Compassion – 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…

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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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Plan Your Vacations Now

Alice wrote a blog recently called When Passion is the Problem.  It has stuck with me for several reasons.  One is schoolwork is never-ending.  There’s always more that can be done, but Alice gave great suggestions for things you can do daily to disconnect from your work.  The second reason is I read another blog…

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Secrets That Are Not So Secret

I love a list.  And I really love a countdown list so you can imagine how much fun I have this time of year when there are endless things to count down for the year.  I have seen lists for books, movies, music, food, sports, and I recently saw a list on social media called…

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Confessions of an Old Teacher

  When I was a kid I idolized my teachers.  I thought they knew everything and I wanted to be one of those people who would lovingly impart knowledge to the masses.  I wanted to be an educator.  Diploma in hand and great aspirations in mind, I set out to teach.  I was going to…

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Reclaim The Break

Yall- it’s time to reclaim the holiday break. Educators are some seriously busy people and in our house we go about a hundred miles an hour for weeks on end and it is truly time for a break.  I have learned over the years, that we often have a hard time giving ourselves permission to…

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Rethinking Stress

“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.”  – Hans Selye Teaching is a rewarding yet demanding career – not for the faint of heart.  The wearing of numerous hats, pressure from state mandates, schedules that seem to multiply, needs that continuously change, and most importantly – the genuine desire to truly…

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Got Stress? – Get Moving!

The end of the year timeline is quickly approaching.  The days are filled with assessments, reports, conferences, and checklists.  Teachers and students are over whelmed with endless to-do-lists and stress can rise inside like a raging inferno.  When these feelings hit, stress hormones circulate throughout the body.  These hormones are designed to make the body…

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7 Ways to Refocus and Recharge

A packed schedule + rigorous standards + assessment outcomes + the expectation to maintain a quality learning environment that supports and motivates every student = STRESS!  Sadly our schools are filled with stressed educators and students.  Stress was a survival skill for our ancestors, but today we are faced with stressors that fill us with…

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Professional Books Worth Studying

At ERG we believe it is important to be a lifelong learner.  One way to continue to develop yourself professionally when you have limited time and resources is to do a book study or just read a professional text on your own.  Depending on what your area of interest and expertise is, there are many…

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