Last summer, I had the privilege of working at my father’s business just as he was starting to put significant effort into implementing an approach called “lean manufacturing.” As its name suggests, lean manufacturing attempts to increase business profits by eliminating waste …Read More

  I consider structure and thoughtful planning to be important parts of a positive school day, but, as I discovered again today, sometimes an unexpected, impromptu discussion is far superior to my best planning.  This is what happened: Each day, lunch is …Read More

Capturing a specific moment in time, painting a picture with words, a descriptive word picture—these are some ideas of a snapshot.  I think of a snapshot as a photograph. I take a picture of a scene and it is preserved in that …Read More

Sometimes less is more. Usually on Saturdays I dance to the background tune of “see how much you can get done today.”  It is a wearisome song and wears me out both emotionally and physically.  I don’t recommend it.  And yet, I …Read More

Over on the forums, Jane Bauman asks a question that surely vexes us all: “What are ways to help older (fully capable) students want to reach their full potential instead of trying to get by with the least amount of effort possible?” …Read More