Dinner one night, and Tiger Dad pushes wife about the schooling. Husband: Does he know what nouns, prepositions, verbs are? Wife: Honey, you know he’s been learning the definitions. He’ll understand better as he gets older. He’s only seven. *Pause* Wife: Wait. Do YOU know what they are? Funny look. PAUSE. Husband: I know adverbs.… Read More Tiger Dad and Tiger Wife
STUDENT Art A Geography A History A Latin A First Lunch A+ Math A Music A+ Phys Ed A Second Lunch A+ Public Speaking A – Reading B Science A Writing B+ TEACHER Beautician C (Can pull off a B when she crams) Dr. Mom A- Homemaker C Homeschooler A- Nutritionist A Tired, crazy… Read More Report Card
What brings me great happiness is to write and talk with you. But I was busy with my minuteman last week. “I’ve been hit!” He gave us some hearty acting.
If you’re interested, here’s a glimpse of me editing myself. *Ruthless* http://aopinionatedman.com/2014/02/24/the-writing-process-part-3-how-i-save-spit/ Love, HW
These thoughts emerged as a personal response to the controversial Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Yale Law professor Amy Chua who pushed her daughters to excel in ways that earned her praise and censure. She writes: I do believe that we in America can ask more of children than we typically do, and… Read More A Biblical Perspective of Achievement
Authorities report petite 5’3″ Asian-American woman with brown hair, brown eyes, who had gone missing six-and-a-half years ago emerged tired but happy under a mountain of blogging notes in her office. Her story follows. I was never sympathetic to mothers who wanted to step outside the home, whether for coffee or career. Until the poem… Read More 1000 Readers Recover Missing Woman
My launching pad is an enlightening New York Magazine article that explains how praising kids for being smart often backfires, straitjacketing them to fear of failure. It spoke to me not only as a parent of a boy fairly fresh on the path of formal education, but as the studious girl whose achievements were marked… Read More Greatness, Part 5: Praise, Smarts, and the Myth of Self-Esteem
I got to do the fun stuff with my students when I taught the Gifted and Talented in the 90s. The elementary school kids in the program left their classroom and came to me bright-eyed, bushy-taled. Grounded in the basics, they were ready for a session of poetry or creative writing. Here are some activities… Read More Young Writers in Their Dreaming
If this one isn’t short and sweet, hopefully it’ll be short and sensible. Before publishing anything, take the good that time offers and – where at all possible – step away from your work. Stephen King says, “With six weeks’ worth of recuperation time, you’ll be able to see any glaring holes in the plot… Read More The Writing Process II, Part 5: The Gift of Time in Revision
The little guy fell in love with this song by Chris Tomlin, Sovereign, when I was practicing for church last year. I think Tennyson played better here. He was 5 1/2. In the zone. I quickly grabbed the camera:
A Holistic Journey 