As you read Jim’s letter, I hope you will consider joining me in a “Back to Basics Revolution.” Public education in the US was founded on helping our young people grow up to be healthy and productive citizens with strong character. We have veered away from what is most important in education and it is […]
This post was co-written with Linda Kavelin Popov, co-founder of The Virtues Project. It was a dark and stormy Friday afternoon at Newton Elementary. By 2 PM, Mrs. Adams’ Grade 2 students were restless and cranky, as was Mrs. Adams. Billy, who tended to act the class clown and was often an irritant when peaceful […]
After several years of stepping away from working with educators and technology companies in the area of instructional technology, I have decided to step back into that arena, at least where there is an overlap between technology, character and 21st Century Skills. Over the past couple of months I have attended several education conferences focused […]
The Man Who Thinks He Can ― Walter D. Wintle If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you’d like to win, but think you can’t It’s almost a cinch you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost, For out in the world we find […]
As I was reading over today’s facebook updates, I noticed that www.character.org had posted a story that was written by Katie Kindelan and featured on the ABC News Blog titled, “an 8-Year-Old Boy Asks Santa to End His Sister’s Bullying.” The story was about a set of twins, a brother and sister, where the brother […]
Wow, it is hard to believe that it is back to school time already. Where did the summer go? I hope you took some time to recharge your batteries, reflect on last year and set your intentions for a meaningful new school year. As I was doing my own reflecting I thought about a blog […]
How can I express my since appreciation to my fellow educators for your steadfast dedication to your students, your families and your greater community? This time of year can be tough for educators; students have spring fever, end of year meetings seem to last forever, paperwork is never ending and the thoughts of, “If only […]
It is with incredible gratitude and enthusiasm that I can finally say my book is published! Below I share my Introduction with you in hopes that it will give you a taste for what the book is about and inspire you to read it as well as share it with others. I welcome your honest […]
“Imagine a school that expected its students to become literate without any formal instruction. Most parents would be alarmed by such an approach, which would leave their children confused and with gaps in their understanding. This however has been the philosophy on character development in many of our schools. Why is the development of character seen […]
I was inspired today at the ASCD Conference in Chicago by the amazing heart centered educators I met. I was touched deeply by the remarks from Ryan Twentey and Joshua Garcia, who were honored as ASCD’s Outstanding Young Educators. Freeman Hrabowski lit a fire in all of us to commit to having high expectations and […]