Satisficers and my friend, Mary.
Seven years into my career at that middle school I’ve told you about, I decided to apply to work in a district closer to my (newly purchased) condo. As an educator in my state back then, you typically had a small window of time to switch districts in order to still be able to take […]
Credibility counts.
I grew up with a Dad who placed a high value on his credibility. He was a renowned physician, researcher, speaker, and administrator – and a son, brother, husband, dad, uncle, grandpa, friend, and disciple of Jesus. Was he able to be all of those things because other people – and God – trusted […]
Sky Blue and Black – and why regret can work in our favor.
One of my very favorite songs in the whole wide world is filled with reflective lyrics about someone who has let the love of his life slip out of his hands. And now he spends his time thinking of all the ‘if only’ scenarios that he thinks could have preserved their love. Regretting. “… I’d […]
Pancakes and that extra step.
You may or may not know that there is one extra step required in order to make pancakes fluffy. Pancakes are not my specialty, so I’m as surprised as you are that I know this, nevertheless, I do. Dee Brown says “The average person will gravitate towards what’s comfortable, familiar, and doesn’t require extra effort.” […]
The Second Arrow.
I wrote part of this post last week in small step snippets and over multiple hours with the help of the dictation tool on my computer because for several days of said last week I was more sick than I can ever remember being in my life. Being sick is not something that happens often […]
Mr. Steele and the magic combination.
The principal that hired me for my first teaching job was named Mr. Steele. He was a tough guy with a huge heart and a huge temper to match. He was passionate about the program he started in his school for kids that were struggling and boy, did he want them to succeed. I […]
Being who you’ve always wanted to be.
(artwork by Caytie Frampton – @caytiediddesigns) My sister Caytie is an artist. She always has been. She is super talented and proficient in drawing, and sketching, and hand-lettering, and doodling, – and painting. Or, so I thought. Two months ago she sent me a text. “I’ve been doing some painting……” What? I thought she […]
Fueled by Identity.
The author Brad Stulberg recently wrote that “The Arrival Fallacy was first coined by the behavioral scientist Tal Ben-Shahar. It describes the commonly held illusion that once we make it, once we attain our goal or reach our destination, whatever it may be, we will achieve lasting happiness and fulfillment. But this simply is not true. We […]
4 Quitting Questions.
School is getting out next week in my neck of the woods and my teenage clients, for the most part, are thrilled! About a fourth of my client-base are teenagers and almost every one of them is most looking forward to not having to do math over the summer. Perhaps you know a teenage […]
Girls State – and cutting those apron strings.
My Mom – and Dad, if he were here – would tell you that out of all their children, I was the one most tightly ‘holding on to my Mom’s apron strings’ when I was little. To say I didn’t like to be away from them is a bit of an understatement. In those pre-cell […]
