It’s that exciting time of year again – the start of school. I like the feeling of bustle and optimism that a new school year brings. It’s a time for fresh starts, a burst of activity, and for many, an…
Dr. Adam Cox
Connecting people with ideas for learning and living well. Helping to build purposeful lives.
Blog Archives
Bored with Summer, Starting School
Posted in Childhood, Early Childhood, Education, Executive Functions, Parenting, Professional Development, Psychology of Youth, School, Sports, Teaching Tagged with: ADHD, boredom, Executive Dysfunction, homework, School, summer
The Deep Memories of Childhood
Here’s a nice, meditative piece on how the sounds, smells, and even word associations of childhood can evoke strong memories. Writing for The American Scholar, Brian Doyle asks, “Why do we not sing these things as miracles?” It is also…
Posted in Brain, Childhood, Early Childhood, Parenting, Teaching Tagged with: American Scholar, Brian Doyle, Concordia University, Early Childhood, Memory, Mindfulness, Screen Time, Working Memory
More Hands on Deck
Here’s an interesting blog I ran across, called “Wisdom of the Hands,” written by woodworker, teacher and author Doug Stowe. Here’s how he describes his topic: “This blog is dedicated to sharing the concept that our hands are essential to…
Posted in Boys, Child Psychology, Education, Girls, Parenting, Play, Psychology of Youth, School, Society & Culture, Teaching Tagged with: Brain, Browning School, Creativity, Doug Stowe, Handwork, John Botti, Landon School, Learning, Makers, Marcos Williams, Teaching, Woodworking
Separation Anxiety
With school having begun recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of separation anxiety. Most of the time this problem affects younger children, and manifests itself as school refusal. In a typical case, the child is very upset about leaving parents…
Posted in Child Psychology, Communicating with Kids, Parenting Tagged with: child psychology, Education, Kindergarten, Parenting, Preschool, separation anxiety
More Level Playing Field
Really happy to see this article in the New York Times about the United States’ most selective universities – including all the Ivy’s – working together to provide guidance to 9th and 10th grade students about what it takes to…
Posted in Adolescence, College, Education, Parenting, Teaching Tagged with: College, College Admission, Competition, Education, Fairness, Ivy League, Parenting, Planning, Selective, Students, University
How to Talk to Boys
Okay, so the first thing to know about getting a great conversation going is that communication has two parts: form and content. Most everybody pays mega attention to the content, while neglecting form. The content is what you are talking…
Posted in Adolescence, Boys, Child Psychology, Communicating with Kids, Parenting, Social Communication, Teaching Tagged with: anxiety, Boys, communication, content, conversation, Education, expression, form, Parenting, task tone, Video, voice
Important Meditation on Space
Readers of this blog know that they can expect perspectives of youth not found elsewhere. I’m really hoping to connect with kindred spirits about topics that can change the lives of kids for the better. Recently, I’ve discovered a book…
Posted in Boys, Child Psychology, Childhood, Early Childhood, Education, Girls, Parenting, Play, Psychology of Youth Tagged with: Amy Fusselman, Art, Book, Boys, child psychology, Creativity, Education, Exploration, Girls, Learning, Life Narratives, Parenting, Play, Preschool, School Architecture, Teaching, Youth
College Admissions Drama 101
If I were a high school junior or senior, I’d throw in the towel. How many opposing perspectives do we expect kids to comprehend when it comes to college admissions? Many, if not most teens, are subject to years of…
Posted in Adolescence, College, Communicating with Kids, Parenting, Psychology of Youth, School Tagged with: Admissions, College, College Admission, Competition, Education, Fairness, Frank Bruni, Life Narratives, Parenting, Purpose, Status
Skill is Counterintuitive
For more than a decade new perspectives of skill have been the focus of books on achievement, education, sports, and the arts. Malcom Gladwell’s books are some of the best known examples. Another very useful contribution is Daniel Coyle’s, The…
Posted in Adolescence, Child Psychology, Education, Executive Functions, Parenting, Teaching Tagged with: Book, Brain, Competition, counterintuitive, Creativity, Daniel Coyle, Education, myelination, Skill, Sports, Talent
