Ever wake up feeling less than perky? A bit grumpy? tired? Your emotional state can cloud the day pretty grey if something doesn’t happen to turn things around. This is why I make it a huge point to create as inviting an atmosphere in my workshops as possible – music, table groups, and most importantly, strong greetings. When possible, I do my best to welcome participants at the door. The...

Not twitching – It’s one of my hardest parenting jobs. I am usually able to do this with students, but with my own children, it’s different. Our own children always seem to bring out the extremes – extreme emotions, extreme behaviors, extreme reactions. Last night my wife and I invited Micah to join us for a dinner outing. Unfortunately, there was a wait at the restaurant, so Micah,...

“The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” This quote from Mark Twain seems appropriate given the inevitable changes occurring at home as another school year comes to a close. Parents, we need to consider ourselves lucky. Our kids have had nine months of consistency thanks to the hard work of many teachers. We just need to follow their lead and not blow it. Although students are about...

So, I was raised with the value of leaving things nicer than I found them.  Of course, I consciously try to do this every day.  Be it a smile, kind word, gesture or humorous quip, I try to make a difference in the affect of the individuals with whom I interact.  I like to think of it as behavioral residue.  We all leave an impression, and sometimes those impressions stick.  Today I discovered...

So, I was thinking about my past pets today – specifically, Juan Pablo.  Chameleons are interesting creatures.  Did you know they can completely change colors in less than 20 seconds?  They can also blend into their environment entirely, hiding among the foliage.  It is an amazing survival instinct – one many students possess.  In children and teens I often see survival behaviors triggered by...

Sometimes deadlines converge, which can be painful. It feels like a series of tidal waves approaching that you can do little to stop. This is a common sensation in schools around this time of year – with after-school duties, grades, meetings, report cards – and these are just our work responsibilities. How appropriate today is Easter, as for the last forty days I feel as though I have been...

It was quite an impressive sight. Sitting in the middle of a completely still pond outside of Lincoln, Nebraska was a massive goose, specifically of the Snow variety. From what I understand, exponential numbers of them migrate through the area around this time of the year. This one, however, was alone. I wondered where his friends were. It got me to thinking about that whole “birds of a...

Power washing is quite the cathartic activity. It’s a spring ritual of mine. Of course, sleep had to figure into this equation, as well, since we have been on spring break this past week. But alas, I made time. And so, we have a clean back patio and fountain. There is something wonderful about having all that control in one trigger finger. Just point and shoot, and “poof”, all the grime is...

It’s a sad story. Residents of St. John the Baptist Parish in Louisiana are fighting back after the EPA released findings they have the highest cancer risk in the country – 700 times the national average, according to one study. This would stand to reason given the large plant manufacturing the chemical chloroprene located there. Though one may not be able to see it, the residents say you can...