In favor of meritocracy. Right?…

Marketing and general business guru Seth Godin (pictured) is a prolific writer, particularly on his blog.  He generally sticks to business subject matter but today he took on education.

What he advocates for is essentially a reboot of our deeply embedded sorting system within our public schools that rewards natural talent and good looks ahead of teamwork and effort.

He thinks we need to stop and ask ourselves the question: What is school for?

He argues that we take the easy way out, that instead of celebrating “the students who regularly try the hardest” and “who help each other the most… we take a shortcut and resort to trivial measures instead.” I agree. What about you?

“When we bench people who aren’t naturally good, what’s the lesson?” – Seth Godin

Here’s a link to today’s post by Seth Godin — The wasteful fraud of sorting for youth meritocracy — which I recommend reading first. THEN move on to his full-blown manifesto which can be found at the end of the above blog post.

Okay, now Back to School, everyone! :-)

Starting Over in Waltham

I enjoyedthe great privilege of writing a ten-part series of columns for the Waltham News Tribune, our local newspaper. Part 1 was published on June 6, 2014, and Part 10 on November 28th.

One of the things I learned in the process is that telling one’s story is hard!

The series is called “Starting Over in Waltham,” and it chronicles my  personal journey of emotional and professional recovery, beginning with the end of my last business, The Elephant Walk restaurant, and ending with the beginning of my next one, a small grocery store I’m calling Hundred Mile Market.

No need to say more about it now; the articles tell the story.

Part 1: Beginning at the end

Part 2: Desperation and breakdown

Part 3: This too shall pass

Part 4: Reconnecting and reengaging

Part 5: Laying a new foundation

PART 6: Back to work

Part 7: Hundred Mile Market

Part 8: Devils in Details

Part 9: Relapse

Part 10: Ending at the Beginning