Imagine you have a student who every time they get upset they decide to engage in some negative behavior that totally disrupts your class? Whether the behavior is yelling or banging their head on the desk, there's an obvious need for a different approach to working with students who come to school with a myriad [...]
I took a writing class a few years ago with a famous author. We would write for ten minutes then meditate for ten minutes. The process was repeated at least a dozen times over the weekend. I had a little meditation practice but nothing routine. The author was a Zen Buddhist and she talked us [...]
On September 28, the Chicago Teachers Union voted to go on strike on October 11 if no deal has been reached with the Chicago Public Schools. This is no surprise. The Chicago teachers have been without a contract for over a year. What is surprising is that 95% of the Chicago Teachers Union membership of [...]
“I am going to teach you a super power.” I said this to over twenty classes last week, from first through seventh grades. I am covering for an art and music teacher on leave for the next several weeks. I certainly can cover the art portion without any trouble. I can sing, so we will [...]
I have been a dedicated teacher most of my life. It wasn’t until I was nearly 40 that I got paid to be in a classroom. I landed on my professional teaching feet in second grade room, my dream grade, at the school I wanted, with my mentor next door. It was a fantasy turned [...]