Five Reads For Friday November 7th

I have missed a number of Fridays of my Five Reads post. I am trying to get back on the horse today. Here are five which struck a chord with me this week.

Getting Better All The Time -- The New Yorker -- November 10th 2014
Getting better at getting better is one of my favorite phrases. This New Yorker article describes how in sports, the arts and business getting better in new innovative ways has been part of their cultures since the 1970's. The interesting thing is this emphasis on getting better has not led to more record performances, but it has led to a "depth of excellence" that is the highest ever. The key in sports, the arts and business is the "mainstreaming of excellent habits". The article takes a surprising twist at the end to condemn one field for not getting better. That is Education in the United States. Not that all sorts of things haven't been tried. This author believes that there are two reasons for this lack of improvement. Teacher training is an after thought and the belief in the "natural born teacher." One of the first Heads of School I ever worked for used to embrace this idea of the natural teacher to the extent that he used to say "teachers will only get as good as their 3rd year on the job." Although I liked him a lot as a Head of School, I never agreed with that idea and now nations like Finland have proven that through practicing good habits like in other fields any teacher can get better and better and better.

A Natural Fix For ADHD -- NYT -- October 31, 2014
This is a MUST READ. The number of young people who are now taking some sort of prescription drug to manage the effects of ADHD makes just about anyone I know who has worked with young people start thinking something is wrong. Is it the academic schedule and demands? Is it a culture that is more sedentary? Is it diet or environment? Research does not point to any of that. So why do this many kids need a drug? As I read this article, I thought of the Pole Vaulters that were on track teams I was on as a youth. These guys were all huge risk takers and it appears there is a genetic link between being a risk taker and having ADHD. It is unclear why most adults seem to grow out of this condition, but it seems it has something to do with having more freedom to select the situations they work and live in. Maybe there are lessons for children. Maybe the key is to get more children with ADHD pole vaulting.  This article argues the traits of children with ADHD in the right environment could be a real asset.

Vanguard After the Revolution: Bill James Sparked a Revolution but He Has Regrets about the world he wrought
Bill James may be one of the great innovators in sports in my life time. His use of statistical analysis to examine baseball has spread to other sports and to other fields. But James also worries what he has done has increased skepticism about everything. James loves baseball and that led to his writing about the sport. I, though, love author Joe Posnanski's writing about baseball even though he's a Royals fan.

The Top 10 List From the Pope on Being a Happier Person
A lot of folks are pleased with the new Pope. Being Pope isn't a popularity contest, but it certainly can't hurt interest in Catholic faith if he tries to connect a little better with his flock. Regardless of your faith or not, this list is worth a read and nice advice from the new Pope.

John Paxson's 30th Year with the Bulls -- Chicago Tribune
With Basketball season starting, here is a Basketball article. It's amazing to think that John Paxson has been playing and working for the Chicago Bulls for 30 years. This Tribune article says a lot of nice things about Paxson's contributions to the Bulls over that time. Most of them from former school parent and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.