Social scientists in the past two decades have clearly stated that human values matter when it comes to defining and managing your measure of personal success. Brene Brown talks about the importance of vulnerability in defining success; Angela Duckworth speaks...

  Attentiveness is about the choices a student makes.  Is he or she paying attention to the things that are most important?  Some students need to pay attention to teacher directions, others to the quality of their spelling work, still others to the quality of...

  Teachers need to work with school administrators to identify what it takes for students to be successful in the community.  Educators need to look beyond schooling and ask how they can best prepare students to deal not just with school, but with life. In...

  How do we get school communities past 150 years of academics as the primary focus of schooling? In my experience, the teachers who have worked in schools for decades are frustrated by the competition for academic grades; frustrated by the focus in schools on...

  I understand parents who choose to homeschool.  In schools, there can be an overwhelming focus on the differences everyone brings to the table.  If everyone is different, the only unified expectation is in academic success.  Thus, the continued emphasis on...

  Parents and teachers can work together to create a positive school culture.  Both are on the same team in wanting school success and life success for their children/students. The important thing is to embrace that nothing significant is achieved without a...

Sarah had always been a steady, dependable student. While her friends fretted over getting straight A's, she seemed content with her regular report card filled with B's. She worked hard, but academics weren’t her only priority.  Sarah wasn’t the type to memorize facts...

  It was the middle of October, and the air was filled with the crispness of autumn. As students shuffled into their homerooms, they buzzed with nervous anticipation. Today was the day report cards were being handed out—not just the usual academic report cards,...

  What we have learned from life gurus like Tony Robbins and Brené Brown is that good character, confidence, and success matter in building a happy and productive life.  In fact, research has consistently supported this case that good character leads to feelings...