Iserotope Extras - Issue #32

Hello, Iserotope Extras community! You’re going to like all 4 extras this week. The first three are about injustice and race—how to escape gangs in El Salvador, who has power in the United States, and ways we can confront injustice. Then the last piece is about reading (no surprise). Please enjoy!

Fighting Fires Is a Form of Salvation for Youth in Gang-Ridden El Salvador

Violence is a way of life in El Salvador, where the murder rate is 104 per 100,000 people. (The United States’ is 4/100,000.) Salvadoran teenagers who want to avoid MS 13 or Barrio 18 join Comandos de Salvamento as firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Because the group saves everyone, including gang members, the comandos in yellow and green have a special power.

The Faces of American Power, Nearly as White as the Oscar Nominees

My teacher colleagues ask their students to provide evidence to back up their claims. This interactive graphic shows us—face by face, thumbnail by thumbnail—who has power in our country. Sometimes the truth is even starker than we think.

Need some privacy? An escape from the stressors of life? Try the Tomoko, built for “privacy and concentration,” particularly in open-space cubicles!

Bryan Stevenson speaks at Google

If you’re a long-time subscriber, you know that Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy was my favorite book of 2015. Last week, Google awarded Mr. Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative $1 million. This is a 20-minute speech (beginning at around 3:45) about what we can do to counter injustice. (Thank you to subscriber Peter for letting me know about this video!)

Taught to pass tests, they don't know how to read books

Another college professor decries his students’ lack of preparation as readers. Please let me know what you think about this piece. Is this an indictment of high-stakes testing? or weak teachers? or the ills of technology? Is this nostalgia for a past that never was? Is this guy making a solid argument or assigning the wrong books? (Thank you to subscriber Clare for letting me know about this article!)

You see? They were great articles, don’t you think? Plus, there is now evidence that I have begun to include subscriber-submitted articles. So submit away, if you like, and have a great week!

Iserotope Extras - Issue #31

Welcome new subscribers Phoebe, Phillip, Jamie, and M! Iserotope Extras is really taking off. This week, my favorite piece comes first: a letter that Harper Lee wrote to Oprah Winfrey. Then, please enjoy articles on the digital divide, the Japanese American Internment, and the growing trend among surgeons to perform operations using robots—from far away. Have a great week!

Harper Lee: A Letter to Oprah Winfrey on Reading

Harper Lee died last week. Here’s a letter she sent to Oprah Winfrey about the role of reading in her life. Pay special attention to the fifth and sixth paragraphs. You think the fifth is powerful, and then comes the sixth.

Bridging a Digital Divide That Keeps Schoolchildren Behind

The digital divide means the homework divide. Too many poor urban kids of color don’t have WiFi and do their homework on their phones. Or else they camp out across the street from their school to download their teachers’ assignments. This doesn’t seem like a good answer. But the answer can’t be for teachers to skip assigning homework, either.

Please enjoy this picture of Joshua Tree National Park! I went there once!

Interned: The local history we can’t let ourselves forget

With Donald Trump demanding that we build a wall to prevent immigration from Mexico and Central America, plus his pledge to disallow Muslims from entering the country, many Bay Area history teachers are encouraging students to think critically about how our current political climate compares with the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. This article by students at Palo Alto High School does an excellent job explaining the internment’s impact on the Bay Area.

The Surgeon Will Skype You Now

The tech for surgeons to operate on patients remotely has been possible for over a decade. But will it ever become commonplace? (And, I should add: Do we want it to be commonplace?)

Thank you for reading this 31st edition of Iserotope Extras! Also, I must say that there are some people who are confused by the name Iserotope. What does it mean? Where does it come from? Does it derive from isotope, and if so, why? These are crucial questions! If you know the answers, please email me your thoughts. Have a great week!

Iserotope Extras - Issue #30

Alex, Janet, and Julie are new subscribers — welcome! (Extras is blowing up!) This week, enjoy articles about resilience, the current state of teenagers, and how wealth determines your life expectancy even more than it did in our parents’ generation. (And please don’t unsubscribe just because I’m including an interview with Justice Scalia, who, by the way, had 28 grandchildren.) Have a wonderful week, and thank you for reading Iserotope Extras!

How People Learn to Become Resilient

What sets resilient children apart? Turns out trauma isn’t trauma unless we decide it’s trauma. If we practice a growth mindset, and if we ruminate less, then bad things in our lives don’t have to be so bad.

In Conversation With Antonin Scalia

The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is, obviously, a big deal. My gut says that the Senate will eventually concede and end up confirming the second or third of President Obama’s nominees. This 2013 interview with Justice Scalia is evidence why people have remember him as “colorful” and a “firebrand.”

This is not Hawaii! This is Pescadero, CA. Growing up and living for years in California often means that you are unaware of nearby beautiful things.

Today’s teens are better than you, and we can prove it

Nope, things aren’t getting worse; they’re getting better. Today’s teenagers take care of themselves better than we did growing up. This article has charts and graphs, plus it’s interactive, so you can play with it and enjoy all the numbers.

Disparity in Life Spans of the Rich and the Poor Is Growing

Despite advances in medicine, a longevity gap that has long favored wealthy Americans has more than doubled since the 1970s. The gap is not small, and it’s startling and disturbing. Part of the reason — smoking — is understood, but other factors (e.g., obesity, drugs, the effects of poverty) still need additional study.

There it is, the 30th edition of Iserotope Extras! I’m going to stick to it on a weekly basis until people start shouting no (or unsubscribing). And if I get better at this, maybe I’ll move away from the tried-and-true Times and New Yorker (though their writing is always solid). Great week to you!

Iserotope Extras - Issue #29

Welcome, Abby and Abby, new subscribers! This week’s Extras start and end with articles about race, with pieces about teaching (and a picture of Indie the Dog!) in the middle. If you have time to read just one story, please pick the first one. It’s a doozy, and important, and well-crafted, and it might make you think about eviction in a new way. Please enjoy!

Forced Out: The Eviction Epidemic

Poor African American men face incarceration; poor African American women face eviction. This is a sad, stunning piece by Matthew Desmond. Please read.

When We Harm Rather than Help – Some Thoughts on Reading Interventions

English teacher Pernille Ripp is back again with another thoughtful post about reading instruction. This one focuses on the reading interventions we implement — and how some prevent young people from actually liking to read.

This is Indie, who likes bones, sofas, and books. (She belongs to Extras subscriber Marni.)

“Hand’s not raised? Too bad. I’m calling on you anyway”

Cold-calling, a popular teacher technique to encourage student listening and participation, is punitive and oppressive, according to Alfie Kohn, who also believes we shouldn’t have grades. Though I like Prof. Kohn in theory when he talks about the ills of extrinsic motivation, here he comes across as a tad insane. What do you think?

Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote

Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, argues that Hillary Clinton was an accomplice to Bill Clinton’s discriminatory tough-on-crime, low-on-investment policies of the 1990s, which hurt African Americans. Prof. Alexander does not endorse Bernie Sanders but suggests a third party. My criticism is that she reads the 1990s from a 2010s lens.

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Iserotope Extras! We’re up to Issue 29! Here’s something to email me about: Would you prefer to receive this newsletter every week, or every other week? I’m deciding on what’s the exact right amount of Extras. Thank you!

Education May Cut Dementia Risk, Study Finds

Researchers say people with at least a high school education and healthier lifestyles are aiding a decline in new cases, or staving off dementia longer.

Iserotope Extras - Issue #28

Sorry for missing last week! Aren’t you happy that Iserotope Extras is back? This week, two articles explore the relationship between government and citizens — when those citizens happen to be African American and poor. Then there are two articles aimed at teachers and people who like teachers, including what to say when someone says that teaching is a “noble” profession. Finally, there’s a bonus article about Chris Jackson, someone you should know about if you don’t already. Thank you for reading Iserotope Extras!

Who Poisoned Flint, Michigan?

What happened in Flint is a national disgrace — and sadly, utterly predictable. When poor people of color complained about what was happening with the orange water coming out of their faucets, they were told they were lying. This is unconscionable.

I’m a Teacher: Please Stop Praising Me

If you’re not a teacher, this is a great piece that will help you talk to your non-teacher friends. If you’re a teacher, I’m pretty sure this article will resonate with you.

Kindles are colorful. Here are 10 Paperwhites that went out to Oakland students last week. I’m looking for people who would like to donate monthly to let students build the KCP Library with even more books they love. More details: j.mp/kcpallowancehowto

How Chris Jackson Is Building a Black Literary Movement

Two of my favorite books last year — Just Mercy and Between the World and Me — were edited by the same person, Chris Jackson. It turns out that he is involved in an important, large movement of ideas.

Policing the Future

Like most industries, crime prevention has gone all-in on data. With cute names like HunchLab, PredPol, and CompStat, companies that predict crime don’t sound menacing. Plus, many law enforcement leaders say that crime is down in places that use crime-predictive software. But what about building trust between citizens and police officers? Does looking at a computer screen build stronger relationships?

A Question about Equity

Should teachers assign whole-class novels that perhaps not all students will read, or should teachers offer choice to students about what they want to read? That’s a perennial question for English teachers. From the author: “Equity is not in the books we require students to read in English classes. Equity is in the skills and the fluency and the stamina students need to read those books if they choose to read them.”

Thank you very much for reading this edition of Iserotope Extras. If you have a favorite article this week, let me know! See you next week.

Iserotope Extras - Issue #27

This week, I concluded that Donald Trump may actually win the Republican presidential nomination, but I’ve included no articles about him. Instead, you get pieces on where your smartphone batteries come from, a Kindle reading program in Australia, interviews of diverse voters from across the political spectrum, and an expose on Q-tips. Please enjoy!

Your Smartphone Is Probably Powered by Child Labor at Mines in Africa

Amnesty International says batteries in products made by Apple, Samsung, and others contain cobalt mined by kids in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not good — and another reason not to get a new phone every year, just because.

Where are they now? Daniel Billing getting hundreds of Indigenous kids reading

It’s the Australian version of the Kindle Classroom Project! I like what Daniel Billing is doing for Indigenous people, plus students get to keep their Kindles if they demonstrate reading gains.

My mom, aunt, and I went whale watching (this is not a whale) in Monterey last weekend as part of her two-weekend birthday celebration. Happy birthday, Mom!

Of the People

Americans share their hopes, fears, and frustrations in interviews from the campaign trail. (This is much better than listening to the candidates themselves.)

The strange life of Q-tips, the most bizarre thing people buy

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for: a Washington Post article about Q-tips. I’ve never used them (because I heed warnings), but many people I know do, and so for all of us, this article is a crucial read.

Have a great week! Thank you for reading Iserotope Extras. Let me know if you convince a friend to subscribe!

Iserotope Extras - Issue #26

This week: one article about voting rights, two about education, and one about the minimum wage. I’m starting to read everything I can about voting rights, and this week’s piece about Jeb Bush doesn’t disappoint. (State laws that prohibit ex-felons from voting — forever — are unconscionable.) Please enjoy all four articles and the Kindle break in the middle!

How Jeb Bush Enlisted in Florida's War on Black Voters

Florida is one of three states that permanently bars ex-felons from voting. This affects 1.5 million Floridians and 20% of the state’s African American voting population. The only way to get your vote back is to plead for clemency from the governor. Apparently, former governor Jeb Bush enjoyed this paternalistic role.

While High-School Graduation Rates Are Increasing, College Enrollment Is in Decline

President Obama touted rising high school graduation rates in his State of the Union address. But less than half of low-income high school graduates immediately attend college. And the rate of college matriculation is dropping, as some young people fear that a four-year degree won’t deliver them economic advantages. (Most likely, though, it will.)

My hobby is the Kindle Classroom Project, which now serves 615 students and 12 teachers in five Bay Area high schools. Here are 22 Kindle 7s being delivered to Ms. Katz’s 10th grade advisees in Oakland. I’m really happy that the program is expanding. Please get the word out!

Do We Have to Send Our Kid to a Bad Public School?

The NYT Ethicist weighs in on the question about whether a middle-class interracial couple should send their child to a public school in Oakland with low test scores. Unfortunately, the advice is wrong, wrong, wrong.

This Is What $15 an Hour Looks Like

Good reporting on Emeryville and its move to raise the minimum wage to $15. About the increase, one worker said, “ “We are not rich,” he says. “Just in the middle. But it’s a lot better than being poor.”

Enjoy your MLK weekend! Tell someone about Iserotope Extras! Or send me a reply letting me know which article you liked most!

Iserotope Extras - Issue #25

It’s 2016, which means it’s a new year, and I’m back with Extras after a one-week respite, albeit a day late! Hope you enjoy today’s articles!

The Supreme Court’s Diversity Dilemma

It’s time for some Linda Greenhouse. If you don’t know, Ms. Greenhouse is my favorite reporter on the Supreme Court. Though she’s semi-retired now, I am very sure to follow whatever she writes. Now you get to get the chance to read her thoughts, this time on affirmative action — a topic I continue to follow.

A new language shift in how English speakers use pronouns

The pronoun “they” (rather than he, he or she, or s/he) is here to stay. But apparently, it used to be here long ago, and then left for a couple hundred years, before coming back. Language changes! (Have you been noticing these changes?)

Who is your most influential teacher? Mine is Nick Ferentinos. Click to read an article about Nick’s impact.

Why are low income students not showing up to college, even though they have been accepted?

First generation students work really hard to get into college, and their teachers and counselors are there the entire time with support. And then they’re in — but too many of them don’t report to college, or don’t last too long. This article explores why — and what can be done about it.

The Wisdom of the Aged

For six New Yorkers age 85 and older, whose lives were followed throughout the year, old age is a mixture of happiness and sadness, with less time wasted on anger and worry.

That’s it for this week! Feel free to get the word out about Iserotope Extras, or if you’re so inclined, to send me an article that you hope I’ll post!

Iserotope Extras - Issue #24

I like this week’s articles, which span several topics, like voting rights (my latest big interest), mansplaining, and crosswords. Also, if you’re a person who thinks the world is getting worse, check out 11 graphs that dispute your position. Have a great week, and thanks for subscribing to Iserotope Extras!

Block the Vote

Since the Supreme Court gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder (2013), efforts to disenfranchise Latino voters have risen, especially in Texas, where white people will soon no longer be the majority. This article reminds us that the Republicans’ Southern strategy is alive and well. (Subscriber Tess sent me this article. Thank you!)

The world is getting better all the time, in 11 maps and charts

There is much work to do, of course, but apparently, we’re improving. Please take a look at these graphs. (One big one: Worldwide life expectancy is now 70.)

High school students at Oakland High School in Oakland are reading a ton, thanks to Kindles, their dedicated teachers, and generous donors.

Men Explain Lolita to Me

Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me, the primer of “mansplaining,” is back with an excellent essay about how straight liberal white men are dismissing her interpretation of Lolita. She writes, “It is a fact universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of an opinion must be in want of a correction.”

A Million Little Boxes

I liked this article about the national crossword solving contest. (You’ve seen Wordplay, right?) There’s a guy who can’t be beat, but maybe Dr. Fill, the computer, will give him a run for his money. (I’m pretty good at the Monday NYT crossword.)

If you celebrate Xmas, have a good one! And may all of you have a wonderful New Year! (It is possible that I won’t publish next Thursday, so don’t be scared if you don’t receive your Iserotope Extras.)

Iserotope Extras - Issue #23

Hey, it’s the 23rd issue (already) of Iserotope Extras! This week’s articles run the gamut: (1) how mothers are self-identifying; (2) how students in Chicago are fighting back against the firing of their school librarian; (3) how prison guards in New York mistreated a dying inmate; and (4) how teenagers are broadcasting their endless hours of hanging out. Enjoy!

The Rise of ‘Mama’

This article tracks the rise of “mama” (as opposed to mom and mommy) as a way for white women to reframe their role as mothers. But there’s much more here: cultural appropriation, the women’s movement, Betty Friedan, and more.

A Librarian in Chicago Is Let Go, and Students Protest

It’s a nationwide trend that schools are closing their libraries or cutting their librarians. But the cuts are inequitable. In Chicago, the more African American your student body is, the less chance you get a librarian. Read about the student protest at DuSable High School, which has had a librarian since 1936—until last week.

Students are writing thank-you cards to generous donors who have contributed to the Kindle Classroom Project, the program I run to promote reading among urban high school students in the Bay Area. Here’s one of them — from Precious, a ninth grader in San Francisco.

An Inmate Dies, and No One Is Punished

Several of you may have read this disturbing article. The 2010 death of Leonard Strickland would have probably been forgotten by all but the officers and inmates at Clinton Correctional Facility. Then a breakout brought attention to the prison’s secrets. (Warning: Don’t watch the video.)

YouNow, a live-streaming social network, is making stars

Move over YouTube. Everyone (well, at least teenagers) are on YouNow now. Which means: They’re hanging out, sitting around, talking—all online, for hours and hours.

Hey, we’re going into the end of the year! I’ll see you next on Xmas Eve. For those of you who celebrate the holiday, feel free to share these articles with your family. They could spark a discussion! Enjoy your week.