The Old Nole is a year older today. Happy birthday, Dad!
February 16, 2007
Going Green With More Green Lights
I read that the city of Raleigh is testing LED lighting in its parking decks. Then I suffered through a long stop-and-go morning commute down Capital Boulevard. I was about to suggest that if the city really wanted to go green, it would spend that money instead on synchronizing traffic lights. That would cut down on greenhouse gas emissions from idling traffic and make everyone’s life easier.
Then I drove home from work and sailed up Capital Boulevard, having only one red light out of dozens!
That almost never happens. I had to laugh when my commute undercut my argument.
The Inverse Power Of Praise
Read this fascinating article on the inverse power of praise:
Since Thomas could walk, he has heard constantly that he’s smart. Not just from his parents but from any adult who has come in contact with this precocious child.
But as Thomas has progressed through school, this self-awareness that he’s smart hasn’t always translated into fearless confidence when attacking his schoolwork. In fact, Thomas’s father noticed just the opposite. “Thomas didn’t want to try things he wouldn’t be successful at,” his father says. “Some things came very quickly to him, but when they didn’t, he gave up almost immediately, concluding, ‘I’m not good at this.’?” With no more than a glance, Thomas was dividing the world into two—things he was naturally good at and things he wasn’t.
Why does this child, who is measurably at the very top of the charts, lack confidence about his ability to tackle routine school challenges?
(h/t, O’Donnellweb) Continue reading