Being Right…or Not

The other morning I took a walk along the rocky beach by our house.  I sat on a rock for awhile watching what I thought was a seal sunning herself on a rock with a crow standing by her.  But after a very long time with only the crow moving, and not the seal, I [...]

ABC’s Democratic Debate

I had a hard time falling asleep last night after ABC’s Democratic Debate. Had Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos really spent almost half the debate asking trivial, relentlessly rehashed gotcha questions to primarily Senator Obama and secondarily to Senator Clinton? I was teetering on despair. How on earth could we change anything if the level [...]

The Future is Open

In their book Break Through, Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger write: “The future is not destined to be dark or bright, fallen or triumphant. Rather, the future is open.” The emphasis on the word “open” is theirs, and every time I read it, I shiver just a little. It’s a powerful word in a powerful [...]

Why We Don’t Have What We Want

I read an interesting article in Newsweek about why it is that we won’t see cars on the market getting 50 miles per gallon any time soon. In addition to a professional interest, I had a personal interest. My Volvo station wagon, at only 167,000 miles –- barely past middle-aged for a Volvo — is [...]

When I’m Afraid, I Fall

My husband, Edwin, and son, Forest, are rock climbers and very hardy mountain climbers and hikers. I’m a hiker and occasional rock climber, too, but there’s a big difference between us. Edwin and Forest are fearless. They walk right up to cliff edges, leap over crevasses, and sprint across logs high over rocky streams. I [...]

Nuance, Complexity, Redemption

I listened, rapt, to Barack Obama’s speech on race on March 18. I could hardly believe that I was being spoken to like a thinking adult; that I was hearing nuance, complexity, and a rejection of either/or thinking in a political speech. I’ve written repeatedly in this blog about the concept of “both/and,” urging educators [...]