Parents Scene
How Smartphones Are Rewiring Children: The Anxious Generation Review
[Editor’s note: Our archives contain several years of excellent articles, most of which remain relevant and important to today’s young people and the adults who work with them. This one is a “Director’s Choice” that we are reposting this week.] In Jonathan Haidt’s justly acclaimed new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of…
Read MoreSchool’s Out
Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it. –Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland This is my story. It’s the story of a life spent in schools—as student, teacher, administrator, parent, trustee, guardian ad litem, and tutor. It’s the story of disillusion and hope. Revelation It began when I was 12 and riding…
Read MoreEnding honors classes punishes student success
Recently, Troy School District eliminated its honors course offerings in science and English. They are not alone, detracking, or getting rid of specialized tracks for talented students, is spreading across the nation as an increasing number of schools remove honors, Advanced Placement and other advanced course offerings. It’s not just Troy, and it is not just in Michigan: Leading…
Read MoreLearning to unlearn
“I just don’t think it’s necessary to hit your children,” my friend said with a frown. She picked up another fry and reached for the ketchup packet. “Like, why would you want to hurt your own child?” I stopped chewing for a second to answer, “It’s a cultural thing. It’s not a big deal.…
Read MorePrinceton needs to take academic breaks seriously
Every Princeton student knows the struggle of balancing academics with rest over breaks. Whether it be submitting an essay draft due at the start of fall break or finishing a presentation for the Monday following break, it isn’t uncommon for course deadlines to fall on one of the three formal breaks provided for students during the…
Read MoreTreat international students as you’d want to be treated
The truest measure of any civilization isn’t found in its monuments or military might, but in how it receives the stranger. I’ve been contemplating this ancient wisdom lately as I navigate courtrooms challenging Trump administration policies that affect those who come to our shores seeking knowledge or safe harbor. Beyond the legal briefs and…
Read MorePrinceton, stop using ChatGPT
It’s always interesting to hear a professor’s policy or opinions on ChatGPT. Some strictly prohibit it, some allow it with proper disclosure, and some condemn its inability to be intelligent — or even accurate. I usually don’t pay much attention to these warnings, as I and the people around me rarely use ChatGPT in lieu of…
Read MoreGetting It All Wrong
This week’s NYT Magazine features a long bit of education arcana twirled by Paul Tough, the Canadian-American author who popularized “relentless perseverance” in his bestselling book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. The aptly named Tough is not an educator or a scientist and is a college dropout, thereby diluting his authority as to…
Read MoreOne story for me, another for thee
As Ivy League undergraduate college offices release their regular admissions decisions for the class of 2029, we can expect yet another season of frantic student reaction videos, a dose of raucous enthusiasm and an atmosphere of hostile dismay. Just while students start poring over their options and coming to terms with a mix of…
Read MoreGen Z is falling short of who we were destined to become
I think for most members of my generation — the illustrious Gen Z crowd — it is a relatively common phenomenon to have a parent or other older adult turn and look at you, pleading with you to “save the world” or “be the change.” As an individual who is planning to attend law…
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