Touchy Subjects

Before I sit down at my laptop and start work out a first draft of an article about a topic that's likely to stir up debate, I like to spend a good, long time pondering the subject from all angles. The topic of today's Atlantic piece, "Should Teachers be Able to Touch Students?" has been on my back burner longer than most, just stewing and bubbling away, so when a copy of David J. Linden's Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind arrived in my mailbox, I took it as a sign from the gods. Or a publicist, anyway.

[Insert your own publicist/deity joke here]

Some articles sit on my slow-simmer back burner for a day or two, some for weeks, but this one has been cooking for well over a year, so I really hope you like it. I don't really care if you agree or disagree with my premise, that touch plays a very important role in education, but I do hope that you think about it a little bit, maybe even from a new perspective.

In other news, the drawing for January's signed galley is only a week away, and I can hardly wait. I will randomly pick one name from all my subscribers and get in touch by email on the 31st. 

Speaking of galleys, if you know of a school or organization that might want to use The Gift of Failure as a community read, know that I'm making review copies available for that purpose. Just use the contact form here to get in touch. Yep. Pun intended.

You can click on the photo below to link to the Atlantic piece on touch in the classroom. Have a great weekend!