Category: Teaching and Education

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

On January 27, 2006, the United Nations Department of Public Information held the first universal observance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day at United Nations Headquarters. Here's some info about the day from Wikipedia: International Holocaust Remembrance Day is meant to commemorate the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War. It commemorates the genocide that resulted in … Continue reading International Holocaust Remembrance Day →

When the Teacher Becomes the Student

Don't worry, this isn't any sort of New Age, zen-like post about teaching. It's literally about when a teacher (me) becomes a student (me, again). This semester I am teaching four sections of Introductory Financial Accounting, the bane of many students' existence. I tell them that the course is challenging; for many of them it may … Continue reading When the Teacher Becomes the Student →

Things That Make Life Worth Living

As I was cutting up our weekly purchase of a dozen bagels so that we could freeze them, I realized how much I loved having a bagel slicer (or as Amazon calls it, a bagel guillotine). We've only had it for about a year, but now I can't remember how we were able to live without … Continue reading Things That Make Life Worth Living →

Thanks, Mom and Dad

The Wall Street Journal had a story today about the intensifying conflict over college debt among American families. Reporters Erica Snow and Douglas Belkin note that tuition increases have outpaced household incomes just as parents are facing multiple financial responsibilities, including supporting their own parents, saving for retirement, health-care costs, and sometimes their adult children’s living … Continue reading Thanks, Mom and Dad →

“I teach them not to piss on their hands.”

That's one of the memorable lines from the book, Educated, which I just finished reading. Here's a brief summary of the book from the author's (Tara Westover) website: Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of … Continue reading “I teach them not to piss on their hands.” →

Eating That Marshmallow Won’t Ruin Your Life After All

Last year I wrote the following about the famous Marshmallow Experiment: You may be familiar with the famous Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, which was a series of studies on delayed gratification in the late 1960s and early 1970s led by psychologist Walter Mischel, then a professor at Stanford University. In these studies, a child was offered a choice between one small … Continue reading Eating That Marshmallow Won’t Ruin Your Life After All →

Progressing Through the Four Stages of Competence

Do you remember what it was like when you first learned how to ride a bike or to drive a car? Or what it was like when you sat down to take a test you thought you were ready for, and you quickly realized that wasn't the case? Thanks to the great guest speaker I … Continue reading Progressing Through the Four Stages of Competence →

Secret Tips for Getting into Harvard – Would My High School ID Have Helped?

Arguments began last month in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a lawsuit that claims Harvard University is discriminating against Asian-American applicants. Many are watching the federal trial examining how Harvard uses race to shape its student body as a landmark test of civil rights laws. During the trial, information about Harvard's admission practices have been revealed, … Continue reading Secret Tips for Getting into Harvard – Would My High School ID Have Helped? →

Would You Want to Know?

An essay in today's Wall Street Journal shares research about a new tool for analyzing hundreds of thousands of small genetic differences that can predict a range of psychological attributes from birth. The author of the essay believes the tool will transform how we see ourselves, our capacities, and our problems. As I read the … Continue reading Would You Want to Know? →

Situational Awareness, My Lack of

Situation Number One: Planet Fitness, today. I'm waiting for a guy to finish hogging the pull-up machine so I can do my one set and move on to the next exercise. I'm standing 10 feet from the machine, trying to make it obvious that I'm waiting to use the machine. But the guy is oblivious, … Continue reading Situational Awareness, My Lack of →