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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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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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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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…

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Building 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…

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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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Each 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…

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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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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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