Tag Archives: education

What Are We Preparing Our Students For?

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Julie Goldberg

Today on Perfect Whole we have a guest post by my colleague, Richard Smith. A longer version of this essay was published in our school newspaper. Rich and I work in an extremely high-achieving school district in which nearly all … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hungry

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Julie Goldberg

I was in the A&P late this afternoon, around 5:30, when I noticed that I was in a surly mood, almost itching for a fight with the woman behind the bakery counter who didn’t want to answer my question about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Education | Tagged , | 2 Comments

An Angel Packs a Suitcase

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

Politicians and business leaders demand that schools prepare students for the future, but the future is notoriously difficult to predict. Which future shall we prepare them for? Star Trek  or The Hunger Games? How can we responsibly prepare students for whatever the … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Education | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

An Imperfect Conduit

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

“… what they did for this country is still etched in the minds of not only you, but millions of Americans, forever. That’s why it’s so important that this memorial be preserved and go on for our children and our … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Volta | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Teach the Timeless

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

Version 6.0, 2012 Did you ever see “Shift Happens”? You might remember it as the “Did You Know?” presentation, full of startling statistics about the relative populations of China, India and the United States, and about the exponential growth of … Continue reading →

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Adventures in Bothmind

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

I grew up both. Both Catholic and Jewish. Both an only child and the youngest of four. Both middle and working class. Both a child of the 70s and 80s and, by accidents of birth and history, a very late … Continue reading →

Posted in Volta | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Vocation, Virtue, and Jerry Sandusky

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

Jerry Sandusky, convicted serial abuser of vulnerable children, got away with molesting boys for decades because of a deeply-ingrained belief in American culture that football coaches are inherently virtuous. Football coaches at all levels, from peewee to the NFL, are … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Education | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

What We Got for $140,000

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

Tomorrow, my daughter graduates 8th grade, bringing an end to her twelve years of Waldorf education. She’s been a student at Green Meadow Waldorf School since she was three years old, longer than she can remember. To her, Waldorf school … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Motherhood | Tagged , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

This Essay is Not Living Up to Its Potential

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

You’re not working up to your potential! Raise your hand if your teachers told you this when you were growing up. Wow! That many of you! That’s a LOT of unlived-up-to potential! Let us pause for a moment and imagine … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Motherhood, Volta | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Overthrow of the Queen

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Julie Goldberg

When my daughter Grace was in the second grade, she staged a small, gentle revolution against a powerful person. Now 14 ½ and in eighth grade, she wrote the following memoir for an English assignment: The Small Rebellion By Grace … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Motherhood | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments