As the looming return of the school year in the United States draws ever closer, teachers and administrators are not the only agents who should be concerned with how to protect themselves and others from contracting COVID-19. Children everywhere, subject to the policy decisions of their respective school districts, are largely at the mercy of their elders regarding where they will spend their time this fall and how they should guard themselves against this disease.
This is especially critical for young children, who rely on other people to learn about all sorts of things, from the cultural norms of their…
I got into a really interesting conversation with some friends the other day about the extent to which our view of an individual should diminish by virtue of their association with a person who is, as we view it, morally reprehensible.
This was, believe it or not, actually borne out of a debate about whether or not we should think less of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for her friendship — not just a cordial, professional working relationship — with her late colleague Justice Antonin Scalia.
Children ask lots of questions. Even before children can put together words, they point at things that they want to learn about.
Some are easy enough to answer — “What’s that animal?” or “Can I drink your beer?” Others like “What is God?” and “Why do people die?” are tougher.
One study found that kids between three and five years old ask an astounding average of 76 questions per hour. This rapid-fire search for information is important for kids’ learning. Their inquisitiveness gives them access to knowledge that others can share.
In working on my doctorate in human development, the…
