Spicy Snacks are little bits and bites for people that are into education, parenting, or technology. Enjoy!
Spicy Story:
Our soon-to-be-7-year-old, Lucy, spent all morning yesterday with her fingers in her mouth, wiggling her fourth (of course, she’s counting) removable tooth. When our first child, Yumi, was at the same stage, I would rub my hands together with an evil glee, thinking of fun ways to transform myself into the mysterious Tooth Fairy. I used to write letters on beautiful stationary in role. I used to draw cool little pictures on the envelope of money. But now? My reaction is a bit more akin to the one I get when snow is falling on my driveway and I know that someone’s gotta shovel it. This is why you can call Lucy “The Unfortunate One”.
Nevertheless, I got up the energy to dig out a loonie ($1 coin in Canada) from my man purse and set it on my night stand. It wasn’t surprising, however, that sleep overtook me. Luckily, in the middle of the night, our vexatious dogs began yapping about a shadow of a raccoon outside or something, so I sat up abruptly and literally called out, “tooth fairy!” Like a robot following an algorithm, I grabbed the coin, walked over to my daughter’s bed, and snuck my hand under her pillow to locate the prize. Suddenly, two big, white balls are staring at me.
“Dad? What… are you doing?”
“Um, I’m… um. DontworrygobacktosleepIloveyou.”
So, I had to stay up for another hour until the coast was clear. But, down deep, I think the chances that she knows this is all a ruse are somewhere in the neighborhood of 100%. I think I heard her mutter, “What the…” after I made the switch. We’re basically not talking about it.
Spicy Listen:
I often find it difficult to explain the concept of intersectionality, so I wanted to share this interview with April Reign on one of my favourite podcasts, Make Me Smart, because it helps me wrap my head around it. You’ll also find a great conversation about the possible need to regulate Facebook like a public utility.
Spicy Read:
There are many lessons to be learned about the extent to which education policy can lead to unintended consequences in this long-form about a divergent and ambitious plan to level educational outcomes for Chicago students.
Spicy Video:
This video of children in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden lifted my spirits and reminded me that we need a sense of wonder in everything we do, especially the important stuff.