Life, the Give Way
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Soft-Spoken Parenting
I like reading. In fact, one of my favorite past times (pre-parenting days), was to go to the bookstore, get a drink (or a donut, if we’re being honest đ ) and head straight to the parenting/education section. I’d find a book I liked and sit and read for a couple hours. Â If it was really good, I’d stay until I was done. (Sorry, Borders — I guess I was one of those people who helped contribute to your demise…but I did buy a lot of donuts from you. đ ) With all the reading I did, I absorbed a lot, became a better teacher, and also learned about things…
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This Is Not a Book Review
[Originally posted on TeacherPsych] âWhen I became a parent, I became a better teacher. I began to see my students like they were my own child.â These are the words a teacher friend of mine said to me before I had my own daughter. I didnât understand and didnât necessarily believe her. I do now. When I became a parent, I quit teaching in the school system and became a teacher to my daughter. As I stumbled along during those early months, I became aware of a problem I had: I didnât want to do what society and âthe expertsâ told me to do. I wanted to listen to my…
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Go Outside and Play!
[Originally posted on vision.org} Is there a correlation between physical and emotional health and communion with nature? How important is it for kids to spend a significant amount of time in unstructured outdoor play? Have modern kids been separated from the natural environment? These questions form the focus of the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Journalist Richard Louv, recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal and chairman of the Children & Nature Network, challenges parents, schools and community leaders to put this missing dimension back into the lives of our children. As a result of his analysis of the available research combined with personal reports…
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No, Seriously: Time for a Change
Well, I consider it an accomplishment that it hasn’t taken an entire year for me to act on my previous post. In its first incarnation, this site was about trying to be giving every day. Â Lately I’ve been trying to figure out how I can give to others while giving much of my time to my toddler. One thing I hope to do is find opportunities to thank those in my life who are giving of themselves. Â It happens everyday. Â So, I’d like to start noticing it more and publicly thanking people. Â These stories will both help me keep an attitude of thankfulness, as well as highlighting great ways to…
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Time for a Change
Once my little daughter was taking semi-regular naps, I decided it was time to start writing again for The Give Way. Â About that time we moved into our new house, and on the morning of moving day, I went and bought donuts for the moving crew. Â As I struggled to figure out how I was going to carry both the boxes and my daughter, a very helpful man offered to carry the donuts for me. Â An idea hit me: maybe I could start to notice when others were giving to me on a daily basis! Â But if any of you have ever had a 7 month old, you probably know…
