

To the Folks Who Write Mean Blog Comments
This is supposed to be funny, people! Published in ChicagoNow, December 15, 2014 (Cartoon by Marcia Liss) I almost never read the blog...
Dec 15, 2014


My Thing about Gifts
Sometimes a gift is really tasty! Published in ChicagoNow, December 10, 2014 Gifts are my thing, and for me gifts matter. The best gifts...
Dec 10, 2014


My Sad History with Standardized Testing
Photo by Anthony Quinn Published in ChicagoNow, December 8, 2014 I have a personal aversion to standardized fill-in-the-bubble tests....
Dec 8, 2014


The Pledge of Allegiance as a Civics Lesson
Published in ChicagoNow, December 4, 2014 At Thanksgiving, for unknown reasons, some of my grandkids started reciting the Pledge of...
Dec 4, 2014


A Third Grader’s 10 Ideas for School Improvement
Guest blogger Published in ChicagoNow, December 1, 2014 Remember the old Dr. Seuss book If I Ran the Zoo? In it, young Gerald McGrew...
Dec 1, 2014


Kindergarten: Creativity Triumphs Again
Published in ChicagoNow, November 24, 2014 Here’s the proverbial picture that’s worth 1,000 words, my grandson’s kindergarten worksheet...
Nov 24, 2014


6 Bad Holiday Habits
Published in ChicagoNow, November 21, 2014 You would think at my age (8 grandkids – you do the math) I would have this holiday thing...
Nov 21, 2014


Fun and Play are Good for Kindergarten – What a Surprise
Literally constructing knowledge Published in ChicagoNow, November 19, 2014 The headline in today’s Chicago Tribune reads “Fun plays a...
Nov 19, 2014


Common Core Testing for Dogs and Cats
Published in ChicagoNow, November 17, 2014 I’m not making this up. In the print version of Scientifics Direct, a very nice catalog of...
Nov 17, 2014


What Do You Believe In? Ask “The Little Preschool That Could”
Published in ChicagoNow, November 13, 2014 The seeds of what Cherry Preschool of Evanston, Illinois, believes in were present from the...
Nov 13, 2014