Did a Teacher Change Your Life?

As you consider your own K-12 school years and your undergraduate college or graduate school experiences, if you continued with your education, who were the teachers that really mattered to you? Who were the ones who made your learning journey interesting, safe, even fun? Who were the ones who supported your efforts to master tough subjects? Who were the teachers who listened as you talked about your goals, career aspirations, and dreams? Who helped you shift from one possible career path to the one you’re on now? Who were the ones who gave you encouragement, praise, and even tough love, when they caught you not doing or being your best? Want to hear my guess? It’s a small number of the faculty that you encountered who actually made a difference in your life.

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Let’s Rethink Public Services: The Rights and Entitlements of the People

When Americans consider the matter of public services—assistance of various kinds provided to citizens by government agencies—the national conversation tends to polarize around two contrasting views. One holds that government should provide a wide range of services for its citizens, especially those facing financial hardship and the effects of disadvantaged environments. The other holds that government should stay out of people’s lives and let them fend for themselves.

On one side of the debate, the eternal bogeyman quickly raises its head: “Socialism.” The “nanny state.” “Do we want the government to do everything for us?” And, “Who pays for …

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