Jul 28, 2020
What We Can Do for our Kids in a Pandemic
Published in ChicagoNow, July 28, 2020 Clearly, our kids are hurting during this pandemic. One of the most poignant reminders of the pain...
Nov 1, 2019
The Chicago Teachers Strike, Museums, and Economic Disparity
Published in ChicagoNow, November 1, 2019 On Monday and Tuesday of last week, during the Chicago Teachers Strike, we took our grandkids...
Apr 9, 2019
As Parent Teacher Conferences Vanish: When No News is Just No News
Published in ChicagoNow, April 9, 2019 There is a trend in education to dispense with the traditional biannual parent-teacher...
Apr 5, 2019
Quality, Not Kindergarten Redshirting, is the Problem
Published in ChicagoNow, April 25, 2019 In my long career as an early childhood program director, I have given many talks to parents of...
Mar 18, 2019
Really Dumb Homework
Published in ChicagoNow, March 18, 2019 Here’s an algebra assignment for a twelve-year-old. Go online to find a car to buy. Explain why...
Jan 30, 2019
Middle School is Still the Neglected Middle Child of Education
Published in ChicagoNow, January 30, 2019 They passed notes, threw spit balls, popped their gum, and seemed far more interested in their...
Nov 13, 2018
E-Learning at Home and Why it’s a Fail
Published in ChicagoNow, November 13, 2018 My grandkids who live in another state had an e-learning day last week when their school was...
Oct 23, 2018
Finding my Voice
Published in ChicagoNow, October 23, 2018 I loved my fifth-grade teacher, Martin Hollander. He told us our class was a democracy in which...
Sep 28, 2018
The American Child Care Dilemma
Published in ChicagoNow, September 28, 2018 My daughter came home unexpectedly from work and discovered that the nanny, who was supposed...
Aug 17, 2018
When 47 Percent of the Entering Kindergarten Class is Not Ready, Something is Very Wrong
He's the little one getting on the bus for kindergarten Published in ChicagoNow, August 17, 2018 Another of my grandkids started just...