Thomas Suarez. Programing aka "coding" is now stronger than ever as illustrated on the front page of the May 11, 2014 New York Times. “Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Now Coding” by Matt Richtel who reports a “national educational movement in computer coding instruction that is growing at Internet speeds.”


Also, check out code.org.

Look Up

If you can't find the time to read Catherine Steiner-Adair's much-talked-about book, The Big Disconnect, then view this five-minute video. THEN, go get her book and read it.

Get Grimm

It's all a matter of coincidence, but I've been consumed by brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, you know, the 19th Century fairy tale writers.

1) I am involved in a production of "Fractured Fairytales" at the Seacoast Repertory Theater; I'm playing the part of Hansel.
2) Coincidentally, the local librarian in my town recommended the book Far Far Away by Tom McNeal, a young adult book about 15-year olds Jeremy and Ginger who are guided by ghost Jakob Grimm. It's a book I recommend highly.
3) I bumped into the free online book on Google Books, Grimm's Fairy Tales and cannot put it down. The original versions of Cinderella, The Golden Goose, The Frog Prince, Little Red Riding Hood and many more are fascinating to read, even though a bit grim if I do say so. Make sure you read them first before considering whether to read them to little ones.

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.