by Daniel | Jan 10, 2017 | Education, Parenting, Technology, Working with youth
We have reached a worrisome place in our relationship with technology. We have – without conscious intent – tied our lives together with tiny computers that we carry everywhere we go. Today’s gizmos are so capable that it is easier to list what they DON’T do than it...
by Daniel | Dec 4, 2016 | Democracy, Education, Parenting, Teen coping skills
Critical thinking, as defined by Dan Rockmore, faculty at Dartmouth College, is “A multi-stage process wherein first the facts of an issue or phenomenon are determined, and then the issue of interest is subjected to a reasoned examination from multiple points of...
by Daniel | Nov 20, 2016 | Democracy, Education, Education Policy
This is not a political essay. I have no desire to add to the cacophony of Internet political punditry. Nor do I want to use this platform to take sides in our hyper- polarized national dialog. But having just voted in my eleventh presidential election, I’m left with...
by Daniel | Nov 11, 2016 | Education, Nature, Parenting, Teen coping skills, Working with youth
Two trendlines are coming together and becoming part of the fabric of our lives. One trend, as reflected in a recent Time magazine cover story, is the rise of such mental illnesses as anxiety and depression. In the world of adolescents, fully 25% have had a diagnosed...
by Daniel | Nov 2, 2016 | Education, Education Policy
Every day, something like sixty million children in the USA head off to school. Why? If you’re a student or a teacher or an administrator, school is what you do. But as our world transforms around us, a lot of bright kids aren’t inspired and don’t feel a sense of...
by Daniel | Oct 26, 2016 | Education, Education Policy
We have a looming teacher shortage in this country. Looming, that is, if you look at the field as a whole. In many areas, the teacher shortage is not looming but real and immediate. Most states, in fact, have at least some rural districts that are scrambling to fill...
