Monthly Archives: July 2012

Are Others "Safe" to Talk with You?

She's considering homeschooling. She's attended a few convention sessions and has been encouraged. But she's also terrified. "I didn't realize this was a religious thing," she confides to me. "I..." she hesitates, visibly distraught. "It's okay," I reassure her. "I … Continue reading

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A Public School Success Story: The 1,000 Books Project

I read a stunning article last month. It begins: "Melinda started 2nd grade with everything against her. She lives in poverty, her mom is not literate in English or Spanish, and she was severely abused at the age of 6. … Continue reading

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Stop Provoking Your Children to Anger

I've been thinking about Ephesians 6:4 lately. I poked around for a few commentaries and found this page to have some interesting stuff. It looks like Paul uses the present imperative, so the passage could be rendered "stop provoking your … Continue reading

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Why You Are an Expert by Kindergarten

Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers makes a strong case for needing 10,000 hours of practice before you become great at anything. That's a lot of time, but not that much. A prominent educator recently shared that it took him about five years … Continue reading

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Learning by Copying . . .

I recently read a fascinating article in World Magazine's June 2nd publication (ok, so I'm a little behind on my reading). Titled the same as my blog entry, it talks about how professional artists gain valuable training by minicking the masters … Continue reading

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School Question

Natalia went to a backyard Bible club hosted by a family in our church. She wanted to try out a group with older children and I figured, why not? She loves people and easily makes friends. Although she's not quite … Continue reading

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When Not to Socialize Your Kids

She's in college now. An art major with a solidifying style and a keen wit. She's getting better, she tells me, at speaking her mind. In high school, she was a coward who kept her mouth shut to stay in … Continue reading

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