Learning to Delay Gratification

Can delayed gratification be taught? If so, how, and why is it important to do so? In its inimitable style, The New Yorker can make experiments in psychology fun to read.

Teaching Kids About Money

These down to earth suggestions about teaching kids to handle money properly seem pretty obvious, but sometimes stating the obvious helps.

Ask a Stupid Question, Get a Stupid Answer

Anybody familiar with Israel's weekly parshat hashavua pamphlets knows about the Shut SMS column, in which people send (semi) halakhic questions by text message, and get (semi) halakhic answers, all within tens of characters. This hardly makes for serious halakhic deliberation, but I I got the following spoof the other day, which put a smile on my face....

מי אמר שלרבנים אין חוש הומור
{שאלות שנשלחו בשו"ת (שאלות ותשובות) סלולארי. שאלות אמיתיות }

ש- אני בת 17 וחצי יש לי חבר צדיק בן 16 וחצי ואנחנו רוצים להתחתן. אבא שלי מתנגד ואמא שלי בעד. אגב הם גרושים, מה עושים?
ת- שואלים שוב בעוד שנתיים.
ש- פועל ערבי בונה אצלי מרפסת. האם צריך להגיש לו פירות מהיתר מכירה או מיבול נוכרים?
ת- תלוי מה נהוג אצלו בבית אבא...
ש- מה מקור המנהג לאכול סופגניות בחנוכה?
ת- היועץ הכלכלי של מאפיית אנג'ל.
ש- האם מותר לאכול נקניקיית פרווה עם חלב סויה או שזה משום "מראית עין"?
ת- זה סתם טעם רע.
ש- לפני חצי שנה ביטלתי מנוי שלי על עיתון ימני בגלל כתבה נגד סרבנות. עכשיו יש עוד מאמר. מה עושים?
ת- מפסיקים להציץ בעיתון של השכן.
ש- בקרוב אתגייס לצה"ל. מתי עלי להתחיל לסרב פקודה?
ת- אחרי השחרור.
ש- לאחרונה נודע לי שהרצל ובן גוריון לא היו דתיים. האם צריך לומר הלל ביום העצמאות?
ת- גם מוטה גור לא אוכל "גלאט" ובכל זאת אנו אומרים הלל ביום ירושלים (ועושים על האש...).
ש- כיצד מבטלים מנוי על עיתון המופץ בחינם?
ת- בלי ברכה.
ש- אני נער גבעות בשומרון. כשבאים לפנות אותנו-האם ראוי לצעוק "נאצים" או מתאים יותר "יודנראט"?
ת- לא יודע תברר ב"יד ושם".
ש- מדי בוקר אני ממהר מאוד לעבודה ולכן נוסע 130 קמ"ש וחוצה פס לבן. האם צריך להגיד "הגומל" כל שני וחמישי או לרכז את כל ה"גומלים" בשבת?
ת- לא משנה-העיקר שתלמד את ילדיך להגיד קדיש יתום

Gender and Science

There's been a lot of talk about the gender gap in the hard sciences. Here are some studies that suggest that simply having female teachers will help young women succeed in math and science. What implications does that have for limmudei kodesh?

"Friending" Your Teacher

Part of the reason that I don't have a Facebook account is precisely because I would inevitably be "friended" by some of my students, and I think I would rather not know.

I Couldn't Compete If I Tried

In case anybody ever tells you that teachers know more than students, ThingQuest presents the countries best student-created educational websites. I couldn't come up with an idea, let alone impliment it!

A Portrait of the Un-Inspired Student

Not quite a bad student. After all, he hands in all his work. But he doesn't seem to have any sense that it matters. (Given some of the school assignments that I've seen, its hard to blame him.)

How Are Students Doing? Why Not Just Ask Them?

Want to know what students think about their lives and futures. Why not just ask them? A Gallup survey just did, and hopes to follow said students for a longitudinal study.

Three Gems

From Calvin...

Give Up On College Prep

It's an old debate. The "progressives" say that everyone should receive a college-prep education. The conservatives say that not everyone is cut out for that, and some would be better served with vocational training. Over the course of US history, as Diane Ravitch has pointed out (critical review here), the pendulum has swung back and forth. Looks like Louisiana has made some tough decisions on this issue. (What relevance does this have for Jewish day schools, where almost all students are college bound?)

An Urgent (but Funny) Wake Up Call

I know so many teachers suffering from this ailment, and I'm glad to see that nationwide steps are being taken to remedy the severe problem. The Onion "reports."

How the Brain Works

The Wall Street Journal reviews a book in which a neuro-psychologists tries to explain how understanding the brain's function can improve education. Sounds like he is a bit of an educational neo-conservative: back to basics, less "multiple intelligences," more review. So I wonder whether this is neuroscience or neuroscience mixed with educational ideology.

Eating Disorders Go Mainstream

I had hear of pro-anorexia (pro-Ana) websites, but Newsweek reports that sufferers are increasingly coming out of the closet and gonig mainstream, posting their real names and links to their real facebook pages, as they celebrate their eating disorders.

The End of Overparenting

In the past, self-proclaimed parenting experts made us neurotic by telling us all the things we were not donig properly or not doing enough up. Now, ironies of ironies, the new batch of experts will make us neurotic by telling us we are not chilling out enough. As long as parents are neurotic, I supposed all is well with the world. (For more on overparenting, see here)

What's Orthodox Life Really Like on Campus?

The answer depends on who you ask. Check out the mahloket between a Maryland student and her counterpart at York in the most recent Jewish Action.