Opinion
A graphing calculator, whatever that is, is not mandatory, according to our son's new 9th-grade math teacher. But kids who've gone through 9th-grade math told us it sure helps. In fact, they urged my son to buy one in the summer so he could learn how to use it in
Opinion
The New York Times held an essay contest recently in which college students were invited to respond to an article called "What's the matter with college?" The article, which was published on a Times website, argues that in the late 60's and 70's, college campuses played a larger role in
Opinion
There doesn't seem to be anything good about guns, right? In households with guns, people are more likely to commit suicide. Most families who own guns don't store them safely, the journal Pediatrics reports. Kids who have taken a gun-safety class will pick up a real gun planted in a
Opinion
It's early summer, and I can hear a frog trilling in the little pond in our yard. Like a female frog in heat, my heart swells at the sound. I hop over to the window. Then I remember: the frog is full of shit. At first I thought he was
Opinion
Though I'm sure the math teacher introduced the stock market in sober and responsible terms, this is what my 10-year-old son heard: "You can be rich, rich, RICH!" As part of an online stock game, each student was given a hypothetical $100,000 to invest in a real-time portfolio. And my
Opinion
We go to the nation's capital like other people go to the Vatican City or to Mecca. On our annual pilgrimage last month, we toured the Capitol building and the Library of Congress. In the past we've been to the National Archives, which, along with the Air and Space Museum,
Opinion
My college bar had only three rules: no drugs, no fighting, and no sleeping. As a student manager there, I found enforcing the first one easy - I had earned a reputation as a royal bitch for scooping up neat lines of white powder right out from under eager noses.
Opinion
First, the gas tank indicator needle starts to move towards Empty. Twenty or 30 miles later, the warning light goes on. Then, as if that isn't enough, an electronic message tells me how many miles I have until I run out of gas --- 60 miles, 50 miles, 40 miles.
Opinion
Some urban educators and conservatives had a lot to be thankful for last week when it became legal for public school districts to offer single-sex classes and schools. For the first time since Title IX, the landmark anti-discrimination law of 1972, schools have wide leeway to create separate learning environments
