What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Something to think about on this Fourth of July… * * * * If you found this post...
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The Classroom of the Future?
As back to school season nears, each of us must face a decision. Do we trust that the shutdown has done its job, that testing and tracing are adequate, and that returning to school will be safe for our children and staff; or not?
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Invisible Friends Series: How to Give Constructive Criticism
“I actually don’t like the term constructive criticism,” he said shaking his head. “It sends the wrong message.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well criticism is pointing out what someone has done wrong. That’s never constructive. It’s one of those oxymorphisism thingies.”
“You mean oxymoron?”
“Yeah, like if I say that’s a giant shrimp, or it’s an open secret. Same thing with constructive criticism. The only thing criticism ever does is make people defensive, or depressed. It never builds anything constructive.”
Invisible Friends Series: Dealing with Overwhelming Emotions
“Doesn’t talking to myself make me kinda crazy?”
“Nah,” came the answer. “Kids do it all the time, but adults learn to grow out of it because their culture demands it of them. Talking to yourself can actually be extraordinarily healthy. It allow you to give yourself some much needed Psychological Air.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, you can’t talk yourself out of feeling what you feel, just as you can’t talk someone else out of feeling what they feel. Instead, you need to dig into that emotion and uncover what the emotion is trying to tell you. You need to bring the emotion into the light and give it air. Talking to yourself can help you give it that air.”
It’s funny how inspiration works
Lynn Marie Sager has a new book
Navigating Life Though Tubulent Tides
Book Description:
Fourteen years after her first book, a retired self-help expert is confronted by the principles she taght. When their demands to know why she has been ignoring them receive an unsatisfactory answer, the principles take over and insist on telling their own story, resulting in a unique, insightful, and humorous guide to getting the most out of our turbulent times. Read more to take a look inside the book.
Teachable Moments: The Day My Kids Took Me to Court
My after school program has a Supreme Court. In fact, we have a government complete with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches.
So anyway…
A Spoonfull of Empathy Helps the Medicine Go Down
I came home from work today and walked into a bit of a quagmire. My Dad caught me before I could even drop my bags and said with a face full of concern, “Your Mother and Tani had a huge fight. They aren’t talking, and your Mother keeps crying and saying that she just wants to die, so she can be with your brother.”
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The Four Agreements and Why I Take Them Personally
Recently, a friend introduced me to “The Four agreements.” Like so many, my she lives by then, and she was eager to share their wisdom with me. In case you are as unfamiliar with “The Four Agreements” as I was, they come from a book by Miguel Ruiz entitled, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book), which Oprah loves.
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Cultivating the Curious Mind: I don’t mean to go out on a limb here, but…
Learning opportunites are made whenever we encourage kids to ask questions and to look for answers. Here is a fun learning moment I shared with my after school kids.
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What you say about others, says everything about you.
“Did you see the nasty look that man just gave me?”
“He didn’t give it to you mommy.
You had it when you came in.”
Reflection has always been my favorite of the rules. It’s influence permiates all the rules, and incoprorating it into your understanding of the river is essential to successful journeying…
Personality Tests and Behavioral Masks: Correcting a missconception about both
Is Your Personality Determined by Birth, or Can It Change Over Time? Truth is, we all wear behavioral masks…
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Stop Driving Me Crazy: Reflections from the River
A new student, who is just starting down the river, sent me an e-mail that ended, “I hope you have a section in your lessons on how to not let (my co-worker) drive my crazy.” I know that she meant it as a joke, but strangely enough the rules of the river do deal with how to not let people drive you crazy…
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