Last month, during a conversation of possibilities, I asked a school leader about his practices for family engagement.

“Would you be interested in expanding your practices to build stronger partnerships with your families?”

“Leaders don’t know where they’re going.”

I was deep in my daily reading time – this time the topic was leadership – when I stumbled on this statement. Leadership expert, Orrin Woodward, went on to explain.

In a recent interview, former Vice President Joe Biden said, “That’s how we make progress. Shine a bright light on a problem. Look at it closely, and change the culture.” He was talking about domestic violence, but doesn’t this work for all issues?

As we approach the New Year, we’ll start hearing about new year’s resolutions. Thinking back, I don’t know many people who actually achieved those resolutions. Do you? Why is that?

How can we teach today’s digital youth in inclusive environments?

Our current digital lifestyle has dramatically altered the brain development of today’s learners. Here are four ways described by Marilee Sprenger (2010) Brain-based teaching in the digital age. ASCD.

Most of us complain when we get frustrated. Why do things have to go wrong? Why don’t things go my way? Why can’t things go smoothly?

Sound familiar?

How many of us welcome challenges? For all of us, there are times when things just don’t go as planned….when our students (or our colleagues) make life difficult… when our family members have “issues” that must be handled before we get to our own quite lengthy list of responsibilities. At times like that, if you’re like me, our first instinct is to have a negative reaction. Do you respond under your breath or right out loud? It depends on the issue and your mood, right?

This fall, teachers across the country will spend countless hours and plenty of their own funds to set up a welcoming classroom for their students. I love seeing their pictures on social media. Their hearts are in the right place. Their creative efforts will make an important first impression.

“Why do you want to be a teacher?”

I asked hundreds of graduate candidates that question. The responses varied, but there was a constant theme. Each and every one shared a story about a life event or an individual that had deeply touched their lives. They all had been drawn into this profession by a compelling commitment to make a difference with children.

What’s the best birthday present you ever got?

My husband gave me a birthday surprise that will keep on giving and benefit everyone I touch. This past weekend, he drove us to the New York Adirondack Mountains for a mindfulness meditation retreat at the Omega Institute.