Education Blog
Today's youth. A lost generation?
Thanks to my friend Sarah Sladek for putting this fantastic video on her site.
To those of us working for, working with, or worrying about today’s young people, this is a great video to get our thinking straight!
Read More >>Following Your Own Advice
Me and my big mouth.
There is always a risk when you have a job that is both public in its nature and also predicated on language. As a writer, speaker, and blogger, I end up throwing lots and lots of words out into the universe.
And most of my words are about potentially challenging (and hopefully fruitful) personal acts of wellness and self-improvement. I encourage people to seek positive change. I want colleagues to be better to each other. I believe in setting (and keeping) strong and audacious personal goals. And I believe every word I speak.
But that means I need to live by them too. And that can be tough.
Today marks one of those moments. Last summer I got sucked into the world of triathlons. I did three of them last year and worked hard to get ready. I trained. I read books, magazines, and websites. I got up early to run, bike, and swim. I took very few days off. I ate right, slept enough.
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Hot off the presses! IDEAS FOR EDUCATORS!
Well rock and roll!
I got to work this morning and there on my desk was a stack of CDs. But not just any ol’ CDs! Oh no. Today Ideas for Educators has arrived.
This is project I co-authored this winter with my dear friend and former English department colleague Adrienne Gilby. That’s me in the denim shirt. That’s her in front. (No height jokes please.)
Adrienne and I talk a bit more about the project on a podcast that you can get from the above link, so I won’t get into too much detail. Give it a listen.
But I’m really excited about what this new resource could do for schools. First, it can be a great weekly reminder to staff about how to be positive with youth. Second, it reminds staff about how to be positive with each other and good to themselves.
Read More >>"School Connectedness" on Capitol Hill
I’d like to send a big kudos to Jon Terry, a tireless advocate for positive youth development in Washington D.C. If you like guns, education, oil, and a host of other issues, you’re pretty well represented in Washington. If you’re rallying lawmakers around positive youth development? That’s a little more lonely.
Jon has organized a Capitol Hill briefing next Tuesday centered around the CDC’s report around school connectedness. Search President Peter Benson will be speaking. Lawmakers will be listening. This is a cool day.
Here’s a description on Jon’s blog about the event. We’ll report back on how it goes. Make sure to read the CDC’s report in Jon’s posting. Print it out. Forward it. Distribute it. And if you’re anywhere near Washington, get to the briefing. Call your state representatives and encourage them to go.
Read More >>When the BIG dots connect
This post will be an exercise in connecting dots. And in this regard, they’re pretty big dots. As some of you read last week in my post about my older son turning nine, I have a proclivity for recognizing (if not over-recognizing) transitional moments of life, especially with my own children.
Today is another one of those moments. After more than four years, my younger son Peter is at his last day at Calvary Lutheran Childcare. He started going there when he was around a year old, and now he’s there for his last day prior to starting kindergarten. And as is my wont, this day has brought on a flood of ruminations.
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Recent Entries
As a former teacher, I’ve seen first-hand the issues that educators face every day. I hope that by writing this blog, I can share some insights (as well as a sense of humor) on teacher job satisfaction and school climate, and spark conversation about how to improve our schools.
—Nathan Eklund, M.Ed
Senior Education Consultant
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