592. No, Virginia

You probably already know this, but children don’t always want to do what we want them to do. They sometimes argue, procrastinate, or disobey. We may find these interactions exhausting, but ultimately they tend to be the ones to lose. We’re bigger than they are, and that can give us an advantage. We have control…

School can rely too heavily on worksheets. I’m not saying they should save trees instead; that’s important, too, but that’s not the main reason to avoid giving children lots of worksheets to do. Worksheets are often created by corporations that aren’t in tune with the teachers and children they serve. And besides, they’re usually not…

As a volunteer, I adopted about eighty first graders and decided to stay with them as long as possible – maybe even until they graduated from high school. When they were in second grade, I spent three hours per week in Paul Oh’s second grade, helping him teach math. I’ve already written a little about…

Racquel, a young girl, was upset. She dearly loved her mother, Fran, and also loved her mother’s friend, Judy. She enjoyed spending good time with both, both separately and all three together. But Fran and Judy didn’t always get along well with each other; sometimes they annoyed each other. Even though only Fran was Racquel’s…

A third grader recently spoke to me about something she remembered about first grade. She remembered that I spent one recess drawing a portrait of one of her friends. I remember it, too. I’m not sure, but I think she may have wished I’d drawn a portrait of her. But that’s not my main point….

I’m in a fairly unique position in a school system, and I’m developing a conviction that it’s too bad it’s so unique. I stay with the children as they move from grade to grade, and so I really get to know them. If a child has a noteworthy experience or does something significant in first…