First Things First

I heard a piece on the radio tonight about the importance of preschool in helping people develop the skills that are essential in today's job market: compromise, curiosity, and cooperation. It made sense. There was also a companion piece about the wildly expensive, uber-exclusive preschools in Manhattan. It seems that children younger than two are "interviewed" for places in these institutions. The reporter hastened to assure us that they are not real interviews, but more like play date observations. What comprises a successful examination? Well, they are looking for tots who show the three C's mentioned above.

The educator in me scratched my head when I heard that. If we are saying that kids need those essential skills to be successful, then does it not seem counter-intuitive that the "best" schools only accept those children who have already developed them? What's the point in that? As a writing teacher, I know how much fun it is to have kids who are good writers in class, but I don't for a minute think that's my mission. If anything, it's the kids who most need support who should have it, not at the expense of any other child, but certainly as a priority.

Swingin' Babe

That's what my dad used to say when he knew I was excited about something but he just couldn't really fathom the appeal. I'm sure other dads said things like Mm hmm, and That's interesting, or maybe even That's great, sweetheart.

I haven't thought about it in years, and I have no idea where he picked it up, but it's kind of cool, right?

Locating...

Earlier in the summer I activated the "find my iphone/ipad" option on both of our phones and the ipad as well. I thought it might be handy in the event that we lose or misplace our devices, but since then I've only used it for one thing-- to find Heidi when she is lost and then to give her directions so that she can get back.

Aaah. There she is now!

No More Explosions, Please

After a summer of blockbuster movies attended, for the most part, with teenaged boys, it was a not unwelcome change to find myself among a sedate, older crowd (we were by far the youngest patrons in the theater) at the local multiplex. The film? Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen, and friends? It did not disappoint.

Jitters

My nephew, who lives in Atlanta, started kindergarten today. For us northern folk, who reported to our classrooms nearly to the end of June, it seems a little early; school for our students is still four weeks away, but it's close enough for us to be mindful that the beginning of the year is a transition, and starting at a new school can be especially rough.

I was lucky enough to teach both of my older nephews when they were in sixth grade-- having them in my classroom made me much more empathetic to the students' experiences, and I'm a much better teacher because of that. My heart clenched a bit today when I heard that Richard cried a little on his first day of school. Even though the teacher in me recognizes that it's perfectly normal for some kids to feel anxious and emotional in a new situation, especially one as important as school, I was still sorry that any child, especially one I really really love, had to feel that way, and so I resolved to make this year the smoothest transition ever from elementary to middle school for the kids who are coming my way in just a few short weeks.

Read All About It

It's Sunday, and I spent my morning in a traditional way-- drinking coffee and reading the paper. Early on in the morning, I read the most compelling piece, certainly of the day, but probably of the last six months. In his New York Times op/ed piece, Drew Westen, an Emory University professor of psychology, dissects what he sees as the primary weakness of the Obama presidency so far, starting with inauguration day. It's a fascinating read that rang a lot of bells for me personally.

I like his analysis of the importance of story-telling in the human experience (although I anticipate objections of readers who will complain that he is arguing that our leaders must treat us as children who cannot comprehend facts and thus must be fed parables), and I also appreciate his take on how bullies behave. His "bending the arc of history" metaphor, borrowed from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was right on, as was his point that "After a great technological revolution or a major economic transition, as when America changed from a nation of farmers to an urban industrial one, there is often a period of great concentration of wealth, and with it, a concentration of power in the wealthy." In times such as those, Teddy Roosevelt worked to bust the monopolies, and Franklin Roosevelt set in motion the great society.

To emphasize the relevance of these historic cycles, Westen reminds us that in the US today, 400 people control more of the wealth than 150 million of their fellow Americans.

Now that's some story.

Momento Mori

"It was kind of gruesome, with all the skeletons and stuff..." I was telling my mom about one of the exhibits I saw the other day on my big museum trip.

"I would think that was right up your alley," she replied, and I shrugged, but because she couldn't see me do that through the phone line, I elaborated:

"Well, there were a lot of skeletons! Even a baby and a fetus..." I trailed off, and she agreed that such things might be difficult to see.

Our conversation moved on, but I'm still thinking about that part of it. She's right, not so long ago I was fascinated by forensic science. I was one of the legion who lined Patricia Cornwell's deep pockets, anxiously awaiting the next Scarpetta novel. One of my Christmas presents in 1990 was a workshop at the Smithsonian on forensic anthropology. Back in those days, nothing was too gorey or gross for me.

Twenty years on, my tolerance for such things has definitely diminished. I suspected as much (it started with the movies-- there were just some violent scenes that I found disturbing), but I noticed it for sure a few weeks ago when Josh and I were watching a NatGeo Explorer episode about the severed feet that keep washing up in Seattle and Vancouver. As riveting as it was, the graphic footage of the Body Farm, the time-elapsed shots of an underwater pig carcass, and even scientists shopping Home Depot for the perfect amputation tool and then testing it out on a cadaver all caused me to flinch a little.

Why?