Here's my question to you: Why do you think that most kids and dogs get along so well? The reason is simple: Young children, like dogs, tend to be instinctual.

Brian knew that he was different. He loved to be read to by his parents and had a voracious curiosity, but when it came to reading a book on his own, Brian failed miserably. He couldn't read the text on the page and words got jumbled. Some teachers thought him lazy. "How could this bright boy with intense listening skills not keep up with his schoolwork? Try harder!" they said. Reading was more like an elusive puzzle than a way to absorb information. Years went by and his grades fell, and his parents weren't getting help through his school. After searching for more answers to their son's reading difficulties, Brian was diagnosed with dyslexia -- the inability to decode printed words.

Wherever we live, we should foster a constructive dialogue about sexual and reproductive health, and we should support young people when they are brave enough to speak out.

If meanness and hate are ingrained, albeit unfortunate parts of human nature, we must create communities that reinforce our other natural tendencies toward kindness and against meanness.

Teacher Appreciation Week is a good start, but why do teachers get a week while entertainers get our praise, tweets, fan mail and attention 24/7/365? Why do entertainers get red carpets, limousines, Emmys, Oscars, and Grammys, while teachers get apples, cards, plaques, and mugs?