• Home
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • NJAGC Conferences
  • About
  • Professional Outreach
  • Professional Honors
  • Blog

What I'm thinking/What I'm reading

A Man Called Ove     by Fredrik Backman

4/4/2017

1 Comment

 
​
I almost gave up on it.  And, it should be noted, I rarely abandon a book. 

But after more than 50 pages — the number I advised students to reach before they made the decision to abandon a book — I was struggling with the will to continue.

Ove is a miserable man.  Cranky doesn’t even begin to cover it.  He delights in arguing over the most petty of situations.  He is rude to neighbors and strangers indiscriminately.  But then, very slowly, the whole of the man emerges.

Fredrik Backman created an unforgettable character in A Man Called Ove.  In alternating chapters, we meet the boy Ove, the young man who needs no one, and then the man who needs only one remarkable woman.  Backman lets us meet her as well.   The story unfolds and Ove comes alive as people push into his space and interfere with his best laid plans.  It becomes impossible to put the book down.

It is hard to believe that this is a first novel.  Reviews have raved with praises like “charming” and “a crowd pleaser.”  By word of mouth, "Ove" has become a best seller across Europe and now in the US.  It is bitter and sweet.  Ove made me angry.  He made me laugh. A lot.  And in the end, I cried with the sheer beauty of this character and a story so beautifully told.

I came to respect this guy. Like most interesting characters I meet in books, or in life, he reminded me of unusual kids I’ve known in my classrooms.  He’s not a student.  His wife is the intellect.    He’s a man who lives in a world of things like trains, houses, anything mechanical, and cars!  Specifically — most specifically — Saabs.  He is physically strong, mentally a spatial genius, and emotionally what some might describe as “on the spectrum.” 

I would not label him.  Backman doesn’t.  What he is, honestly, is a survivor.  His taciturn bitterness is understandable as we learn of the tragedies that would stymie most people.   What is miraculous is his resiliency and his life well lived.  The bitter and the sweet.
​
This is a novel that is well worth reading.  But don’t get discouraged and for sure, don’t give up on Ove or his remarkable story.
 
 

1 Comment

Meet Trevor Noah - Much More than a Funny Man

2/5/2017

0 Comments

 
​Many know Trevor Noah as the comedian who assumed hosting duties of “The Daily Show” when Jon Stewart stepped aside in 2015.  Kudos to Stewart and his staff for bringing Noah to the show as a recurring contributor and grooming him for the hosting position.

Now in his mid-30s, the comedian began his career when he was 18 on a South African soap opera.  With a quick wit, easy delivery, and good looks, he became an international star. He was the first South African to perform on “The Tonight Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” 

Honestly, I had no idea of any of this as I don’t follow the late night shows or the comedy circuit. What did catch my attention was his book Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.  His writing is as entertaining as his wit.  There’s a hint of Angela’s Ashes with this memoir, in the sense of finding humor in the horrible.  However, Noah does more than share his own story, as astounding as it is.  He provides a thoughtful and thought provoking view into the insane world of apartheid and the crazy parsing of race that consumed his country.     

Noah’s mother, an extraordinary woman who defied being defined by any strictures — family or society — chose to be in a relationship with a Swiss-German man when she was working and living in Johannesburg.  That she was black made this relationship illegal.  The child she deliberately conceived with her lover was therefore a crime.  She raised Trevor, though his father was part of his life.  Noah writes of outings the family would take. Because the races were not allowed to mix, young Trevor, a colored, would trail his father, a white. His mother, a black, would trail him, none interacting with the other, as they had a day at the mall.

From his earliest memories, Noah recalls how he was kept inside when with his mother’s family, of the Xhosa tribe. His mother and he had returned to Soweto Township where race was carefully monitored.  A colored child, if discovered in a black neighborhood, would be removed by the government.  

Born a Crime provides powerful insights into the waning days of apartheid. Each chapter is preceded by an anecdote or an elaboration of law or custom that sets the context of a Noah memory.  For example, prior to the chapter titled “Chameleon,” Noah writes:
                        Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it.  A shared language says, “We’re the same.” A language barrier says, “We’re different.”  The architects of apartheid understood this.  Part of the effort to divide black people was to make sure we were separated not just physically but by language as well.  In the Bantu schools, children were only taught in their home language.  Zulu kids learned in Zulu.  Tswana kids learned in Tswana.  Because of this, we’d fall in the trap the government had set for us and fight among ourselves, believing that we were different.          
                        The great thing about language is that you can just as easily use it to do the opposite:  convince people that they are the same.  Racism teaches us that we are different because of the color of our skin.  But because racism is stupid, it’s easily tricked….
 
Throughout, Noah shares stories of how he survived by upending the idea of color as a definition.  Like his brilliant and very crafty mother, Noah spoke multiple languages fluently. He shares one moment that is illustrative of his thinking about color and culture.  When he was tailed by a gang of Zulus who he heard plotting to beat up the colored kid, he turned to them and in perfect Zulu suggested that he join with them to find someone to mug. It took a moment for their brains to process the language coming from a not-black face, but language won out and Noah — the colored kid — "was embraced as one of their tribe."

“I learned to use language like my mother did.  I would simulcast — give you the program in your own tongue. …I’d reply in whatever language they’d addressed me in, using the same accent they used.  There would be a brief moment of confusion, and then the suspicious look would disappear.  ‘Oh, okay. I thought you were a stranger.  We’re good then.'"

Noah’s memoir has been hailed as a love letter to his mother.  Indeed, it was a gift from my son knowing his mother would appreciate this book.   But Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah is far from being a warmly nurturing mother.  She fiercely loved her son and fiercely fought anyone — even him — who got in her way of what she wanted for him. Here we have shades of Angela’s Ashes with outrageous experiences like his mother tossing him from a moving car, living on caterpillars, shielding him from her black relations, an alcoholic stepfather, and a future preordained by an unrelentingly harsh environment.   And always, always, invoking her intense faith that with Jesus they are a team that cannot be defeated.

 He opens and ends the book with his mother at the center of the story.  But throughout the body of the memoir, she is on the edges of his life as he learns how to find and define himself in a very cruel world — which is how she would have it.  Noah was raised by one resilient woman.  What she demanded of him was that level of grit that would propel him far from the dying grasp of apartheid and its violent aftermath.

For many years, I’ve played the “Famous Genius” game with kids and adults.  Trevor Noah is a great example of a highly gifted mind and personality — illustrative of what Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory cites as verbal linguistic as well as interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences.

Educators should read this book as evidence that kids who do really bad things (like burn down a mansion), are really not bad kids. In reality, Trevor Noah is the poster boy for those kids on the edges who have extraordinary potential — the type of kid that gifted programs need to find and nurture. 
​

Patricia, with her faith and sheer will, made sure Trevor had every opportunity she could find for him.  Bright young man that he is, he took his strange life by the horns and whipped it into an international sensation. 
0 Comments

HAMILTON THE REVOLUTION  What a book! 

11/20/2016

0 Comments

 
​“Hamilton: An American Musical” celebrates genius on multiple levels.  Alexander Hamilton was a genius.  He literally wrote himself out of poverty and off the island of Nevis.   He exemplifies what some of us believe are characteristics of genius.  He was passionate, driven, and as gritty as they come, besides being a super problem solver and creative thinker. 
 
The creator of this turning point in theater is also a genius.  Following his first big production,  “In the Heights,” (a Tony and Grammy winner),  Lin-Manuel Miranda grabbed the attention of not only the theater world, but the world at large with “Hamilton: An American Musical” — a mind boggling integration of old school Broadway with Hip Hop sound and style.  Just to confirm that this opinion is not overblown, Miranda was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2015 — aka “ the Genius Grant.”
 
No doubt “Hamilton” is a Miranda production.  What Broadway musical has one person framing the idea, creating the book, music, and lyrics — and taking the lead role?   Ah, but what a cabinet he had in putting this together.  Tommy Kail was an early believer who could direct Miranda’s vision. Alex Lacamoire was equally significant as the pianist and musical director. Questlove — “If he isn’t the pope of Hip Hop, he’s at least a high ranking cardinal,” says Miranda.    Andy Blankenbuehler, the storytelling choreographer — he has Burr move in straight lines “because he sees no options” and Hamilton moving in arcs “because he sees all the possibilities.”
 
Illustrative of how this team worked is Jay Duckworth, the prop manager of the Public Theater.  During the “Yorktown” sequence, when Washington consults Comte de Rochambeau’s map, Chris Jackson (as GW), looks at a reproduction of Rochambeau’s actual map, printed on parchment paper with Mod Pudge so it resembles sheep skin.  Duckworth cares about the tiniest, least visible prop — the seal on the letters from Washington and Hamilton are personalized, and sealed with real wax — as are the candles “as nothing else looks like wax.”  Duckworth says he thinks it is unfair to ask actors to go on stage and expose themselves with anything less than what he calls “ultimate support.” 
 
The show is grounded in genius scholarship:   Ron Chernow’s  2004 bio on Hamilton inspired Miranda.  Professor Joann Freeman’s knowledge of the Revolution and early Republic kept Miranda and his musical true to the historic roots. Miranda builds on musical genius: Tupac, Mobb Deep, and a range of rappers who influenced him, as did “Gilbert and Sullivan,” “South Pacific” and “Hair” that expanded his view of Broadway.  This plethora of genius was amply rewarded. To note some highlights: :  the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; a record setting 16 Tony nominations, with 11 wins including Best Musical; the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theater album; multiple Drama Desk awards.  
 
PBS THIRTEEN just opened the Great Performances season with “Hamilton’s America,” a documentary   film showcasing the creation and performance of the award winning “Hamilton: An American Musical.”   It is an awesome production. 
 
But fans will want to dive deeper into the mind of Lin-Manuel Miranda and the story of “Hamilton: An American Musical” with the must read Hamilton the Revolution (Grand Central Publishing, April 2016) by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, who is the drama critic at the New York Magazine. McCarter has long argued that “Hip Hop can save the theater.”  McCarter’s view of Hip Hop’s “lyrical density and storytelling ingenuity” is borne out in Miranda’s “Hamilton.” 
 
Where I see genius at the core of Hamilton and the musical, Miranda saw revolution.  His musical celebrates the origins of revolution as he revolutionizes the American musical.  Much has been written about his casting of people of color to play iconic historical figures.  In the list of genius talents associated with the production, the actors who bring old, white men and women from history fully alive are key.    It is one more brilliant stroke, with powerful ramifications.
 
Daveed Diggs, when interviewed, said he thinks that seeing a black man play Jefferson or Madison or Washington when he was a child in Oakland might have changed his life.  “A whole lot of things I just never thought were for me would have seemed possible. “
 
Okieriete Onaodowan (“’Oak’ to all”) on his role as James Madison says, “I’m a black man playing a wise, smart, distinguished future president.” 
 
Early on, Miranda and crew recognized the power the musical had unleashed.  They opened February 17, 2015 and within a few weeks, faced what they thought was their toughest audience —seats filled with high school students from New York public schools (through Public Theater’s partnership with the Theater Development Fund.)  The kids got it — all of it.  Within months, producer Jeffrey Seller announced a “radical expansion” of “Hamilton’s” outreach to students.  With a 1.5 million dollar grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and educational support from the Gilda Lehrman Institute of American History, 20,000 New York public school students, most on reduced or free lunch, will see the show in 2016 — for $10. 
 
Within a decade, licenses for school productions will be in play with possibly 600 or 700 school productions around the country annually.
 
It’s genius!  It’s a revolution!

Hamilton the Revolution is presented in 18th century style —Miranda’s extended homage to the man and his times.   The subtitle captures the tone and reveals the wonders of this book:

                                                                  Being the Complete Libretto
                                                                                    of the
                                                                         Broadway Musical
                                                                    With a true account of
                                                                             Its Creation
                                                                  and concise remarks on
                                                              Hip-Hop, the Power of Stories,
                                                                    and the New America
 
 
Miranda presents wonderfully annotated lyrics — comments on how a phrase was turned, his jokes,his nods to B.I.G and other rappers, and Broadway.   The photos reveal details in costuming and the movement on the stage that enhances the story.  And the interviews!  Each chapter highlights a moment, a person, the story within the story of how this show emerged from Miranda’s mind and came to life through the geniuses around him.   From what Miranda initially thought of as “The Hamilton Mixtape,” with a very early reveal of the first song performed at the White House, to six years later a fully formed musical, Hamilton The Revolution shares the genius of an American musical revolution.
 
A remarkable book.  One more revelation of the Miranda genius.

0 Comments

BRUUUUUUCE!

10/11/2016

0 Comments

 
October 11, 2016
 
I like Bruce Springsteen’s music, but I am not a super fan.  Not like those who have been to a hundred of his concerts, who know every lyric.  Who yell BRUUUUUUUUCE!

I am a fan of genius and he is truly a musical genius.  Turns out, he also is a sharp writer, who brings the same candid tone, humor, originality and intense passion to his memoir as he is beloved for bringing to his music. This project began for him after he and the E Street Band played the 2009 Super Bowl.  That experience was so “exhilarating” that Springsteen decided to write about it.  And he kept going.  Seven years later, he has fulfilled his promise to show the reader his mind.  “In these pages, I’ve tried to do that.” 

Born to Run was released a month ago.  The launch of his book tour was at the Freehold Barnes and Nobel — his hometown.  He still is a Monmouth County boy, but now in the rarified air of Rumson and Colts Neck — he has estates in both.   He knows how far he’s come, and he does not shy away from telling us how surreal it all is for him.

What his fans saw that day in Freehold was a humble guy.  He showed up 90 minutes early, signed every book, posed for endless selfies and was genuinely pleased to be there.  He’s been gone from Freehold since he was a teenager, but his old Irish/Italian neighbor is still deeply rooted in him.  This is the best of memoir as Springsteen is more show than just tell.  He both relives the world that shaped him as he also stands to the side, reflecting on what it was about and where it fits into who he became.

What I have reflected on in reading his book is how this music icon is an exemplar of what I understand about genius.  Who knows what his IQ is.  I’m guessing he’s bright, based on the savvy decisions he’s made with his career.  Interestingly, with all the details of his youth and growing up in Freehold, almost nothing is said about school —only that he had to go at age five and knew it wasn’t for him from the first day.  He skipped his high school graduation.  The principal was offended by his “look” — the long hair and grunge attire.  So screw it.  On graduation day, he got up early, hopped a bus to New York City and spent the day with his musical colleagues in the Village.

This is before cell phones, but his parents guessed where he would be and made some calls.  When they finally tracked him down, they persuaded him to come home for the party — which he did.  A week later, he stopped by school to pick up his diploma. 

Just as he knew school was not important for him, he knew college wasn't either.  Besides, at this point he was already well into building his music career. But it was the era of the Vietnam draft, and his parents really wanted him to make an effort for a college degree. So he started at community college to appease them and to protect himself from the draft.  College didn’t last long and is a funny story of how he successfully avoided both school and the draft. 

For those who buy into IQ as the measure of intelligence, and who gauge genius on doing school really well, I say let Bruce Springsteen open minds to what Howard Gardner calls Musical Intelligence, which in Springsteen is to the highest order.  He is a musical genius.
 
But those who follow my thinking —scroll down for my thoughts on Duckworth’s Grit for example —his genius is more than a talent for writing lyrics and setting down chords.  Geniuses work hard and Springsteen is one of the hardest working artists in the business. Intense is the word that defines genius.

He writes:
               I didn’t f_____around, no drugs, no booze, girls…yeah, but not if they
           got in the way of “the music,” f ____ with that and you’re out of my
           life.  There would be no wasted days and wasted nights for me.


That laser focus on music was apparent from when he was just a little boy.  He was blessed to have a mom who did what she could to nurture his yen for music.  His memories of his first guitar, the literal pain of learning chords (very painful to a child’s soft fingertips), the fits and starts with finding band mates and “a sound” — all are evocatively powerful.  

He’s good to his word:  in this book readers see his mind.  And it is very cool to see the genius there.  
0 Comments

Jake Ruddiman on Hamilton -- the man and the musical

8/30/2016

0 Comments

 
What did Miranda get right?  What may not be historically accurate?  
Dr. Jake Ruddiman, Associate Professor of History at Wake Forest University, shares some thoughts with "Humanities Viewpoints Podcast."   Click the link!


http://humanitiesinstitute.wfu.edu/podcast?utm_source=September+2016&utm_campaign=September+2016+Newsletter&utm_medium=email

0 Comments

Switched On!  Robison's Brain Change and Emotional Awakening 

8/24/2016

0 Comments

 
(​ So what has changed in John Robison’s life since 2008?                             
 
​A lot. 

His 2008 memoir, Look Me in the Eye, made him famous. (See review below.)  Many requests for conference appearances and speaking engagements followed as he became a public face of Asperger’s.   He wrote two more books that further developed his thoughts.  Be Different (2011) expounds on his belief that the “strength” of Asperger’s minds should be valued, even as social skills are fostered and  learned.  After meeting so many fellow “Aspergians” and their families seeking to find the confidence Robison exhibits, he was compelled to write this book as advice for his “Aspie” peers, their friends, family and teachers.
               
He also wrote Raising Cubby (2013) about life with his son who is also on the spectrum with what Robison calls Asperger’s.   The brilliant subtitle captures the author’s  loving and exasperated tone throughout — A father and son’s adventures with Asperger’s, trains, tractors, and high explosives.
               
But then Robison’s life and world changed beyond imagination.  This is the rest of the story that he tells in Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening (2016).
               
At one of his many public appearances, Robison was approached by Lindsay Oberman, a post doc researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.  She explained that a group at Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation was seeking adult volunteers on the autism spectrum to be part of a project on improving emotional intelligence. 

Robison, always open to learning anything and particularly about the mystery of his Asperger’s mind, was game. 

 So began his astounding experience with TMS — Transcranial magnetic stimulation.  Switched On is, in Robison’s style, a memoir of his journey into this new arena.    But he also dives into the realm of neuroscience.  Robison sought to learn as much as he could about the TMS process and brain function. Sharing all of this with his readers makes this book a slower go.  That said, the technical aspects enhance understanding of the dramatic changes that turn his life and world inside out.  
  
For instance, after a TMS session, he “felt” music for the first time in his life.  Even with years of working as a sound engineer for rock bands, and more recently, as a photographer with access to the “front of the room” at major concerts, he suddenly was moved to tears by lyrics of a familiar song.  This dramatic moment, which opens the book, was his first inkling that TMS was indeed changing his brain.

 Alvaro Pascual-Leone, the MD-PhD head of the staff at Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation is a cognitive and behavioral neurologist.  In the foreword of Switched On he writes that his mission “is to help patients affected by various neurological and psychiatric condition, including autism epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or drug resistant depression.”   The center’s intent with Robison and with many other subjects, including Robison’s son Cubby, was not to “cure autism” but rather “to learn more about the fundamental mechanisms of brain function in individuals with autism spectrum.”

But as Robison writes, “brain plasticity is the ongoing capacity of the brain and the nervous system to change itself.”  TMS stimulated his brain to “rewire” and changed his emotional intelligence.

So are you thinking of the memorable Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes?  Robison did a lot of thinking about that fictional character as he wondered and worried that what he was experiencing would also fade.

 But the ability to feel emotions and to relate to people “normally” did not abate, both for the good and the bad.  Dealing with a death in his family without the insulation from emotion inflicted terrible pain he had never before felt.   Relationships that had been forged and cemented by his Asperger’s self —broke apart, causing him sadness he had never experienced, even in the worst moments of his childhood. 

The good, however, is immeasurable.  He enters into a new relationship that blossoms into a very happy — albeit unconventional — family.  His photography – always admired for composition and realism – “like the soup containers on the grocery store shelves” – now, he reflects, “are like Warhol soup cans.”   Brighter, vibrant less real and more emotive.

 Towards the end of the book Robison writes, “Sometimes I felt as if I had been turned upside down and shaken, even though any direct effects of TMS had long since dissipated…I still feel significantly changed when compared to my pre-TMS self.”  Friends and family who know him well, and those who encounter Robison infrequently, have the same response.  “You’ve changed.”

One person who has known Robison well over the course of his many years in the music world, told Robison that he always admired Robison’s work.  “But you were also difficult, abrasive, and socially inept.  I actually avoided you.  Then, a few years ago, you changed, and it was dramatic, to say the least.  Now you’re a sociable and likable person that I seek out.”

The most significant part of this book is Robison’s discussion of the “what’s next.”  As he maintained in the conclusion of Look Me in the Eye, Robison again embraces his Asperger’s, providing insights into how his brain works.  For example, he could hear minute vibrations in sound systems, he “hears” engines of finely tuned cars, and he senses — in a split second — a moment that he captures on film.  He refers to his friend, Temple Grandin, who has been able to explain to “normal” brains how her brain see pictures and processes connections almost instantaneously, and how she “understands” what animals are feeling and communicating.

Do we really want to “fix” this type of mind?  Should everyone be “neurotypical?”

 Robison is fearful of “early identification,” saying that “Most of the exceptional things I’ve done in my life were facilitate by my being autistic.  What if all that had been wiped away by early intervention?”  

He states, “The problem comes when we presume all difference is disability, and it’s not.”  Those who work closely with gifted children and adults recognize traits that too often are labeled ADHD, or “on the spectrum.”   Forget the labels.  Work with the abilities that are evident and celebrate the differences.  Address the weaknesses – social behaviors, for example — and build on all the abilities these unique brains possess.

Robison continues to be a remarkable man doing amazing things.  Now in his 50s, Robison is energized to pursue his next steps.  He is concerned about the dysfunction and inefficiency in how research is funded that keeps projects separate and too often secreted.   Then, too, is the problem of specialization, noting that one researcher cannot possibly keep up with information in other fields.
In this complicated system, Robison sees a role he can fill.   “I began to see myself as a possible bridge, because I am not a scientist and I’m not in conflict or competition with any of the researchers.” From his now extensive network, Robison can see “technological combinations” and connect those who are able to capitalize on multiple strands of research.

He has embraced this role in the autism and neurodiversity movement which led to his appointment as William & Mary’s Neurodiversity Scholar in Residence, developing the first neurodiversity program at a major American university. 

He is part of advisory boards that shape research, and he advises a group at Yale as part of an NIH biomarkers consortium.   He is on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, for the US government. He was a member of the steering committee for the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for Autism initiative for the World Health Organization.

And he still services cars.
 
 
 
 

0 Comments

Look Me In the Eye  John Elder Robison's remarkable memoir

8/24/2016

0 Comments

 
 ​This review was published in February, 2008.  Read this first, and then the next post for a really amazing "rest of the story." 
 
 
 How could something as common as making eye contact be so difficult?  How can people who are so brilliant with solving complex calculations, for example, be so limited in the basic everyday skills of life?

It seems ironic that the very people who severely suffer from being able to connect normally with other people may be the very ones who offer society answers to the riddle of Asperger’s Syndrome.
John Elder Robison has written a poignant, insightful, brilliant memoir titled “Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s” (Crown, 2007).  It is must reading.  As the numbers of those on the autism spectrum rise dramatically, it is imperative that society pays attention to these unique people. We cannot afford to lose what they can offer.

Autism is one of the most confounding mental conditions.  Little is known — yet — on what triggers the disorder in the brain.  Until the 1940s, autism was not even in the medical lexicon.
The symptoms of Autism, however, are difficult to ignore.  The most overt symptoms are a difficulty — often severe — with social interactions, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive actions or obsessive fixations.

These behaviors can range from mild to disabling on what researchers now understand and call the autistic spectrum disorder. Asperger’s Syndrome is on the high end.
Long before the behaviors had a name, those with what we now call Asperger’s were noted as being out of the ordinary.  Called odd or eccentric or quirky, some found acceptance due to one other prevalent attribute. 

Some exhibit genius. 

John Elder Robison speaks eloquently to both his brilliance and his heartbreaking disabilities. That he is able and willing to do so is in itself a story.

Many recall the best selling memoir by Augusten Burroughs titled “Running with Scissors” (St. Martin’s Press, 2002).  He captured the public’s attention with his tale of growing up with an insane mother, an alcoholic father, being “given” to his mother’s psychiatrist and being raised in increasingly bizarre circumstances by truly dysfunctional characters.

Yet what seemed to intrigue his readers the most — based on many letters and the predominant comments he received at book signings — was the relatively brief mention in the book about his older brother who lived with Asperger’s.

In the touching foreword to “Look Me in the Eye,” Augusten Burroughs shares how he convinced his adored older brother to tell his own story.
 
“You should write a memoir. About Asperger’s, about growing up not knowing what you had.  A memoir where you tell all your stories. Tell everything.
About five minutes later, he e-mailed me a sample chapter.  ‘Like this?’ was the subject line of the e-mail.

Yes. Like that.”
 
Mr. Burroughs openly adores his “brilliant brother.”  Readers will also come to recognize that John Elder Robison is truly a genius. 

Those of a certain age remember the rock band Kiss and the smoking guitars and other wild special effects that took rock and roll into new dimensions of “arena rock.”

Mr. Robison made those guitars smoke and built the sound systems that took rock high tech.
​
Remember Super Simon, one of the first electronic games?  In the 1970s, Mr. Robison was on the research and design teams at Milton Bradley that transformed kids’ toys.

For the past twenty years, J.E. Robison Service in Amherst, Massachusetts has been repairing and restoring high-end automobiles (very high end) for grateful costumers who come from all over the world to have John Elder Robison work his magic.

All this is self-taught.  Actually, everything Mr. Robison has done in his life has been self-taught.  Even learning — in his forties — to act “normally.”

It is hard to say what aspect of this book is most fascinating — the descriptions of what Mr. Robison calls “Aspergian” behaviors or his savant abilities.

What he makes clear is that Asperger’s and savantism are linked.  He has come to appreciate that, even without a high school diploma, “the knowledge I have is genuine.”  He also says he has come to understand that the skills he has to design, engineer, build (anything!), “are rare.”

He writes, “There are plenty of people in the world whose lives are governed by rote and routine. Such people will never be happy dealing with me, because I don’t conform.  Luckily, the world is also full of people who care about results, and those people are usually very happy with me, because my Asperger’s compels me to be the ultimate expert in whatever field of interest I choose.  And with substantial knowledge, I can obtain good results.”

Mr. Robison’s story emphasizes two compelling points.  The first is that Asperger’s does not need to be “fixed.”

“I’m not defective. In fact, in recent years I have started to see that we Aspergians are better than normal!”

Mr. Robison continues, “And now it seems as though scientists agree: Recent articles suggest that a touch of Asperger’s is an essential part of much creative genius.”

We think with awe about geniuses in literature or life: the calculating abilities of a “Rain Man,” the intuitive thinking of a Sherlock Holmes, the tenacity and analytical skills of a Jane Goodall. 
But we also disparage the lack of social graces in these geniuses. These are people who did not play nicely in the sandbox.

Neither did John Elder Robison.  In another poignantly funny account, he relates his own early childhood attempts where he failed miserably at playing nicely in a sandbox — or anywhere.

 However — and this is his second important point — it was not because he didn’t want to play nicely with other kids. 

He sadly remembers teachers who pointed to him, alone, with the comment, “He doesn’t want to play with others.”

He asserts, “They were dead wrong.”

Mr. Robison makes clear in his book and in interviews that “the bitterest disappointment of my life was the inability to make friends.”

It speaks to the nature of this man that he is happily married. His chapter on being a husband and father are touchingly sweet and very funny. Moreover, he has — now — a wide circle of good friends with whom he shares his interests and theirs.

He says that he has learned the difference between “eccentric and weird” and he strives to be “a nice eccentric.”  He accepts that he will never be “normal,” nor does he want to be.

“Asperger’s is not a disease.  It’s a way of being. There is no cure, nor is there a need for one.”
But, there is a need to expand on what is considered “normal.”  Society needs to extend the range of what is considered accepted behavior. 

The title of the book is a particular sticking point for Mr. Robison and others on the autistic spectrum.  His explanation of why he does not look people in the eye is enlightening: He isn’t shutting the world out, he is intensely taking it all in. How much easier his life would have been if “normal” people understood just this simple difference.

As more is known about autism and Asperger’s Syndrome — much from Aspergians themselves — the better it will be for them and for those around them. 

For those who want to read more about it, in a final chapter Mr. Robison provides a host of sources for information about Asperger’s and autism including support groups, books and other memoirs.
Mr. Robison’s website is amazing. (www.johnrobison.com).  He posts book information, photographs and his blogs.  Most intriguing is an hour long video of his first public appearance to launch the book.  Mr. Robison reads passages, answers questions from the audience, and interacts with this brother who moderates the event.

He tells of having to audition to read this book for the Crown audio edition — he was accepted — and how this medium provided another breakthrough for Aspergians. 

“Moms of autistics and Aspergians called and wrote {to say} my voice is distinctive” with tones and nuances that are recognizable as Asperger’s. 

He says had he known the power of the spoken word, he would have insisted the audio edition not be abridged.
​
Now that Mr. Robison finally has a diagnosis and his own appreciation for being a “proud Aspergian,” he is very open to sharing with as many people as he can reach in order to save others with Asperger’s and their families the pain he experienced.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                     

0 Comments

​GRIT!  Angela Duckworth has it and you can, too!

7/28/2016

0 Comments

 


Fall down seven times and rise eight.   Japanese proverb


                Angela Duckworth finally put it in a book.  After years of studying resiliency, perseverance — the qualities that drive achievement — she has distilled the formula that yields the solution.  Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Scribner, 2016) may sound simple but Duckworth’s ideas are far from simplistic.  The book encompasses her research and her own story.  Data points are elaborated with anecdotes of how she was raised — by a traditional Chinese father — and students she has taught.  She dips into celebrity bios for more evidence and she integrates salient points from other scholars who have studied achievement in order to define what she calls “grit.”  

                The result is an academic work that is a quick, easy read.  Duckworth writes that she wrote the book as if she were “taking you out for coffee and telling you what I know.”  I would have every high school student —with their teachers — read and discuss this book.  Most certainly, it needs to be required reading for high achieving students who have been branded “gifted.” Their parents should read it, too.  Intelligence and talents are the traditional measures of “giftedness.”  But Duckworth’s research says we should be looking for “grit.”

               Remember the cheers of “never give up,” “stick-to-it,” and the old “try, try again” from parents and teachers?  That’s basically the idea of “grit,” but Duckworth digs deep to ferret out the specifics in order to understand the elements of grit and how to “grow grit.”   

              Little Angela Lee would have benefited if “grit” had been measured as precisely as her IQ.  She recounts how her father let her know that she was no genius.  Given that she initially did not make the cut-off for the gifted and talented program in elementary school, she had little reason to question his opinion.  Yet, she persevered and made it to Harvard.  But she was again reminded of her limited abilities, particularly in math, when she was failing the intro to neuroscience class.  She was advised to drop the course, but Duckworth doubled down. She not only got a B in that class, but ultimately graduated with a degree in neuroscience.  OK, she reasoned to herself, if I’m not a genius, I can just work harder.  But was it only hard work that led to her success?

             Several years and a career later, Duckworth’s experiences with teaching inner city students raised more questions as she saw some kids in her classes flourish and others flounder.  She decided to return to school to pursue a doctorate in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania to find answers on what factors influence achievement.   She currently is a professor of psychology at UPenn and has established The Character Lab “to advance the science and practice of character development in children.”  

             Duckworth acknowledges others who have looked for the secret of success.  Catherine Cox at Stanford in 1926 sought to determine characteristics of high achievers by scrutinizing biographic details of “exceptionally accomplished” historical figures.   Before Duckworth used West Point students as her research sample, her former professor Jerry Kagan, in his early years as a psychologist, had sought to determine why cadets dropped out.  Her work reminded me of theories from key figures in the field of gifted education  that I find are closely connected to her ideas on what propels basic intelligence — potential — into levels of high achievement.  In particular, I thought of the following three, each which has revolutionized the idea of intelligence. 
 
  Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (http://www.gigers.com/matthias/gifted/sternberg.html)

 Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory (http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/learning/howard_gardner_theory_multiple_intelligences.pdf)

Joseph Renzulli’s Three Ring Conception of Giftedness (www.gigers.com/matthias/gifted/three_rings.html)

                Parents and their children need to understand the limitations of considering just IQ and high test scores in identifying achievement.  Duckworth’s extensive research says IQ alone doesn’t yield success — which is what Dr. Renzulli has been saying for over 40 years.   Renzulli advises caution when testing for “giftedness” as a static quality.   Rather, he argues, focus on “gifted behavior,” which is when above average ability (not super IQ but above the norm) intersects with creativity (what one does with the intelligence they have), and — most importantly — with intrinsic motivation. 

                Duckworth calls intrinsic motivation “passion.”   Intrinsic means within, part of who you are.  It is the type of motivation that is driven by an interest in and love for a subject or project.   Parents can’t dictate their child’s passion.  However, parents can and should provide opportunities for their kids to try out interests and have a range of experiences.  Duckworth offers invaluable advice gleaned from her research studies and interviews with successful people on how parents can be supportive and not be pushy. 

              Duckworth provides a “grit scale” for readers to determine their own "grittiness."  But this is just a base line.  The really good news is that she has the research to support her theory that it is possible to “grow grit from the inside out.  Start with interest.  Then practice — make a habit of seeking challenges that exceed skills.  Have a purpose, which connects to something beyond yourself.  And have hope — “learn to hope when all seems lost.”   Kids need to understand that these variables are within their control.

             Parents, teachers, coaches, mentors add key elements as they help to grow grit from the outside in.  Duckworth writes, “Developing your personal girt depends critically on other people” and she explains how to create a “culture of grit” as adults are the child’s champion in providing opportunities and being the enthusiastic advocate.   But Duckworth makes clear that “trying stuff out” is as essential as “try, try again.”  I particularly appreciated her insights on setting parameters for children so they have time to fully explore, for example, a sport or musical instrument before they decide to move to another interest.   Renzulli calls this “revolving out” rather than “quitting.”   In our household, the time frame to try out soccer, or piano, or scouts was September to June.  Our kids were encouraged to keep at the activity through the tough times and experience the highs of recitals or a completed season and then they would reassess if they wanted to continue for another year. 
​
                 Hard work does matter.  Duckworth spent a decade thinking “sometimes alone, and sometimes in partnerships with close colleagues,” before she formulated two simple equations that explain the path from talent to achievement.
 
                                                                     talent x effort = skill
  Then…
                                                                 skill x effort = achievement
 
               Effort counts twice!  That’s the inside part.  But nurturing talents with resources and opportunities is the outside part.  Simple in concept, but hardly simple in the execution!

              But what of the emotional outcomes?  In the final chapter, Duckworth asks if the success that comes from being “gritty” makes people happy.   Her students surveyed 2,000 American adults and results indicate that the grittier the person is, the more likely they will enjoy a healthy emotional life.  She writes, “Grit went hand in hand with well-being, no matter how I measured it.”

               Which leads to her next question: Are spouses and children of the grittiest people also happier?  What about co-workers and employees?  She wonders if it possible, as Aristotle argued, to have too much of a good thing? She notes that “additional inquiry is needed to explore the downside of grit.”   
​
            She also emphatically states, “As a psychologist, I can confirm that grit is far from the only or even the most important aspect of a person’s character…. Morality trumps all other aspects of character in importance.” 

         Angela Duckworth is a wise woman.  She has amazing instincts that provoke ideas and questions that she pursues with intense research. The result is this must-read book:  Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

        Oh, and that genius thing?   In 2013, Dr. Duckworth’s innovative work and theories were acknowledged as she was named a MacArthur Fellow — the so-called “genius grant.”  
​
        Well done, Dr. Duckworth.
               
 
               
 
 
                
0 Comments

Dr. Sax on the Collapse of Parenting

7/3/2016

0 Comments

 


As promised, albeit a bit later than anticipated, here is a synopsis of Dr. Sax's latest book.  See the April 7th posting below for an overview of the man and his mission.
 
                Much of what concerned Dr. Sax six years ago is still problematic today, but the media have changed.   Facebook is out, Snapchat and Instagram are hot.   But in a blink, some new social medium will pop up to engage kids and flummox parents who are desperate to keep up.
                The first bit of good advice from Dr. Sax:  following your child (most likely your daughter) on social media is a losing proposition.  He advocates controlling the source -- whatever the source.
                "Oh!  But I want my child to be happy.  And being ‘liked’ on line is really, really important to her," say the parents who have come to him for advice on how to help their daughter who is depressed, stressed, bulimic-- name the worry.
                Dr. Sax does not pull punches.  The title of his latest book (2016) captures his passion:  The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them like Grown-Ups.   The Three Things You Must Do to Help Your Child or Teen Become a Fulfilled Adult.
                Dr. Sax has heard and seen it all thousands of times in his family practice, and in about 400 visits to schools around the world where he talks with parents, teachers, and students. He also researches and with his academic background, is able to ferret out the data and analyze the trends. 
                What is sad is that the trends are hardening into a new normal.  In 2003, I wrote a column titled "Parents Make THE Difference."  At the time, the research indicated that though teens were drawn to peers, the ultimate influence in their lives was their parents.   The assumption that television, videos, Hollywood celebrity culture and peer pressure held sway over teens’ underlying values and behaviors did not hold.  Kids, like generations before them, wanted most to please their parents.
                Not so with today's teens.  The power of social media consumes them, often 24 hours a day.  They sleep with their phone -- waking in the wee hours of the night to check how many”likes” they have, and on that all-important notification box.  They seek to have hundreds of followers -- "friends" on line - but ironically don't have actual friends with whom they hang out with in person.  
                 Dr. Sax, MD sees the ill effects of sleep deprivation and unrelenting stress in the children he treats.  Add to the usual demands of teen life — school, sports, music/dance/etc. lessons — the constant checking and updating of their social status on the smart phone and kids literally are “on” almost 24/7.   Dr. Sax’s advice a decade ago still holds.  Phones are not only turned off at 9 or 10, but are put in the parents' bedroom to be charged.  Nothing to see here, kids, just go to sleep!
                He offers advice on parent controls.  But what he prefers is a healthy dialogue in the family on what is reasonable use that can promote positive self-image and not enslave the soul to faceless "friends" in cyberspace.   And since teens are driven by the social emotional center of the brain, and not by the executive center -- that frontal lobe is still developing -- it is imperative that parents (who DO have a fully developed frontal lobe) make decisions for their child.
                Again, he finds parents balk at this.  "But I want him to develop self-efficacy," is the reply when Dr. Sax suggests that the parents set up parameters.   Dr. Sax agrees that the ultimate goal is a self-efficient, fully functioning adult.   But if the teen brain is overwhelmed by forces that impede its natural and healthy development, how can it grow the cells that will support adult behaviors?
                For boys, the concern is the obsession with video games.  Dr. Sax cites many studies, as well as cases from his practice, that should convince any parent to set strict limits on gaming time.  Just as the smart phone is out of the hands of your daughter by a set time each night, the games are shut down after a limited time.
                Getting lost in social media or lost in video games means losing out on how to relate to people, how to communicate ideas, how to work in collaboration with others, how to engage in the real world.  Dr. Sax writes that "No child is born knowing the rules of enculturation."   The culture boys see in games is often violent, misogynistic, and grossly unrealistic.  The culture girls find in social media is consumed with body images, sexual behaviors, crazy fads that are equally unrealistic.  No wonder boys can't talk to a girl, let alone know how to date, or that girls are so miserable about how they look that they despair that anyone will ever think they are attractive.    What boys and girls need is to be involved in the culture of their family and real live friends.   They need to "value their parents' opinion as their first scale of value," Dr. Sax explains.  Ah, but to do that, they have to have a relationship with their parents, which is built on daily communication and social interaction. 
                Back to setting limits of screen time for social media and gaming.
                But Dr. Sax has other thoughts on how to build relationships.  Tis the season of family vacations.  Dr. Sax tells of families who leave one parent home with a teen who refuses to go with the family.  Or the many families who take the teen’s best friend with them.  He is emphatic in saying, "Don't accommodate the kids."  Everyone in the family goes on vacation.  And just family.  Preferably, vacation to a place with NO cell service.  Make time for conversation.  If there is no one to talk to, they will talk to you!
                Here's the bottom line that kids need to understand.  Everything in their social media /peer connected world is CONDITIONAL approval.  Parents and families (grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings and cousins) love us UNCONDITIONALLY.  They are part of us and you are part of them.
                The disconnect kids have from the real world is a serious challenge.  But Dr. Sax also addresses a concern that has gotten a lot of press lately. Chapter 5:  Why are so many children so fragile?
                So much makes our young adults depressed, anxious, afraid, and offended.  They file official complaints against college curriculum, professors' lectures, political speech, and on and on.  The slights and offenses are felt early on – such as not being invited to a birthday party — and are taken very seriously by parents who jump in to “make it better.”   Are we protecting our children?  Advocating for them?  Or rendering them incapable of facing a world that is full of stings and arrows?
                None of this is new to parents who are paying attention.  Major newspapers, magazines, news shows scream headlines on the perils of "growing up in the screen age,” the age of “the helicopter parent” and colleges populated by “snowflakes.”    Dr. Sax provides antidotes for the ills -- IF parents are willing to get tough and smart to administer what is needed.
                In Part Two of the book, Dr. Sax offers “Solutions,” including making his case — as promoted in the subtitle — for his “three things you must do to help your child or teen become a fulfilled adult.”  
                All parents, of all ages, need to read this book and consider the wisdom of this man’s experience and research.  It is a quick read, but not particularly easy as much of what he addresses are the tough realities of every parent’s life.  However, it is obvious that Dr. Sax cares deeply about parents and their children.  He is passionate that kids can grow up to be mentally, emotionally, and physically fit.   Listen to the doctor! 


0 Comments

Remembering Steve Mayer

5/4/2016

0 Comments

 

                                                       The fear of death follows from the fear of life. 
​                                                      A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.

                                                                                                                              Mark Twain
 
He must have been prepared as no one lived more fully. 

His son Ryan described his dad as a fan.  A fan of his wife, his sons, his many friends and co-workers.  His God.   A fan — one who is “fanatic” — totally immersed in and enthused about life.   Did we ever NOT know him to be fanatic about how fantastic life is with that huge smile and boundless energy?

 I remember one of, if not the first, Salute speeches he gave as principal to the 8th graders leaving Grover Middle School.  The refrain was, “Just dance.”  Move away from the edges of life and get out onto the big dance floor and dance!

Steve wasn’t just a great cheerleader, encouraging and motivating those around him to stretch, to take creative risks.  He also was a great problem solver who helped to make things happen.  If it was worth doing, then there had to be a way to get it done.

Steve made it possible for me to gather the data for my dissertation – a logistical challenge when teaching full time and needing to be in another teacher’s classroom – in another district – several hours a week, for half a year.  Steve didn’t fix my schedule. Actually, he asked me to take on another class when he couldn’t find anyone else to teach that elective course.  What he did do was ok my leaving school during my break time.  Only Steve and his secretary Diane, a paragon of discretion, knew what I was doing.

I heard him say more than once, “Better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission.”  I wonder if that was one of the secrets to his success as an administrator.  Unflagging optimism, yes, but brooking no nonsense in the face of arbitrary rules and regs.

In his death, the richness of Steve’s life was on display for thousands to see and marvel.  “I didn’t know he was so….you know…Christian.”  Ah yes.  Christian not in the sense that the media portrays it, but in the deepest, truest sense of loving God, following in Jesus’s path.  Steve didn’t preach – not at work, not with students.  But he lived it.  “They will know we are Christians by our love.”  Everyone knew he was something different, something special.  After the celebration of his life by his church community and being eulogized by his amazing wife and sons, maybe now they understand where that glow came from.

Steve preached on the light breaking through the darkness December 21st, 2015.  He noted it was the longest night of the year.  “That’s good news!  It can only get better.”

That’s where we are, in the darkest time.  We hold onto faith that it will get better. For those who loved the man —his family, his church congregation, but also his many friends, and his school district that lost one of the best administrators ever — life without Steve is very dark.  A light has gone out of this world, though many of us believe that light is shining even brighter for us in the next.  But it takes a lot for us to see that light that seems so far away from where we are right here, right now. 
 
The shock is starting to wear off.  The reality is settling in. Certainly, the celebration of his life, the inspiration of his family, his pastors, helped bring a glimmer of light back into our souls.  
​
So much is lost.  So much is changed forever.  His family, his church, his school district, his friends — all have to find a way to move on without their number one fan. 

To share in the celebration of Steve's life, go to: 
 http://www.princetonalliance.org/stevemayer
0 Comments
<<Previous

    I wrote a column, Book Notes, for many years for local central NJ weeklies.  Newspapers are a dying breed, but the desire to share thoughts on books lives on.  
    Welcome to my blog.  Please chime into the conversation. 


    ​

    Archives

    April 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • NJAGC Conferences
  • About
  • Professional Outreach
  • Professional Honors
  • Blog