The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned. ~Maya Angelou As I often do, I give immense credit to my brilliant, deep-thinking, and reflective teaching colleague, Barbara Hargreaves, for her inspiration for this post. In anticipation of our current home … Continue reading ‘Ways to Be Home’
Category: Relationships
Emergent Strategy: Never a Better Time Than Now
We are socialized to see what is wrong, missing, off, to tear down the ideas of others and uplift our own. To a certain degree, our entire future may depend on learning to listen, listen without assumptions or defenses. ~ Adrienne Maree Brown With a desire to rethink and reinvision the true purpose of public … Continue reading Emergent Strategy: Never a Better Time Than Now
Finding Equanimity: It’s Not Just For Yogis Anymore
You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone. ~Marcus Aurelius Lately, I have, for lack of a better phrase, worked on not … Continue reading Finding Equanimity: It’s Not Just For Yogis Anymore
Teaching (and Learning) Science Through Two-Eyes
This we know. The Earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. … Continue reading Teaching (and Learning) Science Through Two-Eyes
Circle It Up: All in the Name of Community
It's not foreign for me to be talking about my problems in circles. ~Matthew Perry As a part of our re-visioning for a newly expanded middle years program (grades 7-9), we made it essential that we could have a designated space for a twice-a-day circle to fit 49 students, five staff members, and room for … Continue reading Circle It Up: All in the Name of Community
Hi…Remember Me?
I don't have any sentimental notion about how people are going to remember me. ~Billy Corgan, musician/songwriter Summertime. A time for rest and rejuvenation. A time to be out and about in our small, three-degrees-of-separation community. More time spent in local shops. More time visiting our local nature haunts, camping nooks, and hiking spots. More … Continue reading Hi…Remember Me?
They?…I Think: The Beauty of Empathy
They? He? She? With the latest round of learning reports (aka report cards) completed and another year in the books, a colleague and I reflected on our reporting of learning to our students this year. A common thing that came flashing back was the use of pronouns in our reports. We started using "They" as … Continue reading They?…I Think: The Beauty of Empathy
Letting Kids Be…[kids]: Reflections to Responses
With the tent now dried out and put away, I have had an opportunity to reflect back on a recent three-day retreat outing with forty-eight middle school students earlier this month. I know what you are thinking...? My response to that question is for another post. Smack dab in the cross-hairs of my reflections have … Continue reading Letting Kids Be…[kids]: Reflections to Responses
Talent IS Overrated
Nobody comes out of the womb doing organic chemistry. Suzanne Lucas I recently viewed this TEDxBasel Talk by HR specialist (aka The Evil HR Lady) Suzanne Lucas. And as usual, I could not help but make attempt to make connections to my approaches both in the classroom working with my students, and as part of … Continue reading Talent IS Overrated
Beauty & Power of Shared Experience
Recently, I was embroiled in complex (aren't they all?) and deeply rooted conflict at the workplace. Excepting familial conflict, there are few more disheartening and frustrating dilemmas than conflict at the place. It is where we spend the second largest part of our lives, time, and investment of energy and passion. After nearly three and … Continue reading Beauty & Power of Shared Experience
