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Educated: A belated book review
I have to admit that I resisted reading Educated by Tara Westover when it came out with a big splash in 2018. I was, frankly, so done with the “homeschooling as child abuse” trope that I didn’t even...
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Are you suffering from outrage addiction, my friend?
I am a strong curator of my social media feed. When people I follow post back-to-back ugliness, I unfollow them. I’ve read the research and I know that a steady peek into the ugliest parts of their...
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As we progress, let’s not regress
I walked up to the front door of my health club and waited. The owner opened the door and beckoned me in; he was not armed with a touchless thermometer. “You can just walk in now,” he said. “Well,...
View ArticleAn Open Letter to California Lawmakers about Restricting Educational Choice
Dear Lawmaker, Today as I read in CalMatters that state lawmakers have introduced an amended budget bill that would require schools to offer independent study programs, it occurred to me that...
View ArticleResist irrationality: fight or flight in a time without lions
We humans obviously needed our fight or flight response in the past. When faced with a hungry lion, we needed to be able to bypass our pre-frontal cortex "professor brain" and act quickly. But although...
View ArticleFear of saying anything at all
As an interviewer, I have noticed what seems to be a growing trend. Perhaps it’s not a new trend, but it has been standing out more and more starkly in […] The post Fear of saying anything at all...
View ArticleTrust the Transfer
“This was not my idea. I don’t want to be here.” In my goal-setting course and in my book Homeschool with Confidence, I walk teens through the process of setting […] The post Trust the Transfer...
View Article‘First world problems’ are everyone’s problems
When someone replies to your expression of despair with the phrase "first world problems," they are dismissing you. They are saying that your despair is not valid, that by expressing your despair, you...
View ArticleArmchair expertise strikes again
So many people can't be bothered to take part in our public discourse without constantly trying to undermine others, as if they think they are contestants on Survivor, hoping to be the last one on the...
View ArticleRemember: there’s one door you can’t lock
Being sad is part of the holiday season. Anyone in mental health care can tell you that. In my case, I’m sad this holiday season not for myself, but for others. Many in this country appear to believe...
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