The Holidays Are a Magnifier

The Holidays — the six weeks of Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, and New Years — are a magnifier. In general, happy … More

The Distance Run

I coach middle school cross country, which is not a glamorous job, but it is uniquely rewarding. For young distance … More

Resilience is the capacity to recover from adversity and return to well-being. Paul Tough, in his book How Children Succeed, … More

My wife is kind and compassionate, but she is one of the toughest people I have ever known. She does … More

First Connect, Then Guide The best parents are the ones who are deeply connected with their children and offer support … More

If you have ever sat with a weather radio in a dark basement or closet during a tornado warning, or … More

Anne Lamott says that in her experience the two most powerful prayers are “Help me, help me, help me.” and … More

1. Not Everybody Gets A Trophy Somewhere along the line we became a society that preached instant gratification. Like a … More

I’m grading papers on the second to last day of the school year. I’m grading fast, trying to finish ASAP, … More

I once heard a speaker named Dan Miller at an educator’s conference tell the audience about how he learned to … More

It’s a Wonderful Life strikes a chord — several chords — deep in my soul, every time I watch … More

The Pitfall of Comparison (Part 2) In our house, there is little room for whining and complaining about how “It’s … More

My children are just entering adolescence, so it surprised me that I had such a visceral reaction to this article … More

Embracing Mistakes; Developing Problem-Solvers Thomas Edison believed that failure was not a bad thing; it merely directed him closer to … More

Parenting, teaching, and coaching are mutual pursuits. At this stage in my life, I am involved in all three, and … More

BENEFITS OF STRUGGLING “A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and … More