Fear, boredom, and Batkid—here’s what you might have missed in news and thoughts related to student engagement, school climate, and the world that affects them.
“You become distrustful, questioning people’s motives. Is this just a joke on me? She couldn’t really like me, right? Why are they inviting me to this party? Do they want me there or is this some elaborate prank?”
—Matthew Berry, ESPN columnist and fantasy football expert, about growing up as a frequent target for bullying
“Most teachers are too overworked and overwhelmed to manage parent communication in the robust, consistent, and intimate way it needs to be done.”
—Marilyn Rhames, in her Charting My Own Course blog, on how schools can provide support to overwhelmed parents
“Those who claim that all kids are routinely damaged by boring, dreary instruction usually have something to sell.”
—Nancy Flanagan, in her Teacher in a Strange Land blog, reflecting on solutions to children’s perceived boredom
“If this comfort with delayed gratification and unknowns extends to their ability to embrace intellectual intangibles as imaginary numbers, dark matter, and the curvature of space, then they will be more confident and brave thinkers as they move into the world.”
—Jessica Lahey, for The Atlantic, on teaching students the value of patience
“After apprehending The Riddler, Batkid ate some lunch. It was a long morning.”
—Ryan Broderick, of BuzzFeed, on the adventures of a 5-year-old boy going into remission from leukemia, who got to be Batman for a day (Alright, it’s light on substance, but c’mon. Even Mr. Freeze’s heart would warm looking at those photos.)