Book Review- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

I have no issue telling anyone that I am an avid and very active reader. I have an eclectic selection that I gather knowledge from and one can ever tell exactly what I am reading. I have recently read a book by Daniel Kahneman that he aptly named "Thinking, Fast and Slow". The book was mainly based on collaborative work he did with Amos Tversky over a 30 year period. The dramatic way of looking at exactly how we think garnered Kahneman the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 2002 even though he is a psychologist by trade. His theories are that we have two main lines of thinking that we utilize on a daily basis. System 1 focuses on those decisions that can be made instantly, and primarily without thinking. System 2 recruits more in depth analysis by taking time to analyze a situation or a problem. You would be using System 2 if, for instance, you were doing a multi-step multiplication problem. I have often said to colleagues when questioned about the book that it is a novel that requires you to think about thinking. I feel that as an educational leader we are constantly looking at new and innovative ways to stimulate our classrooms and staff so that we can implement instructional programs that are conducive to students learning and staff professional growth. I see this as essential and this book assists those in leadership positions to maximize their collaborative capabilities. I highly recommend this as a spring break read or as one for the summer. JAD

Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs is good for him.

- Maya Angelou

Discipline

Most young people have had a discipline issue while they were students in school. Some have more issues that others but one thing among these students that is a constant is how the discipline should be given out. I have heard my fair share of complaints from parents, students, and other teachers over the years about what works and what doesn't. I have made a short and concise list of what I think works and if effectively implemented. 

They are:
1. Be Fair
2. Be Timely
3. Be Consistent

Think about them and see if you think that they would help you wade through the write-up avalanche that we all get this time of the year. 

Everything I needed to know...

Everything I needed to know I learned from my mother. I learned how to say hi and please. I learned that you should treat others as you would want to be treated. I learned that I wouldn't jump off a bridge if my friend said to do so. I learned that if you put kids from different backgrounds in a sandbox that they would play together and for the most part they would play nice. I learned to be home before dark, to brush my teeth after every meal, and to be nice to my siblings. I learned how to say thank you and mean it. I learned how to be respectful to all adults, even if I had to bite my tongue and even if I thought what they were saying wasn't making good sense to me. I learned to look both ways before I crossed the street. This advice has saved me more than once. I learned that life is full of good and bad people and it was best to hang around those that were good. I am sure I have missed some things but these are the ones that echo most in me even when I do things today. I am forever grateful and in her debt forever.

PS: I have instilled those same life lessons in my children. I learned that was important too...

“When you know better you do better.” 
― Maya Angelou