Wilber Schramm, an expert on the reading levels of newspapers, found that “an easier reading style helps [readers] to decide how much of an article is read. This [is] called reading persistence, depth, or perseverance….people will read less of long articles than of short ones. A story nine paragraphs long will lose three out of […]
Colorado Springs is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. That’s right—this year’s new buzzword is “sesquicentennial.” By comparison to some large cities on the east coast, Colorado Springs is fairly young, but for longtime residents in the shadow of Pikes Peak, there’s a lot to celebrate. Check out coloradosprings.gov/cos-150 for a year-long, full slate of
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It’s an odd juxtaposition: the teacher learning from the students. It happens to me all the time. What’s even more strange is that my students teach me things without meaning to. Take, for instance, my mid-semester checkpoint lesson. I hand out index cards and ask students a variety of questions, including, “Are you happy?”—with their
Accidental Lessons Read More »
Greg (not his real name) appeared at my door hurting and shattered. I ushered him inside and gave him a hug, perhaps the first he’d had in months that wasn’t from his kids. “How are you?” I asked. “I’ve been better,” he said, tearing up. I took him into the kitchen and poured two cups
Mark Twain was a people watcher. Insanely talented and brilliant, he spent a lot of time writing, but arguably more time observing human behavior. He became as famous for his aphorisms as for his writing, and some of his most famous quotes still resonate today. Here are my thoughts on five of them: “Don’t go
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“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” – John Muir, Our National Parks, 1901 At one
Going to the Mountains is Going Home Read More »