By Jim Fredricksen

My brother’s oldest daughter started high school this year. We live several states away from one another and early this school year my phone rang in the afternoon. It was my brother.

“Can you help us? Her English teacher is asking her to write an introduction to an essay using a ‘delayed thesis.’ I tried to get it, but I’m not sure I’m explaining it right.”

My brother is a thoughtful guy, an elementary school principal for almost two decades, and he’s skilled at understanding where other people are coming from. Still, he’s stuck.

My niece gets on the phone. “Hi Uncle Jim. We just have to practice this delayed thesis thing.” She reads me an example or two. She’s feeling stuck, and it seems like she just wants to figure out what the teacher wants so she can finish her homework and not talk to her…