Category: Blog

  • Guest Blogger: Letter to President-elect Trump

    For their Critical Thinking final, my students had to write a letter to President-elect Trump or to their generation. CJ’s Letter to President-elect Trump is insightful and unbiased (in my biased opinion?). He eloquently expresses what is at the heart of our fears and hopes with Trump’s election. I think the most beautiful part of this…

  • TED Talk from Sharon Brous: It’s time to reclaim and reinvent religion

    Sharon Brous powerful TED Talk is a great part of the global conversation that needs to happen to heal the brokenness in our world. It fits perfectly with my message of optimistic realism. You can watch her video and/or read some of the highlights below.   4 Principles of Religion Wakefulness. Our world is on…

  • Guest Blogger: Letter to Millennials

    As a college writing teacher, I have the pleasure of helping my students discover their writing voice and their passions in life. Every once and a while I will read an essay that I need to post on my blog because it lines up with my goals, which is to help people find their own healthy…

  • The Problem with Choice

    I know too many people who are not educators (and some who are) that are in favor of the choice movement in education. The biggest reason people want choice is to improve the education for their own children and then create competition so that other schools will be forced to improve or shut down. Unfortunately,…

  • The Top 12 Global Teacher Blogger Discussion: November 2016

    How do you as teachers support children who are confused or frightened by events going on in their world? As a parent, I had to calm my son down before he went to bed Tuesday night and when he woke up Wednesday morning. His “I’m scared, Mom” was difficult for me to hear because I…

  • Healthy Choices: Essential Oils

    I’m happy to announce that I have joined doTERRA Essential Oils as a wellness advocate. I was introduced to doTerra by a friend who has been using essential oils for years now. In the past she has given me oils for stress/anxiety, stomach aches, fever and body aches, and they have worked every time. At…

  • Uncle Phil Radio Show Nov 11, 2016

    I had the pleasure of talking about my book on the Uncle Phil Show on Friday. It’s a bit long, but a great hour-long discussion with Phil and Marshall. We had some deep conversations about education, bullying and how to help our children in this climate of fear, but mostly, we laughed and bonded over our…

  • The Top 12 Global Teacher Blogger Discussion: October 2016

    How do we better engender a healthy, happy, and productive school environment where both teachers and students can flourish? In Martin E.P. Seligman’s Flourish (published April 5, 2011 with Simon and Schuster), he writes about the five elements people need in order to flourish. It goes beyond trying to find happiness: “Flourishing rests on five pillars, each…

  • Hall of Fame Induction Speech

    I graduated from Gates-Chili in 1982. I had amazing teachers here who affected my life. Mr. Ron Poness, Ms.Martha MacAdam, Mr. Jack Degan, and Mr. Dan Hickey are a few who bring a smile to my face. These amazing teachers made me want to become a teacher. I decided that standing in front of young…

  • The Top 12 Global Teacher Blogger Discussion: September 2016

    How can we maximize the value of art and music in education and how can it be blended with more traditional subjects (math, science, history, etc.)? I teach at a community college, and a professor there created an art therapy club for professors, adjunct, and staff. Nine people attended the first session where they colored…