Archive for April 2017
2 Tips For Creating Compassionate Students
From the desk of Alice… One of my favorite times of the day is my morning commute. Because I often work on different projects in different locations, it is not uncommon for me to have a commute that is an hour or more. During this time I get to sip my coffee, enjoy some…
Read MoreBuilding Emotional Muscle
“Well look at it from their perspective.” How many of us have ever heard or said this before? We believe that in order to have compassion for other people, we must see the situation from their point of view. While this is true, it takes more than perspective to have true compassion. We need…
Read MoreChanging Hats
I was the perfect parent before I had a child. I had taught for several years before our daughter was born, so I thought I was well prepared for the role. I had observed many parent/child relationships, had read multiple parenting “how to” books, had tried incredibly hard to follow every doctors’ order, and…
Read MoreWhat Does Compassion Sound Like?
From the desk of Alice… I went into the media center in search of an outlet to charge computer. I thought I hit the jackpot when I found a tiny outlet beside a small round table in the media center. I plugged in and was able to work while my computer recharged. I considered this…
Read MoreEach Kindness
“This is what kindness does, Ms. Albert said. Each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple, into the world.” – Jacqueline Woodson, Each Kindness Whenever I look at a list of ways to help children become kinder or more compassionate, one suggestion is always to read books to them. Books help all of…
Read MoreCompassionate Action
I quietly observed as several of my kindergartners were racing on the playground. The first couple of races had been quite spirited, so I was watching closely as the third was ready to begin. The starter counted 1-2-3-go and off they went. As they sprinted to the finish line, two boys became entangled and one…
Read MoreBuilding Compassion Under Duress
Imagine you’re a neurosurgery resident. It’s your first time in the operating room with a world renowned surgeon. You’re sweating profusely, and as it happens a bead of sweat drips down off of your face into the cavity of the man being operated on. It, of course, contaminates the area. The surgeon simply needs to…
Read MoreCompassion – World Changing Power
“The highest realms of thought are impossible to reach without an understanding of compassion.” – Socrates As I was exploring the concept of compassion, I ran across the work of Dr. Chris Kukk. This intriguing professor of political science has a passion for giving his students “the bigger picture of the world they live in.” As…
Read MoreWho's Bad?
From the desk Alice… I cannot remember how I came across the link but in an era of visual clutter on social media, this one stuck with me. I made a mental note to watch it and even tried to find it on cable so I could DVR the next episode. After a little more…
Read MoreCompassionate Classrooms
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” …
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