J2 Content – Perspectives

A varied collection of thoughts on education and parenting

In Case You Didn’t Notice, My Son is No Longer on Your Team

For the past four years, my son has been a member of the local swim team. That’s four years of summer, winter, and spring swimming seasons. That’s four $750 checks written for the pleasure of being a member of the team. That’s four years in which the coaches had a chance to learn that he…. read more

With Apologies to my 7th Grade Teacher

Back when I was in the 7th grade, I had an English teacher (we called it “English” back then, but to you younger readers that is “Language Arts”) named Ms. Miller. Ms. Miller taught the honors students and she was one of the more demanding teachers for our grade level. This being pre-NCLB-centered education, what…. read more

This Aint Elementary School Anymore

Last Friday, my daughter made the jump from a K-6 elementary school into a 7-8 middle school. Her father and I did all we could to prepare her: clothes, school supplies, some summer “school work”, a number of talks about boys, peer pressure, “mean girls” and more. We made it a point to watch some…. read more

Dad, You’re Killing Those Hot Dogs!

My kids are wise beyond their years in so many ways. At 5 and 8, they view the world with wonder and creativity. They seem to want the most fantastic explanations to be the true ones, and as such it should have come as no surprise when my kids yelled out “Dad, you’re killing those…. read more

Common Sense Reminders for Facebook and Other Online Interactions

This week, my daughter is heading onto the internet. She’s officially become a part of the 21st century as she set up her Facebook account today.  These are the reminders I gave her to post on her wall. They are not only applicable to Facebook but to any forum, twitter, chat room situation. 1)  Don’t…. read more

My Daughter, the Pre-Teen Eco-Terrorist

Well, she would be, if I let her proclaim her love for Whale Wars the way she’d like to. Okay, okay… I have no idea if the FBI really does put people who donate to Sea Shephard or are active members of their support community on a terror watch list. In fact, I suspect they…. read more

The Greatest Movie You’ll Never See

About six years ago, we made a short video of my son. He was (and still is) a passionate fan of Star Wars, and we used our new camcorder and my copy of Adobe Elements to throw together a 2-minute fan film starring a seven-year old Jedi warrior and (spoiler alert) his twin, Darth Menace….. read more

School Bus: The Final Frontier

The school bus is an icon of education. From the standard yellow to the trippy buses of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem and the Partridge Family, the school bus has been one of the most standard and recognizable parts of going to school. Young kids marvel at the flat front buses, wondering if their…. read more

School Picture Day 3.0

Today is Spring Picture Day at my child’s school. This, of course, should not be confused with Class Picture Day or Fall Picture Day, nor should one forget that End of Year Picture Day is just 2 months away. For some reason, my child’s school district has decided that we need 4 opportunities each year…. read more

On Open Letter to the Parent of My Child’s Friend

Hi. I’m Jennifer’s mom. I think it’s great the way that Jennifer and your daughter, Olivia, get along so well. We are in a weird situation, you and me, in that our children are friends, but we hardly know each other. I know very little about you and the way you like to run your…. read more

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