609. Measuring

I don’t like sweeping statements about what to expect of children of a certain age. Most children, like most adults, like to be seen and heard as individuals; they don’t like to fit into patterns other people have in mind. As a teacher and parent, it has often been useful to know about patterns in…

As a teacher, parent, and lover of children, I sometimes feel as if there is a secret contest going on. Teachers, parents, and other people who love children want to be unique, as I do – want to believe that they and only they REALLY understand and care about children, and that everyone else is…

The term “quality time” started getting popular in the 1970s. I think it was used as an attempt to make people feel better about not spending much time with their children. Somehow, the “quality” of the time parents spent with their children was going to compensate for the lack of quantity. It didn’t take long…

I’m Bob. To two people, I’m Daddy, and to about six hundred, I’m Mr. Blue, but mostly, I’m Bob. But that doesn’t really begin to tell you who I am. It’s just a name. Who I am to you depends on what you know of me, whether and how we’ve spent time together, what, if…

There’s something about a pet that meets a human need. A dog can be the kind of friend we sometimes wish people could be. It’s probably good that people don’t give us the same kind of unthinking loyalty we can get from a dog, but nevertheless, there are times when some of us wish they…

It occurred to me, after I wrote my previous article, that I’d missed an important reason for teachers to spend too much time talking. I’d focussed on the reason I’d done it as a veteran teacher – enjoyment of the sound of my own voice. That’s a common reason, and it deserves consideration. Children often…