594. Norks and Noogly

Children, like the rest of us, complain sometimes. Some more than others. And also like the rest of us, their complaints are sometimes justified, sometimes not. Often, when we listen to people’s complaints, we think about whether there’s any substance to them – whether they refer to real problems that ought to be addressed. And…

Volunteering in a school is one of my favorite ways to spend time. It’s a luxury; I’m sure that there are people who wish they could volunteer, but simply don’t have the time. They have to, can, and often want to do things for which they get paid, and when they’re done, school is out,…

It’s great when people who are trying to do similar things can work together, learning from, teaching, and supporting each other. Together, they can move mountains. Or if mountains won’t budge, defeat involves a little less agony if it’s not lonely. I know that teachers have lots they can learn from and teach each other….

We teachers and parents do our best to get children to know how to share. Sharing is generally considered a good thing to do. According to Piaget, children start out egocentric. Piaget didn’t make a value judgment about that; he didn’t describe that egocentrism as a form of original sin. But he did observe children…

Sometimes it’s hard for me to imagine how someone could not want to sing. To me, singing is so much a part of being alive that not being able to sing or at least hear other people sing would be truly sad. So when I hear that someone doesn’t like singing, I feel as if…

You wake up. It looks like a good day. There’s a lot to do, but you’ve got it under control. If you drop the kids off at school a little early so you can beat the traffic and get to work early, you’ll get it done in time for that other thing you have to…