I I owe my undergrad professor an apology. He was the ultimate minimalist. He railed against conspicuous consumption, thumping his dog-eared copy of Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class on a desk. He cycled through the same handful of clothes in the same neutral color scheme. He wore shorts that showcased socks he haphazardly … [Read more…]
This past week, I had the chance to do some volunteering. Specifically, my students and I packed food (vitamins, veggies, soy, rice) to be sent around the world to feed the chronically malnourished. We rolled up our sleeves and then got FDA compliant. That meant removing everything from Fitbits to earrings and then scrubbing up. … [Read more…]
VIPKID has an affiliate program. There. I said it. I’m not burying the lede on this one, fam. In case you have been living under a rock, VIPKID is the new darling of the side hustle world. For $14 an hour before taxes, you, too, can tutor out of the convenience of your home. VIPKID … [Read more…]
My bookcase also broke this year. So did a lamp and a picture frame. Though we are still months from the end of the year, by my very rough estimates from a largely imperfect student-run checkout system, over fifty books are missing from my classroom library. Nevermind the ones that have come back with cracked … [Read more…]
The hill my generation has chosen to die on is a pyramid of latte cups with whipped cream and avocado toast on top. Millennials have made it clear time and time again that they will not tolerate anyone—not billionaires, not Boomers, not billionaire Boomers—telling them they can’t have their morning brew and drink it too. … [Read more…]
“That’s it? $60?” My husband’s reaction to his first paycheck of the school year was dramatically different from mine. I was thrilled. Thanks to his graduate classes, he is bringing in an extra $120 after taxes each month. To him, it was such a small amount of money in light of the time, effort, and … [Read more…]
It’s back to school time. School supplies are on sale, parents are snapping photos, and students are celebrating. Or not. It also means that legions of professionals are about to roll up their sleeves and welcome another crop kiddos with open arms and unabated enthusiasm. With school on the brain, a very thoughtful neighbor of … [Read more…]
It’s no secret that Americans are absolutely awful about using vacation time. We’re afraid of being passed over for an assignment, perceived as being lazy, or addicted to the title of busy. There are, in fact, myriad reasons why we don’t use our vacation time. While I most certainly will be taking full advantage of … [Read more…]
Teaching: it’s one of the most celebrated and most maligned professions around. Some days, we work too hard for far too little. Other days, we are glorified babysitters getting away with highway robbery. Whatever your opinions are on education, I’m not here to sway you. What I thought I’d do instead is give you a … [Read more…]
How many pencils does it take to function in a 22,000 square foot mega mansion? Zero, if you’re Betsy DeVos. If you somehow missed the tweet that one of her staffers posted after her first day of work at Secretary of Education, it was a joke that backfired tremendously. Politics aside, it proved something I’ve … [Read more…]