“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” This is just one of Rita Pierson’s statements that is funny, insightful, and right on the target. She was responding to a colleague’s comment that, “They don’t pay me to like kids; they pay me to teach the kids. I teach; they should learn. Case closed.” Except, as Rita explained, “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” At the core of Rita’s educational and pedagogical philosophy is one simple but powerful conviction: education is about connection. It’s hard to learn if you don’t feel connected. Which means that kids don’t just need a teacher, they...

Maybe it’s because we’re still relatively early in a new school year, which always puts me in mind of learning new things. Or maybe I’m just in a rut and really need a chance to do something different. But whatever it is, I found Matthew Cutts’ TEDTak  on “Trying Something New for 30 Days” just the right thing this morning. I’ve had three experiences like this that were incredibly energizing. First, when my oldest child started Suzuki violin lessons 10 years ago, I took lessons, too. At first this was a requirement of the method of instruction – Suzuki parents normally take 4 or 5 lessons to familiarize them with what will...

I titled the category for these recent posts “Teaching,” but I could just as easily titled it “Learning,” as how we teach is greatly shaped by how we believe people learn. In recent years, significant research has demonstrated that we do our best learning when our deepest passion and sense of calling is engages. Among other things, this research argues against employing a model of education shaped by standardized testing – which has little to nothing to do with unique gifts and interests – toward a more personalized, student-centered approach to learning. Of course, attention to the question of how we...