John Irving wonderfully defined “gradual school” as where students go until they gradually figure out that they need to be somewhere else. I took several courses in myriad departments until determining that I needed to be elsewhere, specifically developmental psychology. The social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development of children, adolescents,
“Do people who run marathons know that they don’t have to?” suggests a popular meme. To which I might add, “do people who have kids know that they’re no requirement?” “You don’t get a prize” one of my running buddies says. She’s referring to training and racing and although, to
We don’t put pressure on our daughter. We never said you must get good grades. We always emphasized that we love her for who she is not what she does. Yet somehow she has internalized this perfectionism. I don’t know where she gets this harmful idea. She studies till all
Had it been my turn I would have tapped two fingers against my left forearm. “Two syllables!” my teammates would have shouted. Holding up two fingers and then grabbing my ear, I would have communicated, “second syllable!” and “sounds like!” before going on to pantomime “fear” by throwing up my
Student loan forgiveness has been a national discussion recently. My colleagues in the independent counseling world have been penning insightful posts about the subject. My limited understanding of the arguments on both sides is as follows: in favor, “student debt is onerous and unfair.” Against, “hard working folks shouldn’t have
My best friend from high school is dying of cancer. I’m not sure exactly what kind. On a recent visit I overheard the words “prostate,” “metastatic,” and “palliative care.” You know the kind of cancer you get better from? Tom’s cancer is the other kind. Tom and I became friends
My wife is my frontal lobe. On a recent trip to Miami, I made arrangements to meet my running buddies on Monday morning for our traditional plod down to Matheson Hammock to watch the sunrise. Patti gently pointed out that while she was in favor of Matheson Hammock specifically and
That my children are my greatest joy will come as no surprise to long-time readers. (Sorry, Patti. Passion and joy are different.) Indeed it has often been said that you think you know what love is when you meet your partner, but that you only truly come to understand the
It’s hard to watch Bewitched, a situation comedy from 1964. Bewitched is to women’s rights as thalidomide is to medications. For those of you who had the good sense to be born more recently, a brief recap will suffice: Samantha, a recently married person of the female persuasion, has magical
“How dare you accuse my Percy of cheating!” bellows the outraged parent. “He would never do such a thing!” The teacher presents Percy’s answer sheet from the Biology 101 mid-term. Percy’s wrong answers match identically with Susie’s, an honors student who sits one row in front and to the side
Copyright © David Altshuler 1980 – 2024 | Miami, FL • Charlotte, NC | (305) 978-8917 | [email protected]
