What would happen if we admitted most of what we say to young people about education is false?  ___ I’m among those educators who hope Americans can begin to rethink the assumptions we have about education. The situation is worse than most people imagine, and it’s particularly bad for men, especially when they’re from the underclass. We actually distract ourselves from the true issues behind our flawed education system, and we do it by focusing on things like policy, curriculum, the quality of teachers, etc. These are worth attention, but they’re just symptoms. The truth is that our system is flawed because of what purpose we believe education should serve.…

Bill Mayer for Reader’s Digest Much of my childhood in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, was excruciatingly lonely. Family troubles, devastating shyness, and a complete lack of social skills ensured a life of solitude. Hunting was not only my opening into a world of wonder; it was my salvation. From the age of 12, I lived, breathed, existed to hunt and fish. On school days I would hunt in the morning and evening. On Fridays I would head into the woods by myself, often for the entire weekend. Still, I had not learned to love solitude, as I do now. I would see something beautiful—­the sun through the leaves, a deer…

Myth: “Play hard to get” Courtesy Kendra Callari“When my now-boyfriend and I started dating, I played hard to get—like really hard, to the point where he sat down and said, ‘I don’t know if I can handle this. I need to be needed, cared about, and wanted.’ Hearing that he felt this way was like a knife through my heart. This whole time I was trying to be sexy and confident by pushing myself away to let him know I didn’t need a man to make me happy. Now, when my friends tell me they’re playing hard to get, I remind them that he too is human and if he…

Rhys Jack shares a moment of unexpected inspiration and how vulnerability can reveal more than we ever could expect. by Rhys Jack Last week, I had a moment of unexpected inspiration. I was seated in a group of would-be writers listening intently as a middle-aged man read aloud a story he had written. The man seemed quietly confident and somewhat proud of himself as he stepped up to address the small group, unfolding his papers and smiling as he prepared to share with us the fruit of his creative toil. He began his story, excitement flowing through every word he had carefully written down onto the paper as he introduced…