“The Fourth Freedom is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will…
Veteran teachers at Topanga Elementary School Amy Weisberg and Roger Harrell, who is also a United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) representative, have been asked why teachers are ready to strike. Currently…
“Freedom from Want” was inspired by America’s Thanksgiving holiday, a time when family and friends gather together to share a meal and spend time together. Many cultures have traditions of giving thanks,…
This is the second of Amy Weisberg’s four essays inspired by Norman Rockwell’s 1943 quartet of paintings “the Four Freedoms.” In Norman Rockwell’s painting depicting the freedom of worship, he fills the…
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the New York Historical Society’s Norman Rockwell exhibit and was deeply moved by his paintings illustrating Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms. Roosevelt presented the Four…
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” —John Dewey With summer vacation winding to a close, it is time once again to think about getting ready for a successful…
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” (Nelson Mandela May 8, 1995) There has been a lot in the news about…
When I close the door of my classroom on the last day of school, it always feels like a surreal experience. How can this school year be ending? Didn’t I just meet…
As the school year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the impact we, adults have on the children in our lives. “Children Learn What They Live,” the classic poem…
If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales. —Albert Einstein Teaching is a career that…