Sebastian junger: the journalist and author of the perfect storm on boys' books, global learning, and great teaching.

You write about real-life adventures from deep-sea fishing to war zones. What kinds of books did you read growing up?

I loved nonfiction--books about Native Americans, war stories. I often had a hard time concentrating on books for school. That may be a boy thing. If you love the subject, you'll love reading. Teachers can really help kids learn that if they choose the right books for the right child.

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* The right match is everything.

When kids follow their interests, reading and writing can become all-consuming. I loved running so I learned all about Navajo long-distance runners. Meanwhile, I struggled with Shakespeare and all those guys.

You've spent time reporting from the Middle East. How do you think we should approach teaching about it?

When teachers are able to present what's going on in the adult world and say to kid's, "Hey, this is your world, too, and it's fascinating." That's very powerful. And we all need the chance to learn about different perspectives, to have our realities shaken up. Teachers can make a big difference here--whether it's city kids visiting a farm or rural kids getting on the subway.

* Children have more media in their lives. Does that give them a wider perspective?

It can. If you're cruising the Internet, you're cruising the world. You can really go anywhere. That wasn't true in our generation so I think there's some awareness of the global cyber-community. In some ways that's good, but it shouldn't take the place of the real world.

* Is the cyberworld looming too large for children?

We all seem to be really held hostage by things with screens. I sound like such a grumpy old guy, but I remember playing outside as a kid--climbing trees, jumping off rocks. I remember colliding with the physical world over and over again as a child. I worry for this generation of kids because they don't seem to do that. It leaves some very wonderful part of children really underutilized.

* Who were the teachers who really affected you?

They had one thing in common. They let you know adults weren't right about everything. Maybe not overtly, but they let you know there was room to disagree, room to define what was going on for yourself. Those were the teachers we really trusted. You knew you could count on them to be straight with you.

PHOTO: [c] REZA/WEBISTAN

INTERVIEW BY PHILIP STEVENS: