“I don’t know how to do this,” a student tells me. “Did you read the directions?” I ask. Inevitably, I get either a shrug of the shoulders or a, “It’s confusing.” “Let’s read the directions, then,” I say. Then I walk the student through the directions, and suddenly, they know how to do it. Or, after an assignment is given, a student will sit there and do nothing. When I ask him or her why they aren’t working, “I don’t know what to do” is the reply more times than not. Many times, after the due date of an assignment, students will tell me they didn’t do it because they didn’t know what to do or how to do it. I’ve gotten so many e-mails from parents telling me their kid doesn’t know how to do this or that. Let’s be clear here: the directions are written plainly on the assignment. Every project has step-by-step instructions, and I go over all requirements in class. It’s not a matter of “not knowing” how to do something—it’s a matter of learned helplessness, and it’s ...
In March, executive orders from governors across the country forced us to stay home, to close schools and churches and to shut down private businesses. Businesses were classified as either "essential" or "non-essential." All businesses deemed "non-essential" were forced to close. This included markets, clothing stores, boutiques, dine-in restaurants, and beauty salons. State parks, city parks, beaches, walking trails, lakes, and other wide open spaces were closed as well. Many people feel that the "social distancing," as it has come to be known, and stay at home executive orders violate their constitutional rights, such as our First Amendment right to freely exercise our religion, our right to peaceably assemble, and that we shall not be deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some of the people who feel their rights have been violated have decided to exercise their First Amendment right to protest. Some have even chosen...