Essays 1-20

I recently had lunch at a restaurant with my friend Russell and his daughter Isabel, who is two and a half years old. Isabel had a lot to say, and said it. Yet she allowed us to have our conversations, too. I found that surprising, but maybe that’s because it’s been so long since I’ve…

Ask a child, “What’s your favorite subject in school?”, and you’re likely to get an answer that may be disconcerting: “Recess.” Teachers take pride in preparing materials, activities, and experiences that are exciting, and yet the average child seems to prefer that one part of the day that was not planned by teachers. Recess is…

Over the years, I’ve spoken with a few teachers who seemed, to me, to hold their pupils totally accountable for what they learned. As I’ve seen it, these teachers did what they considered teaching, and left it entirely up to the pupils to take advantage of that teaching, and learn. If some pupils didn’t learn…

We all need to feel as if we’re lovable and capable. If you feel that way, and you’re secure about it, you don’t have to prove anything. If you know you’re loved, you don’t have to win any popularity contests. And if you’re great at needlepoint or basketball, it may not matter to you so…

As a teacher, I spent my working day among children, and as a parent, when I got home, there were children there, too – sometimes even some of the same children. I was active in my daughters’ Brownie troops. And my younger daughter spent fourth grade in the school where I taught, and made friends…

I just heard, on national public radio, that according to a recent study, spanking children increases the frequency of their misbehavior. It increases violence, lying, and a variety of other misbehaviors. The study also said that over 90% of the parents in this country do spank their children, and that over 90% of the adults…