J2 Content – Perspectives

A varied collection of thoughts on education and parenting

An Advantage to Irregular Visits from Family

As is the case for most of you, Christmas and Thanksgiving brought my children, wife, and I together with some family members we don’t often see. I’m not proud of or pleased by that fact… but we simply don’t see my uncles, cousins, or even brother as often as I’d like. One advantage is the…. 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

Were Halloween Costumes Always So Provocative?

It’s October which means that it’s yet again time to shop for Halloween costumes for the kids. Given my daughter just turned 14, it’s highly likely this is the last time she’ll be ‘trick-or-treating’. My son, age 10, was easy to shop for. “Mom I want to be an army soldier with a gun! And…. read more

Giving in to Glee

I don’t know how many seasons Glee has been on. It feels like somewhere in the range of 3-5, but to be honest I’m not sure. I do remember when Glee first came on the air. I had no interest in watching it. I’m not sure exactly what it is about the show that turned…. read more

A Most unScientific Study: Nutrition Bars

An informal survey of seven families with school age children revealed the following results. All 7 families allowed their children to eat “bars” (a category we defined to include “milk and cereal bars”, “granola bars”, and “health/diet/protein bars”). Only 2 of the families gave their children health/diet/protein bars. The reasons both families gave was that…. read more

A Prescription of No Technology

It’s almost time for the annual family camping trip where we head north to a lake just west of Yosemite California.  The 10 hour drive is well worth it.  The area is so remote that cell phone coverage is next to impossible – even the satellite radio cuts in and out.  We literally spend an…. read more

A Most unScientific Study – Back to School Shopping

An informal survey of thirteen families revealed the following data about how families shop for school supplies for the coming year. 4 of the 13 families are done with their back to school shopping 6 of the 13 famlies have begun shopping but are not finished yet 3 of the 13 famlies have not begun…. 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

Pop Culture Required Reading

Last week, I took my kids to see Mr. Popper’s Penguins (they liked it).  During the previews, we saw this trailer… My kids laughed and became excited for the new Chipmunks movie, but I had to wonder – did the studio really expect fans of the Chipmunks to be familiar with Titanic? It turns out…. read more

Kids Have Bad Taste, What You Can Do About It

If history has taught us anything, and I don’t think it has, it’s that Justin Bieber is a thing kids today are going to be embarrassed about later. Think N-Sync, New Kids on the Block, or for a littler international flavor, Menudo, which is actually a kind of soup. That’s just the way it is….. read more

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