Tag Archives: Harvard

Race to Somewhere

Posted on 04/28/2013 by

An open letter to my students at Harvard: Some of you are upset with me for writing a piece at Cognoscenti in which I questioned the value of our punishing, sometimes brutalizing “race to the top” admissions process to elite … Continue reading →

Posted in Children/Teens/Young Adults, Education, Harvard-related, My story | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Use Your Words

Posted on 04/10/2013 by

“Words are supposed to hurt. That’s considered a legitimate way of fighting things out. And what did it replace in the historical scene? It replaced actual violence. Words are supposed to be free so we CAN actually fight things out, … Continue reading →

Posted in Children/Teens/Young Adults, Education, Erika @ TIME.com, Harvard-related, My story | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Can We Get Kids Off the College Admissions Hamster Wheel?

Posted on 04/03/2013 by

Here’s a piece I just posted at WBUR’s Cognoscenti. It’s a real proposal for an experiment that I think could “work” in the sense that no matter what the outcome, we would gain useful information with no real harm (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Children/Teens/Young Adults, Other published work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

After the Storm

Posted on 02/09/2013 by

We’re just digging out from the blizzard and the sky is already doing its gaudy winter thing again. It amazes me how quickly things return to normal. I feel guilty saying that when people died in the storm, including an … Continue reading →

Posted in My story | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Harvard’s Thought Police: Whither Goes Free Speech?

Posted on 12/04/2012 by

Here’s my TIME.com column today, co-authored with my husband, Nicholas Christakis. There are few things I care more about than free speech and I think it’s fair to say that college campuses are currently one of the most restrictive speech … Continue reading →

Posted in Erika @ TIME.com, Harvard-related | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Amherst Rape Scandal: What We Get Wrong About Sexual Assault on Campus

Posted on 10/31/2012 by

This is my TIME.com column today on the complex issues around sexual assault on college campuses. There’s much more I wanted to say – and will say, later, on this blog — but for now: The recent media swarm around an anguished report of … Continue reading →

Posted in Children/Teens/Young Adults, Erika @ TIME.com, Women-related | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

The Unfathomable ‘Why’ of Suicide

Posted on 09/09/2012 by

I have been struggling all weekend to understand what unknowable forces compel a young person so full of vitality and joy – and I do believe it is a compulsion – to take his own life. I know about immature … Continue reading →

Posted in Children/Teens/Young Adults, Harvard-related, My story | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Being Honest About Lying (At Harvard and Everywhere Else)

Posted on 09/04/2012 by

My TIME.com column today on Harvard’s cheating investigation. Co-authored with my husband, Nicholas Christakis: Harvard‘s announcement last week of an investigation into a case of widespread cheating offered a little thrill of schadenfreude for some: confirmation, perhaps, that a venerable … Continue reading →

Posted in Children/Teens/Young Adults, Erika @ TIME.com, Harvard-related | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment