Why is it that we feel so much comfort when someone says, “I feel your pain,” “I get it,” “I know what that is like,” or “I’ve been there. I know it’s hard.” These phrases transform our perception from ‘I am suffering alone’ to ‘Someone who cares about me understands this pain.’ Empathy is a dying trait and one the world desperately needs to have come back. How did we get here? And how do we bring...
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Have you ever had a class where, for whatever reason, you and the class didn’t feel connected like you’ve experienced before? Or perhaps you’ve taught at a school where the leadership and staff were not in sync? It’s not pleasant. What if you could intentionally create that “in-sync” experience with your class or staff? And what if you knew how to use it to improve student behavior, attitude, and ...
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Your Classroom Might Be Slowing the Learning! Where do you look for guidance on ensuring your classroom is set up for optimal learning? Pinterest will show you some really pretty classrooms, but the scientific research will direct you to the BIG 3 – the three factors in your classroom that significantly impact student learning. Lean in for the breakdown of TWO of these three factors. No matter wha...
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It’s that time again! Time to look in the mirror and see what impact YOU are making. No one likes to give their all to something and not know if their efforts were worthwhile. Not me, not you, and not even your students. Being able to look in the mirror and ask, “MIRROR, MIRROR on the wall, am I making a difference AT ALL?” is a HUGE gift-giving habit. It brings reassurance, confidence, and … well...
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Would Your Students Describe Your Classroom as Boring or Chaotic? “This month seems like a lost cause for learning.” Have you heard someone say something like that before? I’ve got an idea for you this month to keep you green and growing all the way till the school year’s over. It’s never too late to try something new that can boost student learning. This is a great time of the school year for an ...
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In the classic children’s TV series, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, viewers are swept away to a Land of Make Believe – a utopian neighborhood created by their red cardigan-wearing host, Mr. Rogers. Before you take off your sneakers, slip into your slippers, and fully commit to his infamous question, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” there are some things you need to know about the impact your neighb...
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It’s Time to Do a Simple Experiment at Work; Have you ever tried to start a new exercise routine, only to quit a week or two into it? Or had the best of intentions to give students more frequent and specific feedback, but never got it jumpstarted? Believe it or not – even the best of intentions and motivation only get you so far … and in many cases it’s not very far. The key to successful habit fo...
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Currently, more people are aware of the Importance of Positive Thoughts or Thinking, whether we are referring to words/expressions we say to others or our inner mind dialogue with oneself, these words/expressions can shift the thought-pathways in our brain and lead us to completely different actions or behaviors, ultimately different destiny we reach. Consider the effects of the following three ex...
Read More »Just as Humor, Laughter and Positive Thoughts empower us to achieve greater happiness, so does the magic of “Gratitude or Thankfulness/Gratefulness” that can strengthen our emotion and mental health, plus physically changing our brains better. According to UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, regularly expressing gratitude literally changes the molecular structure of the brain, keeps the gray...
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Reprinted from ASCD When it works well, America’s public school system is designed to help students achieve at least one year of academic growth per school year. The problem? For students living in poverty, that’s not enough. In US public schools, 51% of students in public schools come from low-income families. Decades of research show that children from low-income homes start kindergarten trailin...
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