The Happy Secret to Better Work

If you have never heard of Shawn Achor, you must see this TEDX Talk on positive thinking. He goes from a childhood experience with his little sister to the campus of Harvard.

Feeling Sorry For Yourself?

In my previous post, I introduced you to the book Wonder. It attracted me because one of my all-time favorite books is Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

Recently, a Wall Street Journal front page story, "Study of Rare Disease Helps in Search of Clues on Aging" and the article's related video give Wonder a partner in helping adults navigate the difficult waters of childhood medical issues.

Both books and the article give you an understanding of the bigger picture in life. So, when you are feeling sorry for yourself, start with the article, then go to Kushner's book, and if you need to, read Wonder.

Feel Good TED Talk

You will love this one. Watch Neil Pasricha talk about the 3 A's — attitude, awareness, and authenticity — using one touching story after another. Here is "1000 Awesome Things," his famous blog link, in case you want to go there after seeing his Talk.

Learning Flows When Kids Are in Their Element

I write a column for Public School Montessorian, a quarterly publication for "ideas and information intended to improve the lives of children and adults with public Montessori programs." My most recent column, "Learning Flows When Kids Are in Their Element" talks about children being in their element when it comes to learning what interests them.

Why Teach Kindness

In his book Flourish, author Martin Seligman says "we scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested."

Here is a beautiful quote from Aung San Suu Kyi to share with students and adults: 

"Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in the world."  Kindness she said, "can change the lives of people."

(This was reported in the NYTimes on June 17, 2012 the day after Aung San Suu Kyi accepted her Nobel Peace Prize, which was originally awarded to her in 1991 while under house arrest in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.)

How the Internet Works

What was life like without the Internet—for teachers, parents and our children? Coincidentally, I happened upon this YouTube video AND a piece that aired on WNYC/NPR,  "A Journey to the Internet Through Telecom's Past."

Watch the video then listen to the WNYC/NPR clip; both overlap nicely.

Memory After 60

"I can’t remember that song. I grew up with it; I should know it by heart."

"What was that author’s name? I just read her latest book."

"I can’t remember anything . . . like now, what’s your name? Only kidding, dear; how could I ever forget your name after 35 years of marriage?"


Until I read “Older Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain” by Sara Reistad-Long in a past issue of Sunday’s NYTimes, I was getting pretty critical of what I remember or do not. Whether you are 30, thinking about your parents, or 60, thinking about yourself, read what the research is saying about . . . ah . . . let me go back and read the article.

Flourish with GRIT - 2 of 2

In Flourish, Seligman uses the equation: achievement = skill x effort where effort is the noncognitive ingredient and self-disciline is the character trait that engenders deliberate practice.

Angela Duckworth, a protege of Seligman, gives great advice on resilience and GRIT. She wanted to find out how self-discipline compares with IQ in predicting who will succeed. Here is Duckworth talking about GRIT. Take the time to hear what she has to say.

Recipe for Anxiety

Here is a link to one of my articles, which is a recipe for anxiety, but don't worry, there is also a recipe for support soufflé, which is much more comforting for youngsters and young adults. 

You choose the recipe that fits your family situation.

Between Now and Feed

Technology keeps exploding daily with amazing, new ideas. I think about the evolution of textbooks (printed, e-texts, and publish your own); music (vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs, and MP3s); home movies (8mm, VHS, Flip HD cameras); and telephones (rotary, wireless, cellphone, Smartphone). You get the idea.

Will we ever get to what M. T. Anderson writes about in his futuristic, young adult book, Feed? I think so.

In case you have not seen Google Project Glass, click here to read and view the amazing video, "Project Glass: One day . . ."

From desktop computers, to laptops, to Smartphones, to glasses, to eventually a direct feed to our brains?

Bully

There is a lot of hype regarding the documentary film "Bully" that will premier this Friday. Part of the rise in publicity is the rating it received from the Motion Picture Association of America. The R rating was assigned because of the real-life profanity used by children in the movie. Filmmakers struggled with the MPAA on whether to release their film as "unrated" or PG-13.

Having spent many years in middle school education, there is no doubt about how preadolescent/adolescent children can treat each other. Check out my July 11, 2009 post on bullying.

I suspect that the film will have an impact on educators and parents but may leave our children continually mired in the pitfalls of growing up. Here's the trailer . . .

Shame and Vulnerability

One of the keynote addresses I attended at the American Montessori Society (AMS) Annual Conference in San Francisco was by Dr. Brené Brown, presenting her work and analysis on shame and vulnerability. Here is her excellent TED Talk

Teacher Leadership Presentation - Take 2

I love the Education Week Teacher article "5 Tell-Tale Signs You're Becoming a Teacher Leader" by Marsha Ratzel. It follows up nicely on my previous Teacher Leadership post from February 25.

Here are the first two signs Ratzel lists, but do read the full article:

#1 You wish you had an impact beyond your classroom
#2 Colleagues often ask you for advice

"The first . . . "

As I was walking through one of our classrooms my eyes caught sight of this beautiful quote:

The first to apologize is the BRAVEST
The first to forgive is the STRONGEST
The first to forget is the HAPPIEST

When I Googled it, I found it to be on many blogs, but I could not find the source of the quote. Any ideas?

The Importance of Recognition and Appreciation

The older I get, the more I reflect on how important it is for children and adults to feel appreciated. Give recognition to others whenever possible.

Please take a minute to read "Recognition," an article I wrote that was recently published in Independent Teacher.

Now that we are into a new school year. . .

. . . here is a short but powerful article, "Teaching Secrets: After the Honeymoon," that all teachers should read. What I love is its therapeutic advice. Here are the main bullet points:

• Take time for yourself
• Be proactive about your health
• Keep family time sacred
• Exalt the positive
• Build a support network for yourself
• Take time to laugh
• Choose Happiness

Parents should also read (for yourselves) what author Cossandra George writes about each point above.

Do You Doodle?

Check out Sunni Brown's (author of Gamestorming) TED Talk on how doodling is one of the greatest allies to intellectual thought.

Brain Plasticity III - Fast ForWord

After reading The Brain That Changes Itself and learning about the work of Dr. Michael Merzenich, I came away with a better understanding of how the brain works and techniques that can help children in their work and development. An intervention produced by Scientific Learning developed the program Fast ForWord. Take five minutes to view this neat video.

Too Many Emails in Your Inbox?

For all of us: parents, educators, and students, email has gotten out of hand. Step back or plow through?

You have to read The Energy Project's Tony Schwartz's excellent column in this morning's Business Section of the NYTimes. "The Personal Energy Crisis" has an answer. Here's a peek:

"The problem is that rest and renewal are counterintuitive for most of us, and counterculture in most organizations. Rewards go to those who do just the opposite in the face of demand. The guiding ethic is more, bigger, faster. We admire those who hunker down, stay the course, burn the midnight oil."

Schwatrz has a proven suggestion.

More Bridge for Kids?

My earlier post on Louis Sacher's (Holes) latest, delightful book The Cardturner, a Novel About a King, a Queen, and a Joker got some cred in yesterday's NYTimes article by Winnie Hu. "For Students Raised on iPods, Lessons in Bridge" suggests that the post WWII popular game is making a bid for younger followers.