I don’t think there’s anything fun or funny about fear. Children do love Halloween, and some may think they love its scariness, but I think it’s the candy, the costumes, and the chance to stay out “late” that they love (Actually, Halloween always seems to come right after the clocks are set back, so it…
Many children think they’re unpopular. They think no one likes them. It can actually be a form of egocentrism. We’re used to thinking of egocentrism as something obnoxious – something that does wonders for the individual’s self-esteem, sometimes at the expense of others’. But it can backfire. It’s possible to egocentrically think you’re the only…
I think the integrated day became popular in the early 1970’s. It was a “new” approach to organizing curriculum. I put quotes around “new” because newness is usually relative, and because I believe the integrated day is the way people first started learning. They got interested in something (at first probably due to their animal…
One of the many rituals in schools `is the report. Children are asked to learn about a subject or read a book, and then teach other children about the subject or book. Reports can be written, spoken, or both. They can include visual displays, demonstrations, and countless other devices. Children who may have difficulty with…
I like to agree with people I like, and some of my favorite people believe that full inclusion of people with special needs in the regular classroom is the way to go. The problem is, some others of my favorite people say no, it isn’t. I’ve been a crusader for full inclusion – not as…
“How many more roads?” is a question many parents have heard. If you’re on US 1, the answer can be misleading. What the impatient child really wants to know is how much more time will pass before you all get where you’re going, but seconds, minutes, and hours are not concrete enough; roads are (sometimes…
I’ve often heard children say they’re bored. When I first started hearing it, I took it quite personally. I was their teacher. An exciting, dynamic teacher, I thought. I’d had boring teachers, and I certainly wasn’t in their league. I thought I should hurry up and become more exciting, more dynamic. I later learned that…
We don’t like to think we cause problems. We don’t like to think we even contribute to them. When we see problems, we like to solve them. If we’re not successful, we like to find someone to blame. Scapegoating has caused some of the ugliest chapters in history, but it’s also pretty common in everyday…
Sometimes, when a particular child is a challenge, a teacher can spend an inordinate amount of time trying to come up with a successful approach. Teachers – especially experienced teachers – often have vast repertoires of strategies, and want to make sure they’ve exhausted these repertoires before asking for help. It’s partly a matter of…
I’ve written lots of prose for this column, but one of my poems, “The Trying Game,” says part of what I want to say in this article. So I’ll start with the poem: We try. No matter what, we try. From when we’re born till when we die. We try to be, or try to…