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The Price of Inaction

As a teacher of many years, I have seen many extraordinary things, some good, some bad. One year, I saw a beautiful girl go with a disabled student to the senior prom just because he asked her. I’ve witnessed groups of students help another in a medical emergency, doing what I asked without question. I
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Hope in Desperate Times

A few years ago, I read an account of a Lithuanian family who were arrested and placed in Siberian Work Camps under the Joseph Stalin regime. I have read and studied the horrors millions suffered under Hitler but, I’m embarrassed to admit, I was not aware of the horrific atrocities many bore under Stalin’s thumb.
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The Appeal of Garbage

I have a dachshund, though he’s 4 inches from the ground, is determined to get into our garbage. I thought he would out-grow this irritating habit, but, he has not. One day, when I came home from work, he had had an impromptu party and he left tissue confetti all over the living room. He
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The Responsibility of Freedom

There are so many stories I could tell about the things I observed and heard within the walls of my classroom over the last three decades. The first half of my career, I taught high schoolers but I have spent my second half with middle school kids. When people ask me what grade I teach,
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An Epidemic of Entitlement

“Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.” ― Criss Jami I have worked with teens and preteens for over 30 years and part of the reason I have done
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Creativity Gives You An Edge

“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”     – Ayn Rand When I look back on Christmas in my childhood, I remember the year I received my very favorite Christmas present ever. Under the tree was a flat wrapped box I discovered was full of 120crayons
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The Power of Brokenness and How to Recover

Growing up, my siblings and I did some stupid things. We jumped ramps made of brinks and a bowed piece of plywood. We played “chicken” with firecrackers, lighting them and seeing who would hold them the longest before throwing them up in the air. We played tackle football in the road that ran in front
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How to Have a Good Attitude, No Matter What Comes Your Way.

Bad things happen to everyone. Sooner or later, you’ll wake up to a day that will change your life forever. It may be a death in the family, a grim diagnosis, a secret uncovered. When I see others in these situations, I sometimes chuckle, as if to say, “Why are you surprised this has happened?”
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Zeal – Making It Work For You

I have spent more of my life working with teens and preteens than I have without them. I have laughed, cried, fought with, defended, argued and loved my way through 33 plus years with “my kids.” I’ve learned a lot about this age group and one of them is, if you use the right approach,
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The Good and Bad of Yielding to Others

I have had the privilege of traveling some in my life. When I counted the other day, I was surprised that I have visited 10 countries outside U.S. soil. Experiencing life in the culture of a foreign country is fascinating and I could write of many unusual things that happened in my travels but I
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