Several times over the life of my career as an educator (often in interviews), I have been asked the following question, “What is your philosophy of education?” I never liked this question. The question feels superficial and invariably yields a canned answer. I mean we all know the right answer to this question. It goes something like this… My philosophy of education is that all children are unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow physi

Mindfulness is a common term now in education. There are new programs, professional development, and resources all focused around teaching mindfulness. The common definition for mindfulness is maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment through a gentle, nurturing lens. Studies report the practice of mindfulness strengthens our body’s immune system and increases positive emotions which, in turn, reduces st

The concept of fear is not foreign to educators. Children are often fearful. They are fearful of making mistakes, fearful of trying something new, fearful of asking questions, fearful of being hurt, or fearful of rejection. When fear takes control, our students often refuse to engage. Our efforts to encourage them may prove fruitless. I suspect all us at some point have stood by and helplessly watched as a child missed out on opportunity to grow and learn. As an educator, thi

Being a good teacher sometimes involves being a storyteller. Jesus was the master storyteller. I love how He could make spiritual truths easy to understand. His parables were engaging, applicable, and relevant to His listeners thousands of years ago, and they are still pertinent today. One of my favorite things about reading a parable is the red letter print in my Bible. There is something special about knowing these words came directly from the mouth of Jesus. When I read th

There once was an educator… who entered the school building with spunk and joyful anticipation, who treated every child with compassion and fairness, who went the extra mile to ensure a student’s success, who spoke to parents with kindness, who partnered with and supported colleagues, who respected and supported his supervisors, who picked up the slack when others needed help, who used words to edify, who was willing to forgive others, and whose outward actions reflected an i

When I was a young girl, I can remember having a conversation with my mom about my dad. The details are a bit foggy, but I do recall her emphasizing that my dad was well-known and respected. She said someday I would recognize how this benefited me. I don’t think I had a clue at the time, but for some reason I never forgot her words. I feel quite certain she was telling me this so I would be on my best behavior. I never wanted to embarrass my dad. It wasn’t because he was a di

I teach an adult Sunday School class and have for many years. Last week we began a new study entitled, “When Life Gets Hard.” One of the core truths of the study is that no one is immune to suffering. Pain is universal. However, what is not universal is how we respond to it. Some grin and bear it, others retaliate against the hurt, some become bitter, and a few give up. The question for all of us who claim to be a believer is this: Will we exercise our faith when life gets ha

Visit any pond, and you will invariably see someone throwing or skipping rocks. There is something about a still body of water. It lures us. There is this innate desire to create ripples. It is mesmerizing to watch as the disturbance gives the water energy resulting in ripples that emanate in all directions. The parallel to our lives seems a bit obvious. There is no question that each of us probably creates our own “ripples” each day. While we all prefer peaceful waters, our

2020 is here! Can you believe it? Time…where does it go? Last week’s blog addressed the importance of focusing on our faith. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself looking back over the past month and wondering what I accomplished. At times I fear I am just going through the motions—lacking focus. I want this year, this month, this week, this day to be different. As we all prepare to head back to the job of schooling this week, our minds are laser focused on our

A new year is upon us, and advice for next year’s journey is widespread. There is no shortage of recommendations on how we can make our lives better during the next twelve months. While preparing to write the blog this week, I wondered what in the world I could add to the already overflowing treasure chest of potential goals filling many of our minds. · I will lose 20 pounds. · I will start exercising. · I will give up sugar. · I will read my Bible. · I will increase my pray

“Behold, I am a servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) I have read Mary’s statement many times as part of the Christmas story, but for some reason this year I am struck with a unique sense of wonder and conviction. I cannot fathom how utterly shocking the news of a divine pregnancy (from the angel Gabriel no less) was to a young, engaged Jewish girl. I say girl because by all accounts she was barely a teenager. Take a moment and try t

All educators understand the importance of “the basics.” Without mastery of the basics, many of our students will be unable to learn what is needed to make them successful. For example, I was visiting with a frustrated English teacher who made the following statement: “How can I teach students to identify the subject of a sentence when they can’t even find all of the nouns and pronouns?” As teachers, it is hard to move on when students are missing prerequisite skills and info

The holiday season is upon us again, and the focus of gift-giving is underway. Retail stores are stocked from floor to ceiling with merchandise, and grocery store aisles are narrower due to the extra stacks of sugar, flour, and Christmas candies. E-mail and social media accounts are being flooded with this year’s deals while television commercials entice us to buy, buy, buy! I often wonder what all of this looks like to a child. Does this time of year encourage our students t

I love the holidays! The colors, sounds, food, time with family, and most importantly the constant reminders of God’s ultimate gift to us—Jesus. As a child, the holidays were always a happy time for me. I know now what a blessing that was. We need to remember that this time of year may not be a joyful time for many. With an overwhelming number of families facing economic hardships, it may prove challenging for many parents and children who lack emotional and financial resourc

As Thanksgiving approaches, I have been giving a great deal of thought to this blog. It makes sense at this time of year that I write about being thankful. I’ve really been praying for God to give me fresh thoughts. After all, when it comes to Thanksgiving, most of us will gravitate toward being thankful for our families, our jobs, our resources, and our God who is ultimately responsible for all we have. However, I feel there is more, so much more. As I organized my thoughts,

As an educator, you are literally changing the world one child at a time. Sound dramatic? Of course not! Most students are in school anywhere from six to eight hours a day, five days a week, 36 weeks a year, for 13 years! This computes to over 16,000 hours of schooling, not including outside activities. Schools help shape who we are and who we become. If you agree with me on any level, then you have to agree that as an educator, you play an important role in the lives of tho

Ever been “down in the dumps ” ? Sometimes it is hard to admit this may be true in this growth-mindset, positive thinking environment. Through social media we are inundated with the high points of everyone’s life, which quite frankly, is a good thing. It might be quite overwhelming to always read about other’s ongoing struggles! However, you don’t have to live long to realize that there are times when no matter how hard you try, you just feel down. It happens to me anyway. I

I will never forget my first teaching job. I had graduated at semester and was hired to be a long-term sub for a teacher who was going on maternity leave. It was the perfect scenario for a December graduate. The school was in an upper middle-class area, starkly different from my student teaching experience. The elementary school was new, and the grade level classrooms were in pods. There were three classrooms per grade level. We did not have a door, and the wide entrance to o

I recently had a conversation with an educator about the value of competition in the classroom. It caused me to reflect—Is there a place for competition within our classroom structure? The teacher assured me, “Kids love competition. It creates so much energy and engagement in my classroom!” I’m not so sure I agree. I grew up in an era of posting students name with stickers to indicate mastery of various skills (e.g., spelling words, multiplication facts). It never bothered m

I once had a student I simply could not reach. It was relatively early in my teaching career. This young man was in middle school, and he had pretty much checked out. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked. I didn’t understand. He had potential. He had resources at his disposal, and he had a teacher who truly cared and wanted him to succeed. He even had peers that went the extra mile to encourage him. For reasons unknown to me and others, he chose (in a nice