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There comes a point in the news cycle where there’s nothing new happening, yet the flow of words and images must continue.
That’s when the news media starts reporting on stuff other people said about what could happen next.
“So-and-so predicts worst economic downturn in modern history!”
“A source says that students won’t be back to school until 2021!”
Read MoreThanks to our free pro Zoom account (thanks, Eric Yuan!), we now have some new features to manage the video conferences we run for our middle schoolers. Disabling chat, for instance, is a must-have.
Another useful feature is the ability to mute the mics of all participants with one click. However, we don’t use that unless we have to. Until the meeting officially begins, we let the students socialize; when it’s time for us to start, we politely ask them to mute their own microphones. One by one, we see the “mute” icons appear.
Read MoreRunning a tiny, weird school exposes some fascinating and frustrating human behavior.
From prospective families who decide not to enroll, I often hear, "We love your program, but we're going to give our public school a try first. Who knows, maybe we'll be contacting you again if it doesn't work out!"
It’s understandable that people would be reluctant to take the risk, financial and educational, of trying something different. But I also hear, equally often, "We wish we had started with you sooner!" from parents who return a year or two later, finally ready to give us a try.
Read MoreWould you rather gain $20 or avoid losing $20?
Studies have shown that the relief of not losing $20 is greater than the satisfaction that we get from gaining $20 — or, put another way, that the pain of losing $20 is bigger than the satisfaction of gaining $20.
We humans tend to focus more on potential losses than potential gains. Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman were the first to note this phenomenon. They called it “loss aversion.” And if we’re not careful, it will rule us.
Read MoreWhen I look back at my college career at the University of Maine, many of my fondest memories revolved around being a member of the University Singers under the direction of Dr. Dennis K. Cox.
I have learned many things from DC, including the beauty of choral literature and the magic that can be created by a joyful group of people unified in their sound and their intent. However, one lesson I’ve never forgotten was one applicable not to choir, but to life in general. He told us, “When faced with a decision, it doesn’t matter what you choose, as long as you commit to it one hundred percent.”
Read More“Where should I put the ice cream?”
This is a real question I received from a teenager who was helping to clean up after a meal.
Questions like this come from fear of getting it wrong. Instead of thinking the problem through for ourselves, we imagine that there’s a “right answer” floating out there in the ether, and we give up and ask someone else when we don’t find it.
In work and life, success comes from the ability to make good decisions consistently. And good decisions come from clear thinking.
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