Defining Success

As I left the dressing room of a retail clothing store a couple of days ago, a sales associate stopped me. “I keep looking at you, and thinking I know you,” she said. “Really? From where?” “I don’t know.” She thought for a moment.  “What do you do?” “I’m a teacher.” She started to look … Read more

Why My Daughter Won’t Be a Teacher When She Grows Up

My daughter, who is 11, has a pretty standard response prepared for people who ask her what she wants to be when she grows up. “A teacher – or maybe an engineer,” she says. I smile inside.  I smile because I think she says, “teacher” for my sake – which means that she: a.) sees … Read more

Make Your Own History

I ran across this video, which is a TED talk given by the author Brad Meltzer, on the Mindshift blog originally.  It is an inspirational speech that every young person should watch.  Meltzer outlines the three pieces of advice that he gives his own children:  dream big, work hard, and stay humble.  He gives various … Read more