The Positives & Negatives of Youth Sports
Youth sports is one of the most hotly debated topics among educators and parents today. Is sports good for kids? Is sports harmful to kids? I spoke to a mom recently who argued she will not let her son participate in organized sports leagues because of the amount of injuries and because “parents today are off the charts.” By this she
Are We Talking Too Much in Our Classrooms and Our Families?
Last fall, I observed four high school classrooms in a single day. I saw four teachers offering instruction to four groups of students on four different subjects. After the first class, I made an observation and came up with an anecdotal hypothesis that I decided to test in the next three classrooms. I took my phone out and opened up the
My Favorite Books I Read Last Year
Almost every year, I post a handful of my favorite books I read the previous year. As you can see below, my list for 2019 was heavily weighted with leadership books, not just organizational, but personal leadership. The styles vary, and so do the authors. These are the books I was able to “eat the fish and spit out the
The Positives & Negatives of Video Games
Rich and Susan have four sons ages 9, 11, 14, and 16. They are good parents who provide a loving home to their four boys, but when I spoke to them recently, they echoed a concern so many parents are voicing today: “We don’t know what to do with our kids’ video game addictions.” To clarify, Rich and Susan are not
Nine Leadership Traits We See in Generation Z
This past month, even more protestors got arrested by Hong Kong police. You likely saw the story on the news. But do you understand what’s really going on? Technically, Hong Kong belongs to China but is under an agreement called “One Country, Two Systems.” Mainland China is very authoritarian. Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous region and is supposed to enjoy democratic
How 2019 Impacted Our Students
We not only just finished another year—we just completed another decade. Some of the “firsts” that happened over the last decade are remarkable: The first non-political candidate won the presidency — Donald Trump. Facebook became more valuable than AT&T, General Electric, and Citigroup combined. Same-sex marriage became legal. American unemployment fell to 3.5%. Disney bought three more huge entertainment companies.
Why Your New Year’s Resolution May Do More Harm than Good
I know it sounds cliché, but most American s who make a New Year’s resolution have dropped it by the month of February. 80 percent of us will downright fail to keep them at all. They look good in January—but not so much in June. Gym memberships skyrocket at the beginning of the year, and plummet in the following months. But
The Normalization of Anxiety
This may sound strange—but I love the fact that we’re talking about mental health issues today. While I hate that millions of teenage students struggle with such issues, at least we’re finally addressing them, rather than hiding from them, and beginning to take action against anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and other disorders. Nearly everyone on planet earth experiences some anxiety. Luna Greenstein,
Five Steps to Reverse a Sense of Entitlement
I had the most intriguing experience on the road this year while speaking at a private, elite high school. The school was located in a wealthy suburb. I was astonished by the beautiful, expensive cars the students drove to school. Some who didn’t drive themselves took an Uber. Every student and teacher had the latest iPhone; technology seemed to be the
What is Sportsmanship in 2020?
I love celebrating, and I love sports. So I naturally enjoy celebrating a great performance from a team after a win. As a fan, I get to vicariously live through those young athletes on the field, the court, or in the pool. Everyone feels good as they celebrate a victory for their team. Over my lifetime, however, referees and umpires have
Four Traits of a Self-Care School
The Associated Press recently reviewed, data from more than three dozen public universities and discovered what I’ve suspected for years. The number of students seeking treatment for mental health problems has almost doubled in the past five years, while overall enrollment has stayed about the same. Did you catch that? The students seeking help has nearly doubled. Some educators explain the increase by
Five Questions Every Student Needs You to Answer
A faculty member and university dean just told me one of their best students got expelled from school. They were baffled by a poor decision he made—and said what we’ve all said too many times: “How could such a smart kid do such a stupid thing?” I reminded them it was likely a matter of the heart and had nothing to
Six Ways to Begin the New Year Intentionally
I want to tell you a story that is informative to parents. Today—I am writing to parents. As we begin a new year, this is the perfect time to establish new habits and set new standards. The McCormicks have two sons and a daughter. Their boys are teens, ages 14 and 16. Their daughter is 11. If you met them, you’d
The One Thing I Do at the Beginning of Each Year
One ritual I perform enables me to enter a new year “on purpose.” After I invest a morning reviewing the previous year, I spend the second half of the day previewing the new year. Once again, I think and I write as I open a new chapter of my life. I don’t simply create a list of goals, although some of