If students were left alone in a room to take a test, with no supervision, how many would cheat? If it's a small number, is it worth creating an elaborate set of rules and procedures to prevent such cheating? Would such rules and procedures send a message to the honest students that we don't trust … Continue reading A Thought Experiment
Adam Grant is an American psychologist and author who is currently a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania specializing in organizational psychology. He received academic tenure aged 28, making him the youngest tenured professor at the Wharton School. He was ranked by students the best professor at the university from 2011 to 2017. In … Continue reading The Gift Inside the Box- a Different Kind of Children’s Book from a Different Kind of Author
There it was, staring me in the face. My wife and I had just turned on the TV to watch ABC World News Tonight, and during the intro the screen flashed the letter that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller had sent to Attorney General William Barr. The first thing I noticed was the misspelling, sticking out … Continue reading Seriously? How Could Anyone Forget The First Spelling Rule Most of Us Learned?
I'd never heard of the phrase "snowplow parenting" before today. But it seems like the perfect description of the style of parenting that may have been at work with the college admissions scandal that made headlines this week. The phrase was used in a New York Times story yesterday, noting that “snowplow parents” keep their children’s futures obstacle-free … Continue reading Snowplow Parenting
Who would have thought that AARP, The Magazine would have provided the inspiration for this week's Music Monday. (And yes, I subscribe to, and read, the magazine geared towards those 50 and older, which according to Robert Love, editor-in-chief, is the best-read magazine in America, with 38 million readers.) In the current issue, there was … Continue reading Music Monday: Going Back in Time, Way Back
So much for thinking I was good at brain-teasers. Today, I came across this TED-Ed video (see video below) created by Dan Finkel, and at first, it seemed like it would be pretty easy to solve. So much for first impressions. I gave myself 30 minutes to solve the riddle, and if it didn't happen … Continue reading I Couldn’t Solve This TED-Ed Riddle – Even After I Saw the Answer
I remember reading a great book in college, "The Ultimate Athlete"; here's a brief description of the book from Amazon: We are born with the God-given right to move efficiently, gracefully, and joyfully. We lose this right only through society's mind-body split, faulty modes of physical education, and overemphasis on "winning." George Leonard's simple and radical … Continue reading This Is Creativity at Its Finest
OK, back to the memory well one more time. I've recently shared a couple of college memories (Reliving the Glory Days of College and I Consider This One of the Greatest Athletic Feats I’ve Ever Witnessed) and a grade school memory (Music Monday: The Song I First Slow-Danced To), so I figured it's time to share a … Continue reading I Don’t Know Why This Incident Has Stuck with Me for 45 Years
There's no doubt about it, the four years I spent at East Stroudsburg State College (Go Warriors!) were among the four best years of my life, filled with many highlights and fond memories. There's clearly one highlight that far surpasses the others, and that's when I met my future wife at a party near the … Continue reading Reliving the Glory Days of College
I've been at Villanova for 33 years, and many of my colleagues have been there even longer. I think part of the reason for the longevity of so many people is the nature of higher education, and part of the reason has to do with Villanova being a great place to work. But I have … Continue reading The Joy of Catching Up with a Long-Time Colleague
Borden's Blather 