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Trauma Makes Learning Hard
In my career as a tutor, I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of interesting, curious, funny, creative, bright kids. I’ve tutored students who’ve needed remedial help, who have wanted to be challenged, and students with ADHD and/or autism, from pre-K all the way through college. I coach a lot of kids through…
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Learning = Trauma Resilience
As a kid, I was often accused of lacking common sense and being stupid or lazy. The world was presented to me as a series of dichotomies: you’re either right or wrong, smart or stupid, good or bad. But despite feeling like a good kid, I was frequently told I wasn’t. In recent times, I’ve…
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Empathy and Critical Thinking
When we think about critical thinking, we often think of cold logic – carefully dissected arguments, objective evidence, and rational conclusions. But this image is missing a crucial element: empathy. Empathy is not at the opposite end of the spectrum from reason; rather, it is essential to true critical thinking. Without it, our judgments become…