Essays 1-20

Teachable moments don’t always happen according to the schedules in teachers’ lesson plans. Learning is going on all the time, and good teachers have been known to teach great lessons that were never planned. They listen to children, and respond to what they hear by saying or doing things that guide children toward important concepts….

In many cultures, including my own, it’s considered bad luck to comment on how well things seem to be going. Even some people who believe in a Supreme Being Who is beneficent are nevertheless susceptible to this kind of superstition. And we have a proverb that tells us, “Pride goeth before the fall.” And to…

Everybody likes some people more than others. Even teachers. We’re human, too. Teachers, in fact, like some children more than others. Even the most egalitarian teachers, somewhere deep inside, have some favorite children, and some they don’t consider their favorites. A parent or child may have a hunch who the teacher likes or dislikes, but…

We expect people to do the jobs they’re hired to do, and do them well. If we elect someone to political office and she/he doesn’t do the jobs involved the way we want them done, we try to get him/her to shape up, and if that doesn’t work, we elect someone else. We can’t all…

People have a sometimes annoying tendency to consider their own needs and wants higher priorities than the needs and wants of others. The reason that can be so annoying is that we other people have our own needs and priorities, or, in our finest moments, we think about the interests of still other people, or…

Children often look up to us for answers, and sometimes, we don’t know the answers. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. And it’s nothing to hide. Hiding lack of knowledge sets a bad example for children. Children have all kinds of things they don’t know, and they can quickly pick up the habit of concealing…