Recently, I was listening to a podcast featuring investor and philosopher, Naval Ravikant. He spoke about how success was simply an extension of one’s authentic self. For example, a business, a blog, a podcast ideally are reflections of that person’s passions, interests, and uniqueness.

Instantly, I connected that idea to teachers and education. A teacher’s classroom setup - the pictures and posters on the wall, the rock chair, the carpet on the floor, the yoga mats, the funny and...

At the end of each semester, I require students in my college classes to participate in what’s called a Warrior’s Examination, an oral assessment, where a person must spontaneously (and courageously, hence the term, warrior) answer a randomly chosen question about the course content or concepts.

I did not invent this exam. It is extensively used at Naropa University, a private, Buddhist-inspired institution in Boulder, Colorado. I began using the assessment format after I felt that...

To say that schools forced to operate online during the pandemic were a complete “failure” as the Wall Street Journal reported in a June 5 article is not fair to educators.

“Apparently, 95% of students (ages 13-19) believe opportunities for more real-world learning would improve their school.” – Josh Schachter

Josh Schachter is the Founder and Director of CommunityShare, an education initiative that is re-imagining the relationship between schools and communities. Schachter states...