I Have a Dream

I have a dream that one day I will get my basement bathroom renovated.  It’s a simple dream.  I know I need time and money and a professional who can replace fixtures and build me a cute little closet for some towels. Nothing fancy, but Pinterest does have some really adorable ideas… The issue with…

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The Galatea Effect

  “Set your classroom expectations high, the higher the better.  Expect the most fantastic things to happen, not in the future, but right now!”  – Robert John Meehan Have you ever heard of the Galatea Effect?  It is the phenomenon by which people with high expectations are led to high levels of achievement and performance.…

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From a Parent’s Perspective

A couple of months ago I wrote a blog called, “How to Deal With Bucket Dipping”. It provided insight into how children feel they deal with negative situations.  As most schools are opening for a new year,  I thought it would be interesting to look at how parents help their children learn strategies to overcome…

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Let Them Eat Cake

Where’s the happiest place on earth?  Hint:  It doesn’t begin with the word “Disney”.  For close to 50 years, Denmark has been ranked as the happiest country on earth.  Why?  Well, researchers can name quite a few reasons, but one of the most interesting ones to me has to do with the national school curriculum. …

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I Feel Your Pain

  “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.”  – Mohsin Hamid Have you ever been outside with your students and all of a sudden you see a rogue kickball come flying by?  You automatically cringe and feel the pain of the child who was boinked on the head with the flying sphere.…

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Empathy and Compassion Begin at Home

Your toddler hits and screams when he doesn’t get his way.  Your five year old often doesn’t seem interested in the feelings of others.  What can you do to help them develop a sense of empathy (trying to understand how someone is feeling) and compassion (empathy + taking action to help someone)?  Instead of talking…

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What 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…

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Compassionate 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…

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Who'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…

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Compassionate Classrooms

  “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.  Without them humanity cannot survive.”                                                                                    …

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