Emotional Intelligence is So Important in Our Lives

I have been enthralled by Emotional Intelligence (EI) throughout my career in education. Over the years, I have spent lots of time understanding, teaching, and implementing EI in my work and life. To see what I mean, do a search in this blog by typing in "Emotional Intelligence" and see the posts I have dedicated to EI resources. Here are just a few posts:

• For All Educators -> Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence (7/3/15)

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (3/3/17)

• On Cue Everyone, "Consider EQ Before IQ": Leading with Emotional Intelligence (12/31/21)

-------------------------------------------------------

Here is the latest EI resource I have grabbed on to ---->

I am in the middle of the book, and it has so much good information on employing EI with teams. I bumped into the author, Dr. Vanessa Druskat, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of New Hampshire when we both presented at the May TEDx Portsmouth. Here is a link to her presentation. She gives so much strong information regarding team building in her talk AND in her book.

WHAT IF . . . Reading to Children

I had an amazing opportunity to talk about the importance of reading to children and read the book I wrote — Forward Backwards THE SAME — at the recent TEDx Portsmouth 2025 event at the Music Hall. I read to an audience with over 900 people. The audience was so engrossed, and the TEDx staff was outstanding in how they presented all 14 individual speakers, moving towards a "What If . . ." theme.

Here is an excellent GRANITE GOODNESS website review by Andy DeMeo presenting all that TED does.

Great Stories to Read to Middle Schoolers

I have always enjoyed reading to children. Here is an article — "The Joy of Reading to Children" — I wrote for "Montessori Life" magazine with the American Montessori Society back in 2017. It can give you some important information and thoughts. 

Also, High Marks - Stories That Make Good Reading compiled by Annette Sloan & Albert Capaccio is a book I have used over the years to read to middle school students. Here is a sample of the stories students enjoy:

"The Lion Roared" by Virginia Eiseman
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
"How Much Land Does a Man Need" by Leo Tolstoy
"The Necklace" by Guy De Maupassant
"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs

Also, the book includes thoughtful questions at the end of each story.

PALINDROME PAL

Here is a book I just wrote and is now published with Amazon: Forward backwards THE SAME. The book is available through Amazon.  Here is the Amazon link. 

The illustrations that Karina Taylor provided are thoughtfully beautiful. 

Forty years ago as a 5th grade math teacher, I was fascinated by palindromes and as expected and when presented, so were my students.  

Feel free to pass on a comment after you read the book. Many thanks!

Supercommunicators

Supercommunicators caught my attention right from the beginning with author Charles Duhigg highlighting the importance and use of emotional intelligence throughout the book. As an example, he states "One of the reasons supercommunicators are so talented at picking up on how others feel is because they have a habit of noticing the energy in others' gestures, the volume of their voices, how fast they are speaking, their cadence and effect."

Here is more of getting to know Charles Duhigg and his good work via his TEDx Manchester video . . . 

Stop Asking for Feedback and Start Asking for Advice

Dan Pink's Pinkcasts are short and present powerful information. He is one of my favorite authors, advisors on leadership, and helper of  others. Take 54 seconds to watch this excellent Pinkcast on "advice v. feedback." 

Link to Dan Pink video

The Art of Asking

Such a beautiful TED Talk with 13M views AND a powerful message on "The Art of Asking." As a singer, Amanda Palmer has a simple but important message when interacting with people . . . 

"And the media asked,

Amanda, the music business is tanking and you encourage piracy. 

How did you make all these people pay for music? 

And the real answer is, I didn't make them. 

I asked them. 

And through the very act of asking people, 

I'd connected with them, 

and when you connect with them, people want to help you. 

It's kind of counterintuitive for a lot of artists. 

They don't want to ask for things. 

But it's not easy. 

It's not easy to ask. 

And a lot of artists have a problem with this. 

Asking makes you vulnerable." 

Watch her TED Talk to get the full, beautiful picture of asking.

Learning How to OUTLIVE

For those of us who are educators and parents over 50, the book Outlive really is the science and art of life longevity. This bestselling book is so helpful. To get you started, below is a terrific PBS interview with author Peter Attia, MD. 

Also, here is a link to his amazing website where he specifically takes you through exercise, nutrition, sleep, medications & supplements, mental & emotional health, and risks.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid — Amazing

Ever since my seven-year-old grandson recommended a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, — AND my granddaughter has 14 books in the series — I am on my second book. Wow! How did I miss this in my readings? Above is a picture of author Jeff Kinney's collection that is now 15 years old.

Speaking of author Kinney, check out this great PBS interview where he talks about his Wimpy Kid and the 250 million copies out worldwide that have come in for his work. 

Reading to Children — A Delight For Them and You

I have been reading to children — preschool through middle school — for over 40 years. I began with my own children, and I made my way through my entire education career and into retirement. United Way's Ready Readers program got me up and running in my retirement years.  I now read to two preschool classes in two different schools on a weekly basis. I am also working on publishing a children's book.

New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof's article (11/24/24) "Gift Ideas That Push Back the Darkness" is special. One of his recommended gift ideas is "Help a child learn to read!" It is spot-on regarding reading to children . . . "Reach Out and Read operates across the United States. It now reaches one-fifth of children 5 and under in America and aims to reach half by 2030."

Nexus - Stone Age to AI - A Lesson for all to Learn

Nexus is a special book for educators and parents and the children they serve. They will all get a clear, outstanding picture of the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Yuval Noah Harari is one of my favorite authors. He is so thoughtful and brilliant in how he takes the reader from the beginning of humanity to AI, making sure he explains democracy, wars, evolution of communication via newspapers, radio, television, phones, computers, and the many aspects of algorithms. 

If you don't have the time to read the book, go to the BIG THINK website to listen to Harari's Nexus 75-minute interview; he is such a good speaker.

How to Stop Languishing and Start Finding Flow

My introduction to FLOW was when I read Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and subsequently introduced him at a conference.

I love how Adam Grant begins his TED Talk on how to stop languishing and start finding flow . . . 

"I know you all have long to-do lists, 

but I hate wasting time so much that I have a to-don't list. 

Don't scroll on social media, 

don't check my phone in bed 

and don't turn on the TV 

unless I already know what I want to watch."

8 Ways to Help Children Cultivate Happiness

"Here are 8 ways to help children cultivate happiness:

• Foster strong social connections.

• Model grace and courtesy.

• Introduce and practice mindfulness.

• Lead an appreciation practice.

• Set goals.

• Provide opportunities for movement.

• Have a sense of humor.

• Help children identify and pursue their interests."

Article "8 Ways to Help Children Cultivate Happiness" and picture are from American Montessori Society Montessori Life magazine (8/7/24) and blog by author Heather White.

The Power of Words

The power of words can make a huge difference in our lives — especially when children are learning how to use words well. 

This video is amazing the way it helps one understand the power words have when used correctly . . . particularly when we are in the midst of elections.

Optical Illusions for Children & Adults

Check out this video that takes you through 11 different optical illusions. Teachers and parents sitting with young people can have lots of fun learning more about optical illusions AND personality traits.

Happiness v. Meaning in Your Life?

Emily Esfahani Smith's TED Talk "There's more to life than being happy" gives great insight on the differences in happiness in life and having meaning in life. 

Smith goes on to say "Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but I came to see that seeking meaning is the more fulfilling path. And the studies show that people who have meaning in life, they're more resilient, they do better in school and at work, and they even live longer."

She goes on to talk clearly about . . . 

. . . THE FOUR PILLARS OF MEANING

1) Belonging   2) Purpose   3) Transcendence   4) Storytelling

Here is here beautiful TED Talk that has over 13M views — 

Helping Parents, Children, and Educators With AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Since the beginning of April, the book The Anxious Generation has been on the New York Times bestsellers list. 

Below is an interview with the author, Jonathan Haidt. It captures the essence of the book, and both the book and the video are so helpful if you want to know where we are and where we are going with children, parents, education, and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

Here is the interview:

Who Moved My Cheese?

Written in 1998 by Spencer Johnson, M.D., this book is a fantastic read that you can read in an hour.  The quote on the cover says it all — "An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life." Also, "Cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life—whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind."

If you don't have an hour to read the book or you want to share the story with a child, you can click over to this three minute YouTube graphic version.

What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Here is a very special TED Talk. See below for the 8-minute Talk by Adora Svitak — "What Adults Can Learn From Kids." As of this blog post it has 7M views. 

"How every child can thrive by five"

This 7 minute TED Talk by seven-year-old Molly Wright is fantastic! Here is the introduction to this 11M viewed Talk:

"What if I was to tell you that a game of peek-a-boo could change the world?" asks seven-year-old Molly Wright, one of the youngest-ever TED speakers. . . "