Category Archives: Education

Think You’re Too _____ to Change the World?

On Becoming an Anonymous Extraordinary





Can We Balance Our Brains?

In the RSAnimate video, The Divided BrainIain McGilchrist makes a fascinating argument that certain activities such as art, emotion and language aren’t uniquely left or right brain functions. Rather, his humorously narrated animation offers a more nuanced explanation for modes of thinking:  Our left hemisphere is concerned with narrowly focused attention while the right allows us to maintain sustained, broad alertness of surroundings.  Linda Verlee Williams relates this another way in her book Teaching for the Two-sided Mind: The left sifts out the parts that constitute a whole while the right combines those parts to create a whole.  Left hemisphere=fragmentation; right hemisphere=synthesis.  So what does this imbalance mean?

The more left brain dominant we become, the more we fragment reality so that it can be understood, quantified.  We emphasize critical thinking skills of analysis, logic, and accuracy over synthesis, creating, and relating.  McGilchrist argues this results in paradoxical conditions: we pursue happiness yet mental illness is skyrocketing.  We strive for freedom and technological advances but are weighed down by bureaucracy and  loss of privacy.  We strive for perfection, but end up feeling empty.

Can we tilt the cerebral scales in favor of more balance?  I googled “brain function balance” and was overwhelmed by info touting optimal brain functioning through hormone replacement, electric shock, and i-Phone games.  I’ll keep searching and share what I find.  In the meantime, I leave you with this from Thomas Merton, “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”

A Roadmap for Social Change







Should Occupiers Take a Stand or Keep Marching Along?

"Make Jobs Not War!"






Make funny signs AND jobs!

Opportunity is Like a Cupcake…




Satire? Oops! I thought we were going for irony!


What Does a Great Teacher Look Like?


But what does a great teacher look like?


Brain Bugs, Behavior & Boehner







Schools as a Brand



How to Grow Where You’re Planted

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”  Tao Te Ching

"Grow where you're planted!"

What do a real-estate agent, advertising exec, medical student, B&B owner, teacher, development consultant and non-profit professional have in common?  They’re all roles that at some point in my adult life I’ve assumed.  Each has taught me something valuable and helped me make the most of my life at a particular moment.  As my sister, a Navy wife, says, “Grow where you’re planted!” Aphorisms aside, how does one do this?  Or, as a newly-divorced, single-mom friend asked me, “How do I reinvent myself?”

Most of us will come to a transition point:  a change in location, family situation, or career opportunity.  Perhaps we want to to take an interest/hobby to a new level.  I’ve found this process goes more smoothly and produces better results if you know your strengths and use them in this new endeavor.  But how do you go about this?

Several years ago, I became intrigued with Dr. Martin Seligman‘s positive psychology theory.  I took his VIA Survey of Character Strengths which helped me identify key positive character traits.  (This is not to be confused with the Myers-Briggs test, also helpful, which identifies personality styles.)

The VIA Classification System’s goal is to identify what’s best about us and how we use those optimal characteristics to build our best lives.  Why is this important?  Well, research shows people enjoy their work and life more when they are using their strengths.

Success = Energy + forward momentum of strengths

So, are you ready to find out what your unique strengths are and put them in action?  If so, click here.  Please let me hear back from you once you’ve taken the survey to share what you found!  If you’re already using your unique strengths, please share how it’s going!

Simple exercise to improve your mood!

Years ago, my prankster grandfather put a plaque outside my bedroom door.  It read, “Warning!  My moods change without notice!”  Did I mention I was only 6?

This started an early awareness of my moods, what affected them and how to improve them.   I’ve followed, read, practiced and thrown out a lot of theories which, of course, put me in a bad mood.  However, I’ve been a devotee of Marty Seligman for years now since he pioneered the notion that psychologists focus too much on the pathology of disorders.  Seligman’s construct of Applied Positive Psychology has shown that cognitive exercises can help us overcome depression, anxiety, etc.  For more info, check out Penn’s Master’s of Applied Positive Psychology program or read his latest book, Flourish.

Now I implement simple exercises to improve my mood and feel happier.  Here’s one I use daily:  Write down three things that went well and why they went well, or why it means so much.  That’s it!

Here are some real-life examples to get you going:

1.  J got the job in NYC!  She moves this summer!  Why?  She’s so awesome and was really intentional about manifesting a more meaningful job for herself.

2.  Dinner tonight: wine and cheese with Jack.  Why?  Relaxing end to the day.

3.  A student told me today I was an “excellent teacher”!  Why?  Because I love my students and hope they feel I’m valuable to their success.

If you don’t have a journal, print this WhatWentWellExercise and put it next to your bed with a pen.

Teachers can use this as a “ticket out the door” exercise at the end of class or day.  Not only does this work on students’ metacognitive skills, it should improve the classroom environment.