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I had a student whose dream was to go to Harvard. He would wear Harvard shirts, the hats, and talk about it every time we discussed what we aspired to be. But then I asked him, “Is going to Harvard your dream or your goal?” He looked a little perplexed, but confidently said, “Well, both. Is there a difference?” Yes, there sure is. You see, we all have dreams—becoming a surgeon, flying a plane, studying at one of the most selective schools like Harvard, starting a business, wr

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And yet, more often than not, we still agree on what’s beautiful. A sunrise.  A bird with bright, exquisite colors.  A clean, peaceful corner somewhere in the world.  And so much more.... Beauty is all around us—not just in museums or picture-perfect moments. It’s woven into the order of things. And we feel a quiet happiness in that kind of order. How do we feel it? Imagine a house, a room, or a classroom -- clean and full of bri

In the college race, we do not lack ideas on how to prepare our children for admissions. From summer intensives to mentorship...

Why do we read stories? Maybe we read them to find traces of ourselves in other times and places? Maybe to see how people before us dreamed, failed, and imagined? Or, maybe we read stories to remember that there is still mystery in the world—to remind ourselves what it feels like to wonder . When I taught both fiction and nonfiction stories to my high school students last year, they appreciated both. But time and again, their favorite readings were the folktales and legends.