It’s time. With now summer in our rearview mirrors and students headed back to classrooms, I can pull out my favorite jigsaw puzzle. Though it represents education in a different era, it puts me in the right frame of mind for the start of school. Every time I see this puzzle, I’m reminded of a television show I watched when I was young, Little House on the Prairie. Set in the late 1800s,...

I find poor behaviors, much like dirt, tend to build up over time. One reaction leads to another, and before long, ingrained patterns of unfortunate behaviors become the norm. Put another way, behaviors that are repeated become habits – and once this happens, they can take time to break. Speaking of habits, I tried to break some ingrained eating patterns this week. Have you ever tried a...

Though some schools are already back in session, for others it’s the final countdown until the 2021-2022 year begins.  Remember what it was like purchasing school supplies?  buying new clothes?  finding out who your teachers and classmates would be?  With this tradition students experience a whole host of emotions – anticipation, excitement, anxiety.  Sound familiar?  Yep.  For the most part,...

It’s back-to-school time, folks – or at least that’s what my calendar tells me.  August is always a busy month, marked by nonstop professional development.  And this year more sessions are crammed into the limited dates thanks to the magic of the virtual platform.  I work with one group in the morning and jump across the country for an afternoon session with just the click of a button....

My momma taught me to treat others the way I want to be treated.  I try to practice this, but usually do so at the wrong times.  When things are going well for me, it’s easy – but when I’m upset, my stress behaviors come out.  I react to situations rather than respond to them, which is usually not very pretty. I don’t think I’m alone on this one.  I believe that, for the most part,...

It’s summer, which means it’s time to engage in my annual “clean, sort and pitch” ritual.  It’s amazing how much stuff can pile up over time.  The fear of becoming a hoarder regularly motivates me to purge.  Of course, it’s hard for me to get rid of stuff without some reflection. I realized it’s been over 18 years since I worked at our regional Education Service Center.  While there, I had the...

Parents, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  You are going to get frustrated with your kids, but when that happens, find an activity you enjoy and step away.  I find this simple strategy allows us to stay out of power struggles, and more importantly, adjust our perspectives.  Personally, I like yard work. I spent the morning gardening.  Specifically, I had to clean up one bed,...

As I sat down to write my blog for the week, I knew I wanted to focus on the emotional well-being of kids – but as much as I tried to write, the memory of my post from last year at this time kept pulling my attention away. Happily, the content fits perfectly: On Thursday I was featured at the Soar to Success Summit, an online professional development conference for early childhood...

One of the best ways to avoid power struggles is to let others have the last word.  Though difficult to do, it is an effective way to de-escalate a situation – especially when dealing with your own children.  I have always struggled practicing this strategy, as I have felt as though I was letting my son “win” by not responding immediately when confronted.  However, as my wife has...

This week’s revelation – When we own the solutions, we own the problems.  Parents, too often we jump in and “help” our children.  We bring up issues, prompt discussions, weigh in on options, and offer continual reminders – and in doing so we inadvertently take on the weight of our children’s problems until they are resolved.  If we want our children to become more independent, we must...