The difference between playing school and teaching school
Budo, from "Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend," is credited as saying that there are two types of teachers: Teachers who play school and teachers who teach school. In truth, he…
A race to the bottom: Which state will be the last to legalize same sex marriage?
Over the weekend, a judge overturned Alaska’s ban on same sex marriage. On Tuesday, Alaska and North Carolina began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples for the first time.…
Teachers: Stop commenting, positively or negatively, on your student’s physical appearance. It’s only hurting them.
As an elementary school teacher, I have made it my policy for more than a decade to avoid commenting on a student’s physical appearance. A student’s appearance should be the…
Hemingway was an idiot. Write sober.
It sounds clever, and the association between writing and alcohol consumption is powerful and enduring, but I disagree with Hemingway on this one. Frankly, I think he was an idiot…
John Steinbeck was an unrealistically and obscenely mature man
His letter to his son, Thom, is a clear indication of this.
The Mystery of Prince Rupert’s Drop: A small piece of glass made amazing
These are six of the most fascinating minutes of video online today. Both in terms of subject and presentation. Stop and watch. The Prince Rupert Drop is named after Prince…
Productivity tip #11: What “I didn’t have enough time” really means.
Remember: When you say you didn’t have enough time, you are actually saying there are other things that are more important to you. On your list of priorities, other things…
“Guess what?” You sound like an idiot when you say “Guess what?”
Request: No. Check that. Demand: Remove the rhetorical “Guess what? from your lexicon immediately. Not every “Guess what?” is bad. “Guess what?” is perfectly acceptable much of the time. But…
Learning to be a grandfather from the best
I feel so blessed to be able to watch the way that my father-in-law interacts with my children. Whenever possible, he is on the ground, crawling around, playing with their…
Funnier than some big budget comedies
It’s a GE commercial designed to sell light bulbs. Nevertheless, it’s honestly funnier than a lot of movies that I’ve seen.