Navigating a Whackadoodle World: Episode Four

The Power of Focus and Attention. In which my Whackadoodle student and I begin the forth of fourteen lessons for navigating life, and discuss how easy human brains get distracted, as well as what a my young student can do about it. If you have entered this story in the middle, click here for the … Read more

Navigating a Whackadoodle World: Episode Three

The Power of Reflection. In which my Whackadoodle student and I begin the third of fourteen lessons for navigating life, and spend some time reflecting on what makes people tick. If you have entered this story in the middle, click here for the prologue. “So I have that list of abstract nouns you assigned me last … Read more

Court Reform: Or Why Do Nine People Hold So Much Power?

A Whackadoodle discussion about the Supreme Court, Court Reform, Dark Money, and whether or not people like you are interested, including links to Senator Whitehouse of Rhode Island’s eighteen floor speeches regarding the need for change. “I still don’t understand why you want to post a bunch of speeches given on the Senate floor on … Read more

Navigating a Whackadoodle World: Episode Two

The Power of Definition and Belief. In which my Whackadoodle student and I begin the second of fourteen lessons for navigating life, and rediscover how important it is to keep examining our definitions. If you have entered this story in the middle, click here for the prologue. ______ “So I have been thinking about how to … Read more

The Magic Fairy: Irony, Sarcasm, Saying or Satire?

A Whackadoodle answer in which my student and I answer a Dear Navigator question about sarcasm; only to end up discussing why classifications matter. “So we have another one,” she told me, waiving her iPhone. “Another Dear Navigator question?” I asked, pleasantly surprised. “Sort of,” she nodded. “It was a question posted as a comment … Read more

Navigating a Whackadoodle World: Episode One

The Power of Cause and Effect. In which my student and I begin the first of fourteen lessons for navigating life, and rediscover how important it is to keep asking why. If you haven’t read this story’s prologue, click here. She looked at me thoughtfully. “I’ve been considering the best way to introduce Episode One … Read more

Navigating a Whackadoodle World: A Prologue

A Whackadoodle discussion in which my student challenges me to teach her about A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating the River of Life. “I think that we need to start talking more about your rules, and less about my lessons.” “How’s that?” “Well, isn’t the point of our website to get people interested … Read more