Seeking Education
I have read many self-help books over my lifetime, starting when I was 22. The Way of the Peaceful Warrior (Millman) was the first. Hard to say whether it was my existential crisis that drew me to the book, or the… Continue Reading
#positiveeducation
Learning & Reading in 2018
My love of reading is one of the many reasons I became an English teacher years ago. Ironically, perhaps, I find it difficult to make myself read now; like many I find myself easily distracted and feeling pressure to complete… Continue Reading
Dispelling One Myth about Happiness
Yesterday I had a kind of epiphany about happiness. It was spurred by something said by Nicholas Epley, psychology researcher and author of Mindwise, during an interview. He said that happiness is a mood state; we tend to think of it… Continue Reading
Positive Education – Part 4: Wellness Wednesdays
Wednesdays were dedicated to yet another research-based practice for affecting positive change: exercise. Like the other wellbeing activities, the exercises took 1-3 minutes only, serving to focus the class and transition into our classwork. For each exercise, I would explain… Continue Reading
Creating a Culture of Wellbeing
Today I shared some of my work with former colleagues during a back-to-school professional development day. Here are the slides and links to resources and handouts. Creating a Culture of Wellbeing [part 1&2] – slides Other links/websites: Project Happiness VIA… Continue Reading
Headspace, Positive Parenting, and Podcasts
I was recently interviewed by Amy Specter, creator of the Happy Tech! podcast, about my experiences with the meditation app Headspace. We discussed what Headspace is, how it works, and how it has benefited me, my family, and my students.… Continue Reading
Positive Education – Part 3: Grati-Tuesdays
Or, How to Stop Looking for Gratitude in All the Wrong Places One of the regular routines in my classroom was Grati-Tuesday (the name borrowed from Project Happiness). Each Tuesday, I would have students write down three good things –… Continue Reading
Positive Education – Part 2: Mindful Mondays
Last year (2016-17) I began adding well-being and character to my curricular goals. Because of my experiences with student anxiety and depression, and because of my own struggles with the same, I was determined to investigate my role as a… Continue Reading
Positive Education – Part 1
In the last 5 out of 14 years that I have been teaching, I have observed a significant rise in levels of anxiety and depression among my students. It seems year after year I have more students succumb to serious… Continue Reading