Students
Adversity May Just Be a Student’s Best Friend
6shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Last week I met someone at a student conference who inspired me. Alex is a junior in high school who has overcome several obstacles in his first sixteen years of life—an abusive, deadbeat dad who left the family; growing up in a single parent household afterward; family income that…
Continue ReadingMental Toughness Exercises for You and Your Students (Part Two)
6shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Yesterday, I offered four simple exercises for students to grow their “grit.” Today, I will offer four more, in Part Two of the Eight Ideas to Develop Mental Toughness list. Before I do—consider the day we live in. When we reflect on the realities that Generation Z grows up…
Continue ReadingHow to Solve the Problem of Student Online Relationships
9shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn When I first studied the data on Generation Z and their habits, I was surprised to see that teen sex has decreased over the last ten years. In fact, fewer teens are engaging in sexual activity than teens in my generation back in the 1970s. When I paused to…
Continue ReadingThe Role of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Student Athletes
11shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I just spent some time with athletic coaches from the Southeastern Conference. These are stellar people, many of whom have coached for decades. And they are coaching at the Division One level, the highest tier for student-athletes. So, I was a bit surprised when three of them spoke to…
Continue ReadingHow to Teach for Meaning Not Memorization
15shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn A few years ago, I spoke to a large audience of high school faculty in Kansas. During a question and answer period, one freshman algebra teacher raised his hand to ask, “How should I respond when a student asks me if he’ll ever use this subject after graduation, and…
Continue ReadingThe Unintended Consequences of Academic Pressure
12shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I don’t have to tell you that the pressure to “make the grade” is greater in our society today than it’s ever been. For some strange reason, American adults have chosen to give one, single evaluation to our students of their worth…and it’s an academic report card. In our…
Continue ReadingTwelve Ideas for Students to Try During Summer Break
17shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Summer is upon us. The time when school is out for a few months (although it seems shorter every year) and kids of all ages—even teens—have to figure out what to do with their free time. Some, of course, have it all mapped out in the spring. They plan…
Continue ReadingFive Steps to Develop Effective Communication
4shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I’ll never forget hearing Zig Ziglar speak at a conference, back in 1978. It was my freshman year of college and he quickly became my role model for memorable communication. Zig was a salesman by training, and boy could he sell an idea. He became a best-selling author of…
Continue ReadingLeadership Lessons from Three Heroes at a School Shooting
5shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Can you believe it? Another school shooting took place last week. Although youth violence has gone down over the last three decades, we still hear of too many tragic episodes like the one that took place just 20 minutes from my former home, in Highlands Ranch, Colorado (just south…
Continue ReadingWhen Is it Right For a Teacher to Lecture?
2shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I have two distinct memories in my childhood of being “lectured” by an adult. The first was my girlfriend’s mother, after I disobeyed her curfew as a teen. I knew better, but I tested the boundaries by returning her daughter after our date 10 minutes after the curfew. I…
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