Thanks to all of you who tuned in on Tuesday to the Healthy Media Choices Hour radio show. It was great fun for me, and talking with Mary Rothschild was a perfect opportunity to cross-pollinate and share ideas. Look on her site for a link to Mary’s blog, too.
We talked about so much, but of course afterwards there was even more that I thought about. Luckily the on-going blog gives me the chance to continue the conversation. One great resource, which I am honored to have contributed to, is the book So Sexy So Soon by Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne. The book is now available in paperback it is an invaluable resource for all parents (toddlers through teens). I know that Jean has been on The Healthy Media Choices Hour talking about the book, and this is a shout out about the new paperback edition and the newly launched blog!
In the interview did I make clear that good teaching is a craft? That one reason why good teachers are leaving the field due to No Child Left Behind. They are too smart and too creative to be fulfilled in a job of scripted curriculum. Good teachers are good thinkers and need to be in places that are interesting and stimulating. Losing skilled teachers is part of the fallout from NCLB. As I’ve said in the past, Debbie Meier is an expert at starting schools that are interesting places for students and for teachers. It is not only possible – it is essential.
I also loved the question one listener emailed, about me getting money from companies I endorse. As I stated on the show, my endorsements are free. I simply believe that people who are doing good work on behalf of kids deserve to be recognized. Parents and kids are constantly marketed to by companies more concerned about growing cradle-to-grave consumers than they are about growing thinkers and doers. I also aim to celebrate great toys simply because the current world is saturated with absolutely terrible toys.
Finally, I recently added a link on my blog for folks who are looking to host workshops for parents and teachers on the topics presented in the blog. I have been presenting for years at schools and conferences across the country, and now that my sons are starting school, I will have more time for presenting again. Thanks, again to everyone – we’ll see where the new (school) year brings us…