Oct 11, 2014  •  In Cute, Education, Entertainment, Geek, Movies, Parenting, Star Wars

J.J. Abrams Personally Solves Kid’s Algebra Problem

Last week, a (rightfully) proud father’s Facebook post went viral as he shared his 8th grade son’s homework. The assignment? To create an algebraic expression into a word problem. And his son Cody’s answer (with no help from his parents)? In case you’re having trouble reading the above, it says: J.J. Abrams is making Star Wars […]

Jul 25, 2014  •  In Aerin, Claire, Education, Parenting, Personal

Summer Camp

Claire and Aerin are now halfway through their first summer camp experience. 😎   The camp is run by Claire’s Montessori school; it is set during the hours that would otherwise be taken up by classes during the school year. And while the school continues to run educational programs and activities at camp, these summertime sessions tend to be less structured […]

Feb 4, 2012  •  In Asian, Claire, Education, Geek, Information, Parenting

Why Chinese is Hard

Most of my readers know that we have been teaching Claire three languages since she was born. And at this point, at 16 months of age, she understands Cantonese Chinese the best, and more than half the words she speaks are Cantonese. I have no problem with this. I believe that Chinese — regardless of […]

Dec 1, 2011  •  In Asian, Education, Funny

The Asian Grading System

Atypical of Asian parents, mine weren’t too strict about grades growing up. In fact, they bribed us — we would get $20 for every A on our report card! (And yes, even A-‘s counted.) So whenever I got straight A‘s, my wallet would be fuller by $120. Not bad at all when you’re a kid. What […]

Oct 18, 2011  •  In Cute, Education, Funny, Personal

How to Find Kentucky on the Map

When I was in 3rd grade, I became the first person in my class to memorize all the states and their capitals in alphabetical order. I was also the first to correctly identify each state on a map of the United States. Sadly, that was the peak of my geographical knowledge. I can now only correctly […]

Jul 20, 2011  •  In Education, Personal

Mr. Jay Cutler

On the first day of fifth grade, Mr. Jay Cutler introduced himself as our English teacher for the rest of the school year. He then promised us that he would walk across the classroom on his hands whenever the entire class completed their homework. “You may think I’m lying, but I’m not,” he told us. […]

Jun 28, 2011  •  In Baby, Education, Parenting, Personal, Relationships, Toys

A Genderless Preschool

Earlier today, I read about Egalia, a Swedish preschool that aims to break down gender stereotypes. At this taxpayer-funded preschool located in the liberal Sodermalm district of Stockholm, staff avoid using pronouns such as “him” or “her” and address the 33 children as “friends” rather than boys and girls. Every little detail — from the color and […]

“Guerilla Classrooms” Ad Campaign

In an effort to encourage parents to get involved in their children’s learning, advertising agency Cramer-Krasselt has teamed up with COA Youth & Family Centers to set up interactive displays — dubbed “Guerilla Classrooms” — around the city of Milwaukee. AdAge explains: To promote parent-child interaction in fun ways, Cramer-Krasselt has set up large puzzles, word searches, mazes, […]

Jun 11, 2011  •  In Career, Education, Parenting, Personal, Relationships

Peaked Too Early

Lately I have been plagued with a nagging uncertainty that makes me wonder if I had peaked too early in life. Allow me to explain. Before the age of 20, I was a Little Miss Overachiever: straight ‘A’s in school, tons of extracurricular activities, numerous awards, distinctions, and merits. My accomplishments included the following: Not […]

May 24, 2011  •  In Education, Personal, Relationships

Education Regrets

With the increasing number of studies and articles questioning the value of college degrees, in addition to the declining rates of employment and starting salaries among new graduates, it is no wonder that today’s young adults are fraught with regrets about their college choices. According to a recent study by Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center for Workforce […]