So here's the short of it, 
Dr. John Medina, Just Wow. 

And here's the long.

This evening I had the great pleasure to hear Dr. John Medina speak.  He was brought in by Baylor School and worked with their teachers today, and then this evening he did a free lecture open to the public. It was designed to be a session that would appeal to parents.

He was just absolutely fascinating. Here's a link to information about him.  He raced through lots of studies and information and outcomes.  He was an excellent speaker and his ability to just talk about statistics was amazing.  His intimate familiarity with decades of studies on all kinds of things that impact cognition kept most of us at full attention!

So we left knowing that a stable home life is the absolute one most important thing in determining a child's success.  But as educators we didn''t learn what it is we can do for those students who don't have that stable home life.

What a great evening!  I'm ready for bed after having just gotten home - but am so glad to have spent this evening out.

Reading for the future: Brain Rules (New York Times Bestseller), Brain Rules for Baby 

Then maybe also these:  The Genetic Inferno, The Clock of Ages, Depression, What You Need to Know About Alzheimer’s, The Outer Limits of Life, Uncovering the Mystery of AIDS, and Of Serotonin, Dopamine and Antipsychotic Medications.