073020 — Blog — Rulerless

Maybe you don't get it, but that doesn't mean you won't

The dining room table was strewn with tiny cardboard circles, little wooden figurines, and stacks of laminated cards.

These were familiar elements of Euro-style board games by now, but now we were playing a brand new game. Examining the pieces — like fifteen different kinds of pieces — I couldn’t make sense of any of it. I tried to be patient as my husband read the rules, but I found myself getting sleepy and struggling to concentrate. The words passed through me without meaning. As he turned the pages, I didn’t feel as though I was getting any closer to knowing how to play this game.

Casey von NeumannApril 28, 2020073020, 090820, 100220, 111920, 031822Comment

Which things to do the hard way

It’s the time of year when resolutions and self-improvement are in the air.

Unfortunately, most of us will have abandoned our goals within weeks. Why is it so hard to follow through?

Here’s what I see as a teacher and a coach: We beat ourselves up for struggling with difficult things, and then the discomfort is so intolerable that we take the easy way out. It’s all pain, no gain.

Casey von NeumannDecember 30, 2019072020, 073020, 082020, 100820, 092721 Comments

You don't know this because you haven't learned it yet

“I just don’t remember learning this,” the student said in frustration, slumping over her math book.

My colleague could only say the truth, as absurd as it sounded. “You don’t remember learning this because you’ve…never learned it before. This is the first time.”

After a couple of years of reviewing and remediating, it was hard for this student to see that the concepts in front of her were new. It required a shift in attitude from her: Instead of a determination to persist even though she felt like she “should already know this by now,” she now had to adopt a sense of curiosity and openness to the unfamiliar.

Casey von NeumannNovember 20, 2019070920, 073020, 100220, 100720Comment

We like what we're good at

I have good news!

Parents, you can stop overthinking your kids’ activities.

Teachers, you can feel free to stop bending over backwards to make your subject kid-friendly.

The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter that much what you put in front of kids: The activities, the school subjects, and so on.

Casey von NeumannOctober 17, 2019073020, 110620, 113020, 021723Comment

What Hamilton can teach us about boredom

Here we go again! My seven-year-old niece is sitting next to me in the car, passionately rapping about American military history.

The words fly of her tongue with a flow worthy of DMX, even though she can’t quite say all her R’s: “They're battering down the Battery, check the damages! We gotta stop 'em and rob 'em of their advantages!”

Casey von NeumannJuly 15, 2019073020, 032623 Comments

When you most want to quit, don't

Running is painful.

Sure, every runner lives for those moments of glory where the endorphins are kicking in and it feels like flying. But there are lots of times where your muscles ache and your lungs burn and you’re hungry and sweaty.

There are times when you’re huffing and puffing and it's tempting to slow to a walk. My rule has always been, "no walking until you get to the top of the hill." If you’re still in agony when you hit that goal, fine. But not until then.

Casey von NeumannMay 22, 2019073020, 111620, 060921Comment