K-12 Education Needs Reimagining

Jonathan T. Jefferson

Humankind's illusion of dominion over the earth has been shaken back to reality by an unseen stealth attack, perpetrated by the world’s only true superpower, mother nature. Among the billions of people taking shelter at home from her COVID-19 wrath, are tens of millions of American school children. Crisis of this magnitude reveal competent leaders, bumbling…

Excerpt from the short story Teddy by J.D. Salinger

“What would you do if you could change the educational system?” ….

“Well...I’m not too sure what I’d do,” Teddy said. “I know I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t start with the things schools usually start with.” He…

Trauma-Informed Culture

Jonathan T. Jefferson

            Trauma-informed cultures are cognizant of the fact that their clients have been traumatized and will present with a host of issues that they seek to relieve without further negative impacts.  It is…

School Superintendents’ Contracts

For academic innovation, 5 years is better than 3

Jonathan T. Jefferson

Too many people in leadership positions are there for the wrong reasons: ego, money, power, etc.  Subordinates are often left wondering if their supervisor was the best available person for the job.  In the world of public school education, choosing the wrong superintendent could have a detrimental impact…

The Importance of Play

Jonathan T. Jefferson

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play.” - Charles E. Schaefer

 …

Education: What Fareed Zakaria Missed

Dr. Jonathan T. Jefferson

The title of this opinion piece may lead one to believe that I am going to be critical of Fareed Zakaria.  Far from it.  I am an avid watcher of his television…

Succeeding In Organizations

Jonathan T. Jefferson

“If I knew back then, what I know now

If I understood the what, when, why and how

Now it’s clear to me what I should have done…”

George Benson 20/20 lyrics

 …

As a Child – When an Adult

Jonathan T. Jefferson

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”  1 Corinthians 13:11 King James Version

 

The above quote is a fitting start to this self-study.  I am not a religious man, and I rarely use quotes from religious texts.  As you will read, my…

October 14, 2014

Dear High School Student-Athlete:

There are many reasons to participate on a high school sports team.  Movement is the only way to nourish your brain.  A coach can be another adult in your life who wants you to succeed.  Your teammates become friends for life, and what’s cooler than representing your community?

In the New York Times bestselling book SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Harvard…

Exercise and the Brain

By Jonathan Jefferson

“SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John J. Ratey, MD is the one book that all educators must read to fully understand the inseparable connection between exercise and the brain’s ability to acquire knowledge.  Long before this well structured, research-based book was released in 2008, I had admonished my colleagues that it was…

Bullying

Dr. Jonathan T. Jefferson

“Never be bullied into silence.  Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.” – Harvey S. Firestone

Chapter three of my book MUGAMORE begins with the above quote.  Bullying is one of the topics touched upon in that chapter, which is based on true…