Spontaneous dance party on the beach of Apo Island, last night of trip. Our trip to the Philippines ended with two glorious days on Apo Island, highlighted by a dance party on the beach between our students and most of the village youth. How often does this happen on Apo, a small fishing [...]
Pancakes cooking Hard rain at night. Still coming down in the morning and radar shows a tropical depressions blowing up west of Palau. Climb into the old jeepney which blew a flat two days ago on the same road up to the hill village where some of our students are staying but we [...]
Here is a thought experiment that can inform the leading education question of our time. Take a random group of students from three countries: China, the U.S., and the Philippines. All three groups spend long hours in school and take objective exams which will, to a large extent, determine their access to higher education. Replay [...]
Parker boys ready to settle in to their home stay in Boloc-Boloc, a rural farming village The homes are small, the villages poor. They will sleep on bamboo beds or mats on the floor. Showers will be a bucket of water. For five days our students will stay with host families in and [...]
What is the value of $2? Is it 1/3rd of a fancy cup of Starbucks coffee? Half a Big Mac in Los Angeles or 1/5th of a Big Mac in Zurich? Is it 200 pennies that one person will step over from time to time or 200 pennies that others will fight to find and [...]
Effecting change is a skill just like teaching history, playing a piano, or throwing a football. Being good at it is a combination of inherent ability and learning. Why should it be otherwise? Some people are naturally more comfortable with change, with things like risk and creativity and flexibility. Others are less comfortable. And just [...]
A theme from my many school visits this last fall was that both students and teachers realize we should take or make more time for reflection. We know that authentic reflection starts with being focused on the moment, taking in what lessons we can when we can, be it in a classroom, on the ball [...]
This week I had the chance to talk with David Monaco (@dmonaco), Head at Parish Episcopal in Dallas. He used a phrase that I am going to totally steal and promote and want to give him credit first. He said "I want to get my faculty up into the jet stream" of what is going [...]
On Saturday I return to the Philippines for an annual trip with high school students. Fresh out of grad school I taught there for year in 1981-82, an experience where I formed some of my first ideas about transformational education. Two stories from that time are embedded in my book, The Falconer, and I [...]
On Saturday I will join with fourteen juniors and seniors from Francis Parker School and fly to Dumaguete City, on the island of Negros, 500 miles south of Manila in the Philippines. By Monday we will be gazing down on the lowlands from high on the side of a volcano, hearing the stories of medieval [...]