Musings from my driveway, my home and my heart
“Do you have any dot stickers?” texted my daughter-in-law Lindsey, now tasked with home schooling a four-year-old and a toddler because of the COVID-19 crisis. I found a cache of them in a kitchen drawer stuffed with Fourth of July sparklers, recipes and other assorted junk. The dots – inexpensive and invaluable craft items –... Continue Reading →
Within an hour after the world learned that journalist and author Tom Wolfe died at 88 in New York City, I got an email from one of my former students. “You entered my mind when my daughter informed me Tom Wolfe died today,” she wrote. “You had us read Bonfire of the Vanities for my first... Continue Reading →
My students are taking a little break after the big push to meet the November 1 deadline for submitting early decision/action applications to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, MIT, the United States Military Academy, the University of Michigan and other highly ranked schools. It gave me some time to reflect on the different parenting styles I’ve encountered... Continue Reading →
I’ve come across a heartbreaking trend among my students who are applying this fall to prestigious colleges and universities. Many of them have stunning achievements, including perfect scores on standardized tests, hundreds of hours in volunteer work and leadership positions on winning sports teams. Their credentials include self-publishing books, rising to the top in national... Continue Reading →
An anxious parent called me from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange last week to discuss his child’s Common Application essay for college. Among the concerns: How could his child compete against clever minority applicants, including the one who submitted an essay to Stanford in response to the question, “What matters to you,... Continue Reading →
