An Unusual Christmas: 2018
Not with family or friends, in an airplane, shopped at a 7-11: sounds like a candidate for serious therapy! However, keep in mind: I flex for facts and … the wrong train can take you to the right destination. Notes from 2018: *WKBJ Foundation is now out of money, as planned in its by-laws of […]
My Middle Name
Below is background information, as framed in a 2018 letter to my sister and two brothers.. Dear Siblings: Having taken a page out of the book of Ruth Ann (and a few million others), namely that the contents of a box must be allowed to age properly, over several years preferably, before the contents may […]
Robert’s Rules
Going “to” (being attracted to a new college or job or residence or relationship) carries better odds of success than going “from,” i.e., leaving any of these situations simply because you are ticked off. When unsure, emphasize variable, not fixed commitments. What are the unshakable truths about you: be totally honest. What decisions must be […]
A FEW INCONVENIENT TRUTHS, COMMENTS, and QUESTIONS
Every Executive-Director in the non-profit world is smart, articulate, compassionate. Each can describe ad nauseum the lamentable plight of a poster child, one whose life challenges well-told can easily cause a funder to be separated from his or her charitable money. Overall, nonetheless, success in aiding such young people is more random than systematic. In […]
Thoughts about Charter School Leadership
Perhaps it is useful to start with a series of non-negotiable beliefs pertinent to the charter schools of my experience; if an individual’s mindset does not match up, the question of leadership is moot. *all young people can learn *high academic standards are a must *a commitment to data assessment leads to on-point and timely […]
UBI Thought Process
These succinct comments were written in 2019, in part reflecting my interest in the idea of a UBI. Recently, I asked myself “how are the observations below affected by COVID-19” and put my responses in brackets. The setting is the United States. DEMOGRAPHICS: There are major differences in median ages among the four major ethnicities. […]
Congratulations: 2020 College Graduates
Yes, it is a bummer, the likelihood of a Zoom virtual graduation ceremony. Nothing can emotionally replace that magical moment in a traditional ceremony when your name is announced, you walk across the stage, shake hands with whichever college biggie is there for the photo op, and then descend the stairs a somewhat different person. […]
A Dark Vision
Background: to state the obvious, different people are reacting to isolation in different ways. An 11 year-old near and dear to my heart said to me, “I am so disappointed in myself; I am starting to curse.” My outlet is writing, whatever comes to mind, even if it is a crazy mixture of satire, realism, […]
How I Did It
For a quarter-century, I have been facilitating the pursuit of higher education by young people. To succinctly describe the context, here are some data points: of the several hundred students who have been assisted, an estimated 90% have been Hispanic, probably 95% financially challenged, maybe 10% undocumented or DACA, some 90% first generation, and perhaps […]