For parents, educators and students of all ages wrapping up summer break and heading back to school, these new “must read” pieces are enlightening. Our picks from around the web include?Kate Winslet’s tip for a common classroom crisis, the educational trend worth rethinking, a new way to compose essays, an ingenious plan to get kids reading …and more. Whatever’s transpiring in your life, may you find the words of wisdom you need.
1. Life Lesson
“I sought the counsel of one trusted teacher who guided me through this situation in the most kind, discreet and supportive way. I was lucky that my school had this person there for me. My hope is that anyone being bullied can also find the support.”
– Kate Winslet, on surviving school bullies (The Daily Mail)
2. Class Dismissed?
“An awful lot of schooling still consists of making kids cram forgettable facts into short-term memory. And the kids themselves are seldom consulted about what they’re doing, even though genuine excitement about (and proficiency at) learning rises when they’re brought into the process, invited to search for answers to their own questions and to engage in extended projects.”
– Alfie Kohn, “The Perils of ‘Growth Mindset’ Education” (Salon)
3. Writing Your Opus
“Essays must have a unique rhythm, tone, attractive verse, timbre, melody, pitch, syncopation, vibrato, tempo, cadence and definitely deep soul. To me, they should be a cross between the percussive beats of Hip Hop and the melodic phrases of Jazz and R&B… when admissions committee members individually as well as a group can ‘hum’ or ‘skat’ your essay, are moved by its unique rhythmic personality, and can remember its distinct features, they will add it to their acceptance playlist during the decisions process!”
– Dr. Paul Lowe, “The College Essay – Just Sing It” (Greenwich Free Press)
4. A Worthwhile Brain Strain
“There’s a saying common in education circles: Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to think. The idea goes back at least as far as Socrates. Today, what we call the Socratic method is a way of teaching that fosters critical thinking, in part by encouraging students to question their own unexamined beliefs, as well as the received wisdom of those around them. Such questioning sometimes leads to discomfort, and even to anger, on the way to understanding.”
– Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, “The Coddling of the American Mind” (The Atlantic)
5. The Heart of Education
“The kids would come in, and I would say, ‘Go to the table and get a book you might like, and if you can’t read it, I’ll help you understand and we can read it together.'”
– Courtney Holmes, profiled in “Barber Gives Free Cuts To Kids Who Read Aloud In His Chair” (Huffington Post)
Image credit: BBC/YouTube
Here at The Wisdom Daily (TWD), we feature spiritual insights on daily life, designed to help improve and enhance our relationships with ourselves, our families and the world around us.