Susan's blog

New ways to connect...

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 13:27:05 -0500

In my five years as editor of Connect for Kids, a lot has changed. As I prepare to take my leave -- this will be my last entry to this blog, as I head off for some new adventures with my family in Nairobi, Kenya -- it's fun to look back and see how far we've come.

Killing kid culture with kindness

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:18:25 -0500

Imagine this. It's 2086. An earnest young graduate student in anthropology turns on his camera, and turns to the stooped, white-haired gentleman sitting across from him.

"Tell me more about this game 'tag' -- how was it played exactly?"

Fluff

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 10:13:19 -0500

I remember my first Fluffernutter. Jiff Creamy Style peanut butter, carefully spread on Wonder Bread (because Wonder Bread just can't stand up to crunchy) topped with a layer of Marshmallow Fluff and another slice of squishy bread. This sweet nutritional black hole, a symphonic conglomeration of the emptiest calories in the universe, was packed into my lunchbox -- the one shaped like a barn with space for a thermos under the roof. And I knew it was going to be a good day.

Breast-feeding bullying?

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 09:39:17 -0500

I'd like someone to launch a well-funded public service campaign to take on one of the less-recognized threats to a healthy pregnancy and healthy infancy. "Pregnancy: More Joy, Less Guilt." "Guilt: Bad for Moms, Bad for Babies." Any deep-pocket volunteers?

"Soft bigotry" vs hard numbers

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 11:07:12 -0500

The No Child Left Behind law is supposed to address "the soft bigotry of low expectations," by holding schools and teachers accountable for teaching all children, regardless of their race, home language, learning style, gender, economic status, etc.

Off-balance and on-task

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 12:04:19 -0500

A high school math teacher in Florida has discovered that uncertainty is a great motivator for students.

According to a story in eSchool News online, teacher Paige Allison, who is also a University of Florida graduate student in educational anthropology (latest entry in my list of "majors I never knew existed"), came across this new technique for keeping students on their toes while researching another question: how to avoid calling on certain students, or types of students, more often than others.

Waking up to the importance of fathers

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 13:11:50 -0500

I was racing through the Washington Post this morning, trying to finish the A section before it was time to go into border collie mode and start nipping heels (who wants to go to school in June, anyway?), and came across a brief item about a new government survey.

Middle school - still the "Bermuda Triangle" of education

Tue, 30 May 2006 15:09:20 -0500

As a parent, I will be breathing a big sigh of relief in a couple of weeks when my older son leaves middle school behind. And the parents of his classmates tell me they will be doing the same. I'm almost expecting that the entire neighborhood will feel the breeze emanating from the middle school auditorium next Wednesday when the whole ordeal finally ends for the lucky 8th graders and their parents.

A "new" lifestyle trend with implications for children

Thu, 25 May 2006 10:31:36 -0500

Census data shows that the fastest-growing household type in the U.S. is the "multigenerational household," one that includes members of three generations or more.

It's not exactly a new idea -- and while in this individualistic age it may be the disadvantages that leap to mind first (Who wants to hear, "You're going outside in that?" at the age of 35 or so?), it doesn't take much deep thinking to see the advantages, particularly for children, too often deprived of close relationships with their grandparents, and for young parents starting out, for whom housing and child care costs are a major burden.

A college for every kid

Tue, 23 May 2006 14:43:18 -0500

When I was applying to college three long decades ago, it seemed like there was a relative handful of schools that most students at my high school applied to. It was a list that was heavy on the Ivies, heavy on the liberal arts, and sprinkled with "safeties" that included some state schools and small single-sex institutions.

Let's take the sibling bond seriously

Thu, 18 May 2006 09:25:06 -0500

It's unsettling to feel inspired and angry at the same time. Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time on the phone with Kala Clark, a high school senior in Maine who succeeded in having the state legislature pass a new law recognizing the right of siblings separated in foster care to visit and spend time together. Kala, who was moved to action by being separated from her two little brothers when she went into care, is articulate, motivated, intelligent -- and still sad about what she and her brothers missed.

Raising the Bar on Special Ed?

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:33:24 -0500

Is Brian Woods of Akron, Ohio a) a great dad, or b) a scofflaw?

Daniel Woods, Brian's autistic son, probably would go for a). Unhappy with the quality of Daniel's education, Brian sued the school board and won several changes in Daniel's educational plan and about $160,000, according to a recent article in the New York Times

Duelling autopsies in Florida boot camp death

Tue, 09 May 2006 14:32:53 -0500

Last month, I wrote about Florida's welcome decision to shut down its four remaining "boot camps" for juvenile offenders, in favor of somewhat gentler approaches to young kids in trouble with the law. The closure was the latest fallout from the death of 14-year-old Martin Anderson while in the custody of one of the camps.

"Empty gesture" could prove full of meaning

Mon, 15 May 2006 12:08:20 -0500

Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi delivered a sharp lesson this week to the students of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill. -- which was, being right is no guarantee you'll be treated right.

E-mail, already old-school

Wed, 03 May 2006 12:50:20 -0500

Recently, I've seen a few widening cracks in the stubborn resistance of many teachers I know to the use of electronic communications technology. One in particular, who used to almost boast of her inability to send, receive, open or otherwise connect with e-mail, now is in regular touch through her school-based e-mail account.