Welcome to the seventy third edition of Small Talks. Every Friday, I highlight 6 areas of weekly joys and reflections in early childhood and the whole family. Small Talks leverages my experience at the intersection of education, philanthropy, and impact investing. Enjoy!
What I’m celebrating -
Fascinating to learn more about all the benefits of “awe”: greater happiness, more critical thinking, expansion of perception of time and less materialism…Yet, 55% of children under 7 have never experienced “awe.”
“Throughout his life, Albert Einstein would retain the intuition and the awe of a child. He never lost his sense of wonder at the magic of nature's phenomena-magnetic fields, gravity, inertia, acceleration, light beams-which grown-ups find so commonplace. He retained the ability to hold two thoughts in his mind simultaneously, to be puzzled when they conflicted, and to marvel when he could smell an underlying unity. “People like you and me never grow old,” he wrote a friend later in life. “We never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.””
— Walter Isacsoon, Einstein: His Life and Universe
Excited to announce my new role as the incoming inaugural Executive Director of Stanford University’s Transforming Learning Accelerator at the Graduate School of Education, to accelerate solutions to the most pressing challenges facing learners in the U.S. and globally across early childhood learning and development, children with diverse learning needs, workforce learners, under-resourced and marginalized learners, and digital learning. I plan to continue writing Small Talks, and the views expressed here are my own.
Beautiful piece interviewing three indigenous women reclaiming their identity.
What I’m listening to
This inspiring podcast with Kaya Henderson and Tom Vander Ark on reconstruction and identity-affirming curriculum.
“[Change happens] from the grass tops to grassroots. It takes an entire ecosystem. It takes a city. It takes the politicians. It takes the deep, deep engagement from students and families and then of course it takes amazing educators to to do something very, very different.”
— Kaya Henderson
What I’m reading -
“Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World” by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, looks at the overlooked crisis of loneliness in our country. Yet, we are more connected than ever and our human biology is social. A really special book, by a special man.
What I’m watching -
Video of the week by teacher Mr.Reed.
What I’m learning more deeply -
Important highlight on the science of reading, in a Time magazine issue called "How to Do More Good.”
A thoughtful piece by Karl Rectanus, CEO/founder of LearnPlatform, “Edtech Evaluation Can Drive Innovation If Done Right.”
~25% of children have little interaction with their teachers at child care, even at centers that have achieved the highest quality rating possible.
Study from Yale shows that children growing up a mile away from a fracking well are 2x as likely to develop leukemia.
A quote I’m pondering -
“And so afraid of change. In a world that never stops changing. So let the walls come down. The world will never stop changing.”
— Encanto
Feedback is a gift. Which part above is your favorite? What did I miss? What do you want more or less of? Other recommendations? Please kindly let me know. Thank to all of you who are sending me amazing suggestions.
If you enjoy this newsletter, please help spread the word by sharing with your friends, colleagues, and networks.
If you enjoy this newsletter, please help spread the word by sharing with your friends, colleagues, and networks.
Have a wonderful week. Please stay safe and care for each other.
Isabelle
Congrats on your new role at Stanford. You're going to be great!
Einstein and Encanto. Double whammy!