A meme floating around social media: Now that people can make 20 million dollars a year playing video games on YouTube, it’s getting harder and harder to convince kids that education is important. Wait, what? The sole purpose (or primary purpose) of an education is to make money? This is how it’s been framed much … Read more
I’m an extremely sentimental person, especially about people. Someone recently asked, “Do you collect people?” Why yes, yes I do. If you and I have had any remotely significant relationship at any point in my life for any length of time, you are a piece of me. For better or for worse. Regardless the state … Read more
“Smart kids” tend to be held on a pedestal, and we overlook or misdiagnose their struggles. If they’re smart, they should be able to figure it out! And if they don’t, they’re lazy. Simply not true. I don’t like the “smart kids” label, but that’s for another day. An important detail I’ve learned about working … Read more
From my Facebook memories: Aaaaaand another assessment tool that requires written student work as “evidence.” *sigh* I was an elementary band teacher, and while some knowledge of how notation works can be assessed using traditional paper-pencil tests, “before and after” student work is what we hear. My job was to teach them to play, to … Read more
As a person estranged from my family of origin, I’ve been told many times that I am obligated to be in contact or spend holidays or whatever because they’re family and there are things that you overlook or put up with because they’re family. (I wonder how the family sounds in your head compared to … Read more
As a beginning band teacher, I often heard people say that my students didn’t need instruments of good quality because the kids didn’t know how to play anyway. That’s exactly why they need good quality. Because they don’t know what they’re doing, they have no skills to compensate for deficiencies in the instrument. They don’t … Read more
Last weekend, Climbing Daddy and I went for a run in the neighborhood. No Rocket Kid plus nicer late-fall weather meant it was almost 9:00 by the time we got out the door. Our planned route was blocked off by police tape and cars, and we could see a car had crashed into something where … Read more
My conversation with Debra on Ordinary Chaos, included some talk about child sex trafficking or the sex slave trade. Between that and some statistics she gave on domestic violence, I felt it appropriate to put a warning at the beginning of the episode and also to mark it explicit in my podcast hosting service. Many … Read more
Rocket Kid made a discovery. If he takes the stability ball (which we had out for him to sit and bounce on during school online)… …and puts it on the trampoline (which is in the corner of the living room—highly recommend for all high-energy children)… …he can lean over the ball backwards and roll towards … Read more
A disclaimer to kick off today’s thoughts: More often than not, I get stuck while I’m writing because so much is not at all black and white. There aren’t any rules, really, that apply to all people in all situations. But writing becomes muddy and hard to read when it is full of exceptions and … Read more