Psuedomaturity

Interesting article in the NY Times about "cool kids" in middle school and how their popularity wanes and leads to self-destructive tendencies ten years later.

HOFFMAN (6/23/14):  A constellation of three popularity-seeking behaviors characterized pseudomaturity, Dr. Allen and his colleagues found. These young teenagers sought out friends who were physically attractive; their romances were more numerous, emotionally intense and sexually exploring than those of their peers; and they dabbled in minor delinquency — skipping school, sneaking into movies, vandalism.

As they turned 23, the study found that when compared to their socially slower-moving middle-school peers, they had a 45 percent greater rate of problems resulting from alcohol and marijuana use and a 40 percent higher level of actual use of those substances. They also had a 22 percent greater rate of adult criminal behavior, from theft to assaults.

Sadly, I have/had 5th graders that could be described as "psuedomature."  I sure hope they figure it out before it's too late!

"It Deserves Your Attention."

“When you collect vinyl, it's much harder than just collecting MP3s, for example. It's expensive. It weighs a lot. You have to maintain it. Even when you listen to it, you can't just put it on and forget about it. It deserves your attention. I think people who collect vinyl have that respect for the music."

Truth.

"Try to contribute to the horror as little as possible."

Excited to be going to see Devo perform "Hardcore Devo Vol. I & II" at the end of this month!

Here's an interview with Jerry talking about the shows...

Duty Now, Spuds!

New Classroom Quote

"Literacy is the habit of paying attention and trying to figure things out." -Somerby, The Daily Howler