Young people in America need to know more about real poverty, and this video is possibly the best I have … More
Tag: Hard Work
The Distance Run
I coach middle school cross country, which is not a glamorous job, but it is uniquely rewarding. For young distance … More
Families Should Be Tough
My wife is kind and compassionate, but she is one of the toughest people I have ever known. She does … More
Protecting Kids From the Inside Out
Unlike consumer products, parenting comes without instructions or guarantees. We all want our children to grow up happy, healthy, successful, … More
I Wish You Failure
Once again, I offer an article from NPR’s This I Believe. Jon Carroll started at the San Francisco Chronicle editing … More
Building a Better Brain
Snooze time It is essential that children get the proper amount of rest. Follow the recommendations of your pediatrician – … More
The Race to Nowhere
The Race to Nowhere is a film that will make you think deeply about what a good education looks like. … More
Making Homework More Palatable
Cheri Lucas, a journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a writing aide at Corte Madera Middle School in … More
Failure’s Top Ten List
1. Not Everybody Gets A Trophy Somewhere along the line we became a society that preached instant gratification. Like a … More
Lousy Starts and Strong Finishes
I’m grading papers on the second to last day of the school year. I’m grading fast, trying to finish ASAP, … More
Kids Should Work Alongside Adults
“Unfortunately, many of today’s teenagers make no meaningful contribution to their families. They have nothing more to contribute to the … More
Our Friend, Failure
I once heard a speaker named Dan Miller at an educator’s conference tell the audience about how he learned to … More
It’s a Wonderfully Difficult Life
It’s a Wonderful Life strikes a chord — several chords — deep in my soul, every time I watch … More
Just Believe in Yourself
“Just believe in yourself, and you can achieve anything.” “Pursue your dream, and don’t let anyone tell you that you … More
Training Up Independent Kids
Embracing Mistakes; Developing Problem-Solvers Thomas Edison believed that failure was not a bad thing; it merely directed him closer to … More
Don’t Baby Them
BENEFITS OF STRUGGLING “A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and … More