by John Zurn | Sep 1, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author Few political rivalries in American history can match the ongoing disagreement between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Adams believed a strong federal government was essential to hold the young nation together. Jefferson believed that...
by John Zurn | Aug 25, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author JOHN ZURN, Educational Author Before we hand out diplomas for surviving algebra, we might want to ask a more important question: Can this student actually succeed in life? Three weeks ago, I wrote about Rodrigo, a student who struggled...
by John Zurn | Aug 18, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author Blanche was one of those students who seemed to have “potential” written on her forehead in permanent ink. Teachers saw the intelligence, but they also saw something else: a remarkable ability to give up just when things became...
by John Zurn | Aug 11, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author For more than forty years, I had the privilege of working with students who occupied every square inch of the educational spectrum. Some could solve algebra problems before breakfast. Others considered finding the right classroom a...
by John Zurn | Aug 4, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author Rodrigo was the student every teacher remembers—and not always because they want to. During my two years teaching at an American school in Europe, Rodrigo seemed powered by a small nuclear reactor hidden somewhere inside his body....
by John Zurn | Jul 28, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author For more than a century, American schools have treated academic achievement as the gold standard of success. Parents have been trained to scan report cards like stock market reports, celebrating a jump in math scores while quietly...
by John Zurn | Jul 21, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author Teachers and parents spend an amazing amount of time blaming each other for the state of modern childhood, which is a little like the quarterback and the coach arguing while the other team is scoring touchdowns. The truth is that...
by John Zurn | Jul 14, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author For forty years, I had a front-row seat to American education. I began as a teacher, moved into administration, and spent the final twenty-eight years of my career as a Head of School in independent K–8 schools. During that time, I...
by John Zurn | Jul 10, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author For generations, schools have been remarkably successful at teaching children how to solve for x, diagram a sentence, and remember just enough history to pass Friday’s quiz. Unfortunately, life has changed faster than the...
by John Zurn | Jul 7, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author If there is one thing capable of derailing a child’s success faster than a forgotten science project on the morning it is due, it is a disconnect between what parents believe and what schools believe. When families and educators...
by John Zurn | Jul 3, 2026 | Blog
JOHN ZURN, Educational Author Jackson was a difficult student, though not in the traditional sense. He wasn’t disruptive, lazy, or prone to launching paper airplanes across the room. His problem was that he was exceptionally bright and knew it. As his...
