Dane's Education Blog
. . . insights on children and parenting and a resource for educators and parents on children, teaching, learning, and leadership.
Friday, March 17, 2023
The Light We Carry
Friday, February 24, 2023
Would versus Could
When you watch this Daniel Pink research-based two minute Pinkcast, you will get some simple, powerful advice when you are confronted with a problem.
Saturday, February 4, 2023
Using Judgement in Life & Work
Great advice from Sarah Gardner in the January 27 Weekly JAM (Just A Minute).
"I think one of the things we struggle with the most is judgement. Judgement of ourselves, judgement of others, judgement of beliefs and ideas...honestly, judgement of life. It's important to try to be better and ask the world to be better but not when it comes from a place of judgement.
Judgement is born and bred from our ego. It's that voice in our head that says you have control over what is not in your control. It's the voice in our head that says you have control over what is not in your control. It's the voice that says you are not equal to others. It's the voice of the past and the voice of the future. Clearing the mind of judgement allows for calm and equanimity.
Judgement is always self-absorbed. We judge because we are dissatisfied with how things are and we desire to have things be the way we want them to be. Remember: Life just is...we put the meaning to it."
Friday, January 13, 2023
Unstoppable Us — Yuval Noah Harari Talks to Young Readers
Friday, December 23, 2022
Chatter
"The Voice in Our Heads, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It" is part of the title of the book Chatter—a book that gives a great deal of good information on how to deal with the chatter in our heads. View this brief interview to capture the essence of Ethan Kross and his powerful book.
Friday, December 2, 2022
Five Mindsets
JAM (Just A Minute) — the amount of time that it takes to read a weekly message that gives great, warm advice. Go to the JAM website to learn more.
Friday, November 11, 2022
Think Again With Adam Grant
Here is a great video to help you get to know Adam Grant.
Friday, October 21, 2022
Class versus Caste via a Middle Reader
Class Act is a terrific graphic novel that does an admirable job in helping students learn/understand some of the class issues they face in school and life, especially as they work their way through preadolescence.
Saturday, October 1, 2022
Three Important Words From Daniel Pink
Well known author Daniel Pink's Pinkcast 4.27 is so good—as are all of his Pinkcasts. His latest one which is 131 seconds long talks about "how to avoid overreacting to ugly problems and annoying complaints."
Daniel Pink has always been a star in my leadership and life lessons. I interviewed him in 2010; here is a link to that article.
Go to his website to learn more about his wonderful work.
Saturday, September 10, 2022
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie was first published in 1939 and was recently updated and published in May of 2022. My first reading about Carnegie (via Wikipedia) is a wonderful story unto itself. Here is a sample of how this precious book works with emotional intelligence to help you win friends and influence people:
"In a nutshell six ways to make people like you:
1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember a person's name to that person is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
6. Make the other person feel important — and do it sincerely." (page 117)
More Dale Carnegie information at the Carnegie website.
Friday, August 19, 2022
Meet Author Jason Reynolds
In case you have not already met author Jason Reynolds, I read three books by him and cannot recommend him enough. What impressed me the most was his 2015 book All American Boys and how he captured the May 25, 2020 George Floyd disaster long before it occurred.
This 10-minute video of Jason Reynolds being interviewed by Stephen Colbert gives a great impression of who Jason is as an author dedicated to middle/high school students and young adult readers . . .
Friday, July 29, 2022
Understanding Bittersweet in Our Lives
Want an uplifting, positive book to help you in life? Get a hold of Susan Cain's newest book Bittersweet. In case you are not familiar with the word bittersweet, here is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition:
"1) something that is bittersweetespecially : pleasure accompanied by suffering or regret2) being at once bitter and sweetespecially : pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret"Watch the TED Talk with Susan Cain — "Why Bittersweet Emotions Underscore Life's Beauty."
Friday, July 8, 2022
Can Children Appreciate Classical Music?
Of course they can. Here are some fabulous resources.
The book, The Carnival of the Animals is a beautiful rendition of the classical piece with the same name as the book. The book I received from Amazon is precious and is accompanied by a CD with a reading of the story and the classical piece by composer Camille Saint-Saens.
Benjamin Zander helps us appreciate classical music, AND what makes his talk so inviting is how he weaves in classical music and children.
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
I Color Myself DIFFERENT
Friday, May 27, 2022
The 1619 Project
The 1619 Project created by Pulitzer Prize-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones is a powerful, inspirational book made up of 18 chapters built on individual essays and poems to help us understand how humanity evolved in the US from when the enslaved people from Africa arrived in the British colony of Virginia to where we are today. Chapter titles include DEMOCRACY, RACE, FEAR, CAPITALISM, POLITICS, PUNISHMENT, MUSIC, HEALTHCARE, and others.
This PBS video with reporter Amna Newaz interviewing the author gives a strong overview of the book, its powerful message, and how it has been received.
Sunday, May 8, 2022
Why Great Leaders Take Humor Seriously
Whether you are a teacher, a principal, a president of a board of directors, a corporate CEO, or . . . you will get a perfect understanding of why great leaders take humor seriously by watching this powerful TED Talk. In just 10 minutes, you will learn and laugh.
This is the TED intro to the August 2021 video: "There's a mistaken belief in today's working world that leaders need to be serious all the time to be taken seriously. The research tells a different story. Based on the course they teach at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker and corporate strategist Naomi Bagdonas delve into the surprising power of humor: why it's a secret weapon to build bonds, power, creativity and resilience -- and how we can all have more of it."
Here are two other humor resources I have previously posted on this blog:
"The Importance of Using Humor in Our Work & Lives" (April 9, 2021) and "Humor in Our Work as Educators and Leaders" (August 31, 2019).
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Gaining Strength as We Age
Saturday, April 9, 2022
Great Reading For All Ages
What sealed the deal for me was catching this three-minute YouTube with Peck entitled "Richard Peck on Reading and Writing." He nails it with his preciously astute recommendations.
Friday, March 25, 2022
Real Friends vs. Deal Friends
Check out this two-and-a-half minute video from Daniel Pink's newsletter. Arthur Brooks, author of the book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, helps us understand the difference between real friends and deal friends and answers the question: Why are so many successful people lonely?
Friday, March 11, 2022
Terrific Insights Into Regrets
The many many quotes he inserts from people from all over the world throughout the book are so insightful and supports each chapter in a humanistic, thoughtful way.
Here is a link to Daniel in a TED interview talking about four core regrets that he presents so well in his book.
Friday, February 25, 2022
Black or White?
Friday, February 11, 2022
A Newbery Medal AND a Caldecott Honor Winner
Friday, December 31, 2021
On Cue Everyone, "Consider EQ Before IQ": Leading with Emotional Intelligence
Check out my recent article, "On Cue Everyone, 'Consider EQ Before IQ': Leading with Emotional Intelligence," in the latest issue of Montessori Leadership.
Saturday, December 11, 2021
Helping Our Children, Parents & Educators with Media
Media Power Youth, is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting youth with media. Here is their powerful mission: "Media Power Youth inspires young people to engage with media in thoughtful and constructive ways that support their physical and mental well-being." Visit their website to get a full picture of who they are and the important work they are doing.
Take two minutes to view this powerful video by clicking on this link:
Friday, November 19, 2021
Learning More About Humanity
I am a huge fan of author, Yuval Noah Harari. He has such a clear understanding of humanity—where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is headed. His latest book Sapiens: The Pillars of Civilization, A Graphic History Volume Two is due out on December 21. Harari's popular books history follows:
Sapiens The Birth of Humankind Volume 1
Sapiens Homo Deus
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
His October 31 interview on 60 Minutes is an excellent overview of where he has been and where he is headed regarding humankind. You can also get an inside look at his brilliance in the NYTimes interview "Yuval Noah Harari Believes This Simple Story Can Save the Planet" by David Marchese. (Nov. 7, 2121).
Friday, October 29, 2021
Guiding us Through the Pandemic
Meet Dr. Amen in the TED Talk below.
Friday, October 8, 2021
Understanding The Importance of Serving Others
When I do my weekly readings for my preschool children class, I wanted to help them to be sensitive to the importance of helping others. With all that has been happening in our world regarding hurricanes, massive fires, Afghanistan, hunger. . . I wanted to help children understand how important it is for us to help those in need AND how it helps them—and all of us—in our own lives.
I happened upon the big red dog, Clifford, series by Norman Bridwell and particularly the book Clifford and the Big Storm. Clifford is so sensitive about helping others who are in need, and he does such a good job.
In case you are not familiar with Clifford, here is a cute 2-minute video trailer:
Friday, September 17, 2021
The Importance of Libraries
Friday, August 27, 2021
How to Calculate Delta-Variant Risks For Children This Fall
I came across this excellent Wall Street Journal article and want to pass it on to you: "How to Calculate Delta-Variant Risks For Children This Fall" by Sumathi Reddy. It opens with this paragraph . . .
"With the Delta variant of Covid-19 infecting more children, many parents are worried about how to keep their unvaccinated young kids safe as schools reopen and extracurricular activities resume. Vaccination is best protection against Delta, doctors and public-health officials say. But that doesn’t directly help children under age 12, who are ineligible for the shots. So parents must weigh the risks and benefits of fall activities like in-person school, sports, play dates and birthday parties."
In the article is a fascinating 5-minute video on "The Science Behind Why the Delta Variant is Spreading Covid-19 Faster."
Parents, educators, and physicians are working hard to protect children and students. It is important to keep reading and learning what we can about the evolution of this ongoing pandemic.
Friday, August 6, 2021
Inspirational Reading in Just A Minute
The Daily JAM is an inspirational writing that you can read in Just A Minute (JAM).