Topics Off Topic

In our Topics Off Topic posts we share links to interesting, noteworthy, thought-provoking or just plain entertaining things that we've come across recently.

Josh Thomas, Environmental Sustainability practice area leader, recently enjoyed a blog post by Holly Robinson titled "Teachers Don't Like Boys, Mom" in which she writes about the downfalls of teaching to the test instead of letting our youth learn outside and through hands-on experiences. She writes,

"What would a perfect school for boys be like? Classes would be small and held outside half the time. Boys of all abilities and temperaments would build, paint, draw, take things apart, play computer games and listen to music while reading if they felt like it. If they wanted to write about volcanoes instead of the weather, or study the Civil War in January instead of September, why not let them choose? And, if they wanted to do math standing up or run a few laps between exams, why not?

Oh, wait. Our boys couldn't do that. That would be breaking the rules."

He's also been fascinating with the use of twitter in the revolution in Iran. Saying it has reminded him of Katrina and the use of Flickr in unfolding story of New Orleans.

Phelps Sprinkle, Principal, has been working away while listening to some new tunes. He's especially enjoying November Blue by the Avett Brothers and The Roots - The Seed / Melting Pot / Web (Part 2) (thanks to @ngongang twitter feed).

Liz Barrett, Marketing & Communications Manager, is a fan of Slate's Cultural Gabfest podcast and wants you to be too. The 30 minute audio show features Slate.com personalities (amidst all their wit and snark) exploring different cultural topics from the previous week. She's also enjoying listening to podcasts from The Moth, a not-for-profit storytelling organization.