FromRussiaWithMath
“It’s amazing how forgiving men can be about a woman’s lack of erudition, if she is exceptionally pretty”
This is a quote from Susan Patton—mom, Princeton grad, and entrepreneur—encouraging young Princeton women to lock down a husband while still in college (link below). And as she says, women don’t have this same luxury when choosing [...]
RSM was profiled in the Newton TAB on February 20, 2013. The full-page article by Trevor Jones did an excellent job capturing what is special about our math school. RSM-Newton Principal Ralitsa Dimitrova and some of her 5th graders were featured in photography. The students who participated in the photo shoot included Maria Bacanurschi, Zandra Baskin, [...]
One interesting observation I have made over the years is that children who are old enough to remember the struggles their families endured while establishing themselves here after immigrating to this country are more likely to be industrious high achievers than those who grew up in the US with all the advantages. Having to struggle [...]
Think sports are a direct route to college scholarships? Think again. Most American parents, in their race to secure financial aid long before their children can read or write, view sports, not academics, as the surest pathway to secure these opportunities.
Ask any parent freezing on the sidelines of the soccer field in November how [...]
In his March 10, 2012 column, “Pass The Books. Hold The Oil,” New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman asserts that “[k]nowledge and skills have become the global currency of 21st-century economies, but there is no central bank that prints this currency. Everyone has to decide on their own how much they will print.”
Fox News and CNN recently ran almost simultaneous specials on education in America. Both programs came to the same, and in my eyes simply obvious, conclusion. To borrow from Clinton’s catch-phrase: It’s the teacher, stupid! As with everything else in life, people make the difference. Process, policies, and technology will always be secondary to a [...]
Inessa on nerds and cool people. This column first appeared in The Jewish Advocate (subscription required):
How a nerdy mom saved her son from the clutches of cool
Inessa Rifkin
I magine extraterrestrials landing on earth. Their mission: Understand earthlings, their language and cultural habits.
Assuming these creatures were reasonably competent, [...]
Inessa on whether students’ scores should be discussed publicly. This column first appeared in The Jewish Advocate:
Face up or face down?
Should a teacher return a marked quiz face down to protect a student’s privacy, or face up, where it can be seen by the entire class?
At [...]
Yesterday I read an article in the Washington Post discussing the movement in some states toward making Algebra II mandatory. I found the article via Get Schooled blog post at Atlantic Journal-Constitution. Below is my comment on the issue.
America is the country that really believes in numbers. Students are not performing [...]
