What happens when something safe is seen through the eyes of cultural prejudice, and thus declared dangerous and depraved? Well, in the olden days, a woman who seemed powerful or spooky might be considered dangerous and depraved: a witch. That sometimes ended in stoning. More recently, a black man looking at a white woman might […]
This story by Carol Nestikis, the mom of a 30something, intellectually disabled “sex offender,” is eye-opening and heart-wrenching. The sex offense laws much change. They are not making kids safer. They are just a simple, slimy way for politicians to sound like they are doing something “for the sake of our precious children.” Well the […]
THIS HEADLINE STINKS: “Bergen Boy, 13, Says Men In Landscaping Truck Tried To Abduct Him” You will note from the article that it turned out to be a misunderstanding (the boy didn’t understand the landscapers, who were speaking Spanish) and police determined there was NO ABDUCTION ATTEMPT. But if you glanced at the […]
So many times, autumn do-it-yourself projects for kids end up being things like, “Take a leaf and make it into a hair ornament by sticking it into your hair.” Over at Let Grow, we’ve got some much more beautiful and scientific ideas. For instance, did you know you can extract the color from a leaf? […]
Here’s a plea from a 5th grade teacher who wants parents to stop doing their kids’ homework. He knows it is tempting, he knows it is quicker, he knows that it’s horrible to watch your kid squirm and struggle. But he also knows when you’re stepping in, Steinbeck. Read his thoughts, over at Let Grow, […]
You relate? Here’s TV producer Michael Peyton’s take on trying to hold it together while his kids are doing jumping jacks and band practice and his 4th grade son is “heading upstairs with a bag of yeast, a banana, and a plastic bag” for science class. Read Michael’s essay at Let Grow by […]
Click here and just go enjoy a wonderful, rangy, funny essay by middle school teacher Elizabeth Peyton. She confesses to having a hard time with all the tech: “I barely know how to navigate Google classroom. I deleted myself from the staff email group by accident, lost access to all my lesson plans, blamed my […]
It’s never too early! “Teach kids to embrace listening to different points of view,” writes Holly Korbey over at Let Grow. In these polarizing times, it can make a huge difference! Example: When Irshad Manji was 14, she asked “too many questions” during her Saturday religious school, and they kicked her out. Irshad, author of […]
Vanessa Peoples was at family picnic in Aurora, Colorado, when her toddler wandered off. She noticed him missing and ran after him, but not before a lady had scooped him up and dialed 911 to report a missing child – and bad mom. By the time the fallout from this total non-event was over, Vanessa […]
As horrible as I find banning books, the practice does have one thing going for it: Kids who may not be big-time readers seem to love them. In this extremely cool and original essay over at Let Grow today, Elizabeth Peyton, a middle school teacher, writes that: I’ve found that if I want to pique […]
