Even other people have noticed the change — “I need some of what you have.” I was not in a restaurant or a store. I was at work calmly discussing with a peer our troubling existence caught between a now-defunct data-based system and a new barely functioning system. This problem was not in our control, thus my calm…

Why you need to read chapter books and novels to your children. — Of course, you are going to read aloud to your children. Picture books and storybooks abound. You get children’s books as baby gifts and more books for birthdays. There are so many to choose from and each child has their favorites. My oldest son memorized Dr. Seuss’s ABC and Drummer Hoff we read them to him so many times. …

As parents, this is how we helped our children grow into lifelong readers. — Raising a reader is not difficult, but it is more than making sure your children have access to books. It takes dedication. We made reading a family affair. As a result, we raised 2 readers. What started as a nightly bedtime routine, developed into a habit that helped both of…

Are you looking for your ultimate goal or progress toward your goal?

You need to talk about the small, happy experiences — Yesterday, while at the grocery, a teenage stocker complimented my glasses. It tickled me. Consider the odds of the interaction. She was maybe 18, and I’m old enough to be her grandmother. She had no reason to engage in conversation with me. She looked at me with her bright young…

I talk a lot about journaling the positives in life.

[Book Review] Circe by Madeline Miller — I’m experiencing a book hangover. You know the feeling you get after finishing a great book. It’s hard to start another book because you know it won’t be like the one you just finished. (That’s a ridiculous thought. So many books are equally great and cause hangovers.) Circe by Madeline…

Practice these 5 steps to gain clarity in your next school meeting. — It was my first special education placement meeting. As the special education teacher, I was part of the team. The evaluation found the student to be emotionally disabled. Wait! What? The psychologist pulled him from my class for only 15 minutes for evaluation. I was stunned. How could a 15-minute…