Have I mentioned how much I love spring?  January and February are busy months for work, so I’m excited when March arrives and I can spend time in our yard – which I did yesterday.  And I’m happy to report that after 12 hours of scrubbing and power washing, our hardscapes are clean. Power washing is a very cathartic activity.  Have you ever tried it?  It’s amazing.  Just point and shoot, and...

And with a final fanfare this evening, the flame will be extinguished and another Olympic adventure will come to an end.  I’ll admit it – I’m captivated by the pageantry, pride, thrill of victory, and yes, agony of defeat of the games.  My heart skipped a beat on several occasions when competitors had unfortunate falls.  Teammates and rivals, for a brief moment, forgot about allegiances...

Having worked at an early childhood center for 18 years before retiring, I discovered a predictable pattern regarding former kindergarten students and the memories they had of me once they moved to a new school. First graders easily remembered me from the year prior; second graders looked at me and knew they knew me but couldn’t always connect the dots; and once kids got to third grade, the...

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, unplanned obstacles are thrown our way and we must deal with them. Since I’m a person who loves to plan, this drives me crazy. I don’t mind impromptu challenges – as long as they are mapped out on the calendar and I can see them coming.   Sadly, this was not the case last weekend when Covid caught up with me. Unexpectedly, I had to rework my schedule...

This week I was reminded that behaviors are triggered by feelings. Excitement, frustration, stress, euphoria, overload and exhaustion represent some of the emotional states I encountered. Presentations cancelled due to Covid, (sorry, Kearney Nebraska) flight changes, recordings, deadlines, new puppy fun, changes in the weather, paperwork – my cup runneth over. Sadly, I’m not alone. For...

The way students enter our classrooms each day matters a lot.  Ever wake up feeling grumpy? tired? anxious?  Our morning emotional state can negatively impact the trajectory of our entire day.  So, to interrupt this pattern it’s important for teachers to have positive start-of-class rituals.  Need a simple strategy yielding continuous benefits?  Assign the daily role of Class Greeter to your...

A fresh start. A clean slate. A new beginning. Kicking off a new semester affords us the opportunity to strengthen our skills, sharpen our saws, and adjust our attitudes. What’s your New Year’s resolution? Every year something happens and I find myself wanting a “redo” button. I wish I had handled a situation differently, treated a child better, or just kept a better...

“What do you want for Christmas this year?” It’s a simple sentence I have uttered numerous times in my years as a parent. When I ask this innocuous question, I have good intentions. However, if my goal is to raise selfless and grateful children, I might be doing more harm than good. When our children are very young, shopping is easy.  We look for fun gifts and our kids are happy opening them....

Parenting is hard. For some reason we tend to see all the flaws, mistakes, and problems of our children – and accordingly, our natural inclination is to “fix” them. Sadly, when we try to fix the problems, we miss out on the gifts they possess, as well as the teachable moments they afford us. When I take a break from teaching and fixing, I realize I have much to learn from my...

Before diving back into teaching tomorrow, remember that the weeks leading up to a holiday break often bring out the good, the bad, and the ugly.  The good is evidenced in the overall holiday mood, gift-giving generosity, programs and celebrations.  However, these same factors can also contribute to escalating the bad and the ugly when it comes to student behaviors.  We all thrive on routine;...