Within the past 50 years, we’ve seen our country move from an industrial economy to an information-based economy. Now, early in the 21st century, it appears we are shifting to an innovation-based economy, one that requires what the psychologist Robert J. Sternberg calls “successful intelligence,” a three-point foundation of analytical, practical, and creative skills. In other words, the measure of…
Inspired by the Lower School Take One Picture project the Kindergarten made hats. Their hat parade was a great hit at Kenyon House. For more information about the Breugel painting and the origins of this project see Spring.
If there was a villain in the Animal Tails of African Tales Lower School show it was perhaps the mosquito. Here, to provide some balance on behalf of the world of insects and their all-important place in our biospere, is biologist E.O. Wilson. His plea on behalf of his constituency – the insect world – is his acceptance speech for…
A few pictures from the wonderful Lower School performance. Most of these were taken at the Friday’s Grandparents and Special Friends Day showing. Click to enlarge.
Some came from New York City and much further – including Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Denmark. Other came from closer to school but all were welcome at the annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day. We gathered in the dining room for breakfast and after brief remarks of welcome our visitors went to classes and then to a command performance…
Over one hundred lower school children having a wonderful time – bursting with joy and pride of accomplishment. More coming soon on this wonderful performance.
There’s an interesting story over at Learning is messy It’s about the truth behind one of those email send arounds that are so easy to forward without thinking. Sometimes they are about dying children or bogus health alerts or product malfunctions. Snopes.com is dedicated to checking urban legends, internet rumors and the validity of such stories but helping students develop…
Technology is always disruptive. Think of the introduction of the printing press, or the combine harvester, or the mechanical looms that destroyed a way of life for cottage industry weavers. Some of them took to frame breaking and gave us the unfairly derisive term of “Luddite” for those who resist technological change. Technology as disruption came to me early in…
A beautiful spring day and students took full advantage over lunch-time.
Technology is always disruptive. Think of the introduction of the printing press, or the combine harvester, or the mechanical looms that destroyed a way of life for cottage industry weavers. Some of them took to frame breaking and gave us the unfairly derisive term of “Luddite” for those who resist technological change. Technology as disruption came to me early in…
Seniors are on their way off to a final month of internships before they return to PDS for the Senior Week and commencement in June. Today was the farewell lunch on the front porch of Kenyon House. Seniors were welcomed into the Alumni Association. The sun shone, the breezes blew and the senior class were in fine form following, and…
PDS marked Holocaust Remembrance Day last week with an assembly planned and led by the students of the Genocide central studies elective with the help of their teachers Bernadette Condessa and librarian Sarah Feldman. This assembly, Life after the Holocaust – part of a PDS Equity and Justice series – came eight days after Yom Hashoah and one day after…
From today’s NYTimes: Timely advice on paying for college: Calculating Financial Aid THIS week, members of the (college) Class of 2011 are coming down to the wire in deciding which colleges they will attend and, more often than not, their choice is influenced by which offers the most generous financial aid package. Most students and their parents have until Tuesday…
George Bernard Shaw was a great proponent of English spelling reform. Here is an example he used to illustrate the absurdity of some English spelling and pronunciation. Using familiar pronunciations here is how the letters GHOTI spell “fish”: GH as in “rough” O as in “women” TI as in “nation” GHOTI = “fish” For further spelling confusion try this verse:…
The flying cats of Borneo – apocryphal? Hyperbole? Fantasy? Jungle legend? Imaginary animals? In response to a request from a professor at The University of Iowa I provided one piece of the story of Operation Cat Drop backed by the official record. When I first heard of this improbable story and the ridiculous claim of 14,00 cats parachuted by the…