Imagine you were a parent at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Explaining the practical world to your children would be a big problem.  Your world was changing and about to change in unprecedented ways.  How could you guide them?  You only knew about farming or other pre-Industrial occupations and pathways to financial independence. We […]

We live in a relative bubble.  The Connecticut coast is mostly filled with upper-middle-class and affluent families.  Most came of age when upward mobility was common.  Most probably have done as well or better or at least pretty close to as well as their parents.   Most have not witnessed first hand downward mobility.  Downward mobility […]

Through the years of giving presentations to students along Shoreline, Connecticut, I often ask: “When do you become an adult in America?” “18” a few mumble. I then ask if they’ll still be living at home at 18 and continue with the obvious point that not much will really change in their lives on when […]

Throughout history, the normal transition to adulthood went something like this: Boys become men by becoming soldiers or starting full-time farming or manual labor or, if lucky, taking a bigger role in a family of merchants. Girls become women by marrying some older guy that they barely knew. What if you took a time machine […]

“I realized he thinks I’m stupid.” Joe, a sophomore from Old Lyme, CT said.  He had received a poor report card in 10th grade.  His Dad, following the current version of the good parent playbook, said “as long as you did your best.”  His Dad is a nice guy. Indeed, I probably would say the […]

Malcolm Gladwell’s books are great: The Tipping Point and Blink, put him on the map.   But The Outliers, is my favorite, particularly because he addresses the issue of education.   Post-pandemic, his advice matters more than ever since I can report anecdotally what all new research is confirming: our children’s education has been devastated since 2020. […]