If you all are like me, minor anxiety probably crops up all the time. You worry about your own children, your students and yourself, all of which can inhibit progress and (more often in my case) sleep. However present anxiety...
In the autumn of 1974, early in my career as school principal, a kind and gentle fifth grader named Davion was having trouble with some of the other boys in the class. In particular, a boy named Jeremy was becoming increasingly...
We all get mad; it’s how we manage our anger that matters, and no one is perfect. For example, just this morning, I was trying to finish an article while my 1-year-old slept. Her sister had other plans though, and...
[caption id="attachment_697" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo courtesy of dan"][/caption] As a community college teacher, many of the students I teach each semester represent untapped talent. What do I mean by this? With a few, notable, exceptions, the student population of most...
Teens are an incredibly stressed lot. They tell me so on surveys after school assemblies and in stress management workshops I conduct. When asked how many of them go to bed at night and lay a busy, worried and anxious...
Once there were three little girls, Kathy, Lilly and Susan. They were all new to my school in the seventh grade and had come from different schools. But in eighth grade, when they were together, they turned themselves into a...
On October 23rd, 60 Minutes produced a segment outlining the huge strides many autistic children are taking by using Apple's iPad to communicate and learn. The easy-to-use touch and swipe screen is opening up a new world that so many...
In September, I was intrigued during a workshop with teens to hear that a lack of consistency after parental divorce had led a number of teens and their peers to start using pot and to start drinking. I conducted this...
Ever ask a middle or high school teacher if he/she has had their students journal for a week, a month or longer? You are likely to hear how it improved student-teacher connection, classroom rapport, and a teacher’s appreciation of his/her...
My daughter will turn 1 next month and is currently experiencing a terrible bout of separation anxiety. It’s a stressful phase for all of us, and one made worse by her blood curdling screams, but a phase nonetheless. Like all...
The middle school years are an important time to teach empathy, and compassion. Pre-teens have the full range of feelings while still willing to acknowledge and communicate about them. How We Learn to Hide, Deny And Suppress Feelings This awareness...
