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Josh Knox

Just Joshin' #213 (Back-to-School)

Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read

Family Photo:
Back-to-School

School started last week!

This is our third first day of school, but it's our first one where Calvin and Lawrence will both spend all day at school.

(Just like Lasts, anything can be a First if you are specific enough. This is your first time reading my 213th newsletter. Every day is a new day.)

Yet still, these are exciting milestones. This is our first year dropping Lawrence off at his kindergarten classroom in the morning. This is our first year not walking Calvin to his classroom door at the start of school. The protocol now is just to hug him and say goodbye from the edge of the playground.

Before dropping Calvin off on Friday, I picked him up to give him a great big hug.

"I love you," I said, setting him back down on the ground.

"I love you too," Calvin said, then added, before turning to run and play with his friends, "You can leave now, Dad."

Shielding my eyes from the early morning sun, I took in the scene: kids playing on slides and swings, across basketball courts and soccer fields. Peals of laughter bouncing over the blacktop. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe in the joy and hope hanging in the morning air. Opening my eyes and scanning the playground again, I saw Calvin had stopped playing with his friends and was now watching me watch it all. Our eyes locked. He sprinted back to me.

"Really, Dad, you can leave now."

Welcome back to school.

Dad Joke:
Back-to-School Confidence

Why was the backpack full of confidence on the first day of school?​
It had everything in the bag.

Source: Dad[AI]Base​

Highlights:
Back-to-School Education

​chasing answers newsletter #18 by Randy​

I have always heard, from friends who have older children, that once they start school, kids become entirely different people. They become a wild mixture of everything they pick up at school from the other kids. As if each kid is an individual ingredient that gets thrown into this big pot with all these other ingredients, and out comes a finished product that is unrecognizable.
​
I don't know how true that is, and I'm hoping it's not true at all. But I am concerned. It was probably just in my head, but when I got home from work after that first day, I felt like I could already see a difference (I know, it sounds crazy, but I swear I could.)
​
I'm so afraid of my daughter morphing into this new person. Not the type of morphing that happens from maturing and growing, but the kind that occurs from outside influences. When it's more of an imitation of what's been seen than a natural progression to a new stage.
​
Right now, she is so perfect.

​How It All Works by Morgan Housel​

Chris Rock says teachers provide half of the education at school, bullies provide the other. “And learning how to deal with bullies is that half you’ll actually use as a grownup.”

​Turning 25 by Richard​

But, my best decision to date has been to start seriously writing. When I was younger, I had the chance to choose between a STEM-focused high school and a humanities-focused one. I went with STEM because it was easier. There was a clear right or wrong answer in science and math. Less room for gray.
​
It turns out that the world is more shades of gray than I can count.

​Intelligent vs. Smart by Morgan Housel​

I’d define intelligence vs. smart like this: Intelligent people understand technical details, smart people understand emotional details.
​
Or maybe...
​
• Intelligence: Good memory, logic, math skills, test-taking ability, rule-following.
​
• Smart: High degree of empathy, bullshit detection, organization, communication skills, persuasion, social awareness, understanding the consequences of your actions.
​
Both are important. But there’s a critical difference in how each is valued.
​
Schools are good at teaching and measuring intelligence, so that’s what people tend to value and aspire to. But in almost any field, smarts is what gets rewarded long term.

iamJoshKnox:
EncycEELopedia!

This is the first edition of my eel book. If you buy a copy, I'd love feedback on what jokes work or don't work, as well as suggestions to make it better. My dream is to one day have this book featured in every aquarium gift shop in America.

Available on Amazon Where Books are Sold:​
​EncycEELopedia​

Want to Be Interviewed?

I want to improve my interviewing skills:
​Please REPLY if you'd like to do a 30-minute interview with me for a Podcast that doesn't yet exist.

Or book some time on my calendar if there's anything else you'd like to chat about:
​https://calendly.com/iamjoshknox​

Until next week,
​iamJoshKnox​​

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Josh Knox

Hi! I am Josh Knox. Read more of me here: 👇

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