Category: Empathy
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Y is for YOU and other Y’s
YOU John Hattie, in his ground-breaking work Visible Learning, concluded that teachers are among the most powerful influences in learning. He found that a “teacher’s beliefs and commitments are the greatest influence on student achievement” (Hattie 25). Teachers do this by constantly evaluating and assessing, not just students, but their teaching methods and the effectiveness…
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Single Voices, Global Choices Project
Planning is well underway for Single Voices, Global Choices having begun a few months ago. The project, already boasting 107 teachers from 95 schools in 46 countries, plans on centering social emotional learning and connections-based learning by focusing on international events created by the United Nations and other organizations and by analyzing current events. International…
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“X” Marks the Spot
I began writing this series a year and a half ago to explore the many considerations we need to contemplate regarding the changes that will occur in the next decade and what our students will need to be successful in that time-frame and beyond. Access, happiness, mental well-being, reflection, patience, social-emotional learning, and mindset are…
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V is for Village
Now more than ever the concept of being part of a village is starkly apparent. The world village, often so disjointed, is intricately interconnected. COVID-19 and the extraordinary measures being taken to plank the curve are a wake up call to the importance of a sense of community and our job in helping it grow,…
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U is for Unhappy? Not Anymore…
I recently attended a book launch open house where my friend Rob Dunlop celebrated the culmination of four years of work on his book STRIVE for Happiness in Education. Rob is totally on the right track with this book. In a time of such significant upheaval on multiple fronts, his book serves as a balm.…
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P is for Patience
“If we want to live wider and deeper lives, not just faster ones, we have to practice patience — patience with ourselves, with other people, and with the big and small circumstances of life itself.” M. J. Ryan Have you ever felt frustrated? Exasperated? I think those are pretty natural feelings to experience occasionally but…
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L is for Light
The darkest hour is just before the dawn. Let there be light. (A teacher’s life) Dawn Illuminate, elucidate, fill with curiosity and wonder. Morning Bring to light. Use a light touch. Trip the light fantastic. midday Light bulb moment. Brilliance, radiance. Afternoon See the light. Blaze, glare, dazzle. Understanding, enlightenment. Sunset See things in a different light.…
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The Class of 2030, What Skills Will They Need?
The biggest challenges students in kindergarten right now will face when they graduate is a rapidly changing work environment so being flexible is essential, and flexibility requires confidence. Confidence is the by-product of strong emotional intelligence and it will be necessary to successfully navigate the work-world of the future. Social-emotional intelligence ensures students are self…
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B is for Brainy, Bold & Beautiful
The second in a series discussing the Class of 2030. When I was young I loved watching the TV show The Bionic Woman. I particularly loved how Lindsay Wagner was portrayed. She was smart, she helped people, she was pretty, and she didn’t wear clothes my mother would ground me for life for wearing! This…
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#OneWord2019
I have been considering what word would best encapsulate my goals for 2019 for quite some time now, and one evening during Christmas break, as I sat contentedly knitting a shawl from Norwegian yarn brought to me as a gift from a friend, I had an epiphany. My word was right in front of me…