From Moon Head to Main Character
đĄ THOUGHTs
The case for âlighthouse parentingâ
Youâve heard of Tiger Moms and Helicopter Dads, but what about Lighthouse Parents?
âSometimes, the best thing a parent can do is nothing at all.â
â Russell Shaw
Russell Shaw â head of Georgetown Day School â recently made a strong case in The Atlantic that our efforts to smooth every bump in our children’s paths might make life harder for everyone.
Youâve seen it before: a child falls while playing⌠the parents rush in, causing the child to sob hysterically⌠A calmer reaction might have led the child to dust himself off and keep playing.
Sometimes our need to fix a situation blows it out of proportion.
Watching our children struggle goes against our protective instincts. But discomfort is part of our job as parents.mpowering families to curate an education as unique as their child, drawing from the rich resources of their entire community.
đ TRENDs
A movement led by Dream a Dream in India challenges us to redefine what success means in education. They asked over 100 students, parents, educators, and policymakers what success looks like to them.
Here’s what people said:
| Sense of Belonging (18%) | Sense of Agency (16%) |
| Happiness (16%) | Financial Security (13%) |
| Wellbeing (16%) | Having a Purpose (7%) |
Whatâs most interesting to us is how evenly distributed the responses are. The traditional definitionâfinancial securityâranks on the lower side, and none of the answers dominates.
Read the full article at Education Reimagined
âď¸ TOOLs
The 10-Minute Rule: Your Secret Weapon Against Homeschool Burnout
Remember the sting of a schoolyard taunt? For Joey Mascio, it was “Moon Head” â a nod to McDonaldâs forgotten mascot âMac Tonight.â Fortunately, Joey discovered a secret weapon in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Never mind the power of positive thinking. CBT is about accurate thinking:
- Distinguishing facts from fiction in your mind
- Identifying (and replacing) thought patterns that sabotage success
- Crafting new narratives that fuel confidence
Most teens lack this toolkit. They’re trapped in a mental cage, mistaking opinions for facts:
- “I’m weird-looking.”
- “Nobody likes me.”
- “I’ll never succeed.”
But what if they could rewrite these thoughts?
As an adult, Mascio created a gamified virtual program called Sidekick to Hero to teach kids CBT and other life skills.
Check out the teaser and stay tuned for our podcast with him.
(VIDEO) OF THE DAY
Speaking of Moon Head, what was the deal with that McDonaldâs mascot, anyway?
Weird History Food has the scoop:
Itâs videos like this that remind us why the internet was made.
That’s all for today!
â Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)