In a recent art assignment, a middle school student depicted an overburdened child who was being berated for earning an A, rather than an A+, on a calculus exam. In the image, the mother scolds the student with the words, “Shame on you!” The above comes from a New York Times article covering the ethnic divide […]
The American students “worked on it less than 30 seconds on average and then they basically looked at us and said, ‘We haven’t had this,’ ” he says. But the Japanese students worked for the entire hour on the impossible problem. “And finally we had to stop the session because the hour was up. And […]
Over the last few years, thousands of schools around the world have jumped on board with the growth mindset. It seemed to become the low-hanging fruit for schools to easily grab. Going from school to school, posters about effort that focus on “trying harder” and books about the mindset for teachers and students are all […]
Can Grit Save American Education? In education, grit has become a buzzword that has permeated the American education system. But should we even be teaching it? What about the disadvantaged child who believes if he is just “grittier,” he can eventually overcome the socioeconomic obstacles in his path to success? What happens if the success he imagined never […]
As I sit quietly in my living room with my feet crossed on the table, a cup of tea warm and steamy beside me, I’m finally able to exhale and reflect on how these days seem to pass so very quickly. Two years ago, I became a mother to the most beautiful little girl, and […]
“Being optimistic doesn’t mean you don’t get upset when bad things happen—it’s normal to get upset! But the optimist recognizes that most bad things are temporary and looks for opportunities to change circumstances for the better through new efforts or strategies.” The words above come from characterlab.org, a “nonprofit on a mission to develop, disseminate, […]
“SAT scores for the Class of 2015 were the lowest since the test was revised and re-normed in 2005.” “This year’s reading score is the lowest average score ever published. Math scores have not been this low since 1999.” “Education reform isn’t hitting a wall. It is the wall.” This is not a clean bill […]
Story about Pat. Pat slowly got up from the mat, planning the escape. Pat hesitated a moment and thought. Things were not going well. What was most bothersome was being held, especially since the charge had been weak. Pat considered the present situation. Pat was aware that it was because of the early roughness that […]
“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing…” I write these words of Vince Lombardi after just watching Matt Cassel, playing with his fifth NFL team, throw a terrible floater towards the end zone, resulting in his second interception of the game. So how does Matt Cassel, branded with a losing record, and the Dallas […]
Scaffolding learning for each different layer of understanding in my elementary classroom is one of the hardest things I professionally do. There, I said it. Maybe you can sympathize with me more completely if I tell you about a recent math lesson. By the beginning of 4th grade, students should know all of their basic facts, and we […]
