On my desk sits a bowl of candy. The bowl is titled, “The Grandma Candy Bowl”. It is free to any student who chooses to come to my desk and tell me something about their day or themselves. This week one of my students came to collect his butterscotch and I asked him, “What is … Continue reading Perfection Pitfalls: Teaching Self-Worth
Category: mental health
Gratuity is…
My kids remind me that gratitude is found wherever we look, whenever we look. What will choose to focus on? What brush will we use to paint the story of our lives?
Friday Reflections: Clean up on Aisle 9
Embrace your mess, and meet it head on. Bring your broom and sweep away the fears that life will never be good again. Peace lies below the heartache, it just needs you to remember that love flows and brings order to all things.
Friday Reflections: Pain
Life is messy and I have faith that when my journey comes to a close it will be those moments of pain that delivered me my greatest lessons.
Friday Reflections: Start with Their Story
Every day our students are in the process of memorializing another page to another chapter of their story. When we know who and what they think they are we can empower them to be who they have the potential to be.
Friday Reflections: Your “Leave Behind”
It is a safe assumption that few of us will end up in history books, have statues erected in our names, or holidays declared in our honor. This should not be a discouraging sentiment as significance is found in each and every one of us. Though we may not leave this world legends, we will … Continue reading Friday Reflections: Your “Leave Behind”
Friday Reflections: Sitting in Failure
Failure: What if we refused to run from it, but rather we sat in its discomfort? What if we allowed ourselves to feel the sting because we know we are strong enough to survive it? What if we allowed it to shape the image we have of ourselves because we have faith in our ability to overcome our struggles?
The F Word
A colleague of mine was wiping out an old work computer and found a video clip from years ago. In the video, students were participating in interviews unaware that their favorite teachers were dancing in the background like fools. As I watched this clip I was filled with a warm, familiar feeling that resonated … Continue reading The F Word
Fear
Heart pounding. Hands sweating. Mind racing. For many of us, this is what we conjure up when we think of fear. A freight train of emotion that warrants an immediate and obvious response. However, the toxic residue that lies behind fear is not always the crushing presence of adrenaline. In fact, most often it is … Continue reading Fear
Teacher Traps
I, no doubt, stupidly thought that teaching adorable children with special needs would be so gratifying that it would be easy! I will save you all the suspense, but after teaching students with disabilities for over 15 years, I quickly ended up catching a clue. Teaching was anything, but easy and the person making it … Continue reading Teacher Traps
Awake & Accelerate 