Perspective and attitude carry a great deal of weight when it comes to behavior.  Accordingly, I need to slow down and keep this in mind as we move into the month of December.  Of course, my tendency is to speed up.  I make a list… and check it twice… but my list is of all the tasks I need to complete before my next break.  Can you relate? The problem for me is one of focus.  I try to “fit it...

I wonder when, or if, we will ever make the connection that experience provides the best opportunity for learning.  When I think back over my education, early childhood through my Masters, I remember experiences – field trips, debates, group projects, experiments, review games and activities, and class presentations.  What I don’t remember are the paper and pencil tasks.  An experience makes...

“They never pay attention.”  “She can’t wait for anything.”  “He keeps telling me he’s bored.”  These are phrases I hear regularly from adults.  It doesn’t surprise me.  I believe it has to do with the way kids’ brains have been conditioned.  In our ever-changing world filled with high-impact video games, reality TV shows, and action-filled movies, kids have been programed for instant...

I had quite the challenging week of dealing with troubling adult behaviors and heightened emotions on many levels.  Political mudslinging, contentious school-board meetings, congregational concerns, overwhelmed teachers and parents – everywhere I traveled, there seemed to be anger, hostility and conflict.  In talking with people about difficult issues being faced in our communities, everyone...

Getting attention and paying attention are two sides of the same coin, both of which are huge issues in our classrooms and society. One thing I know for sure – we all have a basic human need to be seen and heard. I remember vividly, several years ago in route to some presentation, recognizing a man sitting in front of me on the plane. I had been a fan of his music since college, so when...

“He doesn’t play well with others.” This was the phrase I overheard a teacher utter to a colleague in a workshop this week. Though she was referring to one of her new students, with the residual effects of the pandemic still lingering, I’m guessing most teachers are seeing this concern with many of their students. I understand this problem, personally. I was socially awkward had horrible...

Ever hear a song and find yourself transported back to prom or some other significant event in your life?  Yep.  That’s an emotional memory, which is a strong force in the brain.  Although some cognitive information fades, emotional footprints stick with us long after events have passed. Earlier this week I found myself in the Atlanta airport with several hours to kill, so on a whim I stopped...

If you’ve ever tried to change your behavior, you know it’s not easy. This is especially the case if you have several behaviors on which to work.  The same is true for your students.  Now that school has been in session awhile, it is a good time to work with your students on setting behavioral goals. Consider meeting individually with students and having each of them target one goal on which...

Hold that thought – three simple words; one underutilized strategy.  So often, in an attempt to prove a point, I make things worse by talking. I come by it naturally. My mother once told me, “Dan, God wouldn’t put people in the elevator with you unless he wanted you to talk to them.” The problem is that words have the power to bring out poor behavior in others. Several times this week I...

Cognitive Restructuring – Ever heard of it?  In simple terms, it’s a concept designed to help individuals recognize and understand their thought patterns, and accordingly, adapt them in positive ways.  Throughout my career I regularly worked with students on this concept.  We talked about how powerful the brain is and how important intentional thoughts are to our well-being.  Funny, as...